The doorknob turned, but it wouldn’t open.
“Did you really expect it to be unlocked?” Surely she knew better.
“No, but I figured I’d try before I went all-out.” Humor was clear in her voice.
She’s up to something. I rolled off the bed and got to my feet. “We’re up. Give us five minutes.”
“That’s all you’re getting,” Beth grumbled. “I’ll be back.”
“You aren’t as scary as the Terminator.” Aidan winked.
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.” She grabbed the doorknob and turned it again.
“He’s kidding.” I was going to smack him. If she comes in here and sees you like that, I can’t be held responsible for her reaction. Before Beth realized what he was to me, she’d referred to him as ‘the guy’ in our composition class. I couldn’t blame her. He was downright delectable.
He got out of bed and grabbed his jeans off the floor. I’m not sure if I should be proud or upset that you don’t really care if she saw me naked.
Let’s say I’d rather she doesn’t, but if you antagonize her, you’ll get what’s coming. I shrugged, collected my clothes, and headed into the bathroom.
The bathroom here was huge. Now that we were here, it was obvious this was their home. It contained more furniture and a comforting feel. It wasn’t as sterile.
The tan tiles complemented the maple sinks. There was a white-tiled shower with a tub right beside it. I turned on the water and scanned the area. There was already shampoo and soap inside, which surprised me, but then I remembered Amethyst had mentioned that the people who got here first would set up the houses for the rest of us. They must have done this.
A small closet to the right contained fluffy white towels. I laid one on the granite countertop. I stepped into the shower and turned on the water.
Halfway through, I felt a tingle down my back and turned to find Aidan leaning against the doorframe, watching me. “Enjoying the show?”
“It’s taking every ounce of self-control I have not to join you.” His husky voice told me every one of his desires.
“Good thing I’m done.” If he kept looking at me like that, Beth would see something that couldn’t be unseen. I turned the water off and grabbed the towel.
I hurriedly dressed, knowing the others were waiting on us.
Once I was ready, I took Aidan’s hand and tugged him to the kitchen.
The scent of bacon filled the air. “Something smells good.”
“Well, you were almost too late.” Beth grabbed some bacon from the middle of the rectangular table.
Our crew was in their usual spots, with Beatrice at the head of the table, Amethyst on one side, and Sage on the other. Rowan sat between Amethyst and her daughter, Coral. Beth took up the last spot at the end. Samuel sat next to his mother and adopted brother, Finn.
I made my way over to Finn and sat down. “I thought you were coming in after five minutes?”
“Well, yeah, but when I smelled that you two had cooled down back there, I figured you would be out soon.” Beth tapped her nose. “It was clear as day what you two were leading up to.”
She really didn’t have any boundaries. I busied myself by grabbing some food before I died of embarrassment.
“Hey, be nice.” Aidan pointed at her as he sat beside me. “Do you really want us to give you hell when you find your own mate?”
“Fine,” she grumbled and shoved a whole piece of bacon into her mouth.
“Hey, I’m jealous.” Coral leaned back and grabbed her cup of coffee. “It’s nice to find a hot man and get some frustration out.”
Rowan turned to her daughter and frowned. “You do realize your mother is sitting right here?”
“Mom, don’t act all virginal.” Coral motioned at herself. “You have a kid, remember.”
“As fun as this conversation is, I think there are more important matters we need to discuss,” Beatrice said. She fidgeted in her seat, clearly not comfortable with where the conversation had ventured.
Finn glowered at Aidan. “I have to agree with that.”
Okay, this had to end before those two got into it again. “So … my powers are unlocked, kind of.”
“What do you mean, ‘kind of’?” Samuel took a bite of his eggs, his eyes staying on me.
I reached over, took a biscuit, and shoveled some eggs and bacon onto it. “It’s weird. There is this place inside me that was a dark void all my life. Now, it seems almost iridescent, but I still can’t access it.”
Aidan grabbed the coffee pot at the center of the table. “Here, want coffee?”
“Yes, please.” I liked him taking care of me, which was strange. With Jacob, it had pissed me off.
“I’ve been thinking about that, and there is only one thing that Sage and I could come up with.” Beatrice tapped the table.
Amethyst narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “What’s that?”
Sage turned her green eyes directly on me. “What did the two of you do right before the earthquake?”
I wished I could turn invisible.
“We claimed each other and completed the bond,” Aidan said and took my hand.
Okay, he’d said it a lot more eloquently than I would’ve. My words would’ve been, “We did it,” or “We had sex.”
“That’s what we thought. The two of you completing your bond released your powers.” Beatrice let out a long sigh. “And from what I remember, the other girls are now marked too.”
“They weren’t marked before?” That didn’t make any sense. Why would I be marked but not them?
“Because you were the catalyst, the chosen wolf to release them all.”
“So that’s why my forefathers never found more than one.” Aidan scratched his neck.
Amethyst’s brows furrowed. “Did you guys know to look for more than one?”
“No, but at the same time we—I mean, The Hallowed Guild doesn’t trust witches, so they’re always on the lookout for someone with the mark.” His shoulders sagged, but he snatched a handful of bacon.
“‘We,’ huh?” Finn arched an eyebrow and faced Aidan.
Emma, I’m trying to get along with this asshole for you, but he keeps acting like this. Aidan’s voice was full of rage despite his mask of indifference. If he doesn’t stop, I’ll have to kick his ass. My wolf is ready to attack him right now.
You’re right. I thought he’d have calmed down by now, but he hasn’t.
“Stop it,” I said and moved my head so Aidan wasn’t in his line of vision anymore. “He hasn’t been part of them for about a week, so the word we was out of habit.”
Finn’s jaw clenched. “Exactly. He could turn any second.”
“Oh, stop it,” Beth said as she grabbed a biscuit and hurled it right at Finn. It hit him on the cheek and left some crumbs in his scruff. “He’s locked and bound to Emma, so stop being an ass.”
“I’m not too fond of you either, wolf.” His contempt rang through the room.
“Well, you better get used to having us around.” I hated his attitude, though I understood some of it. Being an orphan was hard even if you were raised by people who loved you. A piece of you would always be missing. Did I look like my parents? Did I have their laugh? Hell, would they be proud of me?