He squeezed my leg. “This isn’t goodbye. Everyone will be there when you get back.”
“I know. I’m being dumb.”
“Not dumb at all.” He handed me his phone. “Plug her in and hit play. The first song on Matt Lange’s guest mix from ABGT eighty-five is amazing. You’re going to love it.”
My grin was a little watery, but I did what he said, and let Matt Lange’s ‘We Transcend’ take me away.
“Is that Einaudi that he’s mixing in?”
“Yup.”
I turned it up. Amazing, I said through the bond.
I thought you’d like that.
Thanks. For distracting me. For driving me.
Anything. For you, I’d do anything.
I let that soak in as I leaned over the console to rest my head on his shoulder. No, it wasn’t the safest way to drive, but I trusted him and I was a Were. Being near him, with the soft piano and deep rolling bass, took away a measure of nerves and sadness and frustration that burned through my veins.
Luciana was getting a fuckload more than she’d bargained for. If she thought I’d decide to stay forever and suppress my wolf, she was going to be disappointed. I’d only be biding my time, waiting until I could go home to St. Ailbe’s, where I really belonged. With people who actually cared about me.
Things had a funny way of working out, and I was going to make sure they worked out the way I wanted them to this time.
As we pulled up to the compound, I felt only one thing. Dread. I’d been here twice in the past week. Neither time had gone well. I thought about having Dastien drop me outside the gate, but no one had told me he wasn’t allowed to walk me to the door, and I wasn’t about to tell Dastien he couldn’t do this last little thing.
We went through the gate and that same icky barrier spell passed over me like a slimy curtain. I was prepared for it, and as long as Dastien was on the same side as me, our bond still held.
Beyond the gate was a long, straight dirt road. A line of two-story houses lined the road, with cars parked in front. La Aquelarre’s land felt more rustic than St. Ailbe’s, mostly because the dirt road was so bumpy and they’d barely managed to cut back enough forest to fit the houses. St. Ailbe’s had nice landscaping around it. Even the forest immediately surrounding the campus was a little tame. But the forest here felt like it was about to swallow up the houses any minute.
The last two times I’d been here, the road was empty of people. This time I had a full-on welcoming party.
We got out of the car, and Dastien quickly moved to my side. He was tense, but not totally losing it yet. I just hoped he could keep his cool. A confrontation with Luciana on my first day wouldn’t be the best way to start off.
Luciana stood front and center of the gathered crowd, with her son, Daniel, slightly behind her. I scanned the faces and found my cousins. They stood on their porch, away from the crowd. I wasn’t sure if I was glad to see them or pissed.
Right then I was leaning toward pissed. I had trusted them when I told them what was going on in my life, and they ran home to tell on me?
I knew I needed allies if I was going to make it at the compound, but I wasn’t sure that I could count on them anymore. It was more than a little disappointing.
Luciana stepped forward and Dastien’s anger at her rippled through the bond. I gripped his hand to keep him from doing anything stupid. He’d been doing so well this morning, which was exactly what I’d needed, but he couldn’t backslide now.
Luciana wore one of the long, flowing skirts she favored that I found impractical. Especially here with the dirt road. How did she manage to keep the hems clean?
“I’m so glad you’ve decided to join us,” she said.
“You didn’t give me much choice. I’m not here of my own volition.” I fought to keep my voice calm and even.
“I’m sure once you get settled in, you’ll forget all about the pack.”
Dastien growled and I squeezed his hand harder. Please, don’t freak out. I have to stay here and I need you to be calm.
I’m trying.
“You really have no concept of reality, do you?” I said to Luciana. “I’ll be going home for the next full moon, and if I ever set foot on this land again, it’ll be to raze it.”
A few shocked gasps escaped the crowd and I wondered who here knew what Luciana was up to. The whole coven couldn’t be bad, and by the reactions, not everyone agreed with her methods.
“Starting off with a threat isn’t a good way to win over the coven.”
