to leave. We’re hitting the road tonight. Our flight leaves in the morning, early. I wish we could stay longer, but I’ve got an important meeting I have to attend and your mother needs to prepare for the next semester.”
“Okay, Daddy. Call me when you get in so I don’t worry.”
Shay’s mother pulled her to the side. “Shannon’s brother… very nice. He’s interested too. It shows. You better snap him up.”
“Moooom.”
“You do what I tell you,” she scolded.
“I don’t think so.” Shayla had to protest. If she agreed, her mother would be suspicious.
“Rory!”
“Mom, don’t,” Shay protested as her mother motioned for him to come over.
“Ma’am?” The glance he slid Shayla was questioning.
“You take good care of my girl while she’s working for you. Introduce her to some nice men. A girl like my Shay-Nei has a lot to offer, yes?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll see to it,” he responded in his most solicitous voice. Shayla narrowed her eyes at him.
“Come on, Kiyona, let’s go. We have a long drive ahead of us,” her father said.
“Take care. Don’t forget to call,” Shay admonished as hugs were exchanged.
“We won’t. Bye,” her dad said. Her mom nodded her head in Rory’s direction, smiling meaningfully, before her dad grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.
“Bye,” she echoed as they left.
As the underage and the elderly left and only the in-between remained, the atmosphere changed. Ties and jackets came off, and abandoned heels littered the floor, partially hidden beneath the trailing edges of tablecloths. A bar was set up in the corner, and the doors to the pool area were thrown open, letting in the cool night air. The bright lights were turned on, and some industrious males began taking down the unnecessary tables, increasing the dancing area.
Shayla looked around avidly, sleep forgotten. These people really knew how to party. The band switched from the easygoing, laid-back tunes they were playing to hard rock. The singles among them joined up into couples or, in some cases, threesomes. From the amount of sexual tension in the air, quite a few of them would be getting lucky.
With both sets of parents gone, there was room at the main table for the rest of the wedding party, so they gathered their things and joined Kiesha and Alex at the head table. She was calling it a table, but it was really three in a U formation, with Alex and Kiesha at the top. Shayla sank into the seat next to her cousin, and Rory, never far away, settled on her right.
“I am never getting married,” she told Kiesha. “That woman is insane. I don’t know how you stood it.”
Kiesha looked to where Shay and Rory’s hands were linked on the table. Now that her parents were gone, the man was indulging in his need to stake a claim, especially with all the horny wolves on the prowl. Not that they were a concern. One glance followed by a sniff and they stayed away. Maybe there really was something to this marking business. “What about Rory?”
“We’ll live in sin. It’ll give her something to pray about. Hell, she’s getting a grandchild out of the deal. That ought to be enough.” Shay rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the tension.
“You know your dad won’t go for that. He’ll come after Rory with a shotgun,” Kiesha stated with a laugh.
Rory stirred. “I don’t think I like the sound of that.”
Shay rolled her eyes at him. “You’re a werewolf. Suck it up. It’s not like a bullet will kill you unless he uses silver.”
She could feel all of them gazing at her in stunned dismay.
“Shay, we really have to do something about your preconceptions,” Alex said.
“Yeah. For one, Nikolai does not sleep in a coffin and sunlight won’t kill him,” Shannon stated.
“She thought that?” Nikolai asked.
“Yes, she asked if that’s why you weren’t at the wedding,” Shannon responded.
“And while we heal superfast, enough bullets in the right body part
“Okay, Daddy. Call me when you get in so I don’t worry.”
Shay’s mother pulled her to the side. “Shannon’s brother… very nice. He’s interested too. It shows. You better snap him up.”
“Moooom.”
“You do what I tell you,” she scolded.
“I don’t think so.” Shayla had to protest. If she agreed, her mother would be suspicious.
“Rory!”
“Mom, don’t,” Shay protested as her mother motioned for him to come over.
“Ma’am?” The glance he slid Shayla was questioning.
“You take good care of my girl while she’s working for you. Introduce her to some nice men. A girl like my Shay-Nei has a lot to offer, yes?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll see to it,” he responded in his most solicitous voice. Shayla narrowed her eyes at him.
“Come on, Kiyona, let’s go. We have a long drive ahead of us,” her father said.
“Take care. Don’t forget to call,” Shay admonished as hugs were exchanged.
“We won’t. Bye,” her dad said. Her mom nodded her head in Rory’s direction, smiling meaningfully, before her dad grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.
“Bye,” she echoed as they left.
As the underage and the elderly left and only the in-between remained, the atmosphere changed. Ties and jackets came off, and abandoned heels littered the floor, partially hidden beneath the trailing edges of tablecloths. A bar was set up in the corner, and the doors to the pool area were thrown open, letting in the cool night air. The bright lights were turned on, and some industrious males began taking down the unnecessary tables, increasing the dancing area.
Shayla looked around avidly, sleep forgotten. These people really knew how to party. The band switched from the easygoing, laid-back tunes they were playing to hard rock. The singles among them joined up into couples or, in some cases, threesomes. From the amount of sexual tension in the air, quite a few of them would be getting lucky.
With both sets of parents gone, there was room at the main table for the rest of the wedding party, so they gathered their things and joined Kiesha and Alex at the head table. She was calling it a table, but it was really three in a U formation, with Alex and Kiesha at the top. Shayla sank into the seat next to her cousin, and Rory, never far away, settled on her right.
“I am never getting married,” she told Kiesha. “That woman is insane. I don’t know how you stood it.”
Kiesha looked to where Shay and Rory’s hands were linked on the table. Now that her parents were gone, the man was indulging in his need to stake a claim, especially with all the horny wolves on the prowl. Not that they were a concern. One glance followed by a sniff and they stayed away. Maybe there really was something to this marking business. “What about Rory?”
“We’ll live in sin. It’ll give her something to pray about. Hell, she’s getting a grandchild out of the deal. That ought to be enough.” Shay rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the tension.
“You know your dad won’t go for that. He’ll come after Rory with a shotgun,” Kiesha stated with a laugh.
Rory stirred. “I don’t think I like the sound of that.”
Shay rolled her eyes at him. “You’re a werewolf. Suck it up. It’s not like a bullet will kill you unless he uses silver.”
She could feel all of them gazing at her in stunned dismay.
“Shay, we really have to do something about your preconceptions,” Alex said.
“Yeah. For one, Nikolai does not sleep in a coffin and sunlight won’t kill him,” Shannon stated.
“She thought that?” Nikolai asked.
“Yes, she asked if that’s why you weren’t at the wedding,” Shannon responded.
“And while we heal superfast, enough bullets in the right body part
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