Page 37 of Forgotten Arcane (Broken Ashes #6)
River nudges me, and I glance up at him, shoving another bite of food in my mouth as I do, because this really fucking good. I can hardly believe that we helped to make it.
“Why are those women staring at you like you kicked their puppy?” he asks curiously.
I burst out laughing.
Not bothering to keep my voice down, I reply, “Because the middle one has a thing for Van, and I’m best friends with Van, so they all have a problem with me. It appears some people never grew the fuck up.”
I smile sweetly as River’s eyes dance with amusement.
“Still a bitch, I see, Neith,” Salikeen finally speaks to me, a sneer on her lips.
I smirk, “Still a desperate whore, I see, Salikeen.”
River chokes on his drink and then bursts out laughing as I hear a quiet chuckle from Evander.
“Whoa, hold up,” Van says.
Sellikeen’s expression turns into a pleased smile as she assumes that he’s going to tell me off for calling her a desperate whore.
I raise my eyebrows as I glance at him, “Yes?”
He grips my chin, “I rather thought that you were a lot more than just my best friend.”
My smile widens as I hear gasps from across the table.
Leaning forward, I kiss Van, “Yep. Way more.”
His eyes are twinkling, as he releases my chin and leans back, “Good, just checking, you may resume your fight.”
I laugh again and turn back, pretending to pout I add, “Oh boo, where did they go?”
River chuckles again, “Ruthless.”
I shrug, “What can I say? Those three tend to bring out my inner bitch.” Frowning, I add, “Apparently, I resort to being a teenager again too.”
Evander chuckles, “Don’t worry about it, she started it.”
I shrug, “Fair point.”
The rest of the dinner is pretty uneventful. Everyone is smiling and talking, catching up on things that they’ve missed since the last time that there was a banquet. The thrum of voices is so familiar to me that I find myself smiling constantly.
“It’s about time that you two got together,” Auntie Fleur comments, and has everyone around her nodding in agreement.
“Right?” Reese adds, another aunty of course.
“Even I could see that they liked each other,” Uncle Ruesh adds, making me laugh.
“It just took us a moment to sort it out ourselves,” Evander replies.
The conversation then quickly turns to how we got back in contact, and that presents a minefield that I’m quite happy to let Van deal with, while I eat as much as I possibly can.
Finally satisfied with the line of questioning, the aunts and uncles then switch to the Choosing and ask every possible question that they can think of.
Thankfully, these are directed at all of us, and we all answer questions here and there. The ones that we can answer anyway.
Everything is going really well until someone rushes up to the head of the table and leans down to talk to Eamon and Calia.
They have a quiet conversation and then the person rushes off again.
“Is everything okay?” Van asks, picking up on the tension.
Eamon nods, “Yes. There is an unknown person approaching the fence on the left side of the property.”
I frown.
“It’s probably just someone from the pack on the neighboring land that’s strayed a little bit too close to our borders. It happens every now and again. It’s nothing to worry about,” Calia adds.
The unease doesn’t quite leave me though.
In the whole time that I lived here, I can’t remember one of the wolves from the neighboring pack getting too close. They own as much land as the compound, and there’s a two-mile-wide strip of land that’s referred to as no man’s land that runs between their border and ours.
The relationship between the pack and the compound is complicated. It used to be really good, and in fact, I remember them being invited to the banquets and everyone getting on great.
Then the alpha and his true mate died. We’re not sure how.
Those details were never shared with us because the beta that took over thought that the different kinds of supernaturals should be kept separate.
He also didn’t like that we had more land than they did, and even that some wolves chose to live here instead of on pack grounds.
Not only did he think that wolves shouldn’t mix with other supes, so he banned mating to anyone but another wolf, he also looked down on women. Now that I think about it, he’s pretty fucking similar to Ahren’s beta. Maybe it’s a prerequisite and all betas are assholes?
It wouldn’t surprise me, the evidence certainly suggests that’s the case.
But because of his actions, and the fact he’s an asshole, tensions have been extremely high between the pack and the compound.
We carry on talking for only ten minutes more before the alarm goes off, a siren blaring throughout the whole of the compound. All conversation stops as everyone looks to Eamon and Calia.
“Everyone, please make your way to the meeting room and the safe room below. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. We will get this straightened out and then come to get you,” Eamon tells them as he stands up.
“Please, do not come out until you are given the signal from us,” Calia adds.
Everyone quickly gathers their children and families and heads for the meeting house, leaving behind Van's parents, a few members that I know are extremely well trained, and us.
Eamon looks at us, and smiles.
I appreciate that he doesn’t try to make us go with the others, we wouldn’t go anyway, but it would waste time having that argument.
“What’s going on?” Eddie asks one of the highly trained members of the compound.
“We need to head to the gate on the left side. It would appear the wolves are attacking,” Eamon says, and everyone takes off running.