Page 28

AMbrOSE

I pull up in front of my parents' country house. Although house is a bit of a misnomer. Despite the fact that the chateau is only twenty minutes away, my parents have another residence just outside of Mystic Hollows that’s nearly as big.

My mother calls it her farmhouse, but it’s so far from that, it’s laughable.

“This is your parents’ house?” Piper dips her head to look through the window.

“One of them.”

The exterior is a light stone with white shuttered windows.

There’s a porch that spans the length of the front of the house.

When the weather is nicer, it holds Adirondack chairs that are set up in perfect intervals for maximum enjoyment of the view.

Although I doubt my mother has ever sat outside to watch the sunset.

Dormer windows peek through the roof on the third floor and there’s even a servant’s quarter with separate housing in the back.

My mother prefers this house over the chateau, so I’m not actually sure why they came back there to start with. Most likely to irritate me.

Piper, Roman, and Odie are all in my car. There wasn’t a good reason for us to all drive separately.

“Everyone ready for the shitshow?” I ask as I turn off the car. Several other cars are already parked in the driveway. I dragged my feet getting ready, so we’re probably the last ones here. At least we’re arriving as a group.

“Let’s get this over with,” Odie signs.

I hurry around to get Piper’s door and help her out.

She looks incredible tonight. She’s wearing an emerald-green dress with a high neckline that unfortunately covers up her beautiful breasts.

But it nips at her waist and makes me want to wrap my hands around her and pull her in close.

The skirt looks like it would spin out if I twirled her.

I’m suddenly tempted to do so. She’s left her long hair down, and it gently waves a fiery red halfway down her back. The strands shimmer in the setting sun.

“We should get dressed up sometime when we don’t have to be subjected to torture for hours on end. You look beautiful.”

Piper blushes and slides her hand into mine and I lead her to the house.

“So do you. I mean, you look handsome. Very nice.” Piper sucks in a deep breath and blows it out slowly before smoothing her hair back. Her wedding band catches a beam of sunlight and gold glitters. “Sorry, I’m really nervous.”

“No need to be nervous. We’re four against whoever is inside.”

The butler opens the door as soon as we step foot on the front porch. “Welcome. Sir. Ma’am.” He nods at each of us in turn.

My mother gave strict instructions that no one outside of the possible council members was invited to attend tonight. Roman is pissed to be here without Josephine, but honestly, it’s for the best. Who would want to come to this party anyway?

We only convinced him to go in order to keep an eye on what the rest of these people were up to.

The inside of the farmhouse is the antithesis of the very word. There’s nothing rustic about this property. Everything is white, from the walls, to the furniture, to the paintings. Piper looks like a jewel sparkling amidst a sea of sand.

“If you’ll follow me to the dining room,” the butler says.

We make faces at each other over his formal and stiff nature as we follow behind him.

I tuck Piper’s hand through my arm, needing to keep her close.

Not that I’m expecting an ambush, but I’m on high alert.

There may not be a magical trap waiting for us, but there will be a social minefield to step through.

The interior of the house may be white, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple.

My mother has an over the top and ostentatious sensibility when it comes to furniture.

The dining room table seats twenty and has high-backed chairs with tufted white leather surrounded by ornate carvings.

They make the back of the chair at least five feet tall.

Each seat is its own throne, making each guest feel like royalty.

In theory.

I always feel like a child in an oversized seat when sitting at this table.

Stepping into the room, I see I was right.

We’re the last ones to arrive. The other council hopefuls have formed little groups.

Tucker, Francesca and my mother are speaking with one another.

Almost as if it’s the old guard against the new.

Except Anastasia Lexington is clinging to the former council members as if they can help her get ahead.

In another group are Andrew Bartleman, Hannah King, Roy Turner, and Lucida.

Danielle Dyer is noticeably absent, but I suppose since she’s already been outed from the trials, my mother saw no point in inviting her.

“Ambrose. Finally.” My mother swishes across the room to greet me and my friends. Much like the house that we’re in, my mother is wearing a white suit. It’s very elegant and probably purchased from some designer brand in Italy.

She grabs my shoulders and gives me an air kiss on each cheek. As she turns to Piper, her gaze is calculating. “My daughter-in-law.” She repeats the air kisses for Piper, who stands still as a statue, only her eyes darting to me looking panicked.

“Roman, good to see you. Odie.” My mother smiles tightly at two of my oldest friends. It’s interesting; she always dismisses Odie. I’m not sure if it’s because, as kids, she was a girl who only hung out with boys and my mother found it improper. It wouldn’t surprise me.

“Now that you’re here, we can finally eat,” she says, as though we’re forty minutes late, everyone is starving, and they haven’t been fed in months.

Guests move to the table as one. I pull out a seat for Piper, and once she’s settled, drag out my own chair. Before I sit down my mother hooks her arm through mine and tugs me away.

“Oh, it’s so boring to sit by your spouse. You should spread the love, Ambrose. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in, oh my goodness, it’s been months, hasn’t it?” My mother tugs me toward the other end of the table.

“You were at the chateau the other day, but yes, before that, it’s been at least six months since you’ve been back in Mystic Hollows.

” And probably a year before that. I look at Piper, wondering if this is a fight she wants me to have.

She shakes her head. Odie gives me a dirty look when she sits down beside Piper.

I know she wants to tell my mom to fuck off, but Bianca doesn’t know sign language so it would be wasted on her.

“Oh, stop.” My mother swats at my chest. “It hasn’t been that long. You’re so dramatic.”

“Besides your required attendance at the founders’ parties, it was three years ago when Alexander died.

I don’t recall you being back for any reason other than that, but maybe I’ve forgotten.

” Alexander was the old Tenebris coven leader.

He was barely functioning at the end, but I believe that’s how the council preferred it.

“Again, outside of the founders' parties, the last time you were in town was when Lucida took over the leadership of the coven.” I slide into the seat beside the head of the table where my mother takes up her perch. “I don’t recall missing any phone calls from you since then. Maybe your letters were lost in the mail.”

My mother’s nostrils flare, but she doesn’t continue the argument. There’s no point.

Across from me is Anastasia Lexington. Her dress is high-necked, but unlike my wife’s, it’s because she has the word predator scarred into her chest. That was a nice little magical revenge by Roman when Anastasia tried to sexually assault him.

The dress is backless, almost to the point where I can see her ass crack.

She makes sure I look as she does a full circle before she sits in her chair.

It’s business in the front, nasty party in the back.

“Ambrose Roth.” Anastasia smiles across the table at me. At least I have this much going for me—in all of my sluttiest days, I never slept with Anastasia.

She licks her lips, her eyes drifting down my chest, and then back up to my face. “The one that got away.”

A server brings over wine, displaying it for me to approve. I don’t care if it’s rot gut. I snatch the bottle off a tray, pour myself a healthy glass, and down half of it. I’m going to need to be drunk to get through this dinner.

“I don’t think I’m the only one who got away.” I look over my glass at Anastasia. Her eyes dart down the table to Roman, who’s glowering at Francesca.

Josephine’s mother is a piece of shit. Much like Piper’s uncle.

In many ways, I lucked out when it came to my parents.

Yes, they were absent from my childhood, from most of my life, really.

They would leave for months when I was a kid.

I know I have abandonment issues because of it, but I’m also a modern man and I’ve gotten therapy.

Josephine’s mother Francesca used to torture her.

I don’t know exactly what Tucker has done to Piper, but I have my suspicions.

It’s obvious she’s been physically abused and mentally tormented.

In comparison, I suppose I should be grateful for the fact that my parents just left me alone.

Tucker is in the middle of the table. He keeps looking at Piper as though he wants to throttle her. He has two black eyes and a bandage taped over his nose. His mouth is turned down in a sour expression.

“What are you looking at?” Tucker snaps when he turns his head and finds me staring at him.

I point to my nose and click my tongue. “That looks like it hurts. Don’t know anyone who can whip up a good healing potion, do you?”

I know for a fact that Piper is excellent at making potions.

Tucker snarls and then winces at the pain the movement causes.

“Or Francesca, don’t you have a daughter with healing abilities?”

Roman glares at me and mouths, what are you doing?

I grin at him.