Page 47 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

D anielle placed the last pair of her socks in a drawer in Jude’s walk-in closet.

Jude’s clothes only filled about a quarter of the hanging space, plus a few T-shirts on a shelf, and socks and underwear filled only two drawers.

She didn’t have many clothes and shoes either.

As a result, the closet felt too big for her. She’d never had that kind of luxury.

A knock at the door made her exit the closet and open the bedroom door. Violet stood there, a hesitant smile on her face.

“Oh, hi, Violet.”

“Hi, how are you feeling? You’re probably still a little shaken up,” she said.

“I’m better, thank you.”

“I feel really guilty. I mean, this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t asked you to drive into town to pick me up from the dealership. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. If it hadn’t happened today, it would have happened another day. I was lucky that Jude was with me. Did you know that a handbrake works even when the foot brake fails?”

“I had no idea.”

“Me neither. But Jude knew, and he used it to slow us down a little.”

“You’re so lucky. But I still feel guilty, and want to make it up to you.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“I insist.” She took a breath. “Okay, you can tell me if I’m out of line, but I noticed last night that your negligee was all torn up…”

Danielle felt her cheeks burn at the knowledge that everybody had seen the effects of Jude’s lovemaking.

“So I thought I’d buy you a new one. Come, let’s go into town. I know this really cute boutique in San Rafael that has the sexiest lingerie. My treat.”

Violet gave her a pleading look, and she didn’t know how to say no without hurting her feelings.

Maybe this was Violet’s way of trying to get into her good graces now that she was the alpha female of the pack and could make decisions that the Gallaghers had to accept.

Besides, she did need a new negligee, and she wanted something sexy.

Not that she would wear it for long, given that Jude had a way of stripping her naked every time they were alone.

“Please,” Violet begged.

“Alright. I think shopping might be just the thing I need right now.”

Violet beamed. “That’s great. Let’s go! We’ll take the 4x4. I’d rather leave the BMW here. After what happened to your Toyota, I’ve decided to have the dealership pick my car up tomorrow to run a full diagnostic.”

While that was probably overkill, Danielle couldn’t blame Violet for being careful now. She’d never seen her as the kind of person who took unnecessary risks.

“Okay. I’ll just grab my handbag.”

Moments later, they descended to the foyer and left through the front door. The dark-green Land Rover that had been William’s preferred ride was parked in the driveway. Violet got into the driver’s seat, and Danielle took the passenger seat. The engine hummed, and they were on their way.

“I should probably call Jude and tell him that we’re going shopping.”

She had already reached into her handbag when Violet lifted one hand off the steering wheel.

“Don’t tell him. It’s better if you surprise him with it tonight,” she claimed. “And we’re not gonna be gone for long anyway. He won’t even notice that you’re gone.”

Violet was probably right. In any case, even though she was now mated to Jude, she had to keep a certain amount of independence. No man liked a clingy woman.

“Yeah, sure. He’s probably busy anyway,” she said.

For a few minutes, they didn’t speak. With the roles reversed now, she wasn’t sure what to talk to Violet about.

They’d always been cordial with one another, though of course, Violet, as a member of the family, had held a higher rank.

So any conversation along the lines of discussing chores didn’t feel right.

After all, none of those chores were hers now.

Rather, Danielle was the one supposed to give the orders.

It would take a while until she felt comfortable with that.

At an intersection, Violet turned left instead of right, which would have led them onto the freeway.

“I thought we were going to San Rafael,” Danielle said in surprise.

“I’m taking the back roads. There is roadwork for two miles, and the freeway is down to one lane. It would take forever to get through. It’s faster this way.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. I haven’t left the house in a while. I guess I’ve been too busy.”

“That’ll change,” Violet said confidently.

Danielle smiled. “I don’t really know what I’m expected to do.”

Violet made a dismissive hand movement. “I’m sure it’s much easier and less exhausting than everything you’ve done so far. I remember when Aunt Clarice was still alive and running the household, she seemed to have a lot of free time.”

Grateful for her encouraging words, Danielle smiled.

“Now, let’s go shopping so you can get used to what it’s like not to have to work all the time. You deserve it.”