Aurelia scoffed. “A foolish notion. Such attachments can be easily exploited. I lured a master to her death once this way.”
Dillon’s mouth slipped open as he openly gawked at the callous remark. Ruthie slid a little closer to her brother. I wasn’t sure if Sedrick knew where his niece and nephew were. They hadn’t left my side since Johnny kicked us out of the storage room, and because Aurelia always sought me out when she visited, she was near at hand also.
“Um…can I ask you a question, Miss Aurelia?” Ruthie politely asked.
Aurelia’s expressionless façade slipped for a moment before freezing back in place. “You may ask, but I may choose not to answer.”
Ruthie nodded while pushing a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes. “That’s fair. If you think mates are silly, then why did you save Wendall?”
Aurelia was statue still, and I figured she wouldn’t answer. I was curious too and was disappointed it looked like she’d keep silent. That silence was broken when she answered a brief “I am uncertain.”
I didn’t understand Ruthie’s grin. “Okay. Do you regret it?”
Aurelia’s lip twitched. “No. Wendall has proven entertaining.”
Another bright “okay! Thank you” slipped through Ruthie’s lips.
Dillon sighed. He’d planted his butt beside me on a corner table, and his legs swung wide. Head hung, even the flying, dancing pixies didn’t seem to lift his spirits. Leaning in close, I rubbed up against him and chittered my distress. When I didn’t get any answer, I turned to Ruthie, giving her my widest, most sincere eyes.
“Oh, he’s worried what Uncle Sedrick is going to say when Johnny tells him about what just happened,” Ruthie informed me.
I opened my mouth, wailing while tottering back and forth. It was my fault, not theirs. I didn’t want them getting into trouble.
“I know,” Dillon said. His fingers found their way into my fur. “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.”
Ruthie nodded. “It will be. Uncle Sedrick’s not like Grandpa Arie. He’ll understand what happened.”
I hissed at the mention of Alpha Arie Belview’s name. Technically, the children sitting next to me were of his blood. But they had better blood than that running through their veins.
“Arie Belview was disgusting,” Aurelia stated as a matter offact. “It is good he is dead. He was typical of many of my previous masters.”
Aurelia’s comments would have seemed harsh, but I figured Dillon and Ruthie understood that better than anyone. After all, the werewolf had killed his own daughter—Dillon and Ruthie’s mother—and the wolf she’d mated. Arie’s actions orphaned his grandchildren. He’d thought custody would fall to him. Oh, how wrong he’d been.
Booming laughter rang over the music and general fanfare. Alpha Sedrick Voss had his head thrown back with mirth. He was surrounded by Warlock Vander Kines and King Lucroy Moony. Vander’s grin was almost as wide as Sedrick’s. Lucroy seemed to be fighting a smirk.
“It is an odd gathering,” Aurelia stated. There was no harshness to her tone. If anything, there was a hint of curiosity.
“It’s a good group,” Dillon affirmed. “We have a strong pack.” I twittered in agreement.
Dillon’s mood lifted as the sound of his uncle’s laughter continued. I was starting to relax a little too when movement caught my eye. There, near the ceiling but moving lower. A low growl rumbled from deep within.
Dillon and Ruthie stilled, but it was Aurelia that said, “What is that? I have not seen such a creature before.”
“What?” Dillon sat up straighter, his muscles pulled tight. “Where?”
Aurelia inclined her head toward the skeet. “It is just there. It is a clever creature. It fades in and out of even my vision.”
Ruthie’s nose twitched as she lifted her head higher. “I don’t see anything.”
“Me either,” Dillon agreed. “But I trust Trinket and Aurelia.” Dillon’s eyes narrowed. “Well, Trinket at least. If she says somethin’s there, then it is.”
“Somethingis definitely present.” Aurelia stared at the spotthe skeet had adopted. It was joined by a second skeet. “Two. Fascinating.”
“There are two of them?” Ruthie asked.
“If we can’t see them, then we should be able to smell them.” Dillon stuck his nose into the air just like his sister had. “I don’t smell anything. I’d smell a rat.”
“It is not a rat,” Aurelia answered. “I suspect it is something of Fairy.”
