As Emma and Celine worked their way through the throngs of people to find a seat, I saw her poke fun at some of the members. She smacked a prospect over the head for a cat call and offered to hold one of the new mom’s babies in order to give them a second to eat. How did this woman, this elite assassin, find a way to fit in with regular lowbrow people? Who was she, really?
I stayed in my seat, like I always did, looking like I was surveying everything, but was really watching Celine, trying to find a situation that she couldn't handle. Something that made her not perfect.
After a while of talking with people at the tables, she excused herself and went towards the pool house. I finished my second beer and followed her. I wanted to see if maybe she was going to whisper how much she hated this place or try to escape out the back and leave without saying anything to us. I was convinced she would do something, but she didn't do either of those things. She just went to the bathroom, nodding and saying hi to people on the way there.
In order to not get caught, I waited on the side of the building where the ladies' bathroom window was, just in case. I heard a few kids out back arguing, except I was trying to tail Celine, so I kept where I was. The kids could figure it out, right?
She was taking so long that I was about to go inside and see what was going on when I heard a familiar lyrical voice. It was coming from the back of the building where the kids were arguing. I peeked around the corner and saw her sitting next to a girl who was curled up against the wall crying.
“What those boys had said was mean and not true at all. Girls can definitely be strong. Some girls are strong physically, and some are strong emotionally. However the really strong ones have strong minds. They don't allow anything people say to affect them or make them think less of themselves. They just let it roll off their shoulders. That kind of strength is nothing that those boys are even capable of having.” The little girl's sobs slowed as she was talking, coming to a full stop when she finished.
The little girl with lopsided blonde pigtails and tear-stained cheeks lifted her head and gazed at Celine. “Are you one of those girls?” Her voice wobbled from crying. “The ones that let things roll off their back?”
Celine closed her eyes and rested her head on the wall with a sigh. A pained look flashed across her face before it cleared, and she peered down at the girl with a kind smile. “I want to lie to you and tell you yes, but I feel like honesty would help you better.” She shifted to face her fully, bushing a few dirty blonde strands out of her face. “I am more of a mix of all three, and it depends on who I am with which strength I lean on.”
When her face crinkled in confusion, Celine tried to clarify. “So, with strangers, I have the strength of mind because they don't matter, they are just strangers, and they don't know me.” Celine tapped her finger on her chin in thought. “When I'm with the people who I work with, or on a job, I use my physical strength to show them I can take whatever they throw at me and…” she looked down at the girl, got a little closer to her, and whispered, “With boys, I use my emotional strength, not letting anything they say hurt me because they are never at my level.”
The girl worked her way up to sitting, crossing her legs and wiping her face with the palms of her hands. “Does that mean you use that kind of strength with your mate, too?”
Celine barked out a hollow and sad laugh, one that made me hate whatever the world had done to her to laugh that way. She looked down at the girl, reached out her hand as she took out the lopsided pigtail, the one those stupid boys yanked on, and fixed her hair as she continued. “Well, if it was possible for me to have a mate, I would hope that I wouldn't need to be so strong with him. When I needed to be weak, he would be my strength, and I would do the same for him.”
My wolf howled in my head, hearing her answer and wanting to respond, to tell her that she didn't have one mate but five, and we would always give her strength. She could have anything she needed, anything from us. My fingers dug painfully into the brick wall, keeping me in place in order to not give away that I was listening to them.
“Oh, like how holding my mommy’s hand helps me feel better when I'm sick?” I saw Celine tense up as soon as the girl said ‘mommy’. A far-off look entered her eyes before she shook it off and gave the girl a small smile.
“Yes. Your mommy gives you strength when you're sick because she loves you.” The girl nodded, her hair finally fixed. Her head whipped around as Celine got up, putting her hand out to help the little girl. “Now, about those boys. Do you want to know how to set this all straight with them?”
The girl nodded like a bobblehead again, and Celine proceeded to teach her how to land a solid punch. I watched them practice until the little girl got the hang of it. Celine then told her to march straight up to the boy that pulled her hair and called her names and to punch him in the face.
“As soon as he is knocked over, you go straight to your parents and explain to them what he said and why you punched him. I'm sure they won't be too mad at you for defending yourself. If they are, just tell them to come talk to me.”
“Okay.” The girl took a determined breath before she narrowed her eyes and stomped off to get her revenge. I had to admit, if the kid had come to me, I would’ve given the same advice. Not in the same way, but definitely the same outcome.
Celine was still turned away from my peeping eyes as she watched the girl. “I hope you're all right with the way I handled that, Rabid.”
My whole body tensed, upset with getting caught, then remembering this was my crew and my compound. So I bucked up as I took a step out in the open. “It seemed like good advice.”
She twisted around, smiling so brightly it almost blinded me. Her eyes sparkled that crystal blue shade that I couldn't get enough of, her hair blowing in the wind like she was a wind goddess. Her addictive ocean spray scent traveled to my nose, and I couldn't help the big breath I took, wanting that scent to last forever around me. “Well, if the shit hits the fan, I hope you remember that you said it was good advice.”
My lips quivered as I wanted to laugh. “I saidseemedlike good advice.”
She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, but that blinding smile was still on display as she shrugged. “Couldn't be helped. Those boys were dicks and needed to be taught a lesson. Consider it a life lesson for them.”
Now I laughed a big hearty laugh as I walked to her side, finding the pull to be next to her too tempting to resist anymore. We both observed as the little girl marched right up to the boy, tapped his shoulder, and punched him as soon as his face was fully on display. Celine let out a closed mouth laugh as the boy fell like a brick, holding his cheek as he watched the little girl stomp to her parents, telling them with gusto what happened with her hands on her hips. I caught a twinkle of appreciation in that little boy's eyes and knew that a level-one crush had just been unlocked.
I don't know if it was seeing her getting along with everyone, the nagging from the guys earlier, or I was just all caught up in my feelings from the magic of the moment. Still, as we were both eyeing the aftermath of the situation, I blurted out, “Would you want to stay here… with us?”
She swiveled to face me, her eyes wide, and her mouth parted in shock. I turned toward her, shocked, my body shaking at my own words, but now that they were out, there was nothing else I could do but own up to them. I took a deep breath as I continued, “You could be a part of this club, this community. You could stay with us and-”
I was interrupted by a loud siren going off. We both turned towards the entrance just in time to see it explode as a black SUV came crashing through the fire. My whole being went on alert, a savage rage filling me, as I saw Killian hop out of the side door. He shot an AR into the sky, each pop causing me to inch closer and closer to shifting. “The day of reckoning has come for you, Moon Raiders! Now give us the siren woman!”
I glanced at Celine, seeing her whole body vibrate as her hands clenched into fists, her eyes burning with an azure fire as they narrowed on Killian. Gone was the bright smile and easy demeanor. In their place was a deadly aura that rose from beneath her, promising brutal violence of the worst kind. “Get the kids out now. I’m going to be making a bloody fucking mess, and I would prefer they didn’t see that from me just yet.”
I saw moisture collect beneath her feet before she shot towards them. My own wolf rippled along my skin, wanting to break free, to roar out and fight alongside his mate. To make a bloody mess together. Only she was right, I needed to think of the club first, get the women and children into their bunkers we have all over the compound, and then use all that nice and shiny machinery she just gave us.
If those Fangers wanted a war, they just got one.
Chapter 23
