“I can see you’re under a spell. That’s fine. You continue to lie to yourself. At some point you’ll wake up, you’ll miss me, but I won’t be there for you.”
“Good,” Boon said.
Saige turned her back on Boon and walked back toward her family’s home. She even managed to muster up a few tears for effect as she glanced over her shoulder at Boon. “I’ll never forgive you.” She ran inside the house, slamming the door behind herself.
Marauder watched her go, then looked at Boon — his lifelong friend. “She always wants what she can’t have, and refuses what’s hers. Pay her no mind.”
“I will not have her upset Angelle,” Boon said.
“Even she knows better than that,” Marauder said.
“Can we finish the discussion about the party, now?” Lily asked.
“Come on, let’s walk and talk a bit,” Boon said.
“I really want to do this for you, and we’re running out of time” she said.
“I know. Let’s go talk about it,” he said, holding out his hand for his sister to take. “If you have to, you can always mist it into being once we are on the same page.”
“I don’t want to mist it. I want to do it myself,” Lily said, her irritation quite clear.
“Then do it yourself, but not before we talk,” Boon said.
Lily looked over at the few friends assembled to help. “For now, let’s just worry about tables, chairs, music, and the usual. I’ll get back to you with the finer details in a little while.”
“The tables and chairs are in the storage barn, I’ll help get them out,” Marauder said as he led the way past his house to where the storage barn had been erected. It was used for storage of anything that belonged to the community as a whole, and everyone had a right to have access to it. As everyone else took everything out of the barn that was usually used for holiday celebrations and community parties, Boon and Lily walked away, arm in arm, for a very necessary conversation.
~~~
Saige’s false tears stopped the moment she stepped into the house, replaced instantly with a scowl.
“You alright?” Rowan called from the kitchen where she was busy cooking several different dishes for tomorrow’s party.
“Perfect. Just flipping perfect,” Saige said.
“What’s wrong now?” Rowan asked, walking into the living room as she dried her hands on a dish towel.
“Nothing. I just need a break from here.”
“You just got here,” Rowan said.
“And it’s already reminding me why I should have stayed away.”
“You were outside for about five minutes. What could possibly have happened to ruin your life now?” Rowan snapped.
“Boon insulted me! What makes him think he has a right to do that? He humiliated me in front of everybody out there!” Saige shouted.
“I’m pretty sure Boon didn’t humiliate you.”
“He did! He wouldn’t even tell me hello. He ignored me when I tried to hug him, and he pushed me away from him. Then he demanded that I respect whatever female it is he’s sleeping with now, and not a word about her having to respect me!”
“We told you when you arrived that he found his mate. We told you that they have a beautiful home and are happy. We told you that we are happy for them and that you need to stay away from him and be happy for him, too.”
“She’s not his mate.”
“She is. And she’s kind, and caring, and gentle. And he deserves all of that.”
“He’s mine. He’s always been mine.”
