Dressed in a pair of navy slacks and a cream blouse, I descended the stairs with trepidation in my heart and determination in my soul. A huge part of me needed to believe that my grandmother would never do something so heinous, but the logical, realistic voice whispered that I was being entirely too optimistic.
I found my grandmother sitting on the sofa in the parlor sipping tea with Rebecca and Sebastian. Huh, where was Hudson? Perhaps he’d made himself unavailable given my grandmother’s expectations of our relationship. He trusted me, but didn’t need to be playing The Principal with the head of The Order when we were in a silent and deadly war.
I strode into the room like I owned it, because I did. I sat in the armchair and caught Rebecca’s eyes. She tensed.
“You must excuse me, Eloise, I have some urgent matters that require my attention,” Rebecca said as she stood.
My grandmother nodded. “Of course, dear, let me know your decision.”
Rebecca’s lips pressed together and she disappeared into the house. What decision? What was my grandmother up to now?
Eloise Roberts was timeless. Her silver hair was swept into an elegant updo and she wore an expensive burgundy skirt suit with the ease of a top politician. She smiled at me as I poured a cup of tea for myself, noting her cup was still half full.
“Can I get you something to eat?” I asked. I was starving after the marathon evening I’d spent in Hudson’s arms, but my stomach was tied up in knots and that didn’t mix well with food.
“No,” she said, taking a sip of her tea. “Where is the Principal?”
Trust my grandmother to cut through the pleasantries and bullshit. “I’m not sure.” This was the truth. I had no clue where Hudson was. Perhaps that was his way of protecting me, what I didn’t know I couldn’t say.
Eloise sighed. It was ingrained in me to feel small in the presence of that sigh of disappointment. I might find her methods and ambitions unsavory, but she was still the grandmother that had created steel in my spine. I guess I had that to thank her for.
She eyed me with the Roberts’ stare and I resisted the temptation to look away.
A small smile pulled at her lips, making her look uncomfortable, probably because she rarely smiled. How very sad. I guess she would be free of the wrinkles that plagued the happy and the free.
“You are truly my granddaughter,” she said. I didn’t realize it was ever in question, but I think she meant it as a compliment. “I’m proud of you.”
Despite myself, I let the compliment warm my heart. I didn’t need her approval, but like most grandchildren, I craved it, particularly when my own mother was no longer with us, and my father, as far as they were aware, was a nobody.
Sebastian swanned into the room and eyeballed the back of my grandmother’s head like he could reverse his course and slink out of the room. My grandmother tilted her head.Too late, buddy.
“Sebastian, what is the Vampire Crown Prince of North America doing in my granddaughter’s house so early in the morning?” She glanced at me like she was assessing if I was bedding the vampire as well as Hudson.
Resigned, he came further into the room, his slightly rumpled appearance not helping matters. My grandmother’s gaze burned through him. This was my fault, I should have organized for him to have some spare clothing. I was a bad friend who had wild monkey sex on the lawn.
“I’m staying here for a little while,” Sebastian answered. He didn’t sit, indicating he did not welcome a further conversation with the woman.
“Why?” she asked.
Sebastian straightened, slipping into his royal role seamlessly. “I do not answer to The Order, Eloise, and I would watch your tone if you wish to continue to have positive ties with myself.”
He’d left his parents out of it, and in the end, Sebastian was their future, regardless as to whether he caved to the pressures of a marriage alliance.
My grandmother swept her gaze over him before turning back to me with a wicked glint. Oh wow, she was seriously considering the possibility of whoring me out to the supernatural elite.
Sebastian gave me an apologetic look before ducking out of the room.
“If the cat is giving you the run around, you might consider a pairing with the vampire. He seems quite taken with you.”
“Sebastian is a good friend,” I said and patted myself on my back for not breathing fire in her face. The struggle was real. “And Hudson is not giving me the run around.”
“No? Then where is he?”
Avoiding you. “I’m unsure of his whereabouts, but that does not make me unsure of his heart.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Heart? You think you’ve ensnared The Principal?”
Interesting that the pack’s gossip mill hadn’t yet reached her, perhaps her attention was elsewhere. “He’s declared me as his mate to the pack.”
