She sighs. “But I could at least have let you know he was alive.”
Cole just shrugs, bypassing the chair and moving over to the bookshelf not far away. “No good comes from ‘what ifs’. All that does is lead to unnecessary heartache when we’ve already dealt with enough. The two of you are home now, and that’s what really matters.”
He doesn’t see the measured look she gives him, slyly assessing him with his back turned. From my perch though, it’s clear that he’s starting to make an impression, and I think it’s better than he’s convinced. It’s been years since he unintentionally projected his thoughts, just showing how out of sorts being around our mate makes us. He’s internally chastising himself, completely oblivious to the way Ares is also smirking at his lack of control.
I may wish to be able to spend time with her like this too, but I’m just as happy watching her. Even better, she trusted me enough to have my teeth around her neck and rip her away from everything she’s ever known. Let alone I get to curl up next to her every night. It may still suck for numerous reasons, but I’m going to count my blessings for now, because as Cole said, that’s the only way we can move forward.
“I’m surprised there’s a market around here for such detailed work,” she continues, delicately tracing the carvings on the side of the bookshelf.
It isn’t some piece to be stuck in a corner and forgotten, but a piece of artwork in itself. Both sides have a massive tree etched into the side, spanning the entire five-tiered length. The tree’s set on a small piece of land, situated in the center of a pond. On one side it’s cast as daytime, with the sun’s twisting rays caressing the leaves and the closed flowers floating on the water’s surface. The other is still unfinished, but enough detail is added to see the moon and a few stars, as well as several open blooms.
She turns to Cole with her brow scrunched in confusion. “Why are the flowers closed during the day? Aren’t they just…I don’t know, flowers? They sprout, bloom, and die?”
Ares startles her when he answers, his footsteps silent and catching her off guard. “Night blooming water lilies. They’ve seriously kept you so locked down in that city you’ve never even seenflowers?”
Cole punches him in the shoulder. “Don’t make her feel bad!”
Ares instantly looks contrite, trying to get ahold of himself. “Sorry, I just…” He picks up a few tools from the ground, busying himself to buy time to work through his thoughts. “I don’t see the appeal, I suppose. Just building after building and so many people you’re tripping over them. Nowhere to just run, or be alone. All the beauty of nature destroyed for those cement jungles they think are so superior.”
Rin’s face turns wistful, redirecting her attention to the unfinished piece. She crouches down, soaking up every minute detail as if the concept of night blooming flowers are the most fascinating thing in the universe.
“Is this based off a real place?” she asks, turning her hopeful gaze in Ares’ direction. Though she doesn’t have the same vibrant tone to her eyes that we do, the gold flecks in her emerald irises look no less bright in here.
Ares stands a bit taller, and I know he’s going to be absolutely incorrigible now. We’ve given him enough shit over the years about his obsession with plants, but Rin feeding into it is going to make him ten times worse to have to listen to.
“It is. Bit of a trek from here, but not impossible. With as cold as the weather’s gotten, they might have already gone dormant though,” he frowns. “But even if so, the place is breathtaking.”
Rin smiles, and I swear, he’s about two seconds away from throwing her over his shoulder and dragging her back into the house and throwing caution to the wind. “Can we go, maybe?”
“Absolutely,” Cole answers, vying to not be left out. “How about we make that tomorrow’s date?” She tosses that soft look in his direction, agreeing, before going back to her perusal of all of the partially completed projects. “But circling back to your earlier question; no, there’s not some high dollar market like you’re thinking. We don’t deal with the cities, just the wilds and a few neighboring towns.”
She blinks. “It can’t be cost effective spending this much time on projects if you’re not getting much for them, though. So why?”
Ares snarls, “Because fuck Gage, that’s why.”
Rin snorts out a laugh and I find myself leaping from my perch, just wanting to be closer to her. I rub my side against her leg, communicating with her the only way that I’m currently able.
“I mean, if that’s your prerogative, but I don’t know what that has to do with profit margins,” she teases.
Cole joins in her chuckling before explaining. “There’s a wolf pack that lives not too far, and one of them dabbles with woodworking too.”
Ares cuts in, “As if being an architect wasn’t enough? He’s got to try and move in on our thing too?”
Cole leans in close to dramatically whisper, “And one’s a doctor.”
Ares just growls, storming around the shop and putting things away in a huff. “Bunch of show-offs are what they are!”
Rin starts snickering, catching on. “So you need to one up them? Isn’t that rather petty?”
He whirls around to look at her in shock. “I don’t know how things work where you grew up, but we take our feuds seriously out here.”
She tilts her head, asking, “So one of those things where you hate someone forever on principle?”
Red alert! It’s a trap!
Cole butts in before Ares can say something in a fit of indignation and completely damn himself in her eyes. “Nah, if the pups ever showed up needing anything, of course we’d help. We take care of each other out here. The rest of the world is already against us, we don’t need to turn on one another as well. Petty wars are just another way to pass the time and keep from getting too bored in a land where you have to invent your own entertainment.”
She seems to accept that answer, tipping her head respectfully before heading over to a few of the jewelry boxes we sell out of a boutique in one of the neighboring towns. It’s a good way to get our name out there more, able to slip a brochure inside to showcase some custom work we’ve done.
