Two can play at that game, Gage.
“And the little girl? Who’s she?”
“Her name is Bella,” I replied blithely.
“A beautiful name,” he murmured, nodding sagely as if he were some sort of naming expert. As if I gave a shit about his approval. “Is she Iris’s?”
I scowled. Even my father looked put off. “Gage,” he rumbled, his brows knitting together. “Have some manners.”
“She’s not,” I bit out. “Not that it’s any of your business. She’s in need of protection, and my father and I would never leave behind a shifter in need.” I gave my uncle a dark look, but he clearly wasn’t taking the hint.
He simply nodded, reaching up to run a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Well, I think we’ll have a welcome home party for you all, since—”
“Aw, Da, you should have said something!” Myles said, swooping in. “I figured that would be family only. The caterer gave me a ring when you didn’t answer, so I told himtomorrownight, not tonight.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, not missing the wink my cousin shot me. Gage grit his teeth and Myles only brightened further, giving his father a pat on the shoulder. “No worries! Gives everyone time to get ready and cleaned up. A few more of the cousins will be able to make it in, too.”
“That sounds lovely, Myles, thank you,” my father said, giving the younger beta a nod before turning his dark eyes back to his brother. “Very thoughtful of you to give our guests a chance to rest.”
Uncle Gage recovered, his mouth pressed together in a thin line. “Indeed. Thank you, Myles,” he said, his voice sounding now like a threat.
What the hell are you trying to do here, Gage? And why?
29
IRIS
Archer Family Estate
London, England
I’d been in London for less than forty-eight hours, and I was more than ready to go home…and by home, I meant back to the US. Back to my car. It wasn’t a specific place I was missing, exactly. I just didn’t want to behere. The place was a constant reminder of how rich this family was — how rich this entirepackwas. I felt like some kind of country bumpkin just playing at fitting in. The only reason I hadn’t lost it entirely was Bella.
She was too young to notice the disparity, and even if she did, it wasn’t something she seemed to care about at all. She was just happy to be included — she was happy to go for a car ride with me and Eli and try on a few dresses for this family dinner. The experience was far less enjoyable for me. The last thing I wanted was to be on display to a bunch of strangers so they could stare at my scars and medical devices. So I picked the first thing that didn’t look like a paper sack on me.
Honestly, I didn’t want to be any more in debt to Eli than I already was, but he insisted, saying I would have packed something if he’d known and he would have told me to pack appropriately. We both knew I didn’t have anything nearly nice enough to hang out with a pack full of millionaires — no, sorry,billionaires— and Eli was just being polite. But I hated it.
Yes, it was nice to meet his family and his pack,but still.
Maybe I shouldn’t have come here.
How was I supposed to know which fork was for salad and which was for the main course? And why was there even more silverware for dessert?Who needs so much silverware?Everyone had pretended to be oh-so-happy to see me and Bella, but I could see the sideways look one of Eli’s uncles was giving me when I fumbled with which spoon I was supposed to be using. One of his cousins had given me an apologetic smile and pointed out the right one, but the pity was obvious.
Poor little Iris. Poor uncultured Iris. Just a backwater shifter Eli dragged in from the wild west.
No one said that, of course, but I knew they were thinking it. Even his aunts watched me. I wasn’t blind; hell, I was probably better at noticing those subtle shifts than most, as observing people was part of my job. They might not have been repulsed by me, but they certainly thought I’d lived a life that was “less than.”
And they didn’t know anything about me at all.
Bella made a soft noise and I turned from where I was staring out the window, watching the cars race by on the road beneath me. Dinner had gone…fine, but I was happy to escape upstairs and put Bella to bed. While she’d behaved nicely during dinner, she’d gotten a bit overtired after dessert, and it had been a bit tricky to coax her into changing out of her nice dress to go to sleep. I’m sure Eli wouldn’t think anything of it, but…I couldn’t imagine letting her go to sleep in such expensive clothing. It was like throwing away money.
But she seemed peaceful now, and the little noise was only a snuffle. I stood quietly, watching her, but Bella showed no other signs of nightmares. No signs of waking up. Her wolf was snuggled up to her and she was happily cuddled into a nest of pillows. I was almost jealous of Bella — or at least of how peaceful she looked.
I should really go back downstairs. The last thing I need is for them to think I’m avoiding them. I’m sure at least one person will come up with some ridiculous reason to explain why.
I looked towards the door, hugging my arms against my chest. I was a little chilly, and I felt grateful that Eli had insisted he get me a cardigan, too. Early October in London felt entirely different compared to Texas.
I knew Eli was doing his best, at least in theory. I was pretty confident he would have warned me if he’d known there was going to be a family get-together. The look on his face earlier today told me he wasn’t any happier about it than I was, and there was practically tension radiating from him every time it was more than just the three of us. Part of me did feel bad for him, but—