I flush slightly, realizing my independence was ruining their plans. Glancing over the table, I spot a tray of neat pastry triangles. “Those, please.”
Theoden grins and delicately picks one up with his fingers. “These are some of my favorites, spanakopita. It’s filled with cheese and spinach.” When I pull a face at the mention of the vegetable, Theoden just laughs. “I promise it’s amazing, but if you don’t like it, there’s plenty more to eat.”
He lifts the pastry to my mouth, eyes shining as I lean forward to take a tiny bite. It’s flaky and crisp, warm but not hot, and the cheesy filling inside floods my mouth. My eyes close as I chew, enjoying the morsel. Once I swallow, I open my eyes to find all three of them watching me hungrily.
“Another bite?” Theoden raises the spanakopita again.
“Why am I the only one eating? You guys should dig in.” I gesture to the spread. “It’s going to get cold.”
Beau chuckles. “Oh no, kitten. This is about you. We’ll get around to eating, but for now, we just want to watch you enjoy yourself.”
“Oh.” I flush, realizing they are really attempting to treat me like an omega. “Okay, then yes. Another bite please.”
Theoden grins and feeds me another portion of the tasty spinach pastry.
As it turns out, they have a system. They’ve each contributed some of their favorite foods to this feast, and they take turns feeding me morsels of each. Gabe has some kind of meatball in a spicy sauce that makes me fan my mouth to cool it down, and Beau feeds me tiny petit fours with delicate icing blossoms on top.
Once I finally protest that I’m full, they tuck into their food with gusto. Pinks and oranges fade from the sky with the setting sun, leaving behind a hazy purple backdrop. I sit back and listen to their banter with a full belly and contented heart, watching the lights in the distant school buildings flicker on. Singing crickets and the wind-rustled leaves hum a melodious soundtrack to our evening, and we’re cozy and well-lit in the twinkle of overhead string lights.
Someone has thoughtfully draped a blanket across the back of my chair, and I pull it over my shoulders to stave off the chill of the fall evening and allow me to enjoy the moment for as long as possible.
The rumbling of a vehicle is as abrupt as it is unwelcome. I scan the grounds to see an approaching pair of SUVs, headlights on, heading our way.
Something sharp twists in my gut. I don’t need the guys’ concerned faces to tell me that this is not part of their surprise.
The SUVs stop just outside the circle of light, and Warden Black hops out of the passenger seat of the first vehicle.
“My apologies for the interruption, but we have a problem. I need Amber to come with us now.” Warden Black eyes me before glancing toward Theoden. “I’ve done everything I could to stop this, but it’s out of my hands.”
What the fuck? What is she talking about?
All three of my guys stand immediately, and I’m about to mouth off when I see a second figure approaching from the other vehicle.
“Amber dear, don’t embarrass me and cause a scene. I know how much you didn’t want to come to Drakewood. So now I’m here to take you home. You’re done with this dreadful place. Let’s go.” Mother’s voice sends a shiver of ice cold dread down my spine, but I stand with as much dignity as I can muster.
“Are you kidding? You can’t do this. I belong here, Mother, and I’m not leaving.”
Mother’s perfect plum pout turns into her evil approximation of a kind smile. “Well, dear, that’s not really up to you. After all, I’m the one paying your tuition, which means you’re coming with me. Unless you’ve made enough money whoring yourself out to cover your own fees?”
From the darkness, more figures emerge, flanking Mother with hulking men I recognize too well.
Mother hasn’t come to ask me to leave. She’s already decided that I’m going.
And she’s brought Pack Fernando to enforce her will.
GABE
I have never wanted to hit a woman—not once, not until Sage Steele called her daughter a whore and tried to pull her out of Drakewood. My fists clench at my side, so tight I worry they might get stuck that way as a little reminder of this whole horrible encounter.
I’ve been thinking long and hard about how to best solve Amber’s problems and guarantee her safety, but have come up blank. My usually sharp mind is failing me the one time I need it most. Who the fuck cares if I ace all my courses when my intellect apparently has no real-life applications?
It’s like the world stops spinning and then splits in two—Amber, Beau, Theoden, and me on one side, Amber’s mother and her thugs on the other. But there’s no chasm large enough to keep that woman from tormenting her daughter.
She will never stop, I realize then. If the misunderstanding surrounding Jade’s death clears up, then that woman will find something new to hold over her daughter—and likely over everyone in her life. Like me, Sage Steele is incredibly smart, but unlike me, she uses this gift to achieve evil ends.
She will never stop.
It will never stop.