Carve My Pumpkin (The Night Realm: Halloween Marked #3)

Chapter 9

NINE

COLETTE

“I feel like this might be a bit much.” I sat down at the kitchen table in my mother’s house.

Though the table wasn’t huge it was covered with food. There were stacks of waffles, tiny cakes, apple cider donuts, chicken parmesan, cheesy pasta, and so much more. Sure, I was hungry, but I couldn’t fathom packing this much food in.

Sylvie dropped down in the chair beside me and swatted my forearm. “If he wants to provide brunch don’t stop him.”

I waved to the spread. “But all this?”

“A necessity.” Constantine sat down across from us.

“Dear, when he sets his mind to something there really is no changing it.” My mother took her spot at the head of the table and immediately put a sticky bun the size of her face on her plate, the frosting dripped down the sides in small puddles of sugar. I could smell the sweet goodness from here. My mother ripped a piece off and popped it into her mouth. Her face lit up into a warm smile and she closed her eyes. “Delicious.”

“Isn’t this a lovely gesture.” Gertie sat right across from me with Susan by her side. She motioned to the spread on the table and began to do a happy dance as she swayed back and forth in her seat.

Susan gave her a sideways look. “You know if you keep dancing like that then you’re going to knock all this food off the table and that would be a shame because I plan on eating at least half of it.”

Gertie’s eyes widened. “Really? At least half?”

Susan grabbed her plate and started shoveling food onto it. “And then some. I’m a wolf, we need sustenance to shift and run.”

“She’s correct.” Constantine laid a napkin across his lap and picked up his cup of coffee. “A necessity.”

“I knew I liked you.” Susan winked. “A lady could always use a guy who defends her right to gorge.”

“Sustenance is a key part of life.” He took a deep sip. “It’s to be enjoyed.”

I shrugged and started loading my plate with tater tots and donuts. If I was going to eat my feelings I was going to do it the right way with potatoes and dessert. “When in Rome, and all that jazz.”

“But I do wonder something . . .” He said with his voice so smooth and calm. With Constantine there was always something simmering beneath the surface. Even when he was quiet and contemplating. When he turned he full gaze toward me I was sucked into those sapphire eyes. I almost wanted to turn away because they so reminded me of Mateo’s a little too much.

“Oh um, me? You’re asking me?” I pressed my hand to my chest.

“Indeed.”

I swiped my napkin over my mouth hoping to brush away the crumbs from my apple cider donut. I glanced around at the others then back to him. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Of course not.” He waved my words away and in that one motion eased my worry. “But I am curious as to why we pushed my brother into a coffin last night and sent him rolling down a hill? Aside from his more than inhospitable tone.”

“Oh, that .” I folded my hands in my lap. “I’m sorry, I really am, but he deserved it.”

“I have no doubt about that.” He shrugged. “I’m just looking for the story, or the tea as the kids say these days.”

I groaned. I’d never kept anything from our little book club and I wasn’t about to start now. “Okay so we had a meeting scheduled for yesterday and he didn’t even bother to show up. Which, yeah okay, he’s the boss and I suppose that’s his prerogative. But he could’ve emailed me to say he wasn’t coming, he could’ve just cancelled the meeting he scheduled. He just left me sitting at the office all day with nothing to do because I needed to discuss my ideas and plans with him. Since, ya know, it’s his soulmate. I just wish he’d give me a legit chance to show him I can do this. And he shot my first ideas down so hard so I really wanted to make it right. I spent a lot of time over the weekend preparing for that meeting. But again, he’s the boss he doesn’t have to show.”

Constantine scowled.

I knew I was babbling but these were my closest friends and the only ones I could talk to about what was happening.

Sylvie picked up her tea cup and blew across the steaming top. “Well, that’s rather unprofessional, boss or not.”

I didn’t have an answer to that, so I just continued on my little rant. “It’s his prerogative?—"

“Absolutely not.” Constantine shook his head. “That is unacceptable behavior. An email or cancelled meeting was needed.”

My heart warmed a little at the confirmation from his own brother that Mateo had been in the wrong. “Well, that’s not even all of it. Diego suggested I go over to Dennis’ house to get some advice and to see what he had done for this hunt . . . and Mateo called while I was there. To complain about me to Dennis.”

Constantine’s brows furrowed. “How do you know?”

“I heard him leave a message on Dennis’ answering machine.”

Sylvie nearly spit her tea out. “He still has one of those?”

My mother paused in taking a bite of her food and pursed her lips. “What’s an answering machine?”

Silence fell over the table and for a moment in the light of day I forgot that my mother lived a very simple life here with no electricity and no way to communicate with the outside world.

I cleared my throat. “It records messages for someone if they’re not at home or didn’t answer their phone.”

“Oh. That’s lovely.” Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she went back to snacking on her food. I had no idea what kept my mother here. But she had all the curiosity a fae could have to offer and yet she remained here hiding from the world.

“So he was bad mouthing you?” Susan pointed a piece of bacon in my direction and narrowed her eyes at me.

“Yeah. And vehemently. While blaming Dennis for leaving him with me.” I ran my hands through my hair. “I have no idea why he hates me so much. I mean, he’s the one who approved me as his new assistant only to hate me immediately? I don’t get it. He’s barely given me a chance. And that’s really all I want. A fair chance to do the job, the real job. I don’t even care that he needs me to help find his soulmate because I actually understand his predicament and not wanting to leave without knowing who it is . . . but dammit. Not like this. Also it was super embarrassing.”

“Appalling.” Constantine grabbed a waffle off the stack and smacked it down on his plate.“And then last night?”

I groaned. “Well last night I was at my house helping Chip and Pickles, the sirens, try to get ready to implement their plans to help bring the sirens into society more and he just showed up at my house. After business hours, without calling, or so much as two words all day. Then he wants me to do my presentation right then and there. In my damned living room. I know he’s my boss but I was talking to Chip about boundaries and I just, I don’t know. I just felt that was way out of line. I’d given him the whole day and then he showed up on my personal time. I know it’s silly it just felt so . . .”

“Inappropriate? Annoying? Childish?” Constantine offered.

I gave a heavy sigh and my shoulders sagged. “Yeah.”

Gertie hummed to herself. “The last time a man did something like that to me I sold most of his things and set the rest on fire.”

I nearly choked on a tater tot. I coughed and sputtered into my napkin. “You did what?”

“It was quite efficient.” Sylvie sat up straight and gave us a deadpan look. “We even took credit cards, we’re progressive.”

“Well yeah.” Gertie chuckled and took a sip of her orange juice. “You organized it.”

Sylvie gave a nonchalant shrug. “With pleasure. I do love to organize things.”

We all fell into fits of laughter and all I could picture was the two of them standing in front of a fire with a pile of stuff just burning.

Susan raised her glass to both of them. “I love the brilliance of you ladies.”

“So do I.” I chuckled and sat back in the chair just realizing how lucky I was to have all of them.

Constantine cleared his throat. “So what was next on your list of plans?”

“Oh, it’s not the best plan but I was going to open a booth at the fall festival and for every woman who came to the booth to show that she either does or doesn’t have a soulmate mark I would give her a prize. I’m just trying to figure out what the prizes should be. Like what would people really love as a prize that would make them show up?”

Constantine chuckled, then he hunched over and out right started laughing. When we all looked at him he could barely contain himself. “You know what a lot of people would love?”

I perked up. “What?”

“Something fun, something royal.” He wagged his eyebrows.

“Like what?” Excitement rushed through me,

He shrugged. “Mateo has a lot of things and I happen to think boundaries are important.”

My eyes widened and I glanced at the others.

Susan shot to her feet. “I call the underwear drawer.”

Sylvie slowly rose to her feet. “Oh you would.”

“You know you want a peek.” Susan winked.

“Well, I know I do.” Gertie also rose to her feet and pushed her chair in.

“Are we seriously doing this?” I looked at the rest of them standing around me waiting for me to join them.

When they all just stared I rose to my feet and sighed. “Screw it, I’m in.”

“Have fun shopping in a prince’s closet.” My mother chuckled and shook her head.

“Oh, we’re not shopping, we’re just taking.” Constantine headed toward the door and I gave my mom a little hug before I hurried out behind him.

Before I knew it we were all piled into my car and I was hurrying toward the castle. The feeling in the car was complete elation and excitement. But deep down I hesitated to do this. If I raid all of my boss’ things will I still have a job afterward? Do I still want the job?

Constantine glanced at me. “If he’s going to try to fire you then you might as well go down swinging.”

I pressed my foot to the gas and we moved even faster. “You know what? You’re right.”

Before I knew it, we were at the front of the castle and Constantine was out of the car. I hurried to follow after him but he was like a wave rushing toward the shore. He swept through the doors of the castle and walked through it with all the authority in the world. It was odd walking through here like it was any other day. My eyes were riveted to anything and everything. They bounced around the bright walls and high ceilings. Chandeliers hung sporadically through the whole thing. I thought it would feel more formal, like I shouldn’t touch anything but oddly it had a homey feel. Like I should be here, like I was welcome.

The queen stepped in front of Constantine just as we were passing through a dining room with a long table. There were countless chairs and normally I’d say it was over kill but there were so many Vaunteros, Vauntero spouses, and Vauntero friends, that I felt like they would all have to squish to get in here.

“What are you up to?” The queen looked Constantine up and down with those vivid sapphire eyes then glanced at the rest of us standing behind him.Though she was so much smaller than him there was something commanding in the way she stood there. She looked completely casual in her dark blue jeans and an oversized sweater with a giant pumpkin on the front of it. Her hair was pin straight and flowing down her back. “You look suspicious.”

Constantine sighed and shifted from one foot to the other. “We’re going to take all of Mateo’s things, or as much as we can get and give them away in exchange for women to show up at Colette’s booth at the Fall Festival in hopes of finding his soulmate.”

I thought she would stop us or tell him he was crazy but then her face lit with a smile and she chuckled. “And he deserves this?”

Constantine glanced down at me. “Oh yeah, he deserves it.”

“Well in that case.” She waved us by. “By all means.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I gave her a small bow but she just waved my words away.

She stepped in closer and lowered her voice. “He’s always been more like a parent to them than a sibling. So if he says he deserves it I believe him.”

It was difficult to know what to say to that and the only thing I could think of was gratitude. “Thank you.”

Constantine didn’t look back as he swept by her and headed down another hallway. The rest of the golden girls all followed behind him and I could hear them twittering with excitement. My nerves were twisted into a ball and yet this was the most exciting thing I’d done in forever. We stopped in front of a set of double doors. They were carved out of a dark wood and had golden doorknobs. Constantine pushed through the doors and threw them wide open. Susan, Gertie, and Sylvie rushed by him and headed straight for the closet doors.

I took my time lingering in his bedroom taking it all in. It wasn't as stark or harsh as I thought it would be. The walls were painted a warm masculine sage green color, to one side of the room there were French style doors that looked out over the courtyard. There was a four-post bed in the center of the room with a thick cream colored comforter. At least half a dozen fluffy pillows sat at the head of the bed and I couldn’t help but picture him lying there among all that squishiness. I ran my hand over the soft fabric and suddenly felt like I didn’t belong here.

“He deserves it.” Constantine interrupted my thoughts. “Boundaries are sometimes hard lessons to learn.”

Just then Gertie flew out of the closet with a top hat on, a thick wool coat, gold watch, and a gold walking stick. She posed for dramatics. “How do I look?”

“You look like a spoiled brat.” Constantine chuckled.

Sylvie was next in a silk button-down shirt, suit coat, and pin stripped vest. She did a little spin. “I think I look like style.”

I pressed my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh but when Susan came out in football jersey, baseball hat, hockey gloves, and soccer cleats. “Batter up, watch me score a field goal with my puck.”

Laugher burst from my lips and found myself hunched over holding onto my stomach. The door flew open. Josiah stopped in the doorway and eyed the three of them closely then glanced at Mateo’s closet. “I heard we were going in my brother’s closet.”

Josiah was the most fabulous of all the Vaunteros, his dark hair was cut short and slicked back against his head. His blue eyes were lined with dark liner making them pop even more. He wore light blue jeans and a cream-colored sweater with a high collar and perfectly shining shoes.

He motioned to the golden girls. “Clearly there are some awful things that could be donated.”

“We’re not looking for awful.” Constantine smirked and there was an edge to that smile. “We’re looking for great. Maximum pain and punishment.”

“Well in that case.” Josiah sauntered by the ladies and right into the closet. “I know exactly where to look.”

“No, you don’t.” Lark marched into the room and the only reason I knew it was her was from the hot pink lipstick – her trademark.

“Yes, I do!” Josiah snapped from inside the closet.

She stood just outside of it and I could barely get over how gorgeous she was. With long dark hair, a perfectly straight nose, and dazzling eyes. She wore a tight black turtleneck, dark blue jeans, and boots with heels. She crossed her arms over her chest. “If I’m going to help teach Mateo a lesson then I’m all in on this. And you need my help.”

Josiah popped his head out of the closet. “Facts.”

She gave me a little smile. “Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Matty can take it. Come on, ladies.”

She waved to Susan, Gertie, and Sylvie and they all marched through the doors. A moment later clothes of all shapes and sizes flew from the closet and I took a small step back to give them all room. Constantine dropped down onto the bed and reclined in the pillows. He crossed his legs at the ankle and put his hands behind his head. He looked way too self-satisfied.

I glanced from the closet to him and back. “You texted them for back up?”

“Not at all. But word travels fast in this palace, especially if it started with my mother. The original gossip.” He grinned and wagged his eyebrows. “But mother knows that in this family sometimes you have to delegate and use each other’s talents.”

I chuckled. “I hope this works and I hope I don’t get into too much trouble.”

He turned and met my eyes. “Just remember you have friends in higher places and he’s my baby brother by about two thousand years. We’ve got your back and so does Lex.”