Enzo (The Wolves Den: New #1)

15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Enzo and Ven visibly relaxed once they were through the door of the grocery store. Deja grabbed a cart and handed it over to Ven after she cautioned him that running wasn't allowed in the store. Her lips quirked up as he walked in front of them with a proud look on his face.

She reached out and took Enzo's hand as they walked through the store.

"Today we're going to go down every aisle. This way you'll see the different variety of products the store carries." They started with fruits and vegetables, adding a variety of food they had never tried before.

"How do you pay for your food, houses, and other needs?"

"Our ships use a standard metal on the inside which is considered valuable on this planet. For us, it is so common that everyone has it. We were able to sell some of it for large profits. Also, your Earth has an abundance of oil, but you don't seem to be able to locate it easily. We own several oil fields, more than enough to take care of our needs, and a few of us run sideline businesses."

"So, you are integrating."

"Only recently. We expected every day to see one of our people come to retrieve us. As the years passed, we finally began to believe that no one would come for us."

She nodded and turned to look at Ven, who was holding a pack of diapers with a baby on the package.

"What's this?" he held them up for her to inspect.

"Those are diapers; we use them to help keep babies clean."

"Babies?" Ven was staring at the picture on the box.

"You know when a male and a female get together and have sex; then she gets pregnant. Nine months later they have a bouncing boy or girl." She gave the picture on the box a look. That baby was so cute, it made her biological clock scream, 'We need to start soon.'

"Forbidden," Ven dropped the box like it was burning him before looking around to see if anyone was converging on him.

"It's not forbidden here, Ven," Enzo said, placing his hand on his shoulder to help him pull himself together.

Ven gave Enzo a nod but refused to pick up the diapers. Deja picked them up and took them down the aisle, explaining the baby food as well as the different soaps and combs used on a baby.

When they walked down the aisle with the feminine products, she was the one to turn red in the face as she explained the female cycle and why they needed to use these products. Then she found herself explaining how life worked for the female on Earth.

"Didn't your mothers or sisters go through the same thing?"

"My mother didn't have any children except me. She was An Infertile."

"What's An Infertile?"

"The planet I lived on was over-populated, so with every new birth, both males and females are given a number. At the end of every month, there is a lottery. Every child that has a number drawn must be brought in to undergo the infertile process."

"How horrible," the very thought was making her ill that a planet could do that to its children.

"The infertiles are the privileged ones. They are allowed to live any life they choose with anyone they choose as long as their mate was also An Infertile. The fertile ones live a life in a dormitory where they are mated to several different spouses over their lifetime with only one objective: to produce as many children as possible." Ven's voice had taken on the quality of a narrator. There was no emotion in his voice.

"I would hate having my choices taken away from me, but I would also hate having my ability to have a child taken away. I have to say I'm happy I wasn't born on your planet." She was still holding Enzo's hand, so she squeezed it before she let go and gave Ven a hug.

"I'm bet your mom wasn't exactly happy to be pregnant." She said it low because someone had come into their aisle.

He nodded his head, agreeing with her.

"Deja? Deja Brown, is that you?"

When someone says your name like that, you know before you turn around that he or she isn't a friend. They may be a frenemy but not a friend. She turned around to see the face of one of the women who worked with her in the doctor's office. One who didn't lose her job.

"Lisa? Lisa Hall, as I live and breathe!" All right, maybe she was channeling her mother at that moment.

Lisa was petite, maybe five-five with brown hair that spilled over her shoulders and blue eyes that she liked to bat at the doctors when they were working. Her body was thin, too thin in Deja's opinion, but she got away with wearing skirts that were a little too short for work and tops that were a little too tight. She was the beauty queen of the office, and she knew it. Lisa also hated Deja with a passion. Deja didn't know why and stopped caring a long time ago.

"It's so nice to see you, Deja. We all wondered what happened to you. I have to say it looks like you're doing okay for yourself. The girls pictured you out on the street, dragging your tired body from business to business looking for a job." Lisa stopped to look her over, frowning as if she didn't agree with the curves she possessed.

"Here you are, though, in the store with two fine men." She gave Enzo a look meant to stop him in his tracks as she reached out to touch his arm.

Before that primal part of her that she forgot to lock back up could reach for Lisa’s hand to break it, Enzo moved to stand behind Deja. Both of his arms were securely wrapped around her. A low hiss came from Deja but nothing else.

Lisa blinked her eyes before rubbing them. She was having trouble processing what had just happened.

"This is Enzo. As you can see, we are an item." She smiled at Lisa, although her voice was low and deadly.

"Who's this prime specimen?" She indicated Ven. "Is he your son? You would have had to start young for that. We didn't think you were seeing anyone. I mean, the way you are..." Lisa's voice trailed off.

"How am I?" It took all her willpower not to gnash her teeth before she tore into Lisa.

"You know." She let her hand drift around in front of Deja, to indicate her body. "Who thought you had such a handsome young man for a son."

She reached her hand out to touch Ven. Deja placed her arm in front of him, moving him backward. Her actions said he's my son, don't touch.

How dare the bitch try and touch.

She should be happy she's still alive after reaching for Enzo.

I say we kill her now. The feral side of her was speaking, and she meant every word.

I still know where to hide the body.

Deja was standing there trying to shake her head as she thought this was going to get out of hand. She leaned over to Lisa like they were friends.

"It's a good thing no one knew about them because I'm not nice when it comes to my man or my son." She leaned a little closer, dropping her voice, and told her in explicit words what she would do if anyone touched Enzo or Ven.

Deja pulled back, a smile still on her face.

I'm proud of you.

We're all proud of you.

"Lisa, sweetheart, where are you?" A man a couple of inches taller than Lisa walked down the aisle and gave her a kiss. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I just ran into a friend. We used to work together. Deja, this is John, my husband. John, this is Deja. It was nice seeing you again, but I need to be going."

"It was nice seeing you again, Lisa, and remember what I told you."

She paled, grabbed John's hand, and moved quickly up the aisle. Deja turned around to look at Enzo and Ven. A deep sigh left her when she realized that they had heard everything she whispered to Lisa. Now they knew. She was possessive and territorial, and she thought they belonged to her.

Ven took the cart while Enzo took her hand, and they walked up the aisle looking like a real family. They finished shopping quickly.

"I'll drive," Enzo said, holding out his hands for the keys.

They had already stowed the food away, and Ven was in the back seat waiting to see who was going to win the argument.

"You think you can drive us home?"

"I got the car back from the dealership without a scratch on it." His answer was logical, and still, she was worried. "You'll be in the car right beside me. What can go wrong?"

What indeed? She handed him the keys—it was his car—and got into the passenger side. The first thing she realized was Enzo liked to go fast. The passenger side floor was going to have a permanent indent from where she pressed her foot into it, putting on the brakes.

"We're going home, not to a fire. You don't have to drive this fast." She tried to sound reasonable and not like her voice was trembling at the speed they were traveling.

"This isn't fast."

"It is for a car that's not on a racetrack. Slow it down, so the cops don't pull us over." That did the trick; he slowed to a crawl.

For a brief moment, she thought of pulling at her hair, again. Then she ditched the idea and talked Enzo through, bringing his speed up until it matched the other cars on the road. He got them home in one piece. She gave him some pointers that he immediately incorporated, making his driving much better.

"Early one morning, we can get up and take Ven back to the parking lot to start teaching him how to drive." She went to the trunk, opening it to grab a bag of food.

"What are you doing?" Ven asked, coming up behind her.

"Getting a bag to take upstairs." He took it from her arms. "Go open the door. We'll get the food."

Deja looked between Ven and Enzo, then turned to do as he said.

They're going to carry the groceries.

They care about us.

She couldn't remember the last time someone carried anything for her without wanting something in return. In this day and age, she'd simply become used to doing everything for herself. To have Ven and Enzo care enough about her to carry the groceries was a simple thing, yet it made her feel protected, worthwhile.

Her thoughts drifted to Matt. She was going to have to tell Enzo about him soon. He might not want her after he found out the truth.