Reapers of the Dark (Cora Roberts #4)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Oh, what I would give for a broken limb.

I was a terrible liaison. I stared at the phone, which had stayed silent for the last six hours, and drummed my fingers on the dining table as the sun peeked above the horizon, greeting the day with all the unending optimism a dying star that gave life could afford.

Was it too much to hope for a storm so I didn’t have to wrestle with the fact my mate proclaimed we would be married within the next twelve weeks, then left with the female shifter who wanted me out of the picture so she could dig her claws into him?

I swiped a hand down my face, then grabbed the cold coffee I had been nursing. What was wrong with me? I didn’t do jealousy. It wasn’t a part of who I was. I was a firm believer in trusting your partner, and if they fuck around, then they lose you. Simple. But right now, all I could see was Mercy in that towel, dropping it to the floor as Hudson offered her comfort.

“Cora, let go of the mug,” Aunt Liz advised.

I glanced down at the cup. There were hairline fractures spanning the outside. My hands released it before I broke something in replacement for Mercy’s face.

Dave sauntered into the room and paused as he spied the pair of elementals at the kitchen table. The rest of the alphas had gone back to their respective homes after we promised to update them as soon as we knew anything. I narrowed my eyes at the phone. Ring, damn you.

Nothing.

“Have you both been here all night?” he asked as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out bacon, eggs, and sausages.

“What gave it away?” I snarked.

He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes slid to the dress I was still wearing. Right. I should probably change. Except Hudson was supposed to take this dress off me and show me how cats do it. I bet Mercy knew, given she was also a cat.

Stop it, Cora. He’s not interested in her. If he was, he would have left you months ago when things started getting rough. I shook my head to get rid of the shitty thoughts. Maybe if I did it long enough, I’d rattle the brain cell that seemed to have short-circuited.

Nope. All that did was make me dizzy and a little nauseous.

I glanced up to find Dave frozen, his eyes locked on me, a piece of bacon trapped between his fingers above a sizzling frying pan. My aunt was also as still as a statue. Oh no. I wasn’t in the mood for supernatural shenanigans. If the world was frozen, I wanted to be included. Otherwise, I was likely responsible.

I waved a hand in front of Aunt Liz. She blinked. Not frozen. Whoopie.

“You’re sort of growling,” she said.

“More like rattling,” Dave muttered as he delivered the bacon to its fatty destiny in the pan.

“Is that normal?” Aunt Liz asked.

“I am half archangel, half elemental, and mated to a prehistoric tiger shifter who terrifies his faction with a stern look. Define normal.”

“I’m hungry,” Indigo growled.

“Suffer like the rest of us, because we aren’t moving until our mate is back.”

“There’s a solution to all our problems.”

“No.” I already knew where this was going.

“I’ll eat Mercy, nourishing me and ridding us of the potential threat.”

“She’s no threat.”

“Then why haven’t you moved from this table all night?”

She was right. I pushed my chair back and stood. “I’m going to shower and get changed into something less formal.”

“I’ll fetch you if he calls,” my aunt said with a faint smile. She knew why I hadn’t moved, but didn’t push me.

I nodded as I left the room and climbed the stairs to Hudson’s private floor. I glanced at the wall where he’d pinned me and promised me all sorts of wicked things with just a look. My fists tightened as I forced myself to move past the bedroom and into the bathroom. I washed off the night and the ridiculous and unproductive feelings of jealousy and unease. He was fine. I knew he was as our hearts somehow beat in sync, finding a new rhythm that was uniquely us. I would know if anything had happened to him.

Twenty minutes later, I was makeup and jealousy free. I was back in my jeans and one of Hudson’s T-shirts, knotting it at my stomach so I didn’t look ridiculous. Okay, so maybe I wasn’t totally jealousy free, given I’d never felt the need to wear his clothing before now.

Voices drifted up the stairs, some familiar, some not. But far more than there was when I left. I walked into the dining room, following the scent of breakfast. All eyes turned to me. Eight females sat around the table. Keira was here, as was Aunt Liz, but the rest I hadn’t met in person.

Dave marched in from the kitchen and placed a platter of sausages and a rack of toast in the center of the table. The only chair free was Hudson’s at the head. My aunt had taken my usual spot. I could eat in the kitchen, that way I wouldn’t miss the call.

My aunt flicked her eyes to the chair. What? Dave cleared his throat and stared pointedly at the same chair. Oh no.

“Consort Royal,” a middle-aged slim brunette woman with brown eyes greeted. “It is lovely to finally meet you.”

Is it? I eyeballed her and the empty chair as the rest of the room waited for me. Oh for fuck’s sake. I gritted my teeth and settled into Hudson’s chair, making Dave gift me with a rare smile. Look at that. After years of friendship, the stoic shifter finally looked happy over where I placed my ass.

“It’s great to meet you all too,” I settled on.

A younger, perkier version of Mercy bounced in her seat and clapped her hands as she grinned. “Ah, we can’t wait to get started on the preparations. Have you thought about what you want? Color scheme? Theme? Menu? Dress?”

I blinked. Umm…

Aunt Liz leaned forward. “Cora is speechless with your excitement about her mating ceremony, but doesn’t enjoy being the center of attention, so give her a minute to catch up.”

Oh, mating ceremony. That makes sense.

Color scheme? Red.

Theme? Revenge.

Menu? Bloody hearts and searing souls.

Dress? Black, because if he dared to touch her, it would be his funeral, not his wedding, we attend.

They went around the table and introduced themselves, all female shifters in some position of power, whether it was part of an alpha pair, or their daughters’. These women clearly ran the softer side of packs.

I tried to listen as they passed ideas around about the mating ceremony Hudson had declared before leaving. He left. My hand cramped, and I unclenched my fingers from around the fork before piling some eggs into my mouth. I couldn’t taste the food. It was like going through the motions. Is this how our lives were going to be? He runs off to do Principal shit while I become a lady that lunches? Or worse… brunches?

I was a trained medical doctor and ran a successful business. I was the granddaughter of Eloise Roberts and the daughter of an archangel. If I had to fill my time with day drinking and fabric swatches, I’d go insane within a week.

I thought I had been really clear. I warned him I was not a little wifey. If he left me in our bed alone, he could expect to find it empty when he returned.

Aunt Liz squeezed my hand. “Breathe,” she whispered. “He will be fine.”

He better be, because I wouldn’t want his stupid ass to be beaten by something pathetic before I took him out with my angel power. Only the best for my betrothed.

“Valentine’s Day,” Melissa, the younger blonde, said with a decisive nod. “It’s dreamy, romantic, and fits with your color theme.”

Wait, I said red aloud? Oh hell.

“Not sure on the black dress,” Keira shot back with a sneer. “Although you are a witch, so it shouldn’t surprise me.”

Yes, I’d said my answers out loud.

The room fell silent as Keira tried to get a rise out of me. She better hope she didn’t succeed, because I wouldn’t leash the fire in my veins if I let loose on her.

“Not Valentine’s Day,” I said. “Too cheesy. Also, no black. I apologize for being distracted.”

Keira opened her mouth, but I shut her down before she could utter a word. “We should add frog legs and eye of newt to the menu, since half the guests will be witches. They’d happily give you a magic show if you asked, Keira.” I give her a wink before adding, “We also like to get naked under the light of the full moon. And if you think only shifters have wild monkey sex on the lawn, you’ve never seen a witch bursting with the promise of magic.” I clapped my hands together, making her jump. “When they explode… hold on to your males, because there isn’t one among them who can resist the call of an elemental when she’s at her full power.”

Dave snorted, and Aunt Liz snickered. The tension in the room snapped as the shifters realized that one, their principal’s mate had claws; two, she wasn’t afraid to use them; and three, she was no pushover. Shifters respected strength, and I needed to stop acting like I was weak. Hudson would never fall for a weak mate, so in their eyes, I’d either cast some kind of spell over him, or I was hiding my true strength. I let a little of Indigo’s angelic power flow through my veins. My nails lengthened and my teeth sharpened. Not enough to scare people, but enough to make them think twice before anyone got any bright ideas about challenging me.

The females cast wary glances my way, but the conversation picked back up, and by the time the last piece of toast was gone, we had decided I was having a spring wedding. Pastel greens, pinks, and purples were part of the color scheme. My aunt vetoed the pack making my dress, stating it should be something a bride did with her family, and given we’d already conceded to a ceremony on pack grounds, and the catering was also being done by them, the Roberts women had power over the bridal party dresses. I snorted a little. Did they realize I would have vampires in my wedding party? There was no way I wouldn’t make Sebastian my maid of honor, and Rebecca would sulk for years if I didn’t offer her the same.

I’d let Hudson break that news. My head was too full of their ideas as it was.

“You know, I think I have Hudson’s mother’s veil,” Tori, the older shifter who had first greeted me, said.

A sharp pang pierced my chest. I was marrying a man, and I didn’t even know about his parents. Nothing. I knew nothing. I felt ashamed. Our lives were constantly full of my ever-expanding family drama, and I hadn’t paused to ask about any of his relations. I was a bad mate. Indigo rolled her eyes, but she kept quiet.

“I can do her makeup,” one of the women declared.

Aunt Liz shook her head. “No, her aunt and best friend will want to do that.” The shifters kept trying to insert themselves into the bridal party, and my aunt was doing a fine job of batting them away. I needed to breathe.

Was it too much to ask for a medical emergency or a little death? Something, anything to get me out of this breakfast from hell? They were talking about honeymoons now. Why would that be any of their concern? Surely that was one thing Hudson and I had control over. There were rumblings of an argument about how long he could reasonably be away from the pack without it falling apart. I always wanted to go to Paris and London. Rome, too. A European tour sounded amazing. Or a beach. Hawaii was nice at any time of year. I didn’t care so long as we were away from all of this.

Were they talking about babies now? My brows drew together as I shifted in my chair. Was I losing time? Something didn’t feel right. Hudson wasn’t here, so nothing felt right. Oh, how the mighty had fallen. He wasn’t in the same zip code as me, and now I was doomsday plotting. Wonderful. I needed something for my brain to do. I glanced up at the ceiling. It was worth a try.

Hey, God, it’s me, Cora, your possible granddaughter, depending on your interpretation of archangel family trees. I could do with a distraction, so I don’t murder the shifters at the table. Nothing too serious, maybe a head laceration or broken limb. Anything to stop the fact I have spent the last eight hours spiraling about my mate and upcoming mating ceremony. Thanks. Yours kindly, Cora, daughter of Abaddon. P.S. Do I need to get married in a church? Do you want an invitation? Maybe officiate for us?

The door opened, and my gaze fell on Norbert, the pack’s chief medic. His worried gaze caught mine. “Cora, I need you. There’s a medical situation I need your help with.”

I blinked and rolled my eyes to the ceiling. Seriously? Quick work, grandfather. Your invite will be in the post.