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And with Vik teaching Ryland about running businesses, none of us will actually need to work outside of here. Other than a few wolves supervising the restaurant we bought. But that won’t be a huge deal.
I can’t believe I’ve been a vampire for a year now, and I’ve somehow managed not to lose control and hurt someone unintentionally. I was so terrified that I would, and relieved when I learned about the protection spell for the wolves. It’s nice to know that if I kill someone, it will be because I decided to, not because I couldn’t stop myself.
“Luca is out back with your brother. They’re working on something,” Eli responds. “Ryland had a meeting with Vik at Midnight. I’m not sure where Garnet ran off to.”
Orym and I exchange a glance. Apparently, he didn’t think Eli was paying attention to what’s been going on here. I nod and walk out back to see what Luca is doing.
I find him standing over blueprints with my brother hovering nearby. “What’s all this?” I call to them.
“We’re making a surprise for Red,” Luca responds without looking up.
“Good thing she’s not here with me, then,” I shoot back. Of course, he knew she wasn’t. We can sense her, and we’ll know if she’s in danger, wherever she is.
“I sent her to hang out with Delilah for a while. They were going shopping for decorations.”
GARNET
Having a day out with Delilah has been amazing. With everything being so busy lately, I haven’t seen her much. “What about this one?” she asks, holding up a teal throw blanket. I run my hand over the material.
“Yes! That’s perfect.” I add it to the list and we keep moving. My list is so long already; I can’t imagine any of my guys approving of all this, even if the new cabin is four times the size of the one I destroyed.
Guilt washes over me again at that thought. I destroyed our old home. A year ago today. And yet, no one got mad at me. I’m not sure why that seems strange to me, but it does. And being given carte blanche to decorate the new house is even stranger. I would have expected my guys to be at least a little bit more interested in how the rooms are put together.
“Garnet,” Delilah says, grabbing my arm. I grin at her, realizing that she’s been trying to get my attention while I’m wallowing in my emotions.
“Sorry,” I offer.
“Eli called. He says they’re done with the system set up and testing. So, we can go home whenever you’re ready. We’ll just drop off the list and someone will deliver the items later.” It’s clear that Delilah doesn’t worry about money. I mean, her mates are the wealthiest in the area.
I look at my list again, wondering if I can take a few things off without offending her. We’ve been shopping all morning, and the list of purchases is very long. I’m not sure we can afford all of it.
“I need to go through my list again before I’m ready,” I say quietly.
“No, you don’t. Dec was very clear. His sister-in-law gets what she wants to decorate the new house. No limits, no restrictions. Didn’t you wonder why no one argued with you picking everything out? He very clearly laid down the law to your mates. And he’s insisting that he pays for all of it. Don’t fight him on this. You won’t win,” she warns.
“I had no idea Declan was planning to pay for everything. I can’t let him do that,” I insist.
Delilah shakes her head. “You don’t have a choice. He’s going to do it no matter what. You should at least get what you want out of it. And it’s not going to hurt us. Just because it was his idea, that doesn’t mean I don’t fully support it.”
I throw my arms around her and hug tightly. “Okay, you win. I won’t argue. Let’s finish up and head back. We still have to pick towels. That’s the only thing we haven’t looked at.”
Half an hour later, Delilah and I have settled on the perfect towels and turned in my list to the store manager. Someone will gather the items we’ve selected, and they’ll be delivered in a few hours. And Declan will pay for all of it. I can’t help feeling a little guilty about that too.
Delilah is right, though. It won’t do any good to argue with the vampire who controls a quarter of the city. Hell, this store might even be owned by him. If not, there’s a chance that it belongs to Vik or Kayden. Eli tends to stay away from department stores, preferring his tech to housewares.
On our way back to the new house, Delilah and I talk about my selections and where some things will go. We fall into companionable silence after a few minutes and arrive home quickly.
I’m surprised to see delivery trucks already here and unloading. “How did they move so quickly?”
Delilah just laughs as she climbs out of the SUV. I follow her, still trying to figure out how they managed all of this so fast. I also wonder how upset my guys will be when they see everything I got. At least all the blankets are soft, and the pillows are fluffy. Maybe that will help.
“Did you buy out the entire store?” Ry asks, jogging down the steps to meet us. He scoops me up and kisses me hard, turning in a circle.
I slap his arm when he pulls away. “No, we didn’t buy out the entire store. I left the ugly stuff there.”
He laughs and passes me to Orym. “Hey, you.” I kiss him and hug him tightly. These guys act like they haven’t seen me in days, but it’s only been a few hours.
Not willing to be left out, James drags me out of Orym’s arms and kisses me breathless. A girl could get used to this. When he breaks the kiss, I expect Luca to be there waiting. He’s not, and I have to hide my disappointment.
