Chapter 243

Agnes

After lazing about on the forest floor for a while, neither of us eager to move or disentangle our limbs from one another, Elijah and I finally made our way back to the house.

Our mate bond was still humming pleasantly after our escapade, and already, I felt the urge to have another tryst. Was this how it felt to be marked to one’s mate? Constantly wanting to do nothing but run through the forest and make love?

“What should we do for the rest of the day?” Elijah asked, pulling me close to his side as we approached the house. “We could go for another run. Or maybe see if Thea wants to go to the park. Or go up to the bedroom for another romp…”

“Hmm,” I hummed, shivering slightly at the sensation of his warm breath fanning across my neck. “I’m open to—”

My words trailed off as we stepped through the front door. There was an envelope sitting on the small table by the door, and I recognized the seal immediately. My family’s seal: red and gold wax with a wolf’s head stamped in the middle.

My mood immediately soured as I picked it up, broke the seal, and read the contents. It was an invitation to a banquet my parents were throwing. Of course. Of course my parents would find a way to intrude on what had been a perfect day, even if they weren’t here.

Elijah took the invitation and scanned it briefly, then glanced at me with an equally sour look on his face. “Huh. A banquet, next weekend at their estate,” he mused. He tossed it onto the table. “How kind of them to include us. But we don’t have to go. In fact, I’d rather do literally anything else.”

I sighed. I really didn’t want to go either, especially not now that I knew my stepmother was really up to no good. This felt more like an opportunity for her to cause trouble rather than an actual party.

But it was an opportunity for us, too.

My wolf had told me last night just how important it was for me to use my powers for good—to help the elementals who were trapped underground, to provide a platform for people like me to safely exist in the world without having to hide or live in fear.

If my stepmother really was at the center of that, then I had to try and get close to her. At the very least, I had to do my best to find out where the main facility of Elemental Enterprises was located. Maybe then we could find a way to release anyone who was trapped and shut down the business for good.

“No, we should go,” I said reluctantly. “This could be a chance for us to gather information about Elemental Enterprises.”

Using the banquet as an opportunity to learn more about the elusive testing facility that was allegedly holding elementals captive—and potentially even trying to take Thea from us—was logical. But if I was being honest with myself, there was another reason I wanted to go.

A part of me wanted to show my stepmother that I wasn’t the same woman she’d tried to manipulate before. I wasn’t weak or vulnerable. I couldn’t be trifled with anymore. And I was tired of hiding.

Elijah looked a bit less convinced. “It’s risky, Agnes.”

“Yes, but so is doing nothing.”

My mate studied me for a long moment. Finally, he nodded, seeming to come to the same conclusion I had; at the very least, to ensure Thea couldn’t be taken again, we had to do our part to protect her. If for no one else, then at least for her. “Alright. We’ll go, if that’s what you want. But we have to be careful. I’m not going in without a solid plan, and we’ll leave right away if things get bad.”

“Sounds good to me.” With that settled, I turned on my heel and grabbed my jacket and car keys.

Elijah tilted his head. “Where are you going?”

“To the fabric store,” I explained with a wry smile. “I’m going to need a dress for the banquet.”

…

Less than an hour later, I found myself at the fabric store with Evelyn and Gertrude. When I had told my friends I was going out and invited them for coffee and shopping, they both agreed in a heartbeat. We perused the shelves of the fabric store side by side, holding cardboard cups of coffee and chatting about colors and textures.

“So,” Evelyn said, her fingers running over a bolt of deep burgundy silk, “you want something that makes a statement…”

I nodded, moving past the silk to examine a shelf of more unusual materials. “Something regal but also…powerful. Intimidating.”

“So not your usual style, then,” Gertrude observed, trailing behind us with a growing stack of fabric samples. “I feel like you usually go for more understated elegance.”

“Yeah, well, this isn’t a usual situation,” I replied, pausing at a display of metallic fabrics. My fingers brushed over a bolt of gold that seemed to capture and reflect the light from every angle. “I need to make an impression on my stepmother. If she’s up to no good, I want to preemptively show her that I can’t be messed with.”

Evelyn came to stand beside me, her head tilting as she considered the gold fabric. “Hm. This could work,” she mused. “With the right design, it would be very eye-catching.”

“I’m thinking something… armor-like,” I said. “Not literal armor, but with that feel to it.”

“Structured,” Gertrude supplied, setting down her stack of samples to examine the gold fabric more closely. I nodded.

“You could incorporate actual metal pieces,” Evelyn suggested. “Small plates, maybe. I’ve always thought you’d look hot in armor, anyway.”

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help but laugh.

But while they continued discussing design possibilities, my mind drifted to something that had been bothering me for a while. With my wolf back and seemingly stronger than ever, I couldn’t help but wonder a bit more boldly about the events of the past few months. Particularly the night that Elijah had told me Lena was onto us, before we even told her about my abilities.

“Hey,” I said, interrupting their conversation about neckline options, “can I ask you both something?”

My friends both looked at me, curious.

“Did either of you… tell anyone about my… abilities?” I kept my voice low and my words vague so as not to be overheard, even though the store was completely empty aside from the elderly shopkeeper who was half-asleep behind the counter all the way on the other side of the floor.

“After I told you about them that one night, I mean.”

Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Of course not,” she said immediately. “You asked us to keep it a secret, and we did.”

“Absolutely not.” Gertrude shook her head so hard her glasses almost fell off. “I would never betray your trust like that.”

I studied their faces, but I could detect no deception. They were my closest friends, after all. I trusted Gertrude and Evelyn with my life. “I believe you. And I’m not accusing you,” I said after a moment. I took a deep breath and told them about Elijah’s and my suspicions, then finished, “Maybe it was just a coincidence. Or one of the staff overheard us and somehow it got to Lena.”

But even as I said the words, it just didn’t feel… right. None of the staff around the house had indicated that they knew about my abilities. Surely they noticed and speculated when I had to run to my panic room on numerous occasions, but no one appeared to put two and two together.

Then again, I supposed anything could happen. Which was precisely why it was so important for Elijah and I to make a good impression at this banquet and show we couldn’t be trifled with. The truth was bound to come out eventually, and we needed to present a strong front.

Finally, after much deliberation, we settled on the metallic gold fabric for the base of the dress, along with several pounds of small metal plates and decorative elements that would be incorporated into the design. It wasn’t cheap, but I didn’t care. I was excited to get started on my next big design, something I hadn’t had much time for with everything else going on.

We parted ways outside the fabric store, with Evelyn promising to come by the house soon for a visit. After promising Gertrude we would have our usual lunch break together tomorrow, I drove home with the bags of materials beside me.

By the time I pulled into our driveway, I was practically bouncing in my seat with excitement. I gathered the bags from the passenger seat and quickly headed inside, where I got right to work.