“Yes, I would. Even if this mating was real, it wouldn’t have lasted long. Once Trey and his wolf began to realize just how weak their mate is, their interest in you would have swiftly dwindled. They’d have gone looking for a female wolf who can complement them and their strength. And when that happened, I’d have been waiting.”
Trey was just ending the call when the sound of a loud crash hit his ears and had him cursing in surprise. He raced into the kitchen and stared, confounded, at the vision before him. Selma was very ungracefully splayed out on the floor after obviously having smacked her head against the wall, if the trail of blood was anything to go by. Everyone at the table had risen from their seat and was staring down at her, wide-eyed. And Taryn…well she was leaning against the counter calmly biting into a slice of bacon as if there wasn’t a woman moaning and bleeding all over the floor.
“What the hell happened?” he demanded. Taryn’s expression was perfectly serene when she peered up at him.
“She fell.”
The sound of muffled laughter had his attention returning to the table to find Dante, Grace, Lydia, Cam and Rhett chuckling so hard they were shaking. Although the others were silent, none of them – not even Hope – had been able to hold back an amused grin.
Taryn sighed. “I think I’ll go on that run now. Grace, that breakfast was excellent.” She then made her way around a moaning Selma, pointedly ignoring her. “Close your mouth, Trey, or you’ll catch flies.”
Still totally bemused and also a little horny as a result of her alpha vibes pulsating around her, Trey stared after her as she pranced out of the room humming a tune he didn’t recognise.
“Taryn’s one mean bitch,” said Dante approvingly.
“Trey, look what she did to me!” whined Selma.
He didn’t want to. “Dante, Tao, you coming?” Both rose from the table and thanked Grace before following him out of the room. “What was all that about anyway?”
“Just Selma being her usual irritating self,” replied Dante. “You should’ve seen the way Taryn picked her up and slung her at the wall. It was awesome.”
Tao nodded his agreement, albeit reluctantly. “That female’s freakishly strong for her size.”
Oh Trey already knew that from their battles last night. His lips curved into a smile as he imagined battling with her all over again tonight.
Taryn was in a better mood after her short run. The cold breeze on her face combined with the familiar scents of the forest had left her feeling refreshed and settled her wolf. Only then had she began to wander through the maze of tunnels to familiarise herself with what would be her home for the next few months. Three hours later Taryn was in the doorway of the living area, gaping.
A wander around had confirmed that not one inch of the place was anything but spectacular. There were four floors and each one of them featured dozens of en-suite bedrooms, a small kitchenette, and a laundry room. On the fourth floor where Trey, Dante and the enforcers slept was – in addition to a laundry room – a pool room, a game room, an office, the huge amazing kitchen and a large living area. The blend of modern and antique furnishings was a feature throughout the entire place, never once clashing.
She was nothing short of awed and had found something to gasp at in each and every room. But this room…whoa. The audio-visual system was state of the art, the decorative swirly carvings on the main wall were amazing, the many armchairs all looked comfy enough to sleep on, but it was the item in the center of the living area that had her attention. Is it a bed? Is it a sofa? The freaking thing looked more like a giant cushion.
There had been a sectional sofa in her pack house too, but it wasn’t anything like this. The black leather was clearly top quality and it could comfortably seat at least eighteen people. One end was a gorgeous chaise lounge while the other end had a recliner. It was so big and bulky that not only did her ass sink into it, but her feet didn’t even touch the floor. It totally dwarfed her. Suddenly she felt like one of the Borrowers.
Oh she could get used to this luxury. She wasn’t a materialistic person, never had been, and she totally agreed that money didn’t bring you happiness. Still, she’d rather be depressed wearing Prada than dirty rags.
“Comfy?”
Taryn looked at the doorway to see Tao there, scowling. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you resented me being comfortable.”
He shrugged. “I’m not convinced your dad will give us an alliance, which means we’ll have brought all this trouble on ourselves and not even get what the pack needs out of this mating.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you kidnapped me, huh?”
“Believe me, if I could have talked Trey out of this, I would’ve, but I respect Trey and I follow his orders.”
“That’s nice. You can leave now. I promise your idiotic opinion will be noted.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw – something which seemed to be a habit with him whenever she was around. “There’s nothing idiotic about not wanting Lance Warner’s daughter in my house or around my pack. They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, don’t they.”
“Hey, I have a suggestion, why not put a condom over your head – if you’re going to act like a complete dick then it makes sense to dress like one.” His mouth actually twitched at that, but Taryn just sighed and retrieved the remote control from the round pine coffee table. Switching on the T.V., she sought out the sports channels.
Tao came to stand beside the sofa. “You watch boxing?”
“I missed the fight between Jacobs and Leighton last night. I just want to watch the repeat then you can watch whatever you like.”
Frowning, Tao gingerly sat beside her. “Fifty says Leighton won.”
Taryn stared at him curiously then nodded. “Seventy says Jacob won by knock-out.”