Four
Chapter 4 – Celeste
I adjusted the fabric again, then shook my head. “Not that one,” I decided aloud. “Did it have to be Alençon?”
Talking to myself while sewing was an old habit. Fortunately, I was shut in my own studio with no one else around to be annoyed by it. I had a little free time this morning, and I’d decided it was the perfect opportunity to nail down which fabrics I wanted to use for Katie’s dress.
She’d swung by last night to drop off the vintage veil Leo’s mother was lending her for the wedding. It was obviously an heirloom—she’d mentioned some tradition about wearing “something old and something new.” It was a lovely thing—fingertip length and clearly handsewn. It
would look stunning on Katie. Unfortunately, it was made of antique Alençon lace, which meant that it wouldn’t pair well with most of the modern lace designs I kept in stock.
Carefully refolding the Chantilly lace I’d been looking at around its bolt, I picked it up and headed for the shelves along one wall where I stored my fabric stock. My stomach rumbled as I tucked the bolt back in its spot, reminding me that I’d skipped breakfast.
Dumb, I scolded myself. You just went shopping! The fridge is full.
You should have eaten.
Shopping. The thought sent my mind skittering back to the shock of seeing Nathan in the store the other day. How long had he been watching me? I’d been preoccupied and hadn’t noticed right away, but my shifter
senses had caught what my conscious mind had not—the feeling of being watched had scuttled over my skin like an army of tiny spiders as I looked up.
I wrapped my arms around myself, remembering the way the
sensation had turned to a wash of heat when I’d realized it was him. His
eyes had been dark and fixed on me with the kind of intensity only Alphas seemed capable of. Fresh heat swamped me now, just thinking about it.
The doorbell rang, snapping me out of my thoughts. Irritably, I grabbed two bolts of fabric and stalked back across the room. I had work to do. Work that was much more important than Nathan Sloan’s fathomless green eyes.
Setting one bolt aside, I draped a corner of the Duchesse lace over the eggshell voile I was fairly certain I wanted to use for the underlay.
Better. Pulling the veil a little closer, I frowned, comparing the textures. It could work. Undecided, I unfolded a portion of the Schiffli lace and held that close, too.
The front doorbell rang again. I scowled. Not home, I thought, stubbornly. Go away.
Adjusting the fabrics a few more times, I decided I didn’t like the lay of the Schiffli. Duchesse it was.
I was returning the Schiffli bolt to the shelf when the doorbell rang a third time. Grumbling, I slotted the bolt back into its place and resigned myself to the idea that whoever was at the door wasn’t going away. Much
as I hated being interrupted in the middle of a project, I was going to have to answer it.
I’d built my studio in what had once been a broad porch affixed to the side of my one-story, rambler-style home. I’d enclosed the space, finished the interior, and added a separate entrance so I could use it as an on-site workspace. Now, I crossed the studio and let myself into the house proper. I hurried toward the front door as the bell rang again, grumbling the entire way.
Habit made me peek through the peephole before opening the door.
Phillip waited on the other side, and I saw his nostrils flare as he scented me.
What on earth? Why was there an Elder at my door in the middle of a weekday morning? Immediately, my heart started to pound. I skimmed through my mental roster of the pack as I undid the locks, trying to think of who might have been injured or had another emergency they could possibly need my help with.
open.
“What’s wrong?” I asked before I even had the door all the way
“Celeste.” Phillip smiled at me but evaded the question. “May I
come in?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to refuse, but my mother’s lessons
about serving the pack were too deeply ingrained to let me act on the desire. I couldn’t quite make myself invite him in, but I stepped back in tacit permission for him to enter. I was very aware of the sparse furnishings in my living room and every speck of dust on the hardwood floor as he walked in. The open floor plan meant he’d be able to see the dishes in the sink, too, if he looked.
He didn’t, though. He stopped in the center of the room and turned back to me. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to ignore the nervousness balling up under my ribs.
“I apologize for dropping by unannounced,” he said graciously, inclining his head in a regal, well-manned sort of way that did nothing to
erase my concerns that this wasn’t a friendly social call. “And for imposing on you on short notice, but I’d like you to attend a meeting this afternoon. It’s of vital importance to the pack.”
Alarm bells went off in my head, and my thoughts began to race again. “Has there been another threat?”
“I’m afraid I’m not able to offer any specifics until the meeting.” He shook his head, apologetically. “There are rules, you understand.”
I didn’t, but I was well acquainted with the futility of trying to pry information out of an Elder when they started speaking in vague, cryptic terms.
“All right.” I was proud of myself for how composed I sounded. “What time?”
“Five-thirty,” Phillip informed me, pleased. “It will be at Nathan’s house.”
The words hit me like a sucker-punch to the stomach. I hadn’t been in Nathan’s house since his father’s wake, and I hadn’t intended to be back
in it ever if I could help it. But of course, Phillip didn’t know anything about that, and I wasn’t very well going to tell him.
Stop it, I scolded myself. It’s been years. It’s fine.
“Sure.” I strove for the same collected tone, hoping he wouldn’t hear the strain I felt. “Five-thirty at Nathan’s. Do I need to bring anything?”
Phillip didn’t fall for my weak fishing attempt. “Just yourself. Thank you, Celeste. I’ll see you in a few hours.” Nodding once more, he let himself out. I stared at the door for a long moment, then stalked back to my studio, dread curling in my gut. What had I just gotten myself into?