Chapter 130

Sarah POV

“She’s perfect,” I said. “Pretending she’s not perfect isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“She’s perfect from a distance,” Lainey said, sitting in my new office. She looked around. “This is very nice.”

“Thank you,” I said.

In fact, I was thrilled with the room. I had a lovely art deco desk with modern touches like the holes for my computer wires and a dedicated space for a coffee mug or teacup. There were two soft brown leather chairs in front of my desk, curtains draping on either side of the French doors currently open to the balcony, and photos of the girls interspersed with some medium-sized prints of paintings I liked, such as Monet’s Water Lilies and Bierstadt’s Sunset over the River.

I had a sofa up against the far wall that matched the chairs with throw pillows that complemented the paintings, and as I breathed in, I scented the flowers of the gardens below.

I thought back to my apartment and ended up missing Mrs. Thaller.

“She’s a media darling,” Lainey said, “which is not nearly the same thing as perfect.”

“But she is the alpha you were talking about, isn’t she? The one who’s being brought forward as a mate for a top-level alpha, namely Zane?”

“I’m not sure.”

“If you’re pretending not to be sure to spare my feelings, I really wish you wouldn’t.”

Lainey made a face. “If I were in charge of sparing your feelings, I wouldn’t have had anyone invite Melissa Thibodaux to the villa.”

“Zane is now the patron saint of the Abrigan Mine, and she’s the ‘media darling’ of the mine, so not inviting her here would be stupid.”

“I still don’t like it,” she muttered.

“And I thank you for it, but she needs to become part of our media circle. At least it’s here, on our turf.” I looked at my watch, a dainty little thing from Grace that I suspected Ella had actually picked out. I didn’t like it only because I could hardly see the time on it.

“She’s due,” I said, and we both stood up.

Downstairs, Zane nodded at me and Lainey as we walked toward the door. I knew Thibodaux’s driver was pulling up, and I was glad the girls were in school.

Hans opened the front door, and nothing, not even seeing her videos, could have prepared me for the force of the alpha who walked into the villa.

It was like some short of shock wave had preceded her, as though the beauty of her pale face, black hair, and blue eyes was an explosion against which we needed to brace. Ella could weep. This was what a beautiful woman looked like.

Thank the goddess when she smiled her lip curled oddly. But then I didn’t like that either. It just made her real.

On cue, I smiled as Zane took her hand and kissed the back of it. “You honor my household, Miss Thibodaux. Thank you for the visit.”

She laughed, and I thought suddenly of the nightingale, though whether I were thinking of the real one or the mechanical fake I couldn’t say. They were both equally lovely, after all.

“I’m the one who’s being honored,” she said, her voice imbuing the room with its pleasant tone. “I know the documentary on the Abrigan Mine was a hatchet job, but I just had to get the word out there.”

She turned to me as though surprised I had manifested myself. “Sarah Astor! I have longer to meet you!”

She came in for a cheek kiss, which I responded to as best I could. It was a human gesture, not something werewolves did, not on first meeting, so I knew she did it to honor me, or embarrass me. I wasn’t sure which.

“We’re pleased to have the Jewel of the Thibodaux territory in Alpha Zane’s household,” I said.

She frowned at me. “But you’re the human goddess-mother. It’s your household too, isn’t it?”

Oh, screw you, I thought, and then I chided myself. She was being perfect. Oh. So. Perfect.

“I’m happy and honored looking after the girls,” I said.

“How is Pack Alpha Thibodaux?” Zane asked.

She waved vaguely. “He’s fine, but he’s decided to write his memoires.”

“You don’t approve?” I asked, feeling daring.

She shrugged. “He’s only in his early sixties. Memoires are for much later in life, if you ask me.”

“Perhaps he feels he has something he wants to share?” Zane offered.

“What? That soybean farm’s success? Had nothing to do with him, I promise.”

Then she made an “I’m being naughty” face. “My father is an excellent Pack Alpha. I’m honored to be a member of his household.”

“But perhaps not so honored you want to mention it every second?” Zane asked.

She giggled.

I wanted to scratch her eyes out.

“Would you like a tour of the villa?” Zane asked next, as I had been told he would.

Thibodaux looked sheepish. “Would it be a horrible thing if I could ask to see that hedge maze instead? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a real one, I mean, one where the hedges made up the walls and not ropes or rocks or something.”

“Of course,” I said because that was my role in the discussion. As goddess-mother, I was something of the “keeper” of the grounds. “The girls adore it, and I hope you will too.”

“It remind me of The Shining,” she said next. “And I confess, that’s a favorite of mine. So scary, but so satisfying at the end. I confess, I hate modern horror movies where everyone just dies. What’s the point of that?”

I told her I agreed and led the way outside.

We went through the maze talking about nothing important, which was a bit of a relief. Thibodaux was excellent at small talk, and so I just let her comments lead us from one topic to another. Zane seemed to follow both our leads, and it was very nice in the sunshine with the breeze blowing through the leaves.

We sat on a bench, where Thibodaux exclaimed she was quite lost and loved it. I caught sight of one of many bodyguards and made nothing of it. I couldn’t believe I was getting used to them, but honestly, I was.

Hans, of all people, then showed up.

“The girls will be home within thirty minutes,” he said.

And then I understood he was trying to support my position in the household, and it was all I could do not to hug him.

“Excellent,” I said. I was going to ask Thibodaux if she wanted to stat when a gopher, of all things, leapt out of the hedge.

Hans stared at it in shock. It looked back at him with equal horror, and then tensed to flee.

“Stay where you are,” Thibodaux said in what I now knew was the Alpha Voice. “Relax. You’re OK.”

The gopher lay down on the ground and seemed to go to sleep.

Hans nodded in respect. “Thank you, Miss Thibodaux.” He then retrieved a paid of gloves from his pocked, put them on, and picked up the seemingly boneless gopher.

“You have a place to release him?” she asked.

“Of course. Don’t worry.” Hans smiled and took the little creature away.

I turned to smile at Thibodaux and met Zane’s eyes. He was obviously pleased.

Great, I thought. Just great.