The Wallflower Page 8

  Emma stared at the ring on her finger, a slow, utterly content smile stealing across her face.

  “Livia is seriously going to shit a brick.”

  “Emma!”

  Laughing, she rose up on her toes and kissed him with all the love in her heart, knocking both their hats to the floor in the process.

  Chapter Seven

  Emma had never seen so many versions of pirate wench and pirate captain in all her life. The wenches ranged from modest, immodest, to downright erotic. One woman actually bragged that her pirate costume was by Playboy! Considering how little there was of it, Emma didn’t doubt the woman; compared to her Emma felt as covered as a nun. Then there was the usual assortment of ghosts, vampires, witches and ghouls, with a rare werewolf thrown in for fun. Jamie and Marie Howard had both come as gunslingers in matching black outfits and cowboy hats, both looking happy and proud enough to burst over the success of their party. They were the first to notice the ring on Emma’s hand, and, with warm smiles and friendly hugs, they congratulated her and Max on their mating.

  As Max and Emma moved through the crowd, other people came to congratulate them. Jonathon Friedelinde was polite, if somewhat cool. It irritated Max, but Emma understood on some level that Mr. Friedelinde was taking a “wait and see” attitude. In fact, Jonathon’s attitude was the one that prevailed among the men as more and more people became aware of Max’s mating. Everyone had expected him to pick someone as strong as he was, and none of them truly believed Emma was strong enough. The women, on the other hand, were, well, cattier. By the time they found Adrian, Max was trembling with the need to force his will on all of his Pride and make them accept his mate, something that would diminish Emma further in their eyes.

  “Hey, Adrian.” Emma smiled wearily. By the end of the first hour, she’d become so busy holding Max back that she didn’t have time to worry about her outfit.

  “Hey, Emma. Congratulations.” Adrian dipped his head to her with a warm smile, shocking her. She’d had no idea Adrian was one of them.

  Max nodded back, and Emma followed suit. “Thanks, Adrian. Have you seen Simon yet?”

  “Oh, you mean Zorro?” Adrian grinned, gesturing with his hand. “He’s over there, trying to chase down this cute little bandita.”

  “Becky’s here?” Emma craned her neck and went on tip-toes, but it was no use; she was just too damn short to see over anybody. With a huff, she settled back down and glared at Max, waiting.

  “Would you like to go see Becky now?” Max asked, smirking. He was staring off to his left, tracking someone through the crowd.

  “Frigging tall people,” she muttered, trying to see past the crowd of bodies to where Max was looking.

  She squealed with surprise when Max bent down and picked her up, practically sitting her on his shoulder. She daintily crossed her ankles and held on for dear life as she scanned the crowd. “There! She’s heading into the garden. Aw, son of a bitch.”

  “What?” Max asked, holding her steady with little effort.

  “Simon’s just been waylaid by Belinda. By the way, she so picked the right costume.”

  “Witch?”

  “Catwoman. From the movie.”

  “Ah, sexy yet lame.” Max winced when Emma tweaked his ear. “I’ll rescue Simon, you find Becky.” He set her down gently, careful to make sure her skirt didn’t fly up, up and away. With a quick kiss and a nod at Adrian, Max went after Simon.

  Emma found moving through the crowd without Max at her side more difficult. It seemed like people went out of their way to get in her way. “Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me.” Emma tried to be polite as she shimmied around more than one person. When she reached a particularly large knot of people, she tried the polite route, though by this time she was becoming seriously irritated. She tapped the broad shoulder of a vampire standing in front of her. “Excuse me, let me pass, please.”

  The vampire ignored her, laughing with his companions.

  “Excuse me, please, I need to get into the garden.”

  The vampire continued to ignore her.

  “Will you please excuse me?” Emma practically shouted.

  The vampire turned, frowned down at her, and turned back to his companions with a shrug and a laugh.

  Emma lost it. Her temper, frayed by the tension in Max and the subtle snubs to herself, snapped. Emma could feel a strange power flowing through her, tied to yet separate from the Puma, and without thought she used it.

  Her eyes narrowed on the group in front of her. The tone of command was the same one Max had used on her several times, the same one she was able to (almost) ignore. Power flowed out of her, surrounding her till she nearly glowed with it.

  “Move out of my way.”

  The crowd behind them grew quiet as the men stopped laughing. The men in front of her visibly cringed and got out of her way, their heads bowing down, their shoulders hunching against Emma’s anger. Using her power like the prow of a ship, Emma forged her way through the rest of the crowd, her head held high as she stepped into the garden.

  With a deep breath, Emma sucked that power back into her body. It settled in, warm and cozy, purring but ready to pounce. The Puma, she sensed, was pleased with her display of dominance.

  The garden was well lit, except in strategically placed spots where pools of darkness prevailed. Emma was pretty sure what went on in those spots, and hoped her nose would help her keep out of other people’s business. Sniffing cautiously, she tried to scent Becky.

  The sharp tang of coppery blood filled her senses, mixed with Becky’s earthy scent. Emma stepped into the garden and made a beeline for the smell. Halfway there, she heard Becky scream.

  Emma began to run.

  Max finally pried Belinda off Simon by ordering her off. With a coy shrug, the woman finally let go, but not before giving both men a peek at what they were walking away from.

  “Ugh.” Simon shuddered. “You’d think she’d get the hint. ‘Get off me, get off me, what the hell are you doing, get off me’ just didn’t seem to get through to her.”

  Max snickered. Simon was brushing at his shirt as if he could brush Belinda’s scent off of him. “Becky seems to have headed into the garden. Emma went to find her.”

  “In this crowd?” Simon stopped brushing himself and straightened his hat. “I heard a couple of the young bloods claim they were going to ‘test’ Emma.”

  Max growled. “How?”

  “The usual. Forcing her to use her powers. She’s small enough that simply not getting out of her way will do it.”

  Max’s smile was feral. “In that case, they’re in for a surprise.”

  “Never doubted it.”

  The two men waited until they felt the burst of power flowing from a point not far from the garden doors. It was strong enough to nearly have Max bowing down before it. Simon actually grimaced before pulling himself upright by force of will alone. Emma had finally gotten fed up and was forcing her way through the crowd, her strength clearly a match for, if not slightly greater than, Max’s. Max and Simon managed to find spots where they could watch her regal exit from the ballroom. Her head moved neither left nor right; her eyes were pure molten gold. She flowed towards the garden doors, her stride sleek and sultry, commanding the attention of all around her. There was more than one shocked face in the crowd as Emma, her power swirling around her like a cape, stepped out of the double doors and into the Friedelinde’s garden, every inch the Curana Max had claimed her to be.

  “My God, she is so fucking hot.” Max grinned as he watched his pissed-off mate saunter out into the night, the sexy sway of her hips riveting to more than one pair of male eyes. He was unsurprised at how the Pumas around her practically scraped the floor in her wake.

  “Yeah. Good for you. Go home soon, fuck like bunnies, make little Alphas for Uncle Simon and Aunt Becky to play with. Speaking of which, can we go get my woman now?” Simon grumbled, already beginning to push through the crowd.

  Max merely grinned, too
pleased with and proud of Emma to call Simon to task. He moved through the crowd on Simon’s heels, almost barreling into him when the man stopped. “Simon?”

  Simon looked over his shoulder at Max, confusion and fear mingling in his expression. “I smell blood.”

  Max sniffed. There, on the evening breeze, was the tang of blood mixed with Becky, Emma…and Livia?

  Simon’s eyes went gold as his claws ripped through the leather swordsman’s gloves. “Becky’s bleeding.” He took off into the night, following the blood trail of his mate.

  “Fuck.” Max chased after his friend, knowing that if Livia had hurt Becky it would take a miracle to keep Simon from killing her.

  Emma took in the scene before her, trying not to shudder. Livia had Becky pinned beneath her, her claws going for Becky’s soft stomach, her teeth at Becky’s throat. Becky stared at Emma, obviously terrified, bleeding from numerous small cuts inflicted by Livia’s claws, and one bad-looking bite wound on her left shoulder. Her unsheathed sword was just beyond her reach, probably knocked out of her hand when Livia pounced. Her hat had fallen off during the scuffle as well, landing brim up next to a rosebush. Livia had cuts on her arms and a slash in her right cheek, showing Becky had fought back.

  Livia snarled, the warning of one cat to another over prey, and Becky froze.

  Emma cocked her hip, hands going to her waist as she tried to still the frantic beating of her heart. She had to hit Livia where she lived, get her to turn on her and get the hell off of Becky before someone died. “Okay, some of the peroxide must have leaked into your brains to make this seem like a good idea. What will killing Becky accomplish, other than to piss off Simon and Max and ruin your manicure?” Livia snarled again, but she didn’t tighten her hold on Becky’s throat. Her claws remained poised above Becky’s stomach. Emma racked her brains, trying to think of ways to get Livia’s undivided attention. “Did you run out of Liversnaps or something? Oh wait, that’s dogs.”

  Livia dug her claws into Becky’s stomach, making her gasp. Red beads of blood, black in the night, dribbled down Becky’s sides as Livia released her throat and sat up slowly. Her hand flexed, driving her claws in deeper. “I want the Curana’s ring.”

  Emma stared at her, stunned. “A ring does not make you Curana, Livia.”

  Livia sneered. “It does to them!” She tossed her head towards the house, indicating all the other Pumas inside. “If they see I took the ring from you, they’ll never acknowledge you as Curana.” She smiled, her fangs glistening in the moonlight. “They’ll see you for the weak, pathetic wallflower you’ve always been. Max will be mine, like he always should have been; he won’t have a choice. He and I will run the Pride the way it was meant to be run, and you’ll be seen as nothing but the Alpha’s whore.”

  Emma nodded thoughtfully. It took everything she had to stay focused on Livia and not her friend. “Yeah, all of that is true. Except for one thing. Well, two, really.”

  “What’s that?”

  “One, Max doesn’t want your double-processed skanky ass.”

  “Hey! I’m a natural blonde!”

  The woman is obviously a few tacos short of a fiesta platter. Emma mentally rolled her eyes. She was so done dealing with Livia. “Two, even without the ring, I am the Curana.” Emma’s power punched out, reaching for the woman in front of her. “Let Becky go. Now.”

  Livia whimpered as Emma forced her to do her bidding. Her hand trembled with the force of Emma’s command, her claws slowly, reluctantly withdrawing from Becky’s stomach. She crawled on all fours off of Becky, her shoulders hunched. Emma’s will compelled her away from the bleeding woman.

  “Kneel.”

  Emma’s command punched out, forcing Livia to her knees. She shook with the need to break free, her breath panting in and out of laboring lungs, but Emma kept her tied to her will.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw Max helping Becky, which left her free to deal with Livia. Or so she thought.

  The sound she heard behind her caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. She now knew why pumas had earned the nickname mountain screamer as Simon’s Puma let loose a high-pitched yowl at the sight of his injured mate. Before Emma could stop him, Simon pounced on Livia, claws extended, and bore her to the ground.

  “I should kill you where you lay,” he snarled over her, digging his claws into her stomach in the same exact spot she’d wounded Becky. The scent of blood and fear were thick in the air as Simon leaned down, his canines extending. “I could rip your throat out right now.”

  Emma glanced over at Becky and saw her shuddering in fear, held in place only by Max’s arms. “Uh, Simon?” Golden eyes blinded by rage met hers. “You’re scaring the crap out of Becky.”

  She watched as he looked over at Becky. The sight of her seemed to calm him somewhat, though his claws never left Livia’s flesh.

  “Becky.” Becky jumped at the sound of his voice, moaning as her wounds bled some more. “What would you have me do to her?”

  Max’s gasp was audible; in essence, Simon was giving Becky the kill.

  “Simon?” It was more of a plea than a question, but for what Emma didn’t know.

  “Tell me, Becky. What should Livia’s punishment be for injuring you?”

  Becky blinked back tears and stared at Livia. “What is she? What are you?”

  “Pumas. Werecats. I’ll explain more later. Right now, you need to decide her punishment.”

  Becky looked at Emma, who cringed to see the confusion and hurt on her best friend’s face. “I didn’t know until Max bit me, then I didn’t know if you would believe me or not. But I planned on telling you tomorrow, if Simon didn’t do it first.”

  “You’re a…” Becky swallowed hard at Emma’s slow nod. “And they’re…” Emma watched as Becky absorbed the information. When she blew out a hard breath, Emma relaxed. “This is going to cost you a fortune in Tidy Cat.” Becky’s laugh was shaky but Emma knew everything would be all right.

  Emma grinned. “What would you like Simon to do with Livia?”

  “What can he do with Livia?” Becky asked, staring down at Livia.

  “Well, let’s see: she was willing to kill you to get the Curana’s ring, so Simon is well within his rights to rip out her throat.” Emma shrugged. “Wouldn’t be all that big a loss as far as I’m concerned.”

  “What the hell is the Curana’s ring?”

  “It’s the ring Emma now wears that proclaims she’s my mate and queen,” Max replied, gentling his grip on Becky’s arms as he realized she was reacting to the news far better than he’d expected.

  “Whoa. Wait, so I was bait for Emma?”

  “Becky, the longer Simon smells the blood, the harder it will be for him to not kill Livia. Decide her fate quickly.”

  Becky looked at Livia one last time before staring straight into Simon’s golden eyes. “What is the lowest status a Puma can hold? If Max is king and Emma is queen, is there a lowest of the low?”

  “No!” Livia moaned, trying to break free of Simon’s hold. Simon merely dug his claws in deeper while his other hand held her down by her throat.

  “Outcast,” he answered. “Someone who’s been made Prideless. She’ll hold no privileges, no responsibilities. She will no longer be welcome at Pride functions or homes. Kits will be taught to avoid her. If she wished for status again she would have to leave, find a Pride willing to take her in and earn it.”

  Becky nodded. “Since the whole damn thing was about status, I think that would do nicely.”

  Simon nodded with a slow smile of approval. He bowed his head formally to Max. “My mate requests a casting out of the one named Olivia Patterson.” He ignored Becky’s startled gasp and Livia’s moaned denial.

  Max eased Becky gently to the ground before stepping up beside Emma. He positioned himself so that Becky could see everything that was happening between them. His right hand, the one with the Alpha’s ring, came to rest on Emma’s hip as he stared down at Livia. “The Be
ta of this Pride has requested a formal casting out. My Curana witnessed the unprovoked attack of our Beta’s mate, Rebecca Yaeger.” Emma saw Becky shoot Simon a narrow-eyed glare. “The attack was motivated by greed rather than self-defense. In light of these allegations I ask you, Olivia Patterson: how do you plead?”

  “Fuck you.” Livia tryed once more to buck off Simon, but he didn’t budge an inch. Emma hoped she was having trouble breathing with the massive artist sitting on her chest.

  Max’s expression turned icy cold as he stared at the woman who’d tried to hurt Becky and steal his mate’s power. “I’ll take that as a guilty.” Max’s power whispered forth, like a slow moving mist, creeping out onto the grounds and into the house. As that fog of power touched the Pumas, they became aware of what was happening in the garden, if not exactly why. “As Alpha of this Pride, for the unprovoked attack against the Beta’s mate, I hereby declare Olivia Patterson outcast. You are no longer one of us. You may no longer run with us, or hunt with us. You are no longer welcome in our homes. You may no longer approach our kits without risk to your life.”

  Livia began to sob quietly as Max formally kicked her out of the Pride. “Any attack on you will go unpunished within the Pride; we leave you to human laws. If you attack a mate of one of ours, you will be dealt with as an outsider, and your life will be forfeit. Any further contact with Rebecca Yaeger will be considered an attack, and will be dealt with as such. Again, your life will be forfeit. Any Pride member giving you succor will suffer the same fate as you.” With a gentle nudge, Max turned so that he and Emma had their backs to Livia, effectively dismissing her. Simon pulled his claws from her flesh, his eyes returning to their normal dark brown, his fangs receding as he approached Becky.

  “Um, down, kitty? Good kitty?” Becky smiled weakly as Simon reached for her. Simon gently picked Becky up, careful of her wounds, and walked out of the garden, undoubtedly headed for the cars parked in front of the Friedelinde’s mansion. A long overdue conversation was about to take place, and if Emma wasn’t wrong some more biting was also going to take place.