Page 133 of Drown My Sorrow

That’s a very good word for it. Everything has been planted and shaped to achieve a certain aesthetic. A certain appeal. The shrubs are cultivated to grow in odd shapes, and when they get to a certain point, they are carved into the shapes of horses or men.

The grass is perfectly green and even. It’s an ocean of colour that just has no life. There are no tall trees but the tall willows my mother planted that frame the backside of the lake.

She loved that lake. Right up until it got birds. The horror of birds coming to swim in her lake enraged her. She had people come and remove them. They came back. At one point, she was going to go out and shoot them.

I managed to get through to the authorities in time, and one quick threat to the local reporter stopped any attempted at duck genocide.

It’s odd that I’m thinking about these memories when I haven’t thought about them in such a long time.

“My mother liked everything to be controlled.”

Shale steps up close, his hand brushing mine. A sign of comfort from my alpha.

“Like me. I need control.”

“There is control, and then there is insanity. This is crazy,” Aspyn says. “There’s so much garden, and it’s so orderly.”

I snort. “You haven’t seen the half of it, but come on. I’ll take you on a tour. There are some really interesting rooms here I think you might enjoy.”

“What kind of rooms?”

I smirk. “Hidden rooms. Known only to members of the Boothe family line.”

“Ooh, show us.”

I lead them out and around the house. Showing them the seven secret rooms and tunnels. A couple of them will be helpful for the party. Just in case he shows up. We can remove Aspyn to safety before he even gets a look at her.

“Now, we need to contact Kit.”

“Who’s Kit?” Shale growls.

“Kit is Raider’s Alpha, and he is a guru when it comes to clothes,” Kelly says absently.

Aspyn looks around, confused. “So, we need clothes now, too?”

“Yes. We need something that will make us stand out. Basically, we’re going to splash around, throwing money this way and that until we get everyone’s attention. Only when we have that will we have the power to dethrone him.”

I turn to look at Kelly.

“I need you to call them.” I know he knows what I’m asking.

“All of them?”

“All of them!”

Kelly nods and excuses himself.

I turn and smile at Aspyn. She’s nervously fidgeting.

“I won’t let you go anywhere unless you are totally comfortable. Nothing else matters to me but you.”

She relaxes, sighing, and I pull her into my arms.

“We’re going to get through this. We can make a life here. It will be okay, Ezy.”

“I know. Everything is going to be perfect. We have the perfect plan.”

I just wish I didn’t feel so awful being here. I try to imagine the rest of our lives in this mansion, but I can’t.

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