Page 179 of Fated to the Hunters
Scarlett pressed her lips to each of his knuckles. “You’re soothing my soul and mind.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Don’t tell them yet though.”
“It isn’t my news to tell. You’ll do it when you’re ready.”
Back home, she disappeared into her room, where they had not been allowed to enter for weeks now. It was her little fortress, where she kept everything she needed for the ceremony. As she came back downstairs, Ezra patted his lap and after she stocked up on snacks, she made herself comfortable.
“When are Kurt and Maximilian picking you up for the dress fitting?” Mateo asked, taking her feet into his own lap.
“Eight in the morning. So, if you want to have breakfast with me you need to wake up early.”
“I called Karena this afternoon,” Ezra said rather reluctantly. “She would like to meet up next week.”
Scarlett seemed just as surprised as Vince and Mateo, but then softly asked, “Would you like company for that?”
“I would prefer it happen here. We don’t have to watch what we say in our own home.”
“Will she be traveling from the village?”
“Yes, but she will have a room booked somewhere nearby.”
“Do you have a specific goal for the visit?”
Ezra looked down at her, rather puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Do you want to tell her how much you hate and despise her and get all of that off your chest? Or are you trying to rekindle your relationship with her?”
Ezra only continued to stare at her, making Vince’s head hurt with the storm raging in his mind. “I don’t know.”
“I just want you to know whatever you decide we will help you with.”
“I can’t see you cursing her out,” Ezra retorted plainly.
“Well, I simply just won’t throw compliments at her.”
They all laughed, and Scarlett steered the conversation away into a calmer subject.
The following Wednesday, Ezra was a fucking wreck. There was a storm of spite, anger, sadness and puredevastationraging in his mind—and therefore, in Mateo’s and Vince’s heads too. Vince could barely endure breakfast before he went to his shop and started focusing on a table that he had to finish. The customer wanted a landscape engraved into the edges of the thick tabletop, so he’d outlined a mountain range and forest and got to work.
Mateo had gone out for a run, leaving poor Scarlett to fend for herself. But she had it easy—for now, at least. He still wasn’tsure if the blood vow was a good idea. Things were good the way they were right now. Scarlett was happy, safe and sound in her own mind. He wasn’t sure what good it would do to share their every thought with her. He only agreed because it was what she wanted.
When Mateo returned, sweat soaking his clothes and dripping down his face, he stopped by the shop. “Before I left, Scarlett said something about laying out clothes for us to wear.”
Vince looked up at the clock and saw he still had about an hour. He nodded and continued with the tree in front of him, gently and carefully carving intricate lines into the roots. Mateo disappeared without another word and with thirty minutes left, Vince returned to the house.
Scarlett was in the kitchen with Mateo, brewing coffee and displaying the cake she’d made. “I laid some clothes out for you, but if you don’t like them, wear whatever you like.”
Upstairs, he found a pair of jeans and a dark blue V-neck shirt on his bed. He quickly changed and ran a comb through his hair, hearing the gate alarm buzz just as he descended the stairs.
“You look handsome,” Scarlett complimented, kissing his cheek before following Ezra outside to greet his sister.
Vince walked over to Mateo, who kept a calm demeanour considering his mind was full of nerves. “Let’s hope the house stands after this.” Mateo sighed and ran his hand over his face. “Fuck, I’m an ass.”
Vince shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, watching the door carefully. When Scarlett returned, she was smiling and her voice soft. “Ezra said you used to love strawberries, so Mateo and I tried our hands at a strawberry cheesecake.”
“That is very sweet of you.” Karena looked at Ezra. “I didn’t think you would remember that.”
