Page 38 of The Iron Flower

“She’s very talented, my Kendra,” Gunther agrees.

Kendra bashfully kicks her feet at the floor. “That’s what Uncle Hahn says, and Inger and Micah. They all think I’m really good. Do you know about mushrooms?”

“I do,” my uncle tells her. “It’s actually a bit of a hobby of mine. Why don’t we sit down and look at what you’ve done—if you’ll excuse us, Gunther? You have a delightful daughter.”

Her father nods, but Kendra’s attention is momentarily diverted by the appearance of her sister at Rafe’s side. She grabs at Diana’s arm. “You come, too, Diana!”

“Ah, Diana,” Uncle Edwin says, reaching over to pat her arm warmly. “Rafe has told me all about you, my girl. I can tell from his letters that he’s quite smitten.”

Diana’s smile widens. “It’s very nice to meet you, Edwin Gardner.”

“Comeon!” Kendra’s tugging at them both now, wanting their attention back.

“All right, all right,” my uncle says, laughing along with Diana. The two of them are clearly delighted to be around a child, both of them patient and kind. It dawns on me that Diana will probably make a good mother someday. Mother to my brother’s children. It’s a strange thought—and a wonderful one, I realize.

Gunther turns to Rafe. “Diana tells me you know the woods around here quite well. Why don’t we take a walk, you and me? Get to know each other.”

There’s that teeth-bared grin again. It’s wildly disconcerting.

“I’d like that, sir,” Rafe says with a newly serious expression, seeming amazingly immune to Gunther Ulrich’s powers of intimidation.

“I’ll see you later, then,” Diana says, pulling herself away from Kendra long enough to wrap her arms around Rafe. She leans in to plant a quick kiss on his lips.

Rafe’s eyebrows shoot up at her boldness, and I can see the alpha’s jaw harden. My brother pushes Diana gently—but firmly—away and seems to be trying to convey to her via his expression that this isreallynot the time.

Diana just grins back at him, full of mischief.

CHAPTER TEN

TRAPPED

Gunther and Rafe leave together, and I find myself momentarily alone. Trystan has fallen into polite conversation with Diana’s mother, Daciana, who seems mystified to find herself speaking to him, and the remaining Lupines are talking among themselves.

Jarod is standing apart from the others, staring across the room, his face ashen. I follow his gaze to find that Aislinn has just come in with her family—her parents and sisters, some of her sisters’ children and Randall, along with a stern couple I assume are Randall’s parents.

Aislinn’s father, an authoritarian-looking man with a close-cropped beard and military bearing, catches sight of the Lupines. His face takes on a look of fury, his lips pulling into a tight line of abhorrence as he quickly ushers his family to a table in the corner of the hall farthest from us.

The children’s eyes grow wide with fear as they spot the Lupines. Their mothers lean in to comfort them as the children pull in to cling to their mothers’ skirts. All of the adults, except for Aislinn, pointedly make the holy gesture to ward off the stain of the Evil Ones.

Aislinn looks positively heartbroken as she takes a seat, silent and pale, staring down at the table in front of her. Her eldest sister, Liesbeth, seems oblivious to this as she begins chatting merrily with Randall. Aislinn’s sister Auralie frantically chases her children around, her eyes fearfully darting over to the Lupines every so often, while Aislinn’s mother sits quietly with Randall’s parents, her expression despondent.

“Jarod,” I say as I approach him.

“This is a farce,” he says, his voice strained. “She doesn’t want him. Look at her—she’s miserable. She wants to be withme, yet she fights it.”

“But you know why, Jarod. It’s because of her family. She’s worried about her mother and her sister—”

“She can’t help them,” he says furiously. “She won’t changeanythingby fasting to Randall. They’re going to just drag her down into their misery. They already have.”

Randall absently puts his hand on Aislinn’s arm, and Jarod’s expression turns violent.

“He wantsher,though,” he grinds out, his lips pulling back to show his canines. “He wants her and practically every young woman who gets within a few feet of him. He doesn’t love her—she’s completely interchangeable to him. Your men arepathetic.”

“Jarod,” I say cautiously, “let’s go get something to drink.”

He fixes his wild eyes on me. “I’m notthirsty.” Jarod’s lips pull back farther, exposing even more of his teeth.

“I don’t care,” I say firmly. “Let’s go anyway.”

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