Page 1 of Mated to the Enemy
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“I’ll be right back.”
Jessica tried not to sigh with relief as her sister’s mate announced he would be leaving the two of them alone. Lorran bent over, kissed Zoe on the top of her head, gave Jessica a polite but abrupt nod of his head and wandered out of the sitting room, leaving the two sisters to themselves at long last.
“What?’
Looking over at her sister, Jessica tried to look innocent.
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Jess. I can read you like a book.” Zoe settled back into the oversized loveseat and snagged her wineglass from the side table. “What is that look for?”
Jessica sighed, closing her eyes. “Is it that obvious?”
“Not to anyone else, probably, but to me, yes. Wearesisters, even if I barely see you anymore.”
“I meant to come visit,” Jessica admitted. “But first it was work, and then…”
Zoe took a sip of her red. “Then what? Why haven’t I seen you in—what—three, four years now?”
“I just…” There was no way around it. The cat was out of the bag. It was happening sooner than she’d expected, and Jessica just wasn’t ready. She hadn’t prepared the words yet. All the little speeches and comparisons she’d come up with, they didn’t seem appropriate anymore.
“Come onnnn. You can tell me!”
“Fine.” Jessica steeled herself, glancing around to ensure they were still alone. “Something changed, Zo.”
“Changed how? With what?Ichanged, is that what you’re trying to say?”
“No, not you.” Jess looked skyward, but no help came. “Lorran.”
She saw the defenses immediately clamp into place around Zoe’s eyes as she prepared to defend her mate. It was instinctual by this point, she was sure, and Jessica had no idea whether her sister could see what was going on, or if she was too close to the situation.
“Well, we’ve grown, Jess. The two of us. Together. Of course, he’s going to change.”
“Are you happy?” Jessica asked, switching gears. That was the main thing.
“Yes.”
To her dismay, Jessica realized that Zoe was telling the truth. The honest truth. Shewasstill happy with Lorran. Which meant she’d been sucked in deep into the vortex surrounding the man. Either that, or Jessica didn’t know her younger sister as well as she thought she did.
“Okay.” She took a long sip of her own wine, nearly draining the glass. “That’s the big thing for me. You’re happy, and he doesn’t treat you badly.”
“Lorran? No. He’s rarely even raises his voice with me.” Zoe smiled sweetly, working away at her own beverage as well. “Of course, I do my best to ensure he never has to, but he treats me nicely. Every Friday, he brings me fresh flowers.”
Jessica had to smile at that. It was a cute gesture. Still, she couldn’t share her sister’s faith in the shifter. By and large, the Canis Household had welcomed the Hanes sister into their midst after Lorran had made his intentions about Zoe quite clear. That was seven years ago now and she’d always been welcomed back to Moonshadow Manor, even as she’d felt less and less at ease within its walls.
Perhaps the life among shifters just isn’t for me?
“How are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, Jess. You know what I’m talking about. Your job.”
Jessica snorted softly into her glass. “What job, Zo?
“That’s precisely what I’m talking about. Don’t be so dense, you know that. I want to know howyou’redoing? How are you holding up? Do you need anything? Money? A place to stay?”
Jess shifted in her chair, uncomfortable at the reminder that her sister had married into fabulous wealth. “No, I’m fine for now,” she said, giving her honest assessment of the situation. “The house is paid off, and they gave me severance for nearly a year and a half as a deal for taking it early.”
