Page 39 of Her Forbidden Shifters
Just to further prove his point, he nodded to both Jacob and Liam.
“Let me put it to you this way,” I started, “either I go alone or not at all.”
Jacob snorted and muttered something to the effect of being unbelievable.
“Fine,” Liam said. “But we will be standing off property, waiting for you to come out.”
“Fine,” I said.
And so, they stayed off the property and allowed me to go through the solid iron gate that sealed off the long, gravel-covered driveway to the mansion hidden beyond the trees, surrounded by a well-manicured lawn. Plots of herbs and flowers spotted the landscape.
It was good to be home again.
I pulled up to the front door and killed the engine before climbing out of my car and walking up to the door that opened with one of my sisters greeting me.
“It’s been a while, sister,” she said.
“Adora,” I said with a nod. “It’s lovely to see you too.”
She smiled pleasantly and stepped to the side to let me through. “So what brings you home?”
“I need to speak to Toni,” I said. “Is she around?”
Adora nodded. “You know where to find her.”
Indeed, I did. And after a hug from Adora, I left to go find her in the gardens out in the back. It was one of her favorite places to be. She was incredibly in tune with nature and needed to keep that connection by spending almost every waking moment with it.
I found her sitting on a bench near the fountain on the eastern side of the property. She stared off in a near meditative state. I quietly joined her on the bench and waited for her to come out of it.
Toni was one of my closest sisters. She had creamy, light olive skin. Her almond eyes were always outlined in black, with pale shades of shimmering color covering her eyelids that somehow always brought out the earthy tones in her eyes. Her lips were full and wide, and she always managed to have long, silky black hair that never seemed to get tangled in the wind. She was curvy and beautiful.
As I admired her features, I realized I missed her more than I initially thought I had.
“You took long enough to come home,” she said after several minutes. Her voice held a level of frustration.
Her eyes were still closed.
“Better late than never,” I said with a smile. I knew better than to think she was anything but happy to see me.
She settled her eyes on me. Slowly, her lips stretched into a smile. She wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Likewise, my sister,” I said.
“How have things been?” she asked, releasing me from her hold.
I shrugged. “Stressful. You?”
“Same-o, same-o,” she said. “Living the best life.”
I chuckled. “Good. At least one of us is.”
“Your aura is radiant. You got laid recently, didn’t you?” she asked, narrowing her eyes to mine.
I nodded. “I did. But only out of necessity. The second time I tried, it was more for pleasure, but that didn’t work out well.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Long story.” I sighed and settled my attention on the koi fish in the fountain pool. They were beautiful and likely a tribute to Toni’s heritage.
