Hell, she’s obviously on board—she must’ve instinctively known you were claiming her, and if she didn’t approve, I think the whole bar would’ve known.”
They turned to face the door, which opened of its own volition. An army of dolls waited inside, sad baby faces or manic Halloween green faces with black stitches, many of them holding real knives.
“What in the…” Kingsley stepped backward.
Austin could barely keep from laughing. Time for a little Ivy House initiation.
“You didn’t think the house could protect Jess. It took offense. Looks like it’s going to show you what’s what. You’ll probably need to submit, or leave the property. I’ll let you decide. Good luck.”
Austin laughed at Kingsley’s bewildered expression and made his way through the dolls. Poor Kingsley would have to learn about Ivy House the hard way.
Twenty-Five
A week after meeting with everyone to discuss plans, I walked down the hall toward the stairs, a million things on my mind. We’d decided to mostly host the coming mages in restaurants or a banquet hall in town, which would make things easier, but a dinner or two might take place in Ivy House, which meant I needed to update the furniture in at least a few of the rooms and hallways. I’d always thought of it as stately and homely, but Niamh had pointed out that I was crazy, and the furniture was actually gaudy and severely outdated. I’d never claimed to be good at interior design.
I could pick a few pieces of furniture, but I didn’t have a clue on how to bring a look together. The whole situation was a nightmare, not to mention I was constantly training with Sebastian, trying to learn all I could in the few short weeks to come.
Information Niamh had been gathering wasn’t easing my mind. Sebastian had been right—it seemed this mage had a reputation for cunning, cutthroat deals and behavior. Lesser mages disappeared after meetings with him, but he was never investigated by the Mages’ Guild. Alliances ended abruptly, usually with an “unexplained” death, and often leaving him the better for it. He seemed underhanded and downright slimy.
To make matters worse, Sebastian said he’d always heard this mage had a fragile ego. The smallest slight would create big issues, and since the mage did have some wealth, he could hire mercenaries if he had to, intent on using force to look like the bigger man.
Bottom line, he didn’t seem like someone I wanted a connection with, but he was certainly someone I didn’t want on my bad side. I’d need to really watch myself in the dinners and meetings, showing him my best face, and aiming to end the week as neutrally as possible. That was the best way.
“Miss, Austin Steele will pick you up in…” Mr. Tom checked his Spider-Man watch. Jimmy had accidentally left it behind and said Mr. Tom could keep it. It was cheap and silly, and I had no idea why my son had had it in the first place, but now Mr. Tom wore it as though it were a priceless relic. “Fifteen minutes. Is that what you’re going to wear?”
I looked down at my jeans and pastel pink blouse. “Yes?”
“Oh no, miss, no. You’re going to dinner with two alphas. You need to dress nicely.”
“I know, but Austin said this was just an informal dinner with his brother.”
“Dinner, though.” Mr. Tom put his hands behind his back and lifted his eyebrows. “With two alphas.”
I sighed. “Fine, what should I wear?”
“How nice of you to ask. Since I am clearly a master on the latest trends for ladies, let me just select something for you.”
The amazing thing was that he wasn’t joking.
Austin had originally asked for me to come over a few days ago, but shifters kept trying to sneak into the territory and cause a ruckus. I didn’t understand the point or the politics—maybe they were trying to see how well the borders were locked down?—but it was keeping Austin incredibly busy.
Mr. Tom picked out a little black dress, simple but elegant, and not at all what I would wear over to someone’s house for a casual dinner.
“Is this a ‘dress for the job you want’ situation?” I asked, changing in my closet while he waited at the little table near the window.
“Yes.” When I came out, he stood and looked me over. “A touch of makeup, a tighter curl, and then we’ll see about some jewels.”
I frowned at him before heading back to the bathroom. Dinner with two alphas