~~~
After Everly showered, she stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, wondering if she could borrow something from Barron, or maybe just send Maverik to her house to get some of her clothes. The last thing she wanted was to put the robe back on. It reeked of the human’s blood. She turned to lookat the robe hanging on the hook behind the door, and smiled to herself when she saw the clothes she’d had on when she’d hunted the man down. Only they were perfectly clean, no dirt, no blood splattered on them, nothing at all. She reached for her jeans and shirt and held them to her nose, inhaling deeply. They even smelled freshly laundered. Had to be Tempest.
Everly finished drying off, then used her towel to get most of the water out of her long, thick curls, then put her clothes back on. She walked out of the bathroom and into the living room.
“Feeling better?” Avaleigh asked pleasantly.
“She wasn’t feeling poorly to begin with,” Delilah muttered.
“We brought your clothes back,” Remi said.
“Thank you, Remi. I appreciate it,” she said, running a hand absentmindedly over the hem of her shirt and the top of her jeans.
“Tempest cleaned them for you, though,” Havoc said.
Everly smiled at Tempest, who was sitting in a chair with Brandt uncharacteristically hovering.
“Are you hungry, Everly?” Janie asked from the kitchen.
“No, thank you,” she said.
“How about something to drink?” Janie asked, walking into the living room to hand her a big glass of tea. Janie paused to hug her before she handed over the tea. “You know? I’ve never wanted to be a shifter more than today. To see you avenge your baby like that, I wish I could have that much strength.”
Everly hugged Janie again. “You have us. We can do it for you if ever need be.”
Janie nodded, but she seemed more sad than she should have been. She handed the tea over then went over to sit with Bane. Bane pulled her close and patted her shoulder before kissing the top of her head. “You good, my heart?” he asked.
“Mmhmm,” Janie answered, smiling up at him. “We’re going to need to get Daisy home so she can rest pretty soon.”
Delilah wasn’t the only one who detected a slight lie in the evasive answer Janie gave Bane.
“I’m okay for now,” Daisy said. “I just want to make sure she at least wakes before I leave.”
“I’m going to check on her now,” Everly said.
“We’ll be right out here if you need us,” Tempest said.
Delilah stood up and stretched her arms over her head, twisting her back this way and that. “I’m going to step outside and call Tessa.”
“Where is she?” Avaleigh asked, just realizing that Tessa wasn’t there.
“She’s spending the night with a friend.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Avaleigh said.
“It is. I like that she’s beginning to bond with kids her own age,” Delilah said. Then she looked at Janie. “Janie, would you like to step outside with me while I call Tessa?”
Janie looked up at Delilah. “I’m okay right here.”
Delilah rolled her eyes, then pasted a fake smile on her face. “I’d really like it if you’d walk out on the porch with me. I have something I’d like to share with you.”
“Oh! Okay. I’m coming!” Janie said, standing up and following Delilah outside.
Valerie, who was sitting with Harley quietly coloring at her feet, looked over at Maverik who was far too happy. He felt her watching him and turned one of his mega-watt smiles on her. “Hey, baby,” he said.
Valerie didn’t smile back. She watched him expressionlessly.
“What? What’d I do wrong?!” he asked defensively.
