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“Eli, it’s the middle of the night,” she tried to argue. I slipped around her outstretched arm towards the stairs.
“Not inAmerica,” I growled, hurrying across the room before she could say anything else.
31
IRIS
Archer Family Estate
London, England
Istood outside the door to Bella’s room, my phone still in my hand. My other hand hovered over the doorknob as I debated checking on her. These doors were old and creaky, and the last thing I wanted to do was wake her up if she’d fallen asleep. I put my ear against the door, listening carefully, but I couldn’t hear anything. If she’d had a nightmare, she’d be whimpering, or worse.
A sigh of relief escaped me, but before I could do anything else, the phone in my hand buzzed, almost startling a little squeak out of me. I hadn’t expected Luna to answer so quickly, but…I guess it’s several hours behind in Texas, right?At least I probably hadn’t woken her up.
Hey!Are you okay? I’m sorry, I just got your text.
I shook my head,a wry smile on my face. Of course Luna would be worried she hadn’t answered quickly enough. She was one of the kindest people — shifter or human — I had ever met.
No worries.I’m okay. Just…just really, really frustrated right now.
This time,Luna’s response came much more quickly.
The twins are currently hangingout with their dad. If you give me three minutes to finish cleaning up, we could talk?
I stareddown at the screen for a moment, feeling a flush creep up my cheeks. I really didn’t want to put anyone out, but…shehadoffered, and if she didn’t have the time, she wouldn’t have said anything, right?
That would be great.
I felta little better and turned away from Bella’s room, satisfied I still hadn’t heard anything. I didn’t want to wake the little girl up just becauseIwas feeling unsettled. She had a hard enough time sleeping already.
I crossed the hall to the room Eli and I were staying in and closed the door behind me, taking the few minutes of free time to change out of the dress and into something much more comfortable.
By the time the phone rang and Luna’s name popped up on the screen, I had gotten into a tank and a pair of sweatpants as I lounged on the oversized bed.
“Hi, Iris?” Luna said, sounding a bit breathless. “Sorry about that. I was just trying to pick up the kitchen in a moment of peace.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Luna, if that’s what you do with your moments of peace, we need to talk about your hobbies.”
The other woman giggled. I heard the sound of a door shutting distantly across the line and hoped vaguely she was still enjoying a little bit of alone time. “Oh, you know what I mean. The twins are getting more curious by the day.”
“I can’t even imagine,” I said, shaking my head. Bella was older than Luna’s sons, but she was so withdrawn. From everything I’d heard, Ryland and Rory were absolutely bursting with energy — trouble personified. “You’ve set them on Remus, huh?”
Luna laughed again. “Mm. He got back early from the office today. They were playing ‘horsie’ earlier, though everything was suspiciously quiet in the living room just now.”
I snorted. “Like father, like sons?”
“Something like that,” Luna agreed. “Now, what’s going on, Iris? Are they trying to cart you all over London?”
Is that what they did to her?The very idea made me grimace. “No, thankfully,” I replied. “Someone spread the word that Nic and Eli were on their way back, so we were greeted by probably every single member of their family.” I glanced towards the door and lowered my voice, just in case someone was lurking nearby. “Then they decided to have a family dinner tonight. It was like a seven-course meal or something, Luna.”
I actually had no idea how many courses it had been. I’d stopped counting at some point.
“Oh dear,” Luna said. I could practically hear her frown. “With the entire family?”
“Yep.” I flopped backward onto the bed, staring up at the mottled ceiling. “Uncles, aunts. Cousins. Eli’s mother. People I was introduced to and don’t remember at all. The table was huge, and it was extremely loud. The food was fine, I guess, but…” I trailed off and sighed.
“But it felt like everyone was watching you like an animal at the zoo?”
