Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) (13 page)

“So, it won’t be so bad
to have Sadie help then?” Nate asked.

Adrian’s arm remained
over his face as he nodded. “I’ll take all the help I can get.”

“Good. Because Sadie is
a good person and this situation is hurting her.”

Adrian removed his hand
and sat up, glaring at Nate. “
This is hurting her
? Are you serious
Nate?”

Nate turned to face
Adrian, his face hard. “She thought you were dangerous or she would never have
continued to keep her from you.”

Adrian sat up. “But she
did.”

“Does it not matter
that she’s yours?” Nate’s voice was softer.

Adrian growled out a
deep breath. “I don’t even want to think about that right now.”

I glanced at Nate. “Did
she say anything about that?”

“Just that she wanted
to focus on Marisa, she is her priority.”

Adrian’s lips tightened
but he remained silent.

“Well,” he said
standing up after a few minutes of strained silence. “I’m going to bed. I need
some quiet.”

I jumped up and gave
him a quick hug. “Have a good rest. We have another long day of driving
tomorrow.”

When he pulled away,
his face was strained. What Nate had said must have bothered him. “I think I
might split up our time with Sadie.”

I laughed as he let
himself out of our room.

I was suddenly wrapped
in Nate’s arms. “I missed you today,” he whispered raggedly in my ear.

We fell onto the bed
where I showed him how much I missed him.

“They’re gone!”
Adrian’s loud growl yanked me out of sleep. I opened my eyes and blinked. The
sun was bright, shining in through our hotel room. Adrian was standing in the
doorway, wearing nothing but black cotton pajama pants. His hair was sticking
up and his eyes were yellow and wild. His face was strained with worry and
pain.

“What?” I mumbled,
leaning up on my elbows. Nate sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Sadie took Marisa. I
told you we couldn’t trust her.” He was glaring at Nate; all of his anger was
directed at him.

“Maybe they just went
to the store?” I suggested, thankful that I was wearing my usual nightshirt,
since Adrian must have broken the lock.

Adrian shook his head.
“No. Their room is empty.”

Panic rushed through my
body making me gasp. I jumped up as his words finally settled into my sleepy
brain. I yanked on my discarded shorts and then pulled my hair into a messy
tail. “Come on Nate, we have to go track them down.”

Nate did as I asked as
Adrian rushed back into his room to change. Within minutes we met in the hall
and rushed down the stairs. We didn’t have time to wait for the elevator. I
felt so angry at myself for believing Sadie could be trusted and a little
ticked at Nate for vouching for her. Adrian was right all along and I would do
everything in my power to make it up to him. As we burst outside into the
bright sunshine we all froze at the scene before us…Sadie and Marisa were arm
and arm skipping toward the hotel. They were both in shorts and tank tops,
their hair down and it blew in the soft breeze around their faces. They were
smiling and singing.

The three of us
exchanged confused glances. This did not look like an escape attempt.

“Where were you?”
Adrian bellowed angrily across the lot, his booming voice echoed around us
drawing attention from people nearby.

The two girls stopped
and eyed us curiously. We moved forward meeting them halfway.

“It’s strawberry day,”
Marisa explained as we approached them, like we should know what that meant.
“Every Sunday morning we go out for strawberry shakes and strawberry covered
waffles.”

Sadie glanced at each
of us apprehensively. “I spotted a diner last night when we arrived and I woke Marisa
early. We tried to be quiet so we wouldn’t wake you guys. It was a long drive
yesterday and I knew you needed your sleep for the one today. I thought we’d be
back before you woke up.”

Adrian smirked at her,
not entirely believing her words. “Where are you bags?”

“We put them in the
car, so we’d be ready to leave just in case we took too long at the diner,”
Marisa answered, appearing confused with all the questions. In her mind, they
simply went out to breakfast. What was wrong with that?

Sadie glanced between
us, her eyes narrowed. “Wait. Did you guys think I took off with Marisa?” She
was staring at Nate with an eyebrow raised. There was a hurt look in her eyes.

Nate cleared his throat
uncomfortably. “Um…No. I didn’t.”

“I did. Don’t go
anywhere again without letting me know. I almost had a heart attack,” Adrian
informed her.

Her still narrowed eyes
flashed yellow as she turned her stare on Adrian. “Let’s just get one thing
straight. I get that you are her brother, but you have to accept that I am her
family too. And stop thinking the worst in me. I only want what is best for her
and I know that us fighting over her all the time isn’t helping, so just back
off.” Her words were so commanding I found myself taking a step back. For a
young looking girl with an innocent face, she could be tough when she wanted to
be.

Adrian remained silent
as he spun around and headed for his Jeep.

Houseguests

Things had been a
little tense with our group for about a day after Adrian and Sadie’s argument,
but everything returned to normal as time went on. When we arrived in Creekford
the day before the reception it was forgotten altogether. After driving for so long,
I was excited to get out of the stuffy confined space. I had driven with Adrian
for the last few hours so I was extra happy to smell the fresh air. Since I had
been keeping his car clean, it didn’t stink as much as it did when I first
joined him a week ago. But it still didn’t smell like roses. The sun was out
again, brighter and hotter than ever, but thankfully the humidity was gone. Yes
it was hot, but there was a cool breeze that whispered through the trees that
helped to cool us down.

Will, Caroline and
Nathan met us in the driveway and I was excited to see their friendly faces.
Traveling with the same four people for so long, I was desperately in need of
new companionship. They were all dressed casually; Nathan in shorts and a
t-shirt, Caroline in a pencil skirt and short sleeve blouse and Will was
dressed in khakis and a polo shirt. They looked the typical country club part,
but I knew they weren’t. They might have a membership, but they weren’t at all
snobby. Classy, was the word I would use to describe Nate’s family. Well, now
they were my family too.

“How was the trip
home?” Will asked us as we all emerged from the two cars. His trademark blond,
Riley hair was thinning in the top and his face, that had been thin if not
lined when I met him, was beginning to fill out.

“Long,” I said as I
stretched my stiff muscles.

Will laughed and turned
to Adrian. “I see you found your sister?” he guessed, glancing at Marisa. But
since she looked so much like her brother, it was easy to figure out which one
she was. She smiled shyly at him and he moved his attention to Sadie. “But
who’s this?”

“Will, this is Sadie,”
Nate explained, stepping up to the girl in question. Sadie’s grin was
breathtaking. Over the last few days she had little to smile about, but when she
did it brightened her whole face. And being around her you couldn’t help but
smile yourself. When she wasn’t taking on Adrian, she had an innocent quality
about her that was surprising for someone who had been through so much.

Will’s eyes were as
wide as the tires from the car I had just climbed out of. “How is that
possible?”

Nate glanced at Nathan,
who had yet to learn the secret of us werewolves and exchanged a look with
Will. “I’ll explain later. Is it still okay if Adrian and Marisa stay at
Joe’s?”

Will nodded sneaking a
look at his son that was watching Marisa. “Yes. Joe can stay in the west wing
when they get back later today.”

Nate nodded and patted
Sadie on the back. “Good. And Sadie can stay with us at the cottage until we
find her a more permanent home.” He glanced at me questionably and I smiled in
answer. He couldn’t turn his friend away after just finding her. He wouldn’t be
the man I loved if he did that.

Nate smiled in return,
his eyes lit up with gratitude. “Sadie, Marisa, this is my uncle and his
family; Caroline and Nathan.” They knew that wasn’t true, but Nathan didn’t. He
grew up thinking of Nate as his older cousin. It was the secret the Riley
family were bound to keep and most of them had no problem with it.

“It’s nice to meet you
all,” Sadie said warmly as she stepped forward, her flip-flops smacking against
the paved driveway. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Nate.”

“It’s wonderful to meet
you as well,” Caroline said, shaking Sadie’s hand. “Welcome to our home. Let us
know if you need anything.”

Sadie nodded as she
pulled her hand out of Caroline’s. “Thank you so much.”

Marisa only smiled, her
eyes shifting between the ground and Nathan, her cheeks flushing red. I
couldn’t help but notice the extra care she had put in her appearance this
morning before we left our final hotel. Her long, raven hair was up in a twist,
with a few pieces framing her face. Her makeup highlighted her dark eyes and
the royal blue, sleeveless blouse showcased her flawless complexion. She was
also wearing a gray, layered, short skirt with a sparkly belt. Sadie and I had
joked about feeling underdressed in our tank tops and shorts and with the heat,
both of us were wearing minimal makeup. Marisa had said that she was trying to
make a good impression on the people she would be staying with. Now that we
were here though, I had a feeling it was only one of the Riley’s she cared
about impressing.

Nathan smiled pointedly
at Marisa. He was as friendly as Lauren, but I couldn’t help but notice a spark
of interest in his eyes. And by the sudden frown on Adrian’s face, so did he.
“Will you be going to Everest, Marisa?”

She shrugged, looking
at Adrian for the answer. He looked just as unsure as he glanced at me.

I smiled and walked
towards her, looping my arm through hers. She smelled of the perfume she had
dosed herself with this morning and of course, cherry bubble gum. “Yes, she’ll
be going to Everest, I’ve been filling her in on all the good places to go for
lunch.”

Nathan laughed softly.
“Did you tell her about Tots?”

Marisa grinned, her
eyes flashing with amusement. “Isn’t that the place you told me not to go to
because the guy scratches himself while he’s making French fries?”

Nathan laughed, his
dimples showing, just like his namesake. It was spooky how much he resembled
Nate. “That’s the place. Don’t worry, I’ll show you the ropes.”

Marisa smiled. “Cool,
thanks.” Her face brightened again, flushing a deeper shade of crimson.

Sadie and Adrian shared
a look of horror.

I suppressed a laugh,
finding it humorous that they would have a similar reaction. Of course they
would finally agree when it came to Marisa liking a boy. Isn’t that what all
parents feared?

Nate must have caught
the look as well, because he chuckled softly. Adrian and Sadie cut him a
searing look to silence him.

He cleared his throat
as he walked around Adrian’s car. “Will, Megan and I are going to show our
guests where they will be staying. How about we meet back here for dinner?”

Will nodded. “Sounds
good, Nate.” He glanced at our friends. “It was nice to meet you, we’ll see you
later.”

As we waved good-bye to
them, I noticed Nathan watching Marisa and her obvious avoidance of him. I
laughed to myself, knowing things were going to get interesting.

We took Adrian and
Marisa to their new home first. I always felt a twinge of emotion when I saw
the two-story, stone structure that was tucked away in the trees. It once
belonged to my ancestor. She was a friend of Nate’s and was killed the night he
was turned into a werewolf.

The small carriage
house had a fairy-tale feel. Either it was the vines that climbed the outside
stone or the twin rockers that lined the porch. But when you looked at it, you
almost expected a few dwarfs to stroll by, whistling while they worked.

“It’s charming,” Sadie
observed cheerfully, taking Marisa’s hand to lead her forward. “You’re going to
be happy here.”

Marisa stopped in front
of the porch. “I wish you could live with us.”

Sadie frowned and
reached out to brush a strand of Marisa’s inky hair that had come loose off her
shoulder. “We’ll figure it all out. Give it some time.”

The steps creaked as
Nate climbed them to unlock the door. “Marisa, Sadie will be just over that
ridge for a while. It’s only a two-minute walk.”

Nate’s words seemed to
soothe any concerns Marisa had. Her face brightened as she passed Nate, going
into the house.

The house was small,
but it did have three rooms on the second floor, with a single bathroom in the
center.

“This is the biggest
room Adrian, if you want it,” Nate explained as we all filed into a room decorated
with blue striped wallpaper and a large window. Since the building itself was
old most of the floorboards groaned as we walked over them. And despite the few
air fresheners I noticed, there was an underlining scent of must that seemed to
hover in most older homes.

I couldn’t help but
notice Adrian’s eyes flick to Sadie. I grinned at him, while he raised an
eyebrow at me in question. “Sure,” he said eventually, after we traded
meaningful looks. I wondered what the quick glance at Sadie meant. Was it that
he would eventually cave to what Marisa wanted and give her the bigger room,
since he was a gentleman? Or was he thinking that it was just big enough for
both of them. The grin on my face widened as my thoughts played out in my head.
It was fun to see someone else fight this werewolf mate thing, now that I was a
happily married woman.

When Nate looked at me
funny, I smoothed my features.

“And you can choose
whatever room you want Marisa,” Nate suggested.

She squealed as she
took off out of the striped one, clearly excited to be settling down once again
after the last six months of running.

“It really is a lovely
home. Will they be able to remove the wallpaper?” Sadie asked Nate, as she
rubbed her hand over the wall.

“Yeah, it is a little
outdated,” I agreed, leaning against the antique oak dresser.

Adrian only shrugged;
he didn’t seem to care about the aesthetics. “It’s built well though,” was all
he added to the conversation.

“Yeah, it was built by
Megan’s ancestors and back then they took pride in their work.” Nate agreed,
with a look of affection for the people he used to know.

Adrian knocked on the
wall and looked around the frame of the window. “I guess so. Wow,” he said
opening the window. “It still opens. Are these new windows?”

Nate shook his head.
“Nope, I didn’t want any changes here.” He flushed at the sound of his own
words. “But I’m fine with it now. Feel free to change whatever you like. I
trust your judgement.”

Adrian smiled warmly at
him. “Thanks Nate, I appreciate this.” We all knew he could afford his own
house with the remains of his inheritance. But we were like a wolf pack now. We
liked to be close to each other and the fact that the house sat on hundreds of
acres on which he could run on full moon nights was also a selling point.

As if reading my mind
he asked, “What about next week, what should I do with Marisa? With all of us
changing, I’d rather not leave her alone here.”

Concern flashed in
Sadie’s chestnut colored eyes, obviously worried about the same thing.

“She can stay at the main
house for dinner, or even the night. Everyone in the house knows but Nathan.
But with so many of us around, Will might consider telling him soon.”

“Sadie, which one
should I pick?” Marisa yelled from the hallway.

Sadie smiled at us and
went to join the excited girl.

Once she was gone, I
glanced at Adrian, a smirk playing at my lips. “So what do you think of the
room?”

He looked around,
assessing his surroundings. “It’s nice.”

I pressed my lips
together suppressing a grin. “It’s big too. You could fit two people in here.”

Nate snorted behind me
and Adrian scowled. “
Really
? Are you going to start that now?”

I nodded, allowing the
grin come out to play.

He just shook his head
and brushed past me out into the hall, his mint chocolaty scent wafting behind
him. “Which one did you pick?” I heard him ask his sister.

Nate and I shared a
laugh as he took my hand pulling me out of the room to join the group.

It turned out Marisa
had taste; she chose Lucy’s old room. It was the most feminine, with tiny
flowered wallpaper and a window seat. Even the furnishings were meant for a
girl; the bed frame was white wrought iron and the aged quilt was white with
purple and rose colored flowers.

“What color do you want
the walls?” I asked Marisa. Since she was fifteen and getting to know her over
the last few days, I was expecting her to say hot pink or lime green. I was
surprised by her answer.

“I don’t think I want
to change it right now. I like it the way it is. It’s feminine and cozy.”

Sadie appeared as
shocked as I was. “Are you sure? I was thinking a pale lilac and cream, or
sherbet orange if you want to go bright.”

Marisa shrugged. “Maybe
someday, but I like it like this for now. I can’t wait to put my stuff in here
though.”

“I’ll arrange it as
soon as I find a place.” Sadie said softly, patting the girl she considered a
daughter on the cheek.

Marisa shot Adrian a
pointed look, but instead of acknowledging it, he moved to the door. “Well,
let’s get what we have from the cars and move it in. I’ll take you shopping in
a few days to get anything you want to decorate.” He turned to me and smiled,
as if remembering something. “After the reception of course.”

“What is the dress code
by the way?” Sadie asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, sending particles of
dust into the air.

I grimaced. My mother
would probably say black tie, but I didn’t want that. “It’s dressy, but not too
fancy.”

Sadie winced. “I guess
a shopping trip is in order.” I wondered about her finances. She was working at
a coffee shop when she met Charlotte and since then had been raising a child. I
doubted she had a lot of money. Plus she had been on the run for the last six
months and I was sure she hadn’t even been working. “No need, I promised Marisa
she could invade my closet at home. My mother has a habit of shopping for me,
whether I like it or not. You`re both welcome to anything in there you like.”

Sadie smiled
appreciatively. “Thank you. That would be helpful.”

Pushing myself off of
the dresser, I sat beside her on the bed. The mattress dipped with my added
weight. “And we can get our hair done too, my treat.”