“Wow,” Isadora said. “Who are you, and what have you done with my sister? And please don’t ever bring her back.”
“We used to be close, remember? Up until, like, middle school. I’m sorry I let us drift apart.”
“I probably didn’t make it easy for anyone to be close to me,” Isadora said. “I spent too much time showing everyone that I didn’t care what they thought of me.”
“I want to see my room!” Sally yelled, dancing with excitement.
“Oh, I can help you decorate,” Diana said. “I love decorating. Especially little girl’s rooms. I’m hoping I have a girl.”
“Really?” Sally’s face lit up, as they walked in to the house.
“Does this mean no more Hobo camps?” Thomas asked in a glum voice, as they climbed the steps.
“We can visit,” Isadora promised him. “I know you made friends there.” He brightened up immediately.
When they got inside, Sally and Thomas shot up the stairs to check out their new rooms.
Dash led them into the kitchen and opened the fridge to pull out soda bottles for them. “So the humans who were doing those experiments…” Diana said to Isadora, sitting at the kitchen table, as Dash poured their drinks into glasses and serving them.
“Totally gone,” Dash said. “Wiped out to the last man. We even got the name of the arms dealer who was helping to finance all of this. The Justice Department got a tip off from us, and raided his operation and shut him down.”
“How was it that you didn’t die from your gunshot wounds?” Diana asked Isadora. “I heard you were in a human town.”
“Dash and his friends got to me right in time. We were lucky that the Wardens were in the area, and they had healers with them. It was pretty touch and go, from what I hear.”
“Thank God for that,” Diana said fervently. “Oh, and by the way, my wedding is next month. I told my parents that it’s my wedding, and you’re coming, and you can dress however the heck you like.”
Isadora laughed. That couldn’t have gone over well. Diana was supposed to be the good daughter. “What did they say?”
“They said fine, pay for your own wedding, and my fiancé said no problem, he’d pay for it, and now I’m not sure if they’re coming.”
Isadora snorted. “You’re marrying a rich-ass Alpha. It’ll be the social event of the year. Of course they’re coming.”
An evil gleam sparked in Diana’s eye. “If I let them. Hey, when you get married, are you going to have a Goth wedding? Because I would love to see the look on Mom and Dad’s faces.”
“Married?” Isadora echoed. “Hey, I just found out I was going to be shacking up. Don’t rush it. I kind of like the idea of living in sin.”
Dash shook his head firmly. “I’m a traditional, old fashioned kind of guy. There will be a proposal in the near future. Don’t try to run, don’t try to hide, it’s coming and you can’t get away from it.”
“A proposal. Interesting. I might even say yes.” All of a sudden a stupid grin was spread across Isadora’s face, and she couldn’t wipe it off no matter how hard she tried. Dash leaned forward, cupped her chin in his hand, and kissed her, his lips soft and tender.
“By the way, I love kids,” Diana said. “Any time you two need privacy, I can babysit for those guys. OK, you can stop kissing now. I mean seriously, you can stop. Ew! Tongue! That’s my sister you’re devouring there, you pervert wolf! Okay, that’s it, I’m waiting outside until you’re done.”
Dimly, Isadora heard Diana’s heels clicking across the hardwood floor, but Dash pulled her into his arms and she let herself melt into his body. For the first time she could ever remember, she felt perfectly at home, welcome and wanted. There was no place on Earth she’d rather be, and no man she’d rather be with.
THE END