The Mating (The original Law of the Lycans story)

Chapter 30

Elise turned to face the newcomer. As she'd suspected it was Marla, though her attire was decidedly un-Marla-ish. Sturdy boots, jeans, and a winter jacket weren't Marla's usual garb and would almost lead a person to think the woman was planning to do physical labour of some kind. She was smiling too, though it didn't reach her eyes.

Rose stood up and nodded in greeting. "I wondered when you'd get here."

"I knew you'd wait for me. Why should I hurry?" Marla flipped her hair arrogantly and Rose compressed her lips, as if holding back a retort. Instead, she merely replied in her usual quiet tones.

"Well, we don't want to keep Elise too long. You'll never guess what exciting news she has. Did you know that she and Kane have blood-bonded? I'm sure he'll be keeping tabs on her now." She strangely over-emphasized the words 'blood-bonded'.

Frowning, Elise stared at her. What was Rose doing? It seemed a rather unusual way of delivering the news, almost as if she was trying to tell Marla something without actually saying it out loud.

Marla didn't take the news well. She looked at Elise, then at Rose, and back to Elise again. Her mouth was opening and closing, but nothing came out. Finally, words burst from her painted red lips. "That's impossible! Kane's angry. He thinks you've been cheating! He wouldn't blood-bond with you, even if you were the last female on earth!" Storming over, she grabbed the collar of Elise's coat and pulled it down, revealing her neck and the mark from the bond.

Watching the woman's face turn purple with rage, Elise couldn't help but smirk. "That's right, Marla. Your plan backfired. Even after hearing the tapes, and seeing the false diary entries, Kane still wanted to bond with me." While that wasn't quite the truth, Elise didn't feel the least bit guilty about altering the facts. After all that Marla had done, she deserved it.

Growling in rage, Marla tightened her fingers around Elise's collar and pushed her backward. Stumbling, Elise barely kept herself from falling, but she didn't really care. A feeling of triumph was coursing through her. At last, something good was happening on this miserable day. Sure, Kane wasn't even acknowledging her existence, but at least Marla had finally been put in her place. It was with great satisfaction that she watched the other woman storming back and forth across the small clearing, running hands though her perfectly coiffed blond hair, and totally ruining the look.

Eventually, Marla quit pacing and stood with her back to the others, breathing heavily before spinning around and looking at Rose. "Now what do we do?"

Rose spoke calmly and slowly, as if speaking to a child. She was staring straight into Marla's eyes. "We don't have to talk to her now about cheating on Kane. She and Kane are connected. He'll know the truth about what's going on."

Again, Elise frowned. Yes, most would assume that since they had a mental connection, Kane would know the whole story—even though he didn't, she included wryly—but the way Rose was explaining everything made Elise uneasy. They seemed to have a different agenda than the one Rose had explained.

Marla began to protest. "No!"

"On the way here, we also ran into Julia. She knows I'm with Elise." Again, Rose seemed to be explaining something to Marla. Elise looked from one to the other. It was as if they were having their own coded conversation.

"I don't care. We've waited long enough. The original plan stands. I'll think of a way of dealing with Julia." Shoving her hands in her pockets, Marla glared at Rose.

Rose's voice became slightly louder. "You'll think of a plan! No way. I've kept a low profile through all of this, and I'm not about to let that change."