Tessa's Wolves

I pushed myself out of the warm body I was under when the nonstop buzzing echoed through the spaces of my Georgia mansion. “Dammit, who the hell is ringing this time of day?”

The hot Savannah sun poked through the shutters and blasted my eyes as I opened them. Still a bit drunk from the previous night, I pushed myself to sit on the side of the bed.

My room spun around me like a whirlwind, making my stomach turn. I cursed the person ringing my doorbell as I stood from the bed and made my way down the stairs.

While I pulled my hair back into a topknot, I glanced in the hall mirror and barely recognized the woman looking back at me. “Jesus, you look like you’ve been hit by a bus.” When I answered the door, the delivery man handed me an envelope and left quickly as he rushed to complete the rest of his route.

As I walked back to my room, I opened the envelope, then shook out the card embossed with gold lettering. It was a wedding invitation, and I nearly vomited right there on the expensive plush runner that led down the hall. “Well, kiss my ass. He’s really going through with it.”

I detoured to the bedroom at the end of the hall and sat down on Haldir’s bed, then poked him in his side. “You’re not going to believe this, but Teddy’s getting married.”

More of a gentleman than me, he covered the naked stranger beside him as he pushed himself up in bed. “I take it I’m not invited.”

After the way my brother found Haldir and me that night on the balcony, I figured he’d never speak to either of us again. “I’m afraid not.”

His freckled fingers combed through his blonde, bushy beard before he cleared the cigarettes and alcohol from his throat. “When?”

Things have been strained between my brother and me, to say the least, and I was shocked he bothered to invite me at all. “End of the month, but I’m pretty sure it was the future Mrs. Mason who sent it. She’s being polite.” I flung the invitation across the bed and laid down beside Haldir’s latest conquest. She was a blonde-haired beauty, not my type, really. I like my partners to be a little more exotic.

The crusty old Viking, who didn’t appear to be a day over thirty, scratched out his hair as he made his way to the bathroom. “He’s your brother, Tess; you have to go.”

I’m not the kind of person who gives in first. This showdown between my brother and me was at a stalemate. Neither of us would budge. “I don’t have to do shit but stay pretty and die.”

From the other side of the bathroom door, I could still feel his eyes rolling at me as he stood in front of the toilet. “This thing has gone on long enough; call him.”

The woman with blue eyes was obviously very confused about the situation she found herself in, as I twisted her hair around my finger. “Nope. Hello, kitten. What’s your name?” Pressing my fingers to her lips on second thought, I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. You ever been with a woman before?”

Between swishes and gargles, the old brute continued to poke at me. “Well, call the Mrs. and congratulate her and send her a gift. Don’t be an ass. I raised you better than that.”

The bumpy ridges of his partner’s spine tickled my fingers as I made my way down her bare back. “Fine. I’ll call as soon as I’m done here with Barbie.”

Haldir walked out of the bathroom, wiping off his hands on a towel, and threw it at me. “Not this one. She doesn’t know what she’s doing; trust me.”

We have a complicated relationship, but the half-naked man I’m living with is more or less my father. When my twin cut me out of his life, I kind of spiraled out of control, and Haldir was there to pick up the pieces as usual.

Who am I kidding? I’ve been a hot mess since I saw my parents murdered right in front of me. If Haldir wasn’t around, I would have drunk myself to death by now. I don’t do well alone.

His throaty groan let me know immediately that I was about to get my way; the man never could say no to me. “Call him, and I’ll let you have this one.” Trilling his lips, he shook his head and reached for his smokes on the table. “Never mind, we’ll go find some new ones later. We can mist down to New Orleans tonight. We haven’t seen Father Michael for a while, anyway.”

I grabbed my phone from the table and looked at the clock. Holy hell, where had the day gone? “Hell yeah. A witch, a Viking, and a demon hunting angel. Sounds like the beginning of a goddam good joke. I’m down, though.”

A dusky-skinned Adonis peeked into the room, and his eyes bounced back and forth between the three of us before he tilted his head to the hall. “Were you coming back to bed or what?”

“Oh shit, I completely forgot about you.” Last night’s human entertainment was highly disappointing, so I waved him off with the back of my hand. “No, dear, your services are no longer required. You may leave now.”

After Haldir gave her a good swat on her behind, the blonde grabbed her things and disappeared from the room with a quickness before she left with whoever the hell it was I brought home last night.

The Immortal, as we called him, clicked on the television and rested his head against his arm as he lit his cigarette. “Did you give those two cab fare?”

“Oops.” I stared at Teddy’s picture on my contacts list for a second, my thumb at the ready. “They’re big kids; they can manage.”

The back of his fingers slapped my leg. “You’re turning into a real bitch, Tess. You know that?”

My hand flew up between us as I waited for Teddy to answer. “Shut up; it’s ringing.”

I could sense the arrogance in his tone already when he sighed before speaking. “Hello, stranger.”

A cigarette appeared before my face, and I slid it from Haldir’s fingers. “Hey, Teddy. I got your invitation. Who’s the lucky lady?”

A huff of air came through the speaker, and I envisioned him shaking his head at me. “So, after a year, that’s it? You’re just going to act like nothing happened?”

Little clouds of smoke puffed from my lips before Haldir swatted them away. “That’s a dead issue. Besides, you’re the one who cut me off.”

I’ve been a disappointment to Teddy for longer than I care to admit, and I could hardly blame him for thinking I might not show up. “Whatever, so you are coming, aren’t you?”

I hesitated for a second until the pointy elbow jammed into my side. “Of course, I am. I wouldn’t miss it. So, tell me about this chick.”

No one knew me as my brother did, and I should have seen the trap being set right away when he dangled the pair of them in front of me. “She’s perfect, Tess. You’ll love her, and she has a couple of single brothers if you happened to be interested and unattached at the moment.”

It was nearly time for season to begin, and I had no intention of spending my nights alone. “Oh yes. Save both of them for me; I might be feeling freaky. What do they look like?”

After a few clicks and a pause, his smooth voice came back. “Sending it now. Blonde hair, blue eyes.”

As the message came through, I opened it, and every inch of my body ached instantly. “Goddamn! How long have you been hiding these pretty boys from me?”

I could hear some chatter in the background and the smile on Teddy’s face as he chuckled into the phone. “I met Stella about a month after I left Savannah. I’m glad you like. They were pretty taken with your picture as well.”

I swatted my hand at the beads of sweat lining my forehead. “Awe! I promise I’ll be gentle with them.”

The voices on the other end grew louder, and Teddy rushed his way out of our conversation. “Hey Sugar, I have to run, but I want you to come a couple days before and meet the family. Love you, Tess.”

I pushed the tears from my cheek and swallowed the burn rising in my throat. All I had in this world were the drunk Viking lying beside me and my brother. The past year without him was the hardest thing I ever faced, and the olive branch he was holding out was like a life jacket for this lost soul. “I love you too.”