Shadow's Kiss (Monstrous Hearts: Fleur's Story)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Even before she reached the huge stone firepit and saw the other guests, Fleur decided that she'd better get a really amazing fuck for this to be worth it. The summer evening was still bright enough for her to take in every face at a glance. Dario was noticeably missing.

A few people weren't familiar at all, but the rest were the same six who had arrived with her and Fiona. Most held glasses of wine, and plates of appetizers waited within easy reach of the chairs, which were placed in a loose circle around the fire. Fleur scanned the group again, trying not to feel too young and out-of-place in her hoodie and unbrushed hair.

Well, at least there'd be food.

Fiona sat by the older man who had been with Maria, so Fleur drifted in their direction. Her aunt's smile brightened at the sight of her. "Here she is. This is Fleur, my niece. Fleur, this is Jed Hillburn and his niece, Maria Hillburn. They've traveled all the way from Texas."

"Hi." Fleur sat in the chair next to her aunt and forced herself to make eye contact with them. Maria had changed into a tan leather jacket embellished with rhinestones, jeans, and knee-high boots against the rapidly dropping temperatures of dusk. Fleur surreptitiously curled her fingers against the hole in the sleeve of her hoodie and glanced at Jed, who wore the same clothes from earlier.

He gave Fleur an affable nod and said, "My niece is trying to get some culture into me."

His accent sounded thicker than Maria's, who laughed and said, "I'm trying to make sure you take some time off. You have four grown sons to help you with the ranches, and you still refuse to ever take a vacation."

As the pair good-naturedly bickered with each other, Fiona patted Fleur's arm and murmured, "Make yourself comfy, darling, and order something else if there's nothing you like here. Don't worry about having to talk."

"Do I look that nervous?" she muttered back, but truthfully, the spike of anxiety from briefly being the center of attention had already eased into manageable nervousness.

"You're absolutely fine," said her aunt. Then Fiona brightened her voice just as Maria and her uncle fell quiet. "What keeps you so busy, Jed?"

Maria answered while he smiled and shook his head, as if knowing what she was going to say. "Right now, it's a new hobby ranch over in Sutton County. He's been remodeling it for five months and it looks so beautiful."

As the conversation continued in that vein, Fleur felt it was safe enough to look at the nearby food. Oysters in their shells, a cheese board... and a plate of fries. She stuffed four in her mouth all at once, amazed there was something normal to eat. Then the musky flavor hit her. She managed to swallow it and then looked at a menu left beside the plate. They were fried in duck fat and flavored with truffle oil.

She didn't realize she was making a face until a woman laughed and said, "Enjoying the place?"

Fleur glanced to her right and realized the comment had come from the loudmouth in the lobby, Chiara. The woman wore a short puffer jacket with shiny black leggings. Those and her tight ponytail gave her a hard, sleek appearance emphasized by her mocking expression, which flipped into a pleasant smile so fast that Fleur wondered if she was actually a robot.

"I'm Chiara Schneider. This is my husband, Will."

"Fleur Corrigan."

"Fleur? That's an unusual name."

"My mom likes flowers and their honeymoon was in France." She really didn't like the way Chiara's eyebrows suddenly pinched together as if trying to remember something, because it probably meant the woman's attention would remain on her. Quickly, Fleur added, "Have you ever been to France?"