CHAPTER THIRTEEN PART THREE

The drive back to the compound is silent and tension-filled. Every fiber of my body is fighting against throwing myself out of the truck to avoid whatever's happening between Shep and me. As he pulls up to the house, I don't even wait for him to turn the car off and hop out, racing inside before Shep can say a word to me.

I pass by members of the clan in a hurry to make it to my room without interruption, "Gemma, is everything alright?" The sound of my name stops me in my tracks. I release the breath I no doubt have been holding. I conjure what strength I have and plaster a neutral look on my face before turning to Anna.

"Everything's fine," I reply. She smiles, "Well, good because I could use your help in the kitchen, do you mind?" I want to lock myself in my room and obsess over my conversation with Shep, but I reluctantly follow her into the kitchen, "Not at all. I just have to stop at the bathroom first," I lie.

She beams, "Take your time, my angel." I hurry up the stairs to my room and rush to the bathroom; taking a warm washcloth, I clean myself and move to the sink to wash my face and ground myself. I can't fall in love with a monster.

A few women stand in the kitchen with Anna, taking out pans, mixing bowls, and other materials. "Gemma, you remember Chantel? She's Jed's Mom," Anna formally introduces us. I nod, remembering the curious little boy from last night. "And this is Noemi, Madgi's sister," she gestures towards the other woman, who looks at me in discontent.

"Nice to meet you," I say, trying to be polite. She rolls her eyes, "I can't say the same," she walks off. Anna looks annoyed, "Sorry about Noemi Gem. She's just not used to you yet. She'll warm to you eventually."

"Have you ever baked before?" Chantel asks, cutting through the tension. I look away, remembering the incident in the kitchen of the College as a result of my "baking."

"I can't say that I have. Most of my free time is spent throwing knives at some vampire guy's face on a poster I got for Christmas," I say, lying as I try to cover it up with a joke.

They both look at each other with worry etched onto their faces before laughing, "Oh Gemma, was that a joke? You're making jokes now?" Anna laughs. I join in, "I have been known to participate in a joke here and there."

"You're not such a bad hunter," Chantel smiles warmly. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself. Now back to business. What exactly are we making?" I ask, basking in the distraction, happily allowing my thoughts to stray away from Shep. "We're making cupcakes for the local bake sale to raise money towards the local widow's fund. It goes towards people who have lost a spouse and need a little assistance as they grieve," Anna Explains.

Anna sounds so genuine, unlike how I'd expect her to be. She hands me a slip of paper with a recipe on it. I go on my merry way, trying to recreate the cupcakes she assigned to me. Finally, after forty-five grueling minutes, I pull my finished product out of the oven. It's a lumpy mess resembling a rock. Deciding to try one, I take a bite only to be overrun by the saltiness and coughing.

"Oh dear, perhaps we should keep you on mixing duty," Anna takes my tray from me, setting it aside. "Probably for the best," I agree. I start my expert-level task. Anna puts some music on, and we get into the swing of things, working another two hours in the kitchen. A particular song comes on, and I fail to stop myself from singing. Before long, all three of us belch Hungry Like The Wolf, a true masterpiece.

Clapping from behind us brings our attention out of our jam session. I look at Shep, Madgi, Ray, and Charlie, mortified to see them standing there. Madgi comes in, kissing Anna on the cheek. "That was beautiful," Ray laughs.

"I have to agree, Gemma, I had no idea you liked to sing. I just had no idea you had that in you," Shep smirks. "Oh, shut it," I flick some flour at him, satisfied when some hits his shirt. "That's my girl giving it right back," Anna shouts proudly.

Shep shakes his head, laughing. He makes his way to the sink and takes a cloth to get the flour off, "Alright, you lot of troublemakers, we've got a meeting with Ward. So Gemma, I'm going to transfer you over to my Mom, try not to do anything hazardous," he adds handing his bracelet to Anna. "Do try to stay out of trouble," Shep places a quick kiss on Anna's cheek.

Before I have time to comprehend what he is doing, he places one on my cheek before leaving, "You stay out of trouble too," he adds, our eyes meeting for a brief moment as the other men follow him out. Once he is out of earshot, I groan, "Your son is a complicated man."

"Oh, on the contrary, dear Gemma, he just knows what he wants, and my boy has never been a quitter. So now what's say we finish up here and then go into town for some shopping," she cheers, looking between Chantel and me. "Oh yes, I still need to get a new dress for the ball," Chantel mentions.

"Sounds fun," I mutter wanting to get outside for a while. Anna leads us around the shops, pointing out the different outfits that would look good on me. She buys any clothes that I show even moderate interest in for me. As we exit the shop, someone speeds by us. She has her hood pulled up and her arms crossed as she hurries away without a word, looking angry.

Anna gives me a knowing look, "Reece has a complicated relationship with her Mom. It causes her pain, not that she'd ever mention it." Chantel looks away sadly, "Don't worry about her too much, Gemma. Lex worries enough for us all. Come on, let's go finish shopping," she urges. So we shop all afternoon, leaving the large dress store for last, "Welcome," a familiar face announces as we enter the store. I look towards the voice and see Mina, one of the waitresses from the diner.

"Mina, I didn't know you started working here again," Chantel comments. "Yeah, I'm saving up to take some College classes and figured I could do a few shifts a week here and some at the diner," she answers. "We're looking for dresses to wear to the ball," Anna giddily announces.

"What is this ball I've been hearing so much about?" I question. "It's only the biggest event of the year. Every year, the whole town gets together with all the big players: all the Colonials, royalty, and ancient beings, all gathered for one night to celebrate our world. Usually, a few couples meet during it and find love. That is where I met my Henry," Chantel explains, looking lovingly as she remembers it in detail.

"The Colonials?" I ask, confused. Anna and Chantel share a look, "The Colonials are the vampire's form of judges. Except they make the laws and expect all vampires to follow them. When they don't, they meet once a year to decide on punishments. While also making any changes to laws or bringing forth any possible grievances or threats," Anna explains.

I look for the best way to handle this new information. "They must be intense," I comment. They both sigh in relief, having expected me to react to the news in a killer way. "Believe me, they are," Chantel agrees. "Getting back to the topic of the ball, I met Madgi at one. It's quite the affair," Anna smiles in remembrance.

"Well, you're in the right place, and in luck, we just got some new dresses in," Mina says, leading us over to the large selection. They have all sorts of styles, patterns, and colors. My eyes fall on a beautiful blue dress, with sparkles all over. The dress begins with white at the top which fades into a sea blue as it descends.

"Try it on," Anna urges, taking it off the rack and leading me to the changing room. I pull on the dress as I manage to zip it myself—disbelief at how I look washes over me. I look in the mirror. Wanting to see, I pull my hair out of its usual ponytail and let it fall free around me. I look pretty. No, that doesn't sound right. Maybe beautiful.

"Do you have it on?" Anna wonders from the other side. Turning towards the door, I open it slowly, hesitant to show them. Anna immediately smiles, tears warmly coming to her eyes. She presses a hand to her heart, "You look..."

"Amazing," Chantel finishes for her. "Really?" I ask, relieved. The three of them nod instantly, "I've never worn anything like this before," I mention. "Well, it's like it was made for you," Mina gushes.

We all hear the door chime signaling another customer has entered the store. I look over to see a tall, bulky man. He's dressed in black pants and a dark sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. His head is down. A smell enters the shop with him almost rot. I look at Anna and Chantel as they are both tense, a look of fear crossing their faces. Anna takes a protective step forward.

The man burst forward, coming towards us in a rush, just a haze as he quickly moves. He whips out an arm and grabs Anna. He yanks her towards him in a quick snap. Then, in a gritty and disparaging voice, he says, "Samuel wants this land, and he will have it. This is just a warning if you don't take your people and leave," he roars and lifts his face.