Chapter 15 Second Feast
They reached the table, and true to his word, Fennigan didn't hesitate. Before he even sat down, he snagged two frosting-drenched cinnamon rolls from the center platter--one for him and one for her--narrowly beating Jax's fork by a millisecond.
"Point, Fennigan," Jax grumbled, retreating to the bacon.
They sat down, and the chaos of the meal swirled around them. But Elena didn't seem interested in the food today. She was looking at a notepad next to her coffee cup, clicking a pen.
"Fennigan," she bariked, not looking up. "The card is on the counter by the keys. Do not lose it. It has a high limit, but don't go buy a boat."
She tore the top sheet off the notepad and slid it across the polished wood toward him.
"Here is the mandatory list. But this is just the baseline."
Fennigan picked up the list, scanning it while chewing. "Got it."
Elana turned her gaze to Leela, her expression softening just a fraction, though her voice remained commanding.
"You need everything, dear. And I don't just mean the basics. I want you to get things you like."
She started ticking items off on her fingers.
"Makeup, if you wear it, get the good stuff. Jewelry--something gold, maybe some emeralds to match the vines you seem so fond of. Perfumes. Dresses.-sundresses, evening wear, things that make you feel like a woman, not a runaway."
Leela blinked, her cinnamon roll forgotten. "Mrs. Blackwood, that's...that's to much. I really just need---"
"You need what I say you need," Elana interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "And shoes. My god, child, those sneakers look as though they have seen better days."
"I have some money," Leela said.
"No." Elana said, then back at her son. "Shoes, four pair. Minimum."
"Four?" Fennigan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Four," Elana insisted. "Sneakers for running, proper tactical boots for training--get the waterproof ones. She needs dress shoes for pack gatherings. And for heaven's sake, get her some house flippers. The floors in the alpha wing are stone; I don't want her catching a cold."
She took a sip of her coffee, then lowered the cup with a clink.
"And the rest," she added, her voice staying level. "Underwear. Bras. Socks. A purse that doesn't have holes in the bottom."
Leela felt her face heat up at the mention of her undergarments in front of the entire male population of the Blackwood family. Jax snorted into his orange juice, and eveh Damon hid a smile behind his hand.
Fennigan, to his creadit, didn't even blink. He just nodded solemnly.
"Tactical boots, slippers, unmentionables. Check."
Elana pointed the pen at him.
""Anything she wants, Fennigan. If she looks at it for more than three seconds, buy it. Do I make myself clear?"
"As crystal." Fennigan said, sliding the list into his pocket. He nudged Leela's knee under the table. "Better eat up, Sparky. Shopping with my mother's credit card today will be an endurance sport."
As the last of the bacon disappeared and the coffee mugs were drained, the energy at the table shifted.
Elana stood up. She didn't head for the door. Instead, she walked around the back of their chairs and stopped directly behind Fennigan.
"Up," she commanded, taping him on the shoulder.
Fennigan blinked, a half eaten cinnamon roll in his hand. "Excuse me?"
"Move," Elana said simply. "I want to sit."
Fennigan looked at his mother, then at the empty chair literally two feet away. He wisely decided not to argue. He grabbed his plate and stood up, hovering behind them as Elana settled herself into his warm seat, right next to Leela.
Elana turned to face the girl. The sharp lines of her face, usually set in a mask of command, softened completely. The steel in her eyes melted into something warm and fiercly protective.
She reached out and took Leela's hand again. THis time, she didn't just pat it; she held it between both of hers.
"Leela look at me."
Leela looked up, her heart pounding.
"You are my son's mate, he had us all worried when we couldn't find him in the shit show the fog made the other day." Elana said, her voice low and serious. "In our world, being a mate is absolute. It means you aren't just a guest, and you aren't just a refugee."
She squeezed Leela's hand.
"It means you are my daughter now."
Leela felt a lump form in her throat. She tried to speak, but nothing came out.
"So, when I tell you to buy things," Elana continued, her tone gentle but firm, "I am not telling you to waste money. I am telling you to build a life. To buy the things that will make you feel like you are home here."
She leaned in closer.
"I mean it, Leela. Do not come back here with two bags of stuff from that list and nothing else. Don't you dare come back with just gym socks and tactical boots."
Elana brushed a stray lock of hair from Leela's forehead.
"I want you to buy the things that make you smile. Things that make you feel beautiful. Things that make you feel like you belong here, in this family, and in your own skin. Do you understand?"
Leela nodded, tears pricking the corners of her eyes again. "Yes. I understand."
"Good."
Then, Elana did something that made the entire table go quiet.
She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Leela. It wasn't a polite, side-hug. It was a firm, enveloping embrace that smelled of expensive perfume and dangerous power. She held Leela tight, a physical seal on the promise she had just made.
Leela let herself melt into the embrace, closing her eyes.
Behind them, Fennigan stood with his mouth slightly open, his cinnamon roll forgotten.
"Wow," he whispered, leaning down near Leela's other ear as his mother pulled back. "Feel special, Sparky. She doesn't hug just anyone. I think the last time she hugged me was when I graduated...come to think of it, it might have just been a handshake."
Elana shot her son a withering look, but the smile lingered in her eyes.
As they held each other, a slender green vine spiraled up from the wooden leg of the chair. It curled gently into the space between them, twisting like a delicate green ribbon.
Just as Elana began to pull back, the vine settled between their shoulders.
POP
At the very tip of the vine, a single, perfect rose bloomed. But it wasn't red like the ones on the porch. It was a brilliant, sunny yellow.
Elana froze. She looked down at the flower hovering between them, vibrating with life.
"Yellow,"Elana whispered, touching the soft petals with a smile that transformed her face. "Joy. Friendship. Family."
She looked at Leela, her eyes shining.
"I''ll take it."
"Go," she said, shooing them away. "Get out of here. Go spend your dad and I's money."