Chapter 15 Oh, Come on - Adele's POV
The tour of the village took a couple of hours, which was surprising for its small size. But Tyler made sure they took me to every single store and introduced me to as many people as they could. Each time I met someone new, their eyes never left my face.
It was a bit unnerving as they watched my every move with interest. I had never been watched that closely as if I…mattered.
When the coven watched me, it was more of them trying to control me. These people were interested and wanted to know more about me, though they kept a fairly straight expression.
Of course, most of them were men, so I assumed they were debating if I would stay where I was or try to find different men. At least, that was what I had gathered walking around and listening in on conversations.
I hated to be so nosy, but I wanted to know everything about this place.
As we headed back, I found myself in the middle of the men.
“Are you sure I’ll be fine in a place like this?” I asked, my voice hesitant as I gazed at Darren. “They were friendly, but I’m not sure I was well received.”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear what some said,” he said, his voice low. “You know the only reason they didn’t flirt with you is because you were with us and surrounded. They want you for themselves and their little pods.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s not what I want.”
“They know and we know that,” he muttered. “It still didn’t stop them from thinking about it.”
Tyler scoffed in front of me. “Let’s not talk about that now. You’ve met enough and are now thoroughly introduced. It’s time for you to meet our resident baker.”
They led me to the bakery, which smelled sickly sweet now. It was different from the faint aroma this morning. That had smelled good and just the right of amount of sweet. Now it saturated the air and made me a little sick to my stomach.
“Maybe we shouldn’t bother her. You said she was busy and liked to snatch people for help,” I said, thinking of my aching feet. “Plus, I’m new and I’m sure she’ll be annoyed, like the two other women who met me.”
They had been a bit more abrasive than the men. I wasn’t sure why, since I wasn’t a threat to them.
“Nonsense. She’s at the end of her day, so no chance of getting trapped,” Darren said, tugging me along. “You’re going to meet her and trust me when I say, you’ll love her.”
All six men stayed close to me, ensuring I made it to the bakery. The woman turned, her eyes widening when she saw us.
“Who is this? I wasn’t aware we had a newcomer.”
“She was thrown out by a coven on the mainland and is now one of us. Craven saved her from the woods near the shoreline,” Dom murmured, his voice firm.
She came toward us, covered in flour and wiping her hands on her apron as she walked in our direction. I watched her every move as she got closer. The guys stepped away, leaving me right at the center.
“You poor thing,” she wailed, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug that I couldn’t escape. Not that I dared to. “Don’t worry about a single thing. This community can be a little hard to get used to, but you’ll fit right in. We were all betrayed by our kind and sentenced to death. Little do they know, the egg is on their face. We’re alive and thriving in the middle of the Isle.”
“That’s one way to look at it, but what did you get thrown out for? You seem so nice,” I said, still wrapped in her embrace.
I wasn’t much of a hugger. But I also hadn’t been hugged that much. It was kind of nice now that I was standing here, trapped in one.
Her arms slowly loosened as she stepped back. Her mouth pulled down into a frown. “Nice doesn’t always mean people like you,” she admitted. “My personality was seen as defiance, since I never took anything off anyone. I ran my mouth too much.”
Darren touched my shoulder, making me flinch. “She’s a panther shifter. The panthers can be a bit more sensitive to defiance than other…paranormals. But we are fortunate to have her. Her baking skills are legendary.”
“I’ve never met a panther shifter,” I whispered. “Nor was I taught much about them.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Shelia is the name. And don’t worry about not knowing about them. They’re nothing but a bunch of—”
“Language!” Tyler shouted.
“I didn’t even say it yet,” she murmured. “You always ruin my fun. I might just have to say no on your next bread order.”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, Sheila. You know I like bread and anything else you make.”
“I know and that is why I’m revoking your privileges,” she murmured. “You rained on my parade.”
“Well, she doesn’t need to hear all the colorful things you call them.”
She huffed. “But it’s so much fun.”
“Surely, it’s not that bad,” I laughed.
Darren leaned in, his mouth next to my ear. “She calls them truffles and mushrooms.”
“That’s…the language Tyler is talking about?”
Tyler’s gaze darted my way as a low growl rumbled in my chest. “That’s a bunch of crock, Darren. You know exactly what she says and why I stopped her.”
I laughed an actual, genuine laugh. Hearing them bicker was something…I never imagined, and it was funny.
All six men turned to me, their brows raised.
“You’re laughing,” Darren breathed.
“Yes,” I said, trying to stop it. “You don’t know how long it’s been since I laughed.”
Sheila joined in, her eyes bright and sparkling. “Well, I’m happy to give you a laugh. Sometimes it’s needed after everything.” She looked back over her shoulder at the shelves full of baked goods. “Well, and a bit of something sweet.”
I watched her slowly approach one shelf, her gaze scanning every single one until she found a box. She brought it to me and handed it over. “Here, it’s a sampler box. Just let know what you like and I’ll make you more.”
Tyler whined. “What about me?”
“You get nothing,” she snapped. “Nothing, because you ruined my fun.”
He groaned. “Oh, come on, Sheila. You know I always get two loaves of your sourdough.”
“Not today, you don’t. Think of it as punishment.”
“We better get her back,” Darren said, interrupting their conversation before it took off again. “We’ll make sure to order some more things from you soon.”
“I look forward to it,” Sheila whispered. “Good luck, Adele. You’re going to need it.”
I didn’t get a chance to ask her what she meant, as I was shoved out the door. Darren was right beside me, smiling.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Dom has the bread for Tyler. She did that just to mess with him,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“That’s hilarious,” I said, looking at Tyler up ahead.
He was still pouting.
“I could help carry things, you know.”
“This box is light,” I mentioned, shaking my head. “It’s not a problem.”
He nodded. “Well, I figured you might need your strength, because we’ll clean the house this evening. Tomorrow, we have to return to work.”
“What all do you do?”
His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Patrol the woods. Vanquish any monsters too close to the village. We’re the resident protectors.”
I knew he had talked about all of them having jobs, but he had never gone into detail about it.
Dom stepped up beside me. “The monsters here are vicious. While we take care of them, others go out in search of supplies.”
“What are monsters like? Do they kill people or just attack?”
A few of the men chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“You asked that so calmly that it sounded like you wanted to date one. They’re monsters, Adele. They want to eat everyone and cause chaos. What else would they be like?” Dom asked, one brow arched.
“Well, I thought maybe they were misunderstood, like everyone else is.”
Darren stopped, his mouth agape. When our eyes locked, I knew I had said the wrong thing. “Tell that to those they’ve killed. These monsters don’t think like us and that is what gives the Isle a bad name.”
“It’s not like I know anything, Darren. I’m new here and need to learn. Maybe one day I could go with you on patrol.”
The others turn to face me. “No,” they said in unison.
“Come on, why not?”
“Your job is to clean the house and wait for us to get home. You can cook too, if you’d like. We’d love it. But that’s it. We don’t want you to end up dead out on patrol.”