A Life Earthbound (22 page)

As if things
weren’t already stressful enough, Michael and Burke had been graciously invited to stay the night by Serendipity and Thea, which Rhiannon had been unaware of until she strolled into the dining hall and spotted them seated directly beside where her parents usually sat. They were the first ones there, save for her mother, who was busy chatting up Burke with engrossed veracity. It made her sick to see the adoring way Serendipity fawned over Burke, like he was a hero or something. It was downright shameful for her to act that way as a married woman, especially one who had so recently been caught in an affair.

Though Rhiannon was beginning to seriously doubt if her mother really cared for her father at all, especially given her blatant refusal to see just how depressed he was. The memory of her earlier encounter with him that morning shuddered into her mind, and she had to shake it away as she took her seat.

She noticed Michael glance at her, and once again look her up and down, as if deciding for himself whether or not he considered her to be attractive. Disturbed, she nodded in his direction, but did not smile.

She took a sip of wine as the fairies finished conjuring up the meal. She watched them, finding comfort in this one, timeless tradition that reminded her that some of her structure was still in place. The golden lighted fairies, as small as fireflies, soared over the table with rapid speed, hundreds of them, using their special kind of magic to transport what was in the kitchen to the table.

Many of the dishes they brought were ones Rhiannon had created, though she wondered if the other inhabitants of Euphora even realized it. But she didn’t require any credit; she didn’t do it for them. She enjoyed her hobby of cooking and creating new recipes, exploring different kinds of produce, always altering and perfecting. As a result, the tomatoes in the sauce over the chicken parmesan were exceptionally high in lycopene, more than standard tomatoes, and they grew larger and ripened at a quicker pace for faster consumption.

The fresh rosemary that graced the roasted chicken had a sweeter, more robust aroma, thanks to her meticulous attention to detail while the plant was just a seed. And she was certain no one would even realize that the very wine they were drinking had started as grapes from vines she’d grown years earlier, when she’d tried her hand at being a vintner, just for fun.

She saw her father enter the room and felt relief wash over her. He looked much better than he had earlier. Sleep and a shower had done wonders for his appearance. He walked around the table, passing Burke without a word, and took a seat between Serendipity and Rhiannon.

“Did you sleep well?” Rhiannon asked, a small smile curving her lips.

“Yes,” Rohan said simply, nodding to her cordially as he sat straight and rigid, unable to look at his wife, who hadn’t even acknowledged his presence.

Though his hair was combed neatly, his handsome face scrubbed and fixed with an expression of stern politeness, Rhiannon saw his hand tremble as he reached for his wine glass. Seeing it devastated her.

He was pretending everything was fine, that he was better…but it was still there, in his eyes, in his hands…that empty, hollow despair that it seemed only she could see.

Deciding she still had no words of comfort to say to him, she turned away, fighting back the distinct feeling of inadequacy that seeped into her system. Did she have no heart at all, that she didn’t have it in her to help him? Was it her complete and utter lack of understanding emotions that made it impossible for her to know what to say? She’d long ago promised herself she wouldn’t feel anything that wasn’t tidy and predictable…but had it gotten to the point that not feeling something was keeping her from saving him?

That very thought worried her almost more than his condition had.

Others began to file in, greeting Burke with either polite indifference or cheerful smiles. Rhiannon was taking another sip of her wine when she heard Blythe’s telltale husky laugh.

She came into the room, looking bright, vibrant and happy, hand-in-hand with Jax, both of them smiling ear-to-ear. The happiness radiating from them, not to mention the sparks, seemed to resonate and fill the entire room. It made Rhiannon incredibly uneasy.

Both of them stopped when they noticed Burke and Michael sitting at the table, and in an almost comical fashion, they both gaped.

“Hey, Mikey.” Blythe recovered with a grin, brushing back her vivid red curls with her free hand. “Long time no see.”

Michael sneered even as his lips attempted to curl into a smile. “Michael,” he corrected, his brown eyes sharp with dislike.

“Oh, my bad.” She laughed as she jabbed Jax in the side. “Say hello, cowboy. Don’t be rude.”

“Hello, Callahan,” Jax drawled, eyeing Michael with a hardened, sarcastic smile.

“What the hell are you doing here, Murphy?” Michael demanded, glaring at Jax.

“I live here,” Jax replied, his arm winding around Blythe’s tiny figure possessively.

“Ah.” Michael’s eyes trailed back to Blythe and he smiled cruelly. “Must be nice to shack up with one of the Council. Free meals, a place to sleep…someone to sleep with…”

Jax just laughed. “I can’t complain.” He tilted his head down to kiss Blythe, who lushly obliged him, just as eager to irritate Michael as he was.

Rolling his eyes, Michael lifted the nearly empty glass of wine in front of him and downed what was left. Rhiannon could hardly hide the amusement she felt seeing him turn red with both jealousy and indignation. Clearly he had known Jax from when Jax was an Enforcer years before, and, just as clearly, the dislike between them was mutual.

As Blythe and Jax took their seats, Lucian and Clynn came in, along with Brogan and a few others, all of whom greeted Burke kindly. Liam wandered in as well, and when he spotted Michael, the smile that spread over his face took Rhiannon by surprise.

“Hey Michael,” he greeted, reaching over the table to shake hands. Michael rose to his feet, only because he knew his father expected it, and shook Liam’s hand.

“Liam.” He nodded, though he made sure to keep his head tilted up in arrogance, a show of superiority. Rhiannon wondered if he felt intimidated by Liam and this was his way of combating it.

Liam sat between his father and Blythe, directly across the table from Michael. He greeted Burke with a gracious grin, then sat back nonchalantly in his seat, wine glass in hand, watching Michael as if he was the most entertaining person alive. Clearly this was an attempt to irritate him because Michael was just as determined to keep eye contact with Liam; each of them participating in a male staring contest, laced with dare and obvious challenge. Liam was still willing to protect his home, and Michael was arrogant and foolish enough to challenge him.

When Capri and Rian came in, hand-in-hand, Rian nodded to their guests in greeting and pulled out Capri’s chair so she could sit. She sat and thanked him with a kiss as he sat beside her.

“Capri, this is Burke Callahan, and his son Michael. They are both Enforcers,” Rian told her, motioning across the table. Burke glanced up and nodded to her courteously, before resuming his conversation with Serendipity.

Michael turned from Liam and eyed Capri strangely. “Aren’t you the girl who got kidnapped?” he asked.

Capri blushed, but acknowledged him with a nod. “Yes, fifteen years ago.”

“My father said they found you living in the real world, with my kind,” he continued, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

“I was living in an orphanage in Virginia, until Liam found me back in March.” Capri smiled politely, still embarrassed to talk about her past.

Michael snorted. “How embarrassing that no one adopted you the entire time you lived there.”

Rhiannon stared at him incredulously, not believing his blatant lack of civility. How dare he say such an awful thing?

She was about to give him a piece of her mind, but when she glanced over at Capri’s shocked face and then saw the fury in Rian’s eyes, she knew she wasn’t alone in feeling insulted for her.

“You’re out of line, Callahan,” Rian said slowly, his eyes hard and dangerous.

“What? All I said was that it was embarrassing for her.” Michael scoffed, chuckling to himself. “Some people are way too sensitive.”

“And others are much too insensitive,” Rian added, his hand protectively holding Capri’s beneath the table.

Rhiannon had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

Though she would have preferred nothing more than to go upstairs and crawl into bed with a good book, her mother insisted she stay and talk to Michael. Which was, as she would soon discover, an incredibly grating task.

They were standing together beside the grand piano in the parlor, sipping wine and forcing conversation. He seemed as annoyed with the idea of talking with her as she was with him, sheer boredom written across his face. Either that or he just always looked that way, which wouldn’t surprise her one bit.

“Did you enjoy dinner?” Rhiannon asked, trying to be polite.

He sighed, visibly uninterested. “It was alright. At home we have our own chef, Luis. I have yet to taste food that is better than his, so I admit I’m spoiled when I visit other places.” He chuckled to himself with a smirk, and she had to summon all the power within her not to roll her eyes. Had she ever met someone with such arrogance?

“And the wine? Is it to your liking?” She took a sip herself, and eyed him over the rim.

He sampled another taste, rolling it on his tongue before answering her. “This is quite exceptional. Hint of cherry, kind of a...” he swirled the glass and sniffed, shifting his gaze to her as he did so, “woodsy aroma, bit of vanilla mixed in…yes, quite exceptional. You’ll have to give me the name of the winery.”

“There is no winery.” Rhiannon replied, a hint of pride in her voice. “I made this wine here.”

“Hmm.” He stared down at the wine. “My father said you were talented, but I didn’t realize your talents stretched into wine making.”

“It was a hobby of mine for a few years. I don’t have much time for it now,” she told him, brushing away the thought. “So tell me about life as an Enforcer.”

“There isn’t much to tell,” he muttered, irritated. “My father tells me to jump and I ask how high.”

Her brows creased together as she stared at him, realizing that this was probably the most candid thing he’d said to her all night. “Are you saying you don’t want to be an Enforcer?”

He shrugged, taking another sip of wine and glancing over her shoulder where his father was entertaining the Muses. His eyes tightened at the sight. “What I want is respect.”

She turned and followed his gaze, only to find herself also annoyed by what she saw. Her mother, cozying up to Burke once again. She didn’t even see her father, who had probably gone up to bed without anyone even noticing.

“Your father speaks very highly of you. Surely that is a sign of his respect?” she offered, turning back to him.

“I’m his project, nothing more.” Michael scowled, meeting her eyes. “But that doesn’t matter. I’ll earn my own respect soon enough. Until then, I’ll play his little game like an obedient puppy.”

One of Rhiannon’s brows shot up at his words.

“What kind of game could he possibly be playing with you, Michael?” she asked, curious and dismayed at the same time. Unfortunately, the way he felt seemed to mirror her own sentiments regarding her parents. Hadn’t her entire life been a project for them? Molding her into the perfect Dryad, the perfect woman, never giving her a choice to be anything other than what they wanted?

“You’ll find out soon enough, Rhiannon.” Michael chuckled, downing his glass of wine with a disturbing smirk. “Your mother’s quite an industrious, devious bitch.”

Shock flashed across her face as she gaped at him, unsure what to say. Before she could do more than digest his words, Liam appeared at her side and wrapped one arm protectively over her shoulders.

“Hey Michael,” Liam greeted easily with a grin, looking casual and cool as always. Yet there was a warning in his eyes, subtle, but distinct none the less.

Michael’s smirk vanished as he eyed Liam with intense dislike. “Come to monopolize the ladies like always, Liam?”

“What can I say, it’s a gift.” Liam laughed, his hand subtly squeezing Rhiannon’s shoulder to get her attention.