A Grey Wolves Howliday (The Grey Wolves #14) by Quinn Loftis

Jen snorted. “If he’s breathing, then he’s trying to get in my pants.”

Jacque pushed away from the counter. “So, what did you tell your parents?”

“I remained calm, surprisingly. I told Mom the invitation was open, and Decebel even had a plane we could send so they wouldn’t have to fly commercial. Then she made a snide comment about how I had obviously had the resources all this time to see them whenever I wanted. Therefore, I must have deliberately made the choice not to. I bit my tongue again and asked if they’d come. She said they had other plans, told me she loved me, and hoped to meet her granddaughter one day soon. She wouldn’t even use Thia’s name.” Jen pinched the bridge of her nose and then smoothed her fingers across her forehead. “We’re trying to keep them from becoming doormats to the Order, and she thinks I’m being a selfish brat. Which I could have called them, but I’ve avoided it because of this kind of crap. It always turns into a catfight with her. And frankly, I’m just tired of trying to please her and always failing.”

Jacque and Sally glanced at one another. They weren’t strangers to Jen’s battles with her parents. Jen couldn’t seem to make them happy. Jacque knew they loved her, but they had expectations that Jen had never been interested in meeting. She’d always had her own idea of what her life would be, regardless of what anyone, including her parents, thought. She’d decided at some point in high school she wouldn’t keep beating a dead horse. So, she and her parents had lots of fights and Jen spent many nights at Jacque’s house eating Oreos and drinking hot chocolate while she lamented the fact her parents didn’t understand her and didn’t care to try.

“Will you tell Decebel eventually?” Sally asked.

“Yes, but I don’t want to worry him. He’s already worried about me because I’m going a little overboard with this whole celebration thing.”

“A little?” Jacque cracked a smile.

Jen shrugged. “Why do anything if you’re just going to half-ass it?”

“There’s the Jennifer we know and love,” Sally held her hand up to her friend, which Jen high fived.

“Damn straight.” She took a deep breath and then let it out. “Enough girly, bonding crap. We’ve got work to do.”

“Are we really going to have a girls’ night and corrupt poor Zara?” Jacque asked as they started walking.

“I won’t force it on her, but I think a girls’ night would be fun. Pajama party, painting fingernails, pillow fights.” Jen grinned at them. “We could even casually hint to the guys that there might be the possibility of a naked pillow fight.”

Sally shook her head. “That would get us all locked in our rooms.”

“I don’t know about that.” Jacque felt her mate in her mind, his interest piqued. “Naked pillow fights seem like something they’d make an exception for.”

“You obviously weren’t reading my interest correctly, Luna,” Fane said into her mind. “You grabbed my attention when I caught Sally’s statement about locking you in our room. I have no desire to watch you have a naked pillow fight,” he paused, “unless it is with me, of course.”

“Of course.” Jacque laughed.

“Costin’s totally not on board with that,” Sally said, a blush creeping up her neck. There was no telling what her flirty mate had said to her.

“Why on earth would you two even let your mates in on that tidbit?” Jen huffed. “Amateurs. You’re supposed to send them a naked mental picture while we’re at the girls’ night and then tell them we’re having a naked pillow fight … even though we’re not.”

“Some of us don’t feel the need to torture our males on a regular basis,” Jacque pointed out.

“Liar,” Jen muttered. “You just do it in different ways.”

They reached the main living room and saw Peri and Elle helping Crina and Zara out with the lights, though they were doing it the good old-fashioned way. Peri was cursing up a storm and attempting to untangle the twisted cords. She held out her hand as if to use magic, and Jen spoke up. “Don’t even think about it, Peri Fairy.”

“Why is it you always pop up at the most annoying times?” Peri grumbled.

“It’s her superpower,” Sally offered.

“Among other things.” Jacque walked over and opened a new box of ornaments. “I’m going to get started on another one. How many trees are in the mansion, Jen?”

Jen looked up at the immense fir tree standing in the corner. “There are ten right now, but there will be twenty-three total.”

Jacque’s chest tightened as a realization hit her. Jen was putting up a tree for every person who’d died in the battle at the Keep. Her mouth dropped open, then she closed it without speaking.

Peri must have realized the significance of the number as well because she looked around at all the jumbled decorations and then at the rest of them. “What the hell are you waiting for? A royal invitation? We’ve got lights to untangle and trees to deck.”

“I thought it was halls that were supposed to be decked.” Crina was wrestling with her own strand of lights.

“Trees, halls, what does it matter? Let’s just deck it all.”