Alpha Asher by Jane Doe (Alpha Asher & Lola)
Chapter 197
For the rest of the night we laughed, ate, and talked. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had this much fun, where there wasn’t some threat looming over my shoulder. Since taking on the responsibility of Luna and Queen of the Vampires, there wasn’t much time to kick back and relax.
Even Tristan and Giovanni seemed to be enjoying themselves. The latter was absorbed in a conversation with Asher and his dad. Breyona kept her distance, but every time Giovanni’s eyes lit up with interest, she’d practically squeal. Tristan was elbows deep in whatever argument Zeke had incited, but judging from the occasional smirks they gave one another, it wasn’t serious enough to intervene.
Before long, a few of us began packing things up. There were enough leftovers to feed a small army of humans, which meant there was just enough for Asher and I to last the week with. Grandma’s desserts, on the other hand. Those were gone before anything else.
Dad and grandma, along with Asher’s parents, were the first to leave. Sometime during the evening, Holly decided she wanted to stay for the sleepover Ca*s*sidy was hosting. She seemed a bit nervous, toying with the hem of her dress, but surprisingly, Clara took her aside and helped smooth things out.
Since Asher didn’t feel comfortable leaving all of us here alone, we made a compromise. The guys would keep to themselves and find something to do, while the girls had full rein of the in-home theatre, living room, and minibar.
None of them objected to the idea, not once Asher showed them the lounge and his aged whiskey collection. If anything, I think Giovanni might’ve been ready to swoon.
“I’m totally down to hang out and drink, but can we maybe find a late-night barber or something first?” Sean asked, narrowing his eyes at me in particular when everyone burst into laughter. Even Tristan and Giovanni cracked a smile, and they were two of the most stoic men in the room.
Zeke clapped him on his back and said, “Not to worry, man. I can cut your hair for you.”
“You can?” Sean asked dryly.
“Sure can.” Zeke nodded, “I’ve done it before.”
Placated with Zeke’s answer, Sean lumbered into the lounge, jumping into the conversation Mason and Kendrick were having over Asher’s whiskey collection. Kendrick’s entire face had lit up when Asher invited him as well, right down to his hazel and green-flecked eyes. It was wholesome and almost adorable the way Kendrick grinned and stammered, “I-I’d be honored, Alpha!”
When Sean was out of hearing distance, Breyona tapped Zeke on the shoulder and said, “You’ve cut hair before?”
“Yeah, when I was seven. Didn’t do too bad if I do say so myself.” Zeke shrugged, his grin downright cheeky. “Hey, Lola. If I mess up, you think you could regrow his hair a second time?”
I yawned into the palm of my hand, only somewhat tired from using my magic the first time. The amulet Rowena had given me must’ve been doing its job, making it easier to focus my magic. Still, I hoped the wave of exhaustion I felt when conjuring would soon go away. It would royally s*ck if I spent the rest of my life dependent on mid-day naps.
“Don’t see why not.” I replied.
Ca*s*sidy quickly ushered the guys from the room and demanded we all change into something comfortable. I loaned Holly and Clara a pair of pajamas, and half an hour later, found myself sitting front row in the home-theatre while some Werewolf-Vampire romance movie played on the screen.
I bit back a cackle when the tanned, obscenely muscular guy on the screen exploded in a m@ssof fur, his clothes shredded and billowing through the air like confetti. Out of all the inaccurate information I’d seen so far, they at least got that part right.
“I thought I was supposed to be escaping my troubles, but you’ve got us watching werewolves and vampire’s fight.” I said teasingly.
Ca*s*sidy’s face broke out into a grin, her sea glasseyes twinkling with laughter in the low light. She tossed a handful of popcorn into her mouth, groaning happily as she chewed.
“Ugh, I just love popcorn. And hey, at least there’s no witches in the movie!” She giggled. Then she waggled her eyebrows and said, “Plus who doesn’t like watching two attractive men fight over a girl?”
“She needs to pick the werewolf. He’s so hot.” Clara murmured; her eyes fixated on the screen. Or, more specifically, fixated on the tanned shirtless man that walked across the screen.
Breyona wrinkled her nose and turned to give Clara an incredulous look. “Bleh, that wolf has a superiority complex or something. He’s done nothing but boss her around. Plus it’s weird as hell that they can end up mated to a literal child. She needs to pick the Vampire. At least he cares about what she wants.”
“I don’t know about you, but I like me a bossy man and that Vampire of hers is a good hundred years older than she is.” Clara shot back, poking her tongue out.
Breyona was visibly holding back laughter, her shoulder shaking as she bit out, “I like them bossy in the bedroom.”
“Oh, I’m sure wolf-boy’s bossy in the bedroom. These wolf men all have their dominant side.” Clara replied, a knowing tone to her voice that none of us missed.
Ca*s*sidy c*oc*ked an eyebrow at the witch. Lowering her voice, she murmured in my ear.
“Somethings telling me she’s speaking from experience.”
Clara craned her head at us and snapped, “I heard that!”
“I like the Vampire.” Holly’s soft voice rang out, “He seems sweet.”
“Hell yeah, Holly. Us Vampire lovers have to stick together.” Breyona said smugly, earning a smile from my reserved half-sister.
I sat back and enjoyed the rest of the movie, but not nearly as much as I enjoyed listening to everyone bicker. The fact that the other girls included Holly filled me with a lightness that made my head swim, though it could’ve been from the blood I was sipping.
Before the end of the movie, Holly had come out of her shell and was actually cracking her own jokes, most of them about the main characters inability to stay on her own two feet.
She was right though, that Bella girl was clumsy, especially for a human.
After the movie, we migrated back into the living room where Ca*s*sidy had a few bottles of alcohol waiting. There was a mix of wine and liquor, though the liquor was most likely for us wolves. As far as I knew, Vampire’s got intoxicated at the same rate as a human, and I don’t think Holly had ever had alcohol before.
She seemed to have no problem drinking wine though, cradling the goblet in her hands after emptying half a blood-bag into the mix. Catching me eyeing her, she smiled shyly and held the glassout.
“It’s delicious, really. Would you like to try some?”
I accepted her offer and took a small sip of the blood laced wine. My eyebrows crept up my forehead at the flavor and the odd sensation it brought on. The blood made my heart race and heat flood my veins, while the alcohol provided a soothing buzz that amplified everything else.
I could definitely get used to drinking it this way. She nodded knowingly, emptying another blood bag into a clean wine glass, and topping it off with alcohol.
“I’d have a glassevery night at dinner…you know, back then.”
Abruptly, Ca*s*sidy clapped her hands and gasped.
“Oh, I know what we should do. Let’s play Truth or Dare!”
Breyona shrugged like she didn’t mind. When she caught my eye from across the room, she nodded in Clara’s direction. It took me a moment to understand what she was getting at, but when I finally caught on, I was in full agreement.
The five of us sat in a circle, each of us curled up on the sectional with a drink in our hands. Clara quickly explained the rules to Holly, who Ca*s*sidy decided would go first.
“Holly, truth or dare?” The blonde bombshell to my left cooed.
Holly pursed her lips, contemplating before responding. “I think I’ll go with dare.”
“Our first dare of the night! Let’s make this a good one.” Ca*s*sidy clapped. “Hmm, I dare you to scare one of the guys. Doesn’t matter which one but make it good.”
Clara leaned forward in her seat; her full head of curls pulled back.
“Mind if I use my magic to help her?”
Ca*s*sidy tapped her chin, “That’s fine, but Holly has to be the one to scare them.”
While Holly snuck into the kitchen, the four of us hid in the hallway. The lounge was a straight shot to the kitchen, which meant none of the guys would see us hunched over, our hands clasped over our mouths to stifle our laughter. Clara had
one of her hands flat against the wall, feeling around for a few seconds before going still once more. I didn’t ask, but I did pay close attention to what happened next.
It took only a few minutes for the sound of footsteps to appear, growing louder until Kendrick’s scent permeated the kitchen. He was singing under his breath to a song I didn’t know the name of. I was sure that if I peeked around the corner, I’d see him bopping his head as he rummaged through the kitchen.
There was a slight crackle in the air, like an electrical current had been unleashed. Breyona snorted and sputtered behind her hand when Clara’s hair began to lift, and her curls frayed. Without warning, there was a loud ‘pop,’ and the kitchen light went out. The entire room was bathed in darkness, but it was Kendrick we focused on.
“What the fu-”
He had started to say, but I a*s*sume Holly took that moment to jump out because the next thing the four of us heard was a deep, masculine shout, followed by the deafening clank of pots and pans hitting the ground.
Several seconds of silence passed when Kendrick huffed, “Aw man, you made me drop my cookies.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Holly replied sweetly. “Would you say you were thoroughly frightened?”
“Um, yes. Yo, did C@ssput you up to this? She knows I hate jump scares.”
“I was fulfilling a dare, actually. Sorry about your cookies, again. Just curious, but why were they in your pocket? Do you always hoard food? Lola’s grandmother is very kind, and I’m sure she would make you your own batch if you asked.”
Holly’s innocent reply didn’t disappoint and had all of us breaking our silence, starting with Breyona, as we exploded in laughter.