A/N: Barely managed to finish this chapter in time, so if there's any mistakes, that's why. My bad, hope you guys enjoy!
Chapter 24
Okay, for once, whatever was happening, Riley was pretty sure it wasn't her fault. The point of the matter was still there, of course. Chaos was still happening, and Riley was in the center of it.
Riley was behaving herself, for the most part, save for the whole "stealing food from anyone she could reach" thing. As her reach wasn't exactly the longest, that meant taking food from Leah on her left, Paul on her right, Seth across from her, and maybe, if she got lucky, she could manage to steal from Bella or Jacob too. Or maybe when she struggled to stretch far enough to reach their plates without any of her usual sneaky ninja quickness, they just felt sorry for her and pushed a little of their food her way. Didn't matter, because Riley got what she wanted regardless.
Then, out of nowhere, in swept the three blondes from Denali. It all started when Bella had been naive enough to get up and get more food instead of using one of Riley's approaches to confiscate food from others. Actually, it was probably the best she had gotten up, because only seconds later, Jacob and Seth had been shoved far down the bench before they even knew what was happening. In their place? Three beautiful blonde goddesses, all who appeared way too interested in poor, hungry Riley.
Riley did her best to pretend she wasn't actually nervous with those three pairs of golden eyes on her, although she did find herself absently rubbing her injured arm. For whatever reason, it started to buzz, as if she had been laying on it in a strange way and it had gone to sleep. "I'm still just a slut, you know." Fuck, wrong thing to say, Riley was sure of it. She didn't even have to look into their eyes to know it, which was why she suddenly found her food a lot more interesting. Calm down, Riley. Don't let them freak you out. And, no matter what they suggest, do not hop into their lap. Especially not Kate's. The particular Denali was still missing her shirt, and it took everything Riley had not to stare.
"Not as much of a slut as I want you to be, seeing as you don't want to jump into my bed," Kate said with a petulant huff and a glare at Leah, like it was all her fault. Leah glared right back, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to risk provoking the vampires and potentially getting angry enough to shift with Riley so close. Damn, she didn't know what was up with those three, but she really wished someone would kick their asses already.
"Kate," Tanya said in a way that was more exasperated than reprimanding like Riley felt it should be. Kate shrugged, clearly not chastised. Riley was about to throw in her own two cents about how all three Denali women better watch how they treat Leah, but sadly Tanya continued before Riley could come up with the not so proper and appropriate wording. "Anyway, Riley, we want to know more-"
Next thing anyone knew, Paul was on the table on his side, head propped up in his hand, body in a pose that was a mockery of an attempt to be sexy. What really mattered to Paul was that his large beefy body was doing an excellent job of blocking Riley and the three blonde vamps from seeing each other.
Kate was seconds away from shocking Paul's ass off the table, but her hand was caught by Tanya before she could get anywhere. Irina had already filled her and Kate in on how close Riley and Paul were. Regardless of how irritating the temperamental wolf was being, shocking him might push them even further onto Riley's bad side.
"What are you doing, Lahote?" Riley asked. Seriously, she was the one who was supposed to do random shit that made no sense. Paul taking that role was just all kinds of weird to her.
"I'm saving your ass," Paul replied. "If I didn't block your view, you'd be stuck drooling over blondie one, two, and three, and you'd never finish eating shit."
"I can totally eat and drool at the same time, thank you," Riley shot back, even though she was a little bit thankful to have a break from the intense eyes. She pointed her fork at Paul, glancing at Leah for backup. "I know I'm not the expert on manners or any of that fuckery, but I'm pretty sure Paul's actions can be seen as starting shit. Should we do something?"
Leah busied herself by hiding her smirk with a forkful of food. "I don't know about that, we can just chalk it up to Paul being weird."
"Weird and sexy," Paul said with pride. Mama Paul was already working hard to protect Riley, and he was more than pleased to have figured out a way to intervene without getting violent.
"What's so wrong with showing interest in Riley?" Tanya asked. She barely managed to keep her emotions in check and her voice calm as she spoke to Paul's back. How dare this pup dare to keep her from seeing her mate? "I understand we didn't get off on the right foot, but with the way you're acting, it's like you want to start a fight between us instead of uniting to face the upcoming threat."
"Really, and here I thought you were making progress after seeing your behavior inside," Irina added. She didn't bother to hide the annoyance in her tone; once again, that wolf was separating Irina from Riley and she hated it.
"If you don't move, I'll shock your ass," Kate threatened.
"Try it, let's see what happens," Paul challenged in return. He knew Kate wouldn't kill him without some serious repercussions, and he was up for taking a few shocks if it was for Riley's sake.
While Riley was more than enjoying the break for the minute, she couldn't keep hiding-not until later, anyway. Not to mention she really didn't feel like dealing with a Paul who had a charred ass; she was sure he would milk the hell out of it, and Riley would be so guilty she would let him. Besides, the sooner Riley answered all of their questions, the sooner they might leave her alone and give her some distance.
"Leah." That was all Riley needed to say. With one glance at Riley to make sure she was being serious, Leah let out a frustrated sigh, grabbed Paul by the leg, and dragged him right off the table. Paul let out a grunt as he landed on the ground, but when he shot a "why they fuck are you against me" glare at Leah, she gave him an apologetic look. Clearly, she preferred him between Riley and the blondes, but she was so fucking whipped by Riley that she apparently would still take the munchkin's side regardless.
Irina was more than pleased with Paul's treatment, and Kate enjoyed a good chuckle at Paul's expense. Tanya, while wearing a brief smile at Paul's pain, quickly focused back on Riley. Riley, who was purposely not looking at any of them again. Damn it, she had really hoped that her flirting with Kate would have opened her up to them a little more.
"So, what do you want?" Riley asked. She could feel the intensity of Tanya's gaze, and she was not about to become trapped by Tanya's gaze again.
"We want to get to know you, is that so bad?" Tanya murmured, her voice getting all sexy again just like Riley should have expected. She had totally made the right move by refusing to look at the coven leader.
Still, thinking about it, the Denalis showing such interest in her, especially after so much snarling and hissing, was beyond weird. Wait, didn't Tanya have a crush on Edward in the books? Riley remembered Bella mentioning that Edward was uncomfortable with Tanya's thoughts and clear crush on him earlier too. So what was a woman with such a huge crush on Edward, no matter how questionable that crush was, doing? Why was she throwing her sex appeal at Riley when she could be doing that to Edward?
Whatever. Riley would just have to keep her guard up and get this interrogation over with. If she played it smart, she could probably get some info of her own.
With a sigh, Riley put her fork down and leaned back in her imaginary chair for dramatic effect. She probably would have fallen, but Leah and Paul put their hands against her back so she wouldn't look like a complete dumbass. The human made sure not to look any of the Denali sisters in the eye as she asked, "What do you want to know?"
Tanya drummed her fingers on the table for a moment as she thought about what to ask first, the action drawing the human's attention. Everyone could smell the increase in Riley's arousal as she stared at Tanya's fingers, and while it disgusted the shifters, it drove Tanya mad to not know what Riley was thinking about. Outwardly, she was the picture of calm, cool, and collected, but on the inside, she wanted nothing more than to drag the human onto her lap and finally get some of the contact she craved so badly.
"Let's start with something simple; how did you get involved with the shifters?"
Riley almost made the mistake of looking into Tanya's eyes, she was so surprised. How the hell was that simple? Of course, she was great at playing it cool, so she didn't. Her poker face was on and she said, "No comment."
With a grimace, Tanya moved on, knowing better than to push and possibly alienate herself from her mate. "How did you get involved with the Cullens, then."
"That's not a question," was Riley's reply. And she was right; Tanya had phrased it in a way that was more demanding of answers, and Riley was not about to give into anyone's demands. Unless those demands were more "personal" and made when they were naked and in the bedroom...then Riley would probably be all for it.
Irina touched Tanya's thigh sympathetically when she felt the strawberry blonde's frustration, while Kate was more concerned with keeping a straight face at how hard their mate was making it for the coven leader. They had all decided that it would be best for Tanya to ask questions first as she tended to be the best at getting answers, but it seemed like even she was going to struggle with their wild little mate.
"How did you end up involved with the Cullens?" Tanya amended.
"No comment." Riley didn't even hesitate in her reply, and this time, it was Tanya who was stuck staring at her incredulously. The shifters at her sides snickered at Riley's response, completely pleased to see more people struggle when it came to dealing with Riley.
"Fine." Tanya had to take a moment to think up a question that Riley would surely be able to answer. Finally, she asked, "Where are you from?"
Again, Riley's answer was swift. "No comment."
"Really? Not even that?" Tanya asked in disbelief. Riley only shrugged in reply. "Do you plan on actually answering any of my questions?"
"I am answering them."
"With something other than 'no comment.'"
Riley crossed her arms over her chest defensively, frowning in the direction of Tanya. "Of course I do. Not my fault you're asking the hard questions."
"What's so hard about answering where you're from?" Tanya's exasperation was palpable now. She and her sisters wanted to learn about their mate, and the answers they were getting only made things worse, both for them and their beasts.
Besides the fact that Riley was from a different world and she knew that the vampires would be able to likely tell if she were lying or even fudging the truth? Nothing. "No comment," Riley said instead, for obvious reasons.
Tanya almost snarled in frustration. She needed to know things about her mate! Was Riley torturing her on purpose?
Kate cut in with a grin, leaning closer to Riley. The air between them felt charged, but it did whenever Kate got close to her mate. To Kate, it was just her belief that it was the sexual tension accompanied by the mate bond. "So what's your favorite sex position?"
Paul released a low warning growl, just like the mama bear he was, and Leah tensed, clearly uncomfortable. Riley just laughed and leaned closer. Flirting was easy; it was a game she could play even at her worst.
"Any way you'll have me," the human purred, even daring to make eye contact with the middle sister, and Kate's eyes immediately darkened several shades.
"Oh, I'll have you al-"
"Do you always sit on your friends?" Irina interrupted before Kate could sidetrack them any further. It was a stupid question, she knew it was, but she needed to know. If only to settle her own jealousy.
Riley once more leaned back, this time accompanied by a shrug. "Just Paul for the most part, even though he's a shitty chair."
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm top tier!" Paul protested, making some nearby shifters chuckle before quickly busying themselves to continue pretending like they weren't paying attention.
Riley continued like Paul hadn't spoken. "And I sit on Leah too, but that's just because I'm trying to seduce her."
"Dude!" Leah exploded, her face quickly turning several shades darker. Both she and Paul, as well as every vampire and shifter there, tensed when the three Denali sisters all let out low growls under their breath at the news. The tension only faded when the three blondes forced themselves to relax at the news.
Riley played it cool, like she hadn't heard anything and was just as clueless of a human as Bella was. But damn, they really did hate Leah. Or did they hate Riley for flirting with a shifter? Or was it something else altogether? Ugh, why did simple questions have to be so fucking complicated?
Again, Riley reached for the pendant around her neck and she rubbed the locket through the cloth, desperately wishing Sasha could help her. This time, she was so lost in thought, she didn't notice how all three Denali sisters watched the act, clearly taking note of it.
"So, besides the shifters, where are your friends and family? Who are you living with?" Tanya asked.
"No comment."
Damn it! Why? "Why are you answering my sisters' questions and not mine?" Tanya demanded.
"It's not like I mean to! You're the one asking all the complicated questions," Riley shot back petulantly. She picked up her burger and took another bite to busy herself, just in case Tanya would try and ask another probing question.
"What is so complicated about them?" Tanya grumbled, but it was mostly under her breath, not for Riley to hear, and so Riley was happy to stay quiet. "Fine then. What made you come to Forks, and how long have you been here?"
Ugh, that was another complicated one. Riley couldn't help but exchange a glance with Leah as Leah was technically the one who "found" her, which of course the Denalis noticed, and all seemed to turn their glares on the she-wolf. Okay, yeah, Riley had better answer this one, or they might turn their fury on Leah even more. "I've been here for a few months now. As for why…" Fuck, fuck, what should she say? "Lightning."
"Lightning?" all three sisters echoed.
Riley nodded. "Lightning," she confirmed.
Irina just had to press her, if only a little. "Do you want to expand on that?"
"Nope." Riley took another bite of her burger as Irina sighed, and now it was the Denali sisters' turns to share looks. Their minds were buzzing with questions, but it was clear that they weren't going to get any more answers at that moment.
"Well, what are your hobbies? What is it that you like to do?" Irina asked.
The answer was out of Riley's mouth before she could realize her mistake. "Sex and Leah."
Of course, it was too easy for everyone to make the connection. The Denali sisters were out of their seat in a heartbeat, ready to launch themselves across the bench right at the poor she wolf. Leah was just as fast, hopping over the bench to try and put some distance between them in case they really did attack her. Paul also rose, but stayed where he was, just in case he needed to grab Riley and pull her out of the way.
"Damn it Riley!" Leah growled. She was shaking with the need to shift, three pairs of black vampire eyes on her making her instincts and wolf go haywire. "Are you trying to paint a target on my back?"
Around them, shifters and vampires were tense much more. The wolves were all releasing growls of warning, ready to shift at a moment's notice. Bella had been moved out of harm's way by Edward, and was watching the stand off anxiously. The only one who seemed unconcerned with the situation was Riley herself.
"It's not my fault they can't take a joke," Riley grumbled. She speared some mac n cheese with her fork and put it in her mouth. Outwardly, she appeared calm and relaxed, but if any of the blondes tried to attack Leah, she was going to go full out to stop them, secrets be damned.
She still couldn't understand why the three blondes were acting the way they were. It was almost as if they were playing the part of the possessive, jealous girlfriend-something that obviously made no sense in this case. Irina's mate was dead, Kate's was coming soon, and while Tanya wasn't mated, she still had a huge crush on Edward. There was no reason for them to act like a possessive lover for someone they just met, unless Riley was missing something. But what?
"Are you attracted to us?" Tanya asked, her black gaze now burning into Riley as she struggled to make her body relax.
Riley snorted, partially in amazement that Tanya was actually asking her such a thing, partially because she was trying to hide how strangely nervous the question made her. "Oh, please. You three already know the answer to that."
"I need you to say it."
The slight order in Tanya's voice wasn't lost on Riley, but she also heard a hint of desperation in the Denali leader's voice. So instead of bristling or being an ass about it, Riley rolled her eyes and muttered, "Yes, I'm attracted to you. To all of you. A hell of a lot. Did you not hear how I have a thing for blondes?"
That was enough to soothe the beasts in the three sisters, and all managed to relax and sit down on the bench.
"This is getting ridiculous Carlisle!" Sam snarled from somewhere behind Riley. "I don't know what their problem is, but it needs to end! I will not have my wolves in danger."
"We'll explain what's going on later, I promise," Carlisle said as he once more struggled to smooth things over. "There's a reason for all of this."
Oh, why couldn't they discuss it now? Riley really wanted to know what was going on. What better time for them to talk about it was when they thought the humans couldn't hear anything they were saying? Sadly, instead of demanding to hear about it now, Sam simply grumbled an unhappy "Fine."
"Maybe you should go hang out near Sam," Paul muttered to Leah.
"Like hell I will." She was not going to let the three leeches scare Leah away, especially not when they had such a strange interest in Riley. Leah wasn't going to leave her best friend to those three psychos.
Paul sighed at the response, but knew pushing wasn't going to do anything. Leah had made up her mind.
"You sure don't seem scared despite being surrounded by shifters and werewolves," Irina remarked. She didn't know whether to be amazed by her mate or concerned at her apparent lack of fear.
Riley flashed a smile at Irina. "Nope, not at all."
"So," Kate started as she managed to lower herself back onto the bench, acting so relaxed and carefree it was like the previous moment had never happened. "You have a lot of scars on your body, huh?"
"Sure do," Riley said in agreement.
Kate pointed to a long one on Riley's left forearm. "Where'd you get that one?"
"No comment."
A small frown appeared on Kate's face, but she persisted. "What about that one? The one on the side of your neck."
"No comment."
"That one then?" Kate asked, pointing to the one behind Riley's ear.
"No comment."
Kate was clearly getting frustrated herself. She wanted to know how Riley got those scars, if the people who inflicted them were still alive. The need to hurt those who hurt her mate was a powerful thing. It was funny when Tanya was getting frustrated with being stonewalled, but now that it was her dealing with it, Kate wasn't having nearly as much fun.
"Is there any scar on your body you won't say 'no comment' to?" Kate asked in exasperation.
Riley paused, thinking about it for a moment. "...No comment," she said at last.
Oh, how Kate just wanted to flip something in frustration. Maybe the table? Or that wolf named Paul? Ugh, no, she couldn't. She was trying to behave herself here. Instead, Kate just let out a loud groan and threw her hands in the air. "Group sex, then! How do you feel about groupsex?" she asked, needing to ask something that Riley would actually answer. Properly, not with that stupid "no comment" shit.
This time, Riley paused before giving her answer, knowing better than to impulsively suggest having groupsex with every girl except Alice here to find out. Instead, she answered carefully. "Hot naked girls and I get to touch and fuck all of them? What's not to love?" Okay, maybe she hadn't answered carefully, but at least the Denali sisters didn't explode on anyone this time. In fact, all three looked pleased.
"And having group sex with us?" Kate continued.
Riley swallowed hard at the thought. She definitely wanted to, would love every second of it, but all of her old alarm bells were telling her it so wasn't a good idea. Not with how she was already reacting to the three blondes just from looking at them.
While Riley didn't answer verbally, the increase in her heart rate coupled with her lust filling the air was answer enough. The three blondes all smirked at her, and Riley could feel those smirks even while she was determined to only look at her food.
Leah now had to be the one to stop from launching herself across the bench at the three blondes. She didn't know what their game was, but she didn't like how they were zeroing in on Riley. Riley wasn't a toy, damn it.
Tanya couldn't hold herself back from continuing the questions in a more serious direction. "Do you know about vampire mates?"
The question took Riley by surprise, but she sure as hell didn't show it. "Yup." She had no idea where this was coming from, but Riley was sure it had something to do with Bella and Edward. Why else would Tanya bring it up? She was probably going to say how Bella and Edward were mates and Riley had to back off. Ugh, even vampires did stupid things for crushes, that was for sure.
"What do you think of them? The concept of mates, I mean."
Everyone noticed how intensely all three blondes were staring at Riley, but only Riley seemed out of the loop as to why. The entire pack, on the other hand, was coming to different levels of realization, and none of them were happy about it. Not even because these were vampires; but because there were three of them, and if these three women were actually Riley's mates, then that means they were after what everyone, regardless of age, saw as their little sister. Emphasis on little, of course, because Riley was short and the pack was never going to let her forget it.
Leah and Paul looked from Riley to the three women, clearly desperate for answers, for the possibility to just not be true.
Riley was still clueless. In her mind, Tanya was asking because of Edward and Bella. "I think it's cool that you all have mates and all. Cool if you believe in the true love shit, kind of sucks if fate decides to stick with a shitty asshole." There, that was a balanced enough answer surely. Wasn't antagonistic per se, but also hinted at what Riley really felt-that Edward was a fucking asshole and everyone should feel sorry for Bella if he really was her mate. Cause seriously, Bella deserved better.
Okay, that wasn't the answer they were hoping for, but it could have been a lot worse. After a shared look with her sisters, Tanya decided to forge ahead.
"What if someone said that they were your mate?"
Tanya's question hung in the air, everyone's attention on Riley, all desperate to hear an answer. For a moment, everyone thought Riley would say "no comment" or brush it off with some flirty answer.
No one expected the laugh of disbelief to burst from her. "If anyone said that shit to me? I'd call them on their bullshit, kick their ass, and then spend the rest of my life avoiding them. Why would I put up with that fuckery when I don't have to?" Riley wanted to see the person who tried that shit with her. Even if she was the type to believe she deserved to be loved and had some kind of soulmate out there, she wasn't in the same world. She was in fucking Twilight. There was no way her "soulmate" would be in another fucking dimension that, as far as Riley could tell, she ended up in by complete chance. Anybody who tried to tell her otherwise would have to believe Riley to be a dumbass.
The closest thing she had to a soulmate was Sasha, and that was in a weird mother/sister sense. And Sasha was dead.
She was so caught up in her own thoughts that Riley didn't notice the stunned silence that fell over the rest of the people around her. Even Bella, who had crept back to a separate bench so she could listen in and slowly stuff her face, had frozen in place, realizing just how much pain those words had caused the three Denalis.
Of course, even those words from their mate didn't mean that any of the Denalis would give up. It just meant they had to change tactics and not outright tell Riley what she was to them. For now, Tanya was just desperate to fill the awkward silence that filled the space between the three blondes and their mate.
It was at that moment that Tanya's gaze fell on the little cloth bag around Riley's neck, the one Riley was currently holding with her injured hand as if drawing strength from it. She and her sisters had seen Riley touch the bag many times before, and it sparked a powerful curiosity in all of them.
"Why is that necklace so important to you? Sometimes you touch it as if it's the only thing that can ground you." Tanya regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth, because the second they did, she could see Riley cut herself off from them. Her eyes became hard, guarded, and a second later, Riley's hands were on the table, food forgotten as she pushed herself to her feet.
Riley had mentioned the necklace to a few members of the pack and Bella before, but always on her own time, when she was ready. Somehow, Tanya asking her and pointing out how much Riley relied on it was like a knife through her heart.
"We're done here," Riley said, hopping over the bench and storming away without a glance back.
"Nice going, dumbasses," Leah spat, jumping up herself as she ran after her friend.
"You couldn't have left shit alone," Paul muttered before following Leah and Riley away from the table.
Just like that, food was forgotten as the pack left the tables, upset because Riley was upset and the Denali sisters were the cause. The only ones who stayed at the tables were the three blondes, who were still stunned by their mate's reaction.
"Even I knew not to ask about the necklace, damn," Emmett muttered with a whistle. If he weren't so worried about Riley, he would've been impressed with how well Tanya had managed to fuck everything up.
"Not helping," Rosalie hissed, elbowing him hard in the stomach.
"I'm just saying…" Sensing how upset Rosalie was, Emmett trailed off and put his arm around his mate, kissing her temple. "Riley will be back to old self in no time, don't you worry Rose."
Rosalie didn't even try to deny it. She was worried. The look on Riley's face when she turned away had been...concerning, to say the least. Then there were the blonde sisters, all who looked beyond devastated.
"I think that we've had enough training for today. Thank you for the lessons; we'll see you tomorrow," Sam said.
Despite the sun still high in the sky with plenty of time left in the day, nobody tried to convince them to stay