25 Meeting the In-laws

Walking up the concrete pathway, that had been shovelled and salted to protect from ice, I started to feel more and more nervous. The house was built for giants, it was like it was designed to unnerve me.

I stood behind James, he could protect me from his frightening family. I'd never met these people but if they were related to James then they would surely be similar.

He stepped onto the porch and I stepped carefully after him. My eyes darted to see a porchswing, dead potted plants, dead hanging plants, some shovels and work boots set out, all covered with mud.

I swallowed and took another step but collided with James's arm.

I craned my neck back and he glanced over his shoulder down on me. There was something hidden in his expression that I couldn't make out. Whatever it was I didn't have time to decipher it because he knocked on the door at that moment.

I swallowed and shuffled a step out from behind James, even though he still blocked the door from view. I didn't want to seem shy or anything.

I heard footsteps and someone yelling a name, then the door opened. A young woman stood there, her brown eyes warm and inviting.

"James, I'm so glad you're here." She said and she hugged him. She was taller than me and my heart rate began to pick up. She wasn't as tall as James but she was still a foot or so taller then me.

After releasing the hug she looked at me. My nerves unwound slightly at seeing the warmth not leaving her eyes.

"You must be Brooke, it's so nice to finally meet you, what has it been two weeks, three since you were married?"

My throat closed up and I stilled. I hadn't forgotten that I was married to James but… it was not a pleasant memory.

I just nodded and the woman then ushered us in, "Come in, take your shoes off and make yourselves comfortable."

James stepped inside the wide door, the threshold was at least six feet wide. My heart began to palpitate and I felt faint. I didn't want to fall over and make all of these Lycans think I was weak. My hands found James's arm, I was tall enough to reach his forearm so I wrapped my elbow around it to stay steady.

He gave me a look, which I ignored. My heart continued in its palpitations and my breathing became increasingly shallow. I'd actually suffered from heart palpitations before I'd even met Raph, but they'd only gotten worse with the torture.

James stood as still as a statue as I clung to him. I blinked to try and bring some clarity back to my senses.

"Would you like some water?" The woman asked and I shook my head, then rested it on James's arm to keep the dizziness at a minimum.

After a few seconds I removed my hands and forehead from James and took a few deep breaths. It appeared as though my heart palpitations had ceased just in time. Two people were walking towards us, a man and a woman. Both were significantly taller than me and I subconsciously shrunk behind James.

The new woman was taller than the first, and she also looked less warm and inviting. The man was of the same height as James, if not a few inches taller. He had a bushy, dark brown beard that covered the lower half of his face and stretched down further than James's did. His hair was more kept than James's was but was of a darker hue.

I had already guessed that both these people were his parents, the mother shared his brown eyes. The strange thing about Lycans is that they don't age after they reach their mid-twenties to their mid-thirties. Other than the similar facial features, I could not tell that these two were his parents by how old they looked. They looked to be the same age as him.

His mother smiled but it did not reach her eyes, "It's such a pleasure to have you for dinner." She said and I watched as her eyes fogged over, a telltale sign of a mind link.

I stayed put, my eyes watching as her pretentious facial expression faltered. I looked to her husband and saw that his eyes were not glassy, nor were the other woman's whom I now assumed was James's sister.

I straightened my back and was relieved when it did not complain painfully.

"So, how has the move been? You adjusting to the new house well?" His sister asked.

I looked to her calmly and nodded, my face remaining a mask.

"Well," The mother said, her eyes back to normal and her face stretched into a smile, "Dinner will be ready any second now, why don't you four get settled in the dining room?"

I glanced up and saw James nod in response. His mother shot him a warning glare, then she walked away, and I saw that her dark hair was pulled into a bun. James nudged my shoulder and I realized that his sister and father were walking to another room.

I looked up at him and saw that emotion again, but I still couldn't place it. James walked forward and I followed after him.

The house was small, more like cottage really. A few bookshelves were set in corners the walls were old, tacky wooden panelling. A few vases, with either fake or real flowers in them, were arranged on small tables that were placed by couches or in corners around the living room, the room that we had first entered. James walked past a white floral couch with a fuchsia throw sitting atop it.

He walked through a doorway and the new room was momentarily blocked from my view. After he had walked under the doorframe I could see that the new room was a very small, cozy dining room.

I stopped in the doorway to observe it for a second. The table seated six and James's father sat at the head of it, his imposing frame darkening the otherwise sunny atmosphere of the room. The brown table had a doily with a pink and blue vase in the centre filled with daisies. On the opposite side of the doorway across the table was a China cabinet. The wallpaper was yellow with white accents.

I walked to the seat next to James. After the loud screeching that followed me pulling it out I sat down and no one attempted to make conversation. Although I could see that James's sister wanted to.

My eyes glanced at James's father, his dark eyes were glowering angrily at me. I looked back at my gold rimmed plate, this was going to be a fun dinner.