Chapter 40 - The Ring With Her Name On

“What should we do now?” Kerri asked Arik, who was kissing her stomach. They were sprawled on the couch, supposedly watching television.

“I have something in mind,” he said into her stomach, smirking.

She whacked his head. “Get off me.” She picked up the remote and flicked through the channels, bored. “You know, I have a feeling that I should be feeling really concerned or worried or stressed out about the fact that one of the best werewolves in werewolf history is coming to kidnap me and enslave me in a chocolate factory. But somehow, I’m just not worried.”

He crawled up and kissed her. “Because deep down, you know that you’re going to be okay.”

“Mm. Maybe.” She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling on his black locks so that they were completely straight before letting go. “I love your hair.”

He nibbled on her ear. “Want to go shopping?”

She bounded up and he jumped back in surprise. “Can we?”

He grinned. “Let’s go to the fashion department.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s…well, it’s the fashion department in the company. It’s where I got most of your clothes. The ones before the invasion. And the best thing is, they’re all for free.”

“Really? Let’s go! What are we waiting for?” She dragged him off the couch.

“Are you a shopaholic?” he asked her after grumbling about her almost pulling his arm out of his socket.

“Not really. Kind of. You see, I need something to make me feel like a girl again. I’ve been spending too much time with guys, and shopping makes me feel like a girl, so…I’m going shopping.”

“I have other ideas on how to make you feel like a girl.”

She shot him a look. “I’d whack you on the head again, but you didn’t have that much brain cells to begin with, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with a blubbering horny idiot.”

He laughed and swept her up into his arms, making her shriek, and shifted.

***

Kerri flicked through the clothes absentmindedly, carefully shielding her mind against Arik before going through the conversation she had had with him earlier on.

“Because deep down, you know that you’re going to be okay,” he had said.

Or was it because Ty was coming? Did she think that Ty was going to save her? Was that why she didn’t feel worried at all? Stupid, she chastised herself. Ty was the bad guy. Or was he? Was he actually the good guy who was coming to rescue her? Not that this was a horrible place, but… She shook off the thoughts. No. Arik was her True Love. That was obvious. Kind of. A little.

Besides, Ty was the bad guy. Yes, he was.

That sounds very reassuring. Arik’s voice sounded suddenly in her head.

Hey! Why are you in here? I thought I blocked you.

You can block me when I don’t know it, but when I find out that you’re blocking me, it confuses and intrigues me. Then I read your mind on purpose to see what you’re thinking about.

Kerri groaned. Go away.

Arik came over, slid his arms around her waist and kissed her hair. Kerri, I promise—no, I swear on my life—that this side is the good side.

And you know this how? Maybe you think it’s the good side, but it’s not. How do you know that this is the good side?

He bit his lip. Because my father is the head of the bad side.

She twisted around to look at him. Really?

Really.

So…he’s the boss of the C.E.?

Yes.

She kissed him. You have an extremely screwed up life.

Thank you. His lips never leaving hers, he reached behind her and took out a dress that was hanging from the rack. Try this on. It’d look good on you.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at it speculatively. Really? I’m not so sure about the colour…maybe if the colour was darker…

You always wear dark colours. Trust me. This will look good on you.

I never trust guys to choose my dresses for me.

Well, that’s stupid, because they’re always the ones staring when you wear them.

You have a point. She took the dress and headed for a nearby changing room.

***

Arik tried not to let his jaw drop when Kerri came out of the dressing room.

“How do I look?” she asked, looking at the mirror self-consciously.

“Great,” he managed to say. “You look great.”

“Would it be too casual if I wore this tonight?”

“No, this is fine.” He went over to her. “You look great.”

“I still think the colour should be darker.”

“I know. That’s why I chose this.” He held up the dark blue dress he had picked for her while she was changing.

“You know, for a guy, you have pretty great taste.”

“So do you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have ended up with me.”

She rolled her eyes as he pulled her in for a kiss.

***

After buying—well, not exactly “buying” buying—the two dresses, a clutch, and some shoes, they got ready to leave. Then something in the corner caught Kerri’s eye. It was a jewellery section. And there was a ring that was calling out to her. Practically had her name on it already.

“Um, Arik?”

“Yes?”

“All the stuff here is for free right? We don’t have to pay for it?”

“Yes.”

“So we just…take stuff?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Oh, uh, nothing.” She didn’t want him to know that she was about to steal a ring. An engagement ring, no less. But it was a beautiful ring.

“Do you want to take a look in the jewellery section?” he asked her when he saw where she was looking to.

“Just for a sec.”

He linked his hand with hers as they walked around the jewellery section.

“K! Arik!” Drake was running towards them.

“Hey,” Kerri called out. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for something to wear, of course!” He held up two suits. “Which one?”

Kerri and Arik both scrutinised the two suits.

You thinking what I’m thinking? He asked her.

Yep. “The pinstriped one,” Kerri said for both of them. “It’d look quite sexy on you.”

Drake kissed her on the cheek before running off again, eager to try on the suit. As Arik stared after his friend, Kerri reached out with one hand and snuck her ring—it was hers now—off the table and into her brand new clutch.

“Shall we go?”

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