Brinah just stared at him expectantly. Finally, Cullen decided that honesty would be best. All he had was the truth. "I don't know. We haven't gotten to that conversation yet."
Brinah's eyes flared with anger. "Don't you think that's something you should have talked about before turning her into the afternoon entertainment?"
"That's not what it was like," he whispered back, just as angry. He couldn't believe how much of Aislinn's attitude was being handed to him through her grandmother. Well, now I know where she got it, he thought. Brinah's eyes were flashing and she talked to him as though he was child. He felt like a teenager who had just been caught having sex with his girlfriend by the girl's shotgun-toting parent. He had human television to thank for that image.
"Well, I'm going to tell you what it will be like." Brinah fumed. "I am going to step out that door, and you are going to wake her up and get her dressed so that when I come back in, I can say hello to my granddaughter with some semblance of decorum. And at some point very soon, you and I are going to talk about what you think you are doing with her." Then Brinah turned on her heel and headed out the door. Sarah followed her out into the hall but was smart enough not to say anything. Brinah was talking to herself angrily the entire time they waited.
Cullen could tell that Aislinn was awake. Her breathing had changed repeatedly throughout the short conversation. "You can open your eyes now. possum," he said softly.
When Aislinn looked up at him, she had turned a brilliant beet red blush that made him smile. "I can't believe grandma found us like that. I think I'm going to die," she said aloud. And what do you mean you don't know what you're doing with me, she thought.
Cullen shook his head. "I won't let you do that. Just put your clothes back on. It'll be fine. I'll take the heat." Cullen saw the concern in her eyes and wondered if it was entirely her grandmother who had caused it.
Aislinn jumped up and grabbed up her clothes from the various locations on the floor where they were thrown, blushing repeatedly as she accidentally made eye contact with various people in the library. When she and Cullen were fully dressed, Cullen went over to the door and pulled it open. Brinah glared at him heavily and walked into the room, headed straight for Aislinn. Before anything could be said she pulled Aislinn to herself in a hug that nearly forced all the air out of Aislinn's chest. After some time, she pulled away and just stared at Aislinn a moment.
"Well, child, you certainly do look to be in one piece. I have missed you so much," she said and hugged Aislinn again.
"I missed you, too, Grandma," Aislinn said, still blushing. "I don't even know where to begin."
"Well," Brinah smiled at her, "why don't you introduce me to your friend, and then we'll go find Lord Arnauk. It's been a long time but I do remember some of my schooling and pack etiquette says I should really have gone to talk to him first, seeing as I'm in his house. Then we can do all the story telling that needs to be done." She was standing there staring at Aislinn unblinking, as though Aislinn might disappear. Cullen, Keith, and Sarah were impressed with Brinah's statement. They never would have expected her to know anything about pack life.
"Uh, okay, Grandma, this is Lord Arnauk," she said, indicating Cullen.
Brinah's eyes caught fire again. "Now, I definitely want to know what you think your intentions are," she said angrily.
Aislinn blushed again. "Grandma, it doesn't matter what his intentions are. Can't we just go sit down and talk about what we need to talk about? I don't think-" Cullen didn't like the way she said that it didn't matter. The terrible feeling that his wolf was wrong started to creep into his stomach again. Way to ruin an afternoon, he growled at himself.
Brinah interrupted Aislinn. "Child, you can't possibly know what you're dealing with here. It's more important than you can possibly realize. As far as I'm concerned, I came here to protect you, and it looks as though I'm a bit late. Rafe and now this?"
Keith was chuckling, and Sarah was looking pained. Cullen for his part was completely bowled over by the fact that now he had two women who didn't seem to understand that when he was in the room, they were supposed be intimidated, let him talk, and behave with subdued respect. He had never fully appreciated that luxury of his position until now, as all the lycans in the room looked on. "Enough," he said with emphasis and managed to get the women's attention. Brinah's glare got much worse and she placed herself between Aislinn and Cullen. That was a big mistake. Cullen started to growl. His wolf was concerned that Brinah might try to take Aislinn away. As far as he knew Aislinn might actually go with her. Brinah was her grandmother, and so far, Aislinn hadn't said whether she intended to stay or not. But the look on her face when she called her grandmother and talked about her family was plain enough.
"Alpha or not, you don't get to talk to me like that or growl at me. You need my help and you won't get it by being threatening. I have every right to protect my own, and you should have some respect for that," Brinah said with an air of authority that made Cullen back off a little. "I asked you what your intentions are." Aislinn started to say something again and tried to move passed her grandmother to get to Cullen but she was cut off before she started to talk and then blocked before she could move. It was a talent that she figured must be born out of being a parent.
Sarah elbowed Keith to stop the laughter and then indicated that he should help her clear the room. It was obvious that the group would not be getting out of this argument without trouble and it was one of those arguments that might not go quite as badly if the witnesses were limited.
"Regardless of my intentions," Cullen replied, trying to remain calm. "I don't think Aislinn would allow anything that she didn't intend."
That comment went a lot farther with Brinah than Cullen realized. The alpha's acknowledgement that Aislinn had a choice in the matter settled her anger quite a bit. But she wasn't done. "You're behaving very possessively toward my granddaughter. Do you intend to mate with her?" Cullen wasn't sure whether he should be pissed by Brinah's attitude or impressed by her apparent knowledge.
Aislinn felt her grandmother's words sting in her chest. "Grandma please," she said softly. She couldn't believe this was happening.
Cullen looked at Aislinn. This wasn't how he intended to have this conversation. He had no idea what to say. He didn't want to scare her off. He wished he knew what she was thinking. But a bond had to be pretty strong for that and that would only happen if he mated with her. He rubbed his face with his hands. Aislinn recognized the move as something he did when he didn't know what to say or was upset. She was getting pretty good at reading some of the things he did.
Brinah wasn't about to back down and she reiterated the question.
Aislinn couldn't take it. If he really didn't want to say then she didn't think he should have to. Before Cullen could respond, Aislinn moved around to face her grandmother. "Grandma. I love you and I've missed you. I don't want you to take this the wrong but I can handle myself. Cullen and I get along very well and he makes me happy. If he doesn't want to take things farther than that I'm okay with that. I need you to leave this be. I'm not a child who needs to be protected in this way. We have a much more dangerous problem then my love life right now."
Brinah could see the pleading in Aislinn's eyes and she didn't want this to come between them when she had only managed to get her granddaughter back just moments before. "Alright, I'll let it be for now." Brinah hugged Aislinn close to her again, but continued to glare at Cullen over her shoulder.
Cullen was relieved and dismayed by Aislinn's interruption. There was a part of him that just wanted to say it and get it over with. But the part that was afraid of rejection still held him by the balls. He was thinking about the way she had phrased what she'd said. He decided that one way or another, he had to get up the courage to tell her that he loved her. And it was going to need to be soon. Or at least before her grandmother killed him.
Cullen led the group back to his office, ordered up dinner from the Taigh-Oèsda, and the rest of the evening was spent filling Brinah in on the last seven years of Aislinn's life and the latest information about Rafe.