Page 31 of The Alliance

“Nobody thought you were going to damage it, Prince. You’re allowed to touch it.”

“Yes, well, maybe I won’t. You know, just for today. I was just trying to see how you’d done it, that was all.”

“Prince is an artist, too,”I explained.

I don’t think I’d ever seen such shock on Prince’s face before. He looked at me like I’d grown an extra head.

“I’m not a proper artist like Silvia.”

“Yes, you are.” Prince opened his mouth to object but I turned to Silvia and said, “He designs graphic novels.”

I made sure to puff up my chest as I spoke, showing how proud I was of my mate. Prince was too self-depreciating and one of us had to brag about all his accomplishments.

I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting. Maybe I’d assumed Silvia would say something polite and then wander off like a lot of people would have. Maybe I thought I’d have to fight her about valuing Prince’s art.

That’s not what happened at all.

I swear her eyes lit up.

“I’ve been wondering about that new kind of art. Do you draw by hand? Do you use software?”

Prince stuttered out his answer. “Well, I start off drawing by hand.”

Within ten minutes, Silvia had linked her arm through Prince’s and had taken him off to look athis work. I glanced at Evangeline. She was smiling, her face a mass of pleased wrinkles.

“Go after your mate, if you wish. But Silvia won’t let him go until she’s learned everything about his art.”

I got the feeling that the old woman had somehow arranged that, but I wasn’t sure how. I gave a polite nod and followed Prince to our room. He and Silvia were sitting on our bed, tablet in hand, and Prince was explaining how he designed his graphic novels.

Although I hadn’t planned to spend the evening watching my mate talk art, I didn’t mind. He looked so happy and absorbed and I watched the two artists together, talking about what they loved. Prince obviously knew far more about graphic design than Silvia, and he’d recently invested in the software and tools he needed to take his art seriously. I was never so glad that I’d insisted he had what he needed to do what he loved as I was right then.

Silvia asked him questions and prompted him and, as I watched, Prince sat up straighter. He talked more confidently.

Theytalked for hours.

I stood by the door, not wanting to go into the room and disturb them, and I leaned back against the wall, becoming like a statue. I stayed there for hours, letting myself become a gargoyle, watching over my precious charge. This was what I was good at. This was my purpose in life, to watch over Prince and protect him.

I hardly noticed the passing of time. I didn’t, when I got like that.

It was only the tramping of feet past our doorway that roused me from the sort of slumber I’d been in. The focused attention on my mate.

“It’s late,” I said at last. “You can keep talking in the morning.”

Silvia jumped when I spoke. I guess she’d forgotten I was in the room.

She left, arranging to spend more time with Prince the next day. “And you’ll have to visit me at the Somerville castle and see my studio. I have it set up to get the best light and I’d love to show you. Then you can think about how you want to arrange your studio here.”

Prince waved her off, and there was something in his expression that caught my attention.

“What are you thinking, Prince?”

“She- she talked to me about art.”

“Yes,” I said. I didn’t see what he was getting at yet.

“No, I mean, she talked to me aboutmyart. Like I was a proper artist.”

“Youarea proper artist.”

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