Page 290 of Night's Fall
I didn’t think it was good that my question hadMoniqueandGayleexchanging a glance behind their masks (Gayle’s, parachute silk, frayed at the edges, wrapped around her eyes like a superhero mask,Monique’sa study of silver glitter, one eye a star with a trail of stardust shooting out the top side).
“Trying to impressDad.Andfailing,”Cattold me.
As he would, since undoubtedly,Mr.Truelockhad set his sights on a very-soon-to-be king for his daughter.
I looked up atAleksei. “Maybewe should save him?”
BeforeAlekseicould reply, all of my gals got tense, closed in, then surged back.
AndAnnawas there.
Well, one could say she didn’t dally.
Though,Iwondered whereTimotheewas because he wasn’t with her.
“Aleksei,” she buzzed cattily, completely ignoring me and my gals. “Inthe receiving line,Ididn’t get a chance to ask if we could have a brief word in private.”
Um…
Hells no.
I was about to stake my claim, butIwould find quicklyIdidn’t need to, becauseAlekseispoke.
“If this word is you sharing you’re fucking my brother,Timalready told me.Andif you have concerns this hurts my feelings, rest assured, it does not,”Alekseireplied frankly.
Three collective gasps came from my females at thisTimothee/Annanews.
Anna’s head jolted like she’d been slapped.
“Outside of that,Anna,”Alekseicontinued, “there isn’t anything we need to discuss in private.”
“There were things left unsaid,” she asserted.
“You mean unscreeched,”Alekseicorrected blandly. “AlthoughIknew going in you would not take my message well,I’mafraid listening to a female shriek at me for an hour, after not listening to a wordIsaid, doing so further proving my point that we were not suited, is an experience a male can stomach once in his life.Butonly once.”
Her gaze behind the mask darted to the four members of her audience before she said, “Couldwe discuss this inprivate?”
“AsIsaid, we have nothing private to discuss,”Alekseidenied. “You’resleeping with my brother.AndI’vefound my mate.Withour history, privacy isn’t appropriate.”
“Tim andIare dating.Notcourting,” she pointed out.
“AndI’vefound my mate,”Alekseirepeated.
“Yes, you have,” she sniped. “AndwhatIwould like to know is, if you hadn’t ended things with me, and you foundher, would you have left me for her?”
“Quest your own mate,Anna, and you’ll answer your question,”Alekseireturned.
“I think, with our history, this going back to whenIwas practically a baby,Ideserve an answer to that,” she snapped.
“Our history?”Alekseiasked dangerously.
Uh-oh.
I got closer to him.
My females sidled away.
“We could have salvaged something,Aleksei,” she told him. “Butnot after you rubbed her in my face.Couldyou not have waited at least a few more months before announcing to the world you replaced me?”
