Page 63 of Night's Fall
“Listen, darling,Ihad a brainstorm,”Alekseideclared. “I’veaskedSirkto take you to the showing.He’sagreed.Murielis juggling my schedule in hopesIcan get back in time, even if we won’t be at the place to appear in public together yet.ButSirkcan take you, andIcan trust him with you.Mybeast considers him a member of my clan, even if we’re different species of shifter.Hewon’t come off as a threat.”
My stomach twisted at the mention of his beast, somethingIdidn’t have.
Though,Isuspected, through his vetting—which at this juncture probably was no longer preliminary, but instead very thorough—he knew that.
AndIliked him even more because he hadn’t brought it up.
He, specifically, knew how much it would hurt.Farworse than talking about my parents, and it meant a lot that so far, he’d let it lie.
Maybe one day he’d go there (alas, it was unavoidable), butIloved the fact he didn’t broach the subject or even allude to it now.
“I’ll attend on my own,” he continued. “Thatway, we can spend time together, because no one would questionSirkandIdoing so.ButI’llwarn you, there’ll be hawks who note your presence, and when we do go public, they’ll think that was where we met.Thishas ramifications forSirk, who it will be assumed is romantically interested in you.Butthere’s no one else close whoIcan trust you with, save one of my brothers.Andsadly, that trust excludes my brothers.Noone butAleeceknowsI’vefound my mate, but even ifItold them, onlyLilithknows what those two would get up to, even with my mate.”
I was feeling all happy squidgy that he’d thought up a way to keep us private, but we could still be out in public, spending time together…not to mention how much of a hit it would be forCatif he attended.
But something else took precedence.
“PrincessAleeceknows?”
He nodded. “Shecommed me this morning.She’dheardIbrought a female to theCatalogues, and she was curious.I’mconsidering bringing her to the showing, butIdon’t want there to be too much pressure on you.”
I weighed the pressure that would put on me (which would be a lot) versus the cachetAleece’sadditional presence would bring toCat(which would also be a lot).
“If you,SirkandPrincessAleeceshow, that would be huge forCat,”Inoted.
“I’m sure,” he agreed. “Butit would be tough on you.”
“I’m going to meet her someday, right?”
His eyes warmed (they were back to night, then again, he was on a space station, which was constant night).
“I’ll consider it,” he murmured.
“IsSirkgoing to be okay with beings thinking you stole his date out from under him?”
“Sirk gives a shit about food, his restaurant allowing him the means to travel to learn about and eat more food, ring ice, the members of his ring ice team, and last, finding females who will put up with these obsessions, at least long enough so he can bed them.Hewouldn’t give two fucks about beings thinkingIstole his female.”
“Well then, this sounds like a plan.”
His lips curved up. “Excellent.Doyou need me to askAllainto postpone your instruction withMadamGarwahwhile you’re in this zone?”
He was so sweet.
“No.I’llneed reasons to hit the bath pod and go out into the world, orI’llbecome a vampire.”
“Vampire females are very sexy,” he teased.
“Yes, but they burn to a cinder under the sun, andIlike wearing sundresses.”
He chuckled,Ienjoyed it, then he said, “I’lllet you get back to it, butI’lldo it suggesting you carve an hour out to get a nap.”
I rubbed my eyes, which were itchy with fatigue, unknowingly flaking off and smearing what was left of the mascaraIhadn’t cleaned off.
“I thinkI’llthrow back a sleep smoothie and crash soIdon’t lapse into unconsciousness at my desk atMadamGarwah’s.Idon’t think she’d like that.”
“Probably not,” he agreed.
The screen flashed, telling meIhad an incoming text comm.
