Page 75 of Night's Fall
“He tensed,Isuspect the minute you entered the gallery.Heonly relaxed after you rounded the first installation and came into view.”
Although this both moved and staggered me,Iwent to releaseTerrinton’sarm. “Ohgods, amIburning you?”
He laughed shortly, finally seeming to relax.
“My dear,Iam no threat to that beast.”Irealized his eyes might be faded, but the intelligence behind them wasn’t. “Iexpect you’re a much better minder.Hismark is so strong, no one will get near you, male or female, unless they were someone like me, or your friends.Itake it your acquaintance is new?”
I nodded to confirm this.
“I would take heed and settle quickly,” he advised. “Theprince is not the kind of male to allow this intensity to falter.Youtwo will be facing your final days decades from now, and the heat of his possession would burn through legions.”
I felt my heart roll over at his words but admitted, “Ididn’t even realize we were mates.Hehad to tell me.”
He patted my hand on his arm. “Welldone,Ms.Makepeace.Fatemay have decided you belong to each other, but he’s a male who doesn’t respect something unless he earns it…or wins it.Ifyou were to fall at his feet, he would accept you as his fate, it would make him happy, but it wouldn’t fulfill his needs.”
This was not good news.
“It didn’t take me long to fall at his feet,”Ishared.
“Nor did it take you long to snatch me and leave his presence.I’dsay that’s happened to him very few times in his life.Perhaps…none,” he returned.
“I wasn’t?—”
He patted my hand again. “Yourheart is kind.Hewon’t have missed that either.Youstill left him.Turnedyour back and walked away.”Hesmiled, exposing very big, very healthy, very white teeth in his tanned, leathered face. “Iwould suggest you keep him on his toes, butIbelieve you’ll do that anyway.”Hetipped his head to the cigarette piece. “Now, is there a reason you brought me to this one?”
I looked at it, seeing the small digi-sign at the bottom left side named itCancer, it cost one point three million, and it was sold.
“It’s hideous,”Istated bluntly.
He chortled.
I turned back to him. “AndIlove it.”
“Before my time, definitely yours, this world was practically covered in what they referred to as ‘butts.’Buttsthat killed beings.Demonsand shifters couldn’t get cancer, but fae could, though their superior immune systems could beat it.Beforethe vaccine was created, it was an epidemic for humans.Akiller in abutt.”
He chortled again andIcouldn’t stop myself from doing it with him, butIhad a mind to the fact we could only do that because that epidemic, and its long-lived, tragic results, had long since been eradicated from our planet.
He leaned toward me and rolled up on his toes to confide, “I’mtoldIhave an odd sense of humor.”
“Doesn’t seem odd to me.”
“Wanna know what’s even more hilarious?” he asked.
“Absolutely,”Ianswered.
“It took me all of an hour to smash thosebuttsinto a frame.Anhour!” he crowed. “Andsome poor chump shelled one point three mil for it.Nowthat’shilarious.”
We both busted out laughing.
I swallowed mine and gasped, “Gods,Ihope the prince didn’t buy it.”
“No.Ican tell he has excellent taste.Inoted he had a particular interest inMarie.That,Ilabored over for months.Shewas my muse, 2072 through 2078.Shepassed last year.”
My head listed to the side at this news.
“I’m so sorry,”Iwhispered.
He nodded curtly. “Shewas beautiful.ThepaintingIhonored her with is beautiful.Andshe had the most delicious cuntI’veever tasted.”
