Page 19 of Needed in the Night
My nose told me Isla had come this way only minutes ago on her way to the lift and stairway that accessed the residential levels above the bar. A scent this strong meant she had paused outside the door.
She could not have overheard our conversation—no sounds from inside the office reached the hallway. And yet she had lingered before going on. Why?
She had seen Nubo order me to come to his office. I had sensed her gaze on me as clearly as I felt the ache in my right leg from standing for so long behind the bar. Had she wondered about the confrontation? Been concerned about its cause? Had she worried about my welfare? The thought warmed my hearts.
Gods, I hated Nubo, but I hated myself more because I hadnot found a way to close the distance between myself and my lovely mate.
For nearly three months I had been Isla’s friend, as much as I could with Nubo watching our every move. For three months, she had sat across the bar from me, conversing or lost in thought, and I could not touch her or even speak with too much friendliness without endangering us both.
Danger to myself, I welcomed. But danger to the one whose every breath filled me with joy and reason for being, for whom I yearned with every beat of my hearts, I could not bear.
Tonight, I could have torn the Hardanian limb from limb for touching her without her permission. He was lucky to have staggered away down the street supported by his brothers, muttering curses and coughing.Doublylucky, considering the dagger Isla had concealed as the Hardanian loomed over her. That dagger stayed on her right forearm at all times, in a sheath, ready to drop into her hand in the blink of an eye. She took great pains to keep it hidden, but I had noticed its outline.
No, Isla was not at all who she appeared to be. She was infinitely, wonderfully more.
I shook myself out of my reverie and considered what I might do with my time off.
I could stay in my apartment upstairs, alone with my thoughts. I could go out, try to distract myself with liquors or entertainment, which in the resort city of Onat’ras were available all hours of the day and night. But even as I considered that option, I knew it would do no good. My mind would be filled with dreams and visions of Isla wherever I went. At least if I were here, close by, it eased the churning in my gut.
Decision made, I headed down the hall away from the bar and toward the stairs, following the faint traces of Isla’s passage. Her scent had an angry note, a kind of sharpness that made my spines bristle and nose twitch. She was supposed to stay in the bar and chat with patrons for at least another half hour, but shehad left not long after Nubo called me into the meeting. Something had caused her to ignore her contractual obligations. Illness? Overwhelming emotions?
Thankfully, I did not smell sickness or tears. I could not bear the thought of her weeping. Perhaps she was angry about the Hardanians’ rudeness and decided she did not want to remain in the bar in the aftermath of their inexcusable behavior.
Under the watchful eyes of Nubo’s extensive surveillance system, I stalked to the stairs, scanned my palm to gain access to the residential floors, climbed to the fourth level, and continued down the stark white corridor, past Isla’s apartment to my own near the end of the hall. These apartments were small, but the area was well-kept and relatively safe. I had been if not happy, at least comfortable here, pouring drinks and killing time, until Isla arrived.
Now I spent my days veering wildly from aching need when she was not near to longing mixed with contentment when she was.
I paused outside my apartment door, my hand halfway to the scanner.
We all long for something, Isla had said tonight, her lips turned up in a faint smile that looked sad and maybe a little bitter.
Gods, if she only knew.
I pressed my palm to the scanner, waited for the door to slide open, and started to go inside.
“Mikas?”
For a moment, I thought I had imagined her voice. But when I turned, Isla stood in the corridor outside her apartment, and she was smiling at me. My breath hitched.
She was so lovely—like a nebula, or a sun. She had changed from her gown into a short dress with long sleeves and left her rainbow-colored hair loose down her back. An empty cross-body shopping bag hinted at her plans.
Mindful of the eyes and ears of Nubo’s surveillance system, Idrew myself up, folded my hands behind my back, and gave her a nod. “Isla.” Her name felt like music on my tongue. I cleared my throat and forced myself to sound merely polite when I added, “I did not have a chance to confirm that you are unharmed.”
“Thanks to you, I’m fine.” Her smile turned rueful, and she fidgeted. “Thank you for intervening. I didn’t knowwhatto do when he didn’t back off. Hardanians are scary.”
Anyone watching or listening to her now would think the incident had shaken her deeply. But I had looked into her eyes in the moment, and if she had been truly scared of the Hardanian or his companions, I would eat my boots and wash them down with rotgut Raxian liquor.
She was, among other things, a consummate actress. I would wager her life depended on her ability to fool those around her.
“They are,” I said, very seriously. “Especially to human women. Thankfully, our employer has strict rules about patron behavior and no tolerance for anyone who assaults an employee.”
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly when I referenced our employer, but she managed a shaky smile for the benefit of the surveillance. “Yes, I’m very thankful to Nubo for providing a safe work environment for us. And speaking of safety…” She gestured at her shopping bag. “Can I beg a favor? I need to go shopping at the market, and I feel vulnerable right now after my narrow escape. If you could come with me, I would be really grateful. It won’t take long. Maybe you need to buy a few things too?”
I would have felt less precarious walking across a minefield. In fact, I saw little appreciable difference between that and Isla’s request.
“Please,” she said, and now her lower lip trembled. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I really need a friend. Or even a kind colleague.”
I did not see or smell actual tears, but my resolve crumbled to dust at the mere thought of my mate weeping.
