Page 170 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess
Arden and I decide to meet the others for lunch. It’s been a while since we did that. Arden doesn’t feel like meeting in a crowd, and fortunately, everyone accepts it, but he is trying to come out of his shell a bit more. He even met with Meg to talk to her, as she had so many questions for him.
Meg doesn’t feel comfortable with many people around, either. She mostly sticks to Nox, although she has taken a liking to Tori, so that helps too.
Arden takes a deep breath and his fingers squeeze my hand, as we approach the restaurant where Eric has booked a table for us.
We stop in front of it before we can go inside. “Give me a moment,” Arden mutters.
I let my fingers brush over his arm. “Don’t worry, we have time. We don’t need to do this, Arden.”
He gazes from the restaurant to me and then back to the restaurant. “We can leave anytime?”
“Of course.”
“Then I want to give it a shot.”
He takes a couple of more deep breaths before he enters the restaurant. I spot our table instantly. Eric made sure it was in a separated area so we would be on our own. Gustave and Zoé are here, Eric of course, and Tori and Lion—it’s one of their last days in Paris. Everyone is happy to see us but don’t fuss over Arden. I can feel his anxiety subsiding, his stance relaxing slightly.
“Coralie will come too,” Tori says after we all ordered our drinks. “I hope the both of you don’t mind? She was here for a meeting, but she said she would only join if everyone was comfortable.”
“That’s no problem at all,” I say.
“I don’t mind either,” Arden says. “We made up a while ago, and she is really great with Léna.”
Tori eyes the door, waving when she spots Coralie. The young woman is dressed in simple jeans and a white turtlenecksweater. She still looks elegant but has settled for a more comfortable style after the incident with Night. I feel like she is much more comfortable in her own skin, and doesn’t feel like she constantly needs to prove herself and see every other woman as her competition. And Arden is right, she is really good with Léna.
I think if we had met now, we would have even become friends.
“Goddess, she is so… stunning,” Gustave mutters, all of a sudden. “She is…”
We all turn to look at him; his eyes have turned black. “She is so out of my league!” he says, obviously panicking and brushing over his hair. “How do I look? Like an idiot? I should have dressed better!”
“You look very presentable,” Arden reassures him.
“Don’t worry,” Eric says. “You are a handsome, smart fellow.”
“Why don’t you go and greet her?” I suggest. “Lead her to the table like a gentleman.”
“Good idea!” Gustave jumps up and hurries towards Coralie. He looks completely flustered and almost trips over his feet when he approaches her. Coralie seems surprised, but when he reaches out his hand to awkwardly shake hers, a smile lights up her face.
I was sure they had met each other before, but then Gustave was mostly in the office, and he didn’t spend New Year’s with us, either. When we freed the girls, he was part of the surveillance team and not with us.
“Well then,” Eric relaxes visibly. “Another one off the table. It’s awesome how you all found your mates. As I keep saying, we need more love and sex in this world.”
Lion snorts into his glass.
“Of course, you would find that funny,” Tori says and rolls her eyes.
“What, he is right!” Lion argues. “I am all for more sex.”
Eric laughs at the prospect of his mischief catching on to someone else. Even Arden can’t help but smile, and I can feel him relax more.
Coralie approaches us, confidently holding Gustave’s hand and tugging him along. “Seems like the Goddess had mercy on me.” She looks happy and content. “And I got my very own prodigy. Apparently, that’s my type,” she says in a typical Coralie manner. But that’s just how she is; I don’t mind it anymore.
After lunch we leave the new couple alone so they can get to know each other, while Eric takes Arden along for some work. I think he does it on purpose and made something up so that he can keep an eye on Arden. Meanwhile, Lion picks up Nox for a little training, and Tori and I sit down with Meg for some tea and cake.
She has left the infirmary and moved to Nox’s place. Eric ensured that Nox was moved from his room, to a suite with two bedrooms, so that the two of them can be close without forcing any proximity. The mate bond helps her with healing her wolf, but at the same time, no one wants to push her into something she is uncomfortable with.
“This tastes so good,” she whispers when she takes another spoonful of cake, closing her eyes while she tastes it. “I never had…” she pauses. “Night would never... no, I don’t want to call him by his nickname anymore. His name is Andre, not Night. Just Andre. Andre would never give me anything special. Only as a reward.”
