Page 107 of Tail, Dark and Handsome: Celestial Mates
Winter lightly touched her arm, allowing her to guide him into the house. Even with his lenses, the light could dazzle him, especially at night. “What is wrong?” he asked.
“Is the light too much? Chase decorated like he used every bulb on the planet.”
“Marigold, what is wrong?”
“Tomas is here,” she whispered, keeping a smile on her face despite her panic. What a dirty trick.
Winter’s body snapped to attention. He spun on his heel, searching the crowd. “Where? The human male? The one with the nose or the one lacking hair? Why are there so many humans here?”
Mari tugged on his sleeve. “Don’t look. Let’s just go. Coming here was a bad idea.”
Someone called Winter’s name. “Let us make an appearance and then slip away,” he said, low enough for only her to hear.
Soon they were chatting with a woman Mari had never seen before but Winter recognized. He asked inconsequential questions about her children’s studies, her mate, and their holiday home. His eyes squinted, but that was the only sign of discomfort.
Mari smiled, holding onto Winter’s arm. She could do this; pleasant small talk about nothing was basic customer service. Smile and be charming like a good wife. She grabbed two fluted glasses of something golden and bubbly from a passing server. “How’s your head?” she asked, handing one to Winter.
“Tolerable.” The lenses made his eyes almost a navy blue in the light.
“The lighting in here really is spiteful.”
“Sadly, this behavior is to be expected,” he said, as if the brightness didn’t bother him and wouldn’t give him a raging headache.
Another person called Winter’s name. A passing tray of bite-sized appetizers caught her attention. When she turned back around, Winter had drifted away. A cluster of people surrounded him, all drinking and speaking loudly.
Mari clutched her drink like a shield. She watched Winter for signs that he needed her, but he seemed to be able to handle the crowd well enough on his own. She didn’t have to stretch her imagination about the topic of conversation.
Rebel.
Her name was on everyone’s lips. Her music played, slowed down and modified for instrumentals, but recognizable. Mari would not have been surprised to find a golden Rebel statue in a fountain surrounded by swans.
She eyed an ice sculpture. The features had melted, but the figure was clearly a Tal woman holding an assortment of sliced fruit in outstretched hands. Passersby picked at the offer, barely tossing the ice sculpture a glance. The artificial veneration paired with the casual disregard upset Mari more than anything. It made a mockery of what was a solemn day for Winter and Zero.
Chase did this on purpose. She didn’t know the man well, and didn’t care to, but the little she did know pointed to him doing anything with intention. Chase was the kind of miscreant who calculated every move.
“Marigold?”
Case in point.
Tomas stood before her, not surprised to see her, but instead looking rather cross. Had his complexion always been that ruddy, like he just ran a mile in the cold? Had his hair always flopped forward in front of his eyes like a limp noodle?
“What are you doing here?” he demanded, voice raised enough to cause a scene. He brushed back the hair on his brows, which immediately flopped forward again.
Mari waved him over to a corner, partially obscured by a leafy potted plant. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?”
“Sandria and I were invited. Unlike you, who obviouslycrashed,” he sniffed.
Mari’s hand squeezed around the fluted glass, and she seriously considered tossing her drink in Tomas’ face.
No. Chase wanted a scene. She refused to give him the drama worthy of a scandalous headline that he craved. All Chase’s veiled hints about knowing her past and how much Winter paid to the debt collectors, Mari had no problem imagining Chase finding Tomas and hiring him as thecenterpieceto liven up his party. That was the word Chase used, a centerpiece.
The dress. The aggressive lighting. The party on Rebel’s death anniversary. This wasn’t about her. This was all Chase’s grudge against Winter.
She felt sick to her stomach.
“Have you been following me? Did you track me down?”
“What? Why would I do that? You’re the one who’s following me.”
