Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
“Help your mother with the Masque?” I asked like he said, Help Mom dig up the entire garden and replace the flowers with rutabagas.
He stopped shrugging on his suit jacket and asked in return, “Am I speaking the old language and you aren’t following?”
My beast curled into herself, his swelled, and I tried not to get angry.
Aleece had told me last night that Antheme had been on Aleksei’s detail for three years.
I’d known her weeks. And as mentioned, it was Aleksei himself who appointed her head of my team.
Thus, he liked and respected her too, so I had to give him some room to grieve.
And Mr. Truelock had warned me to be cautious with Aleksei now.
I’d already learned that lesson, but I didn’t quite know how to balance being supportive to him in his loss and cautious with him considering his mood.
In this vein, I thought it was safe to request, “You’ll brief me on what’s said?”
I was wrong about it being safe.
“Have I been keeping anything from you?” he asked sharply.
“Honey,” I said softly, “I’m trying to be there for you.”
He adjusted his cuffs under his jacket with short movements. “It’s interesting how you trying to be there for me is all about what you want.”
It felt like I’d been slapped.
And it felt like it happened again when he didn’t notice.
Instead, he informed me, apropos of nothing, “The Palace works on an old bellpull or phone system. You can pull one of the cords in any of the rooms, and a member of staff will come up and attend to your needs. Or if you want something, say, to order breakfast brought up, pick up the receiver on the apparatus by my bed, hit the one button, and a member of staff will answer. Tell them what you want. If you don’t fancy that, there’s always a buffet in the breakfast room. That’s not the one we eat dinner in. That’s the informal dining room. If you don’t know the way, call a member of staff to escort you.”
It had been over a century since we’d moved to Palms and wrist units, etc. As such, I’d never used a phone in my life.
But I knew what telephones were.
I didn’t share that.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Again, since you’ll be here with little to do, you should arrange to have a detailed tour so you don’t need to trouble a member of staff to show you where to eat breakfast. This will eventually be your home. You should know how to get around in it.”
He and I hadn’t yet found the time for that tour.
However, I’d been looking forward to Aleksei giving it to me, and although his suggestion was a good one (of course, I did need to learn my way around the Palace), the way he suggested it wasn’t so good.
He gave me a close look and ordered, “Don’t act wounded, Laura. I have a lot on my mind, we both lost someone important to us yesterday, and for once, this is not all about you.”
I felt my lips part at this insult.
Delivering it, and all the rest, he didn’t want me to act wounded?
Was he mad?
Patience, Laura, patience.
“It isn’t your place to sit in on meetings like this,” he went on. “Like it isn’t your place to attend sessions in the Center and cast votes for the realm.”
“I know that,” I replied as evenly as I could.
“So why are you looking at me like I rehomed your cats?”
“Because I don’t know the male I’m talking to,” I retorted before I got control of my mouth. I took in a deep breath, reminding myself to be calm, rational and supportive, and continued, “Honey, I understand you’re grieving—”
“I’m not grieving, I’m angry,” he bit out. “It’s clear I’m not the True Heir because my brothers are fuckwits. Something is happening, and for some fucked-up reason, you and I are at the center of it. But even if I might be part of it, you always seem to be in the thick of it.”
I could see this was a lot for him.
I decided to address that.
“Can we talk a little about what happened last night?”
“What happened last night?” he asked.
“With the dragons, cats, wolves, bears,” I explained, deciding to start with that first.
“Dad told you.”
“I sense there’s more to it.”
He shook his head. “I also don’t have time to do what your mother should have done and give you an understanding of the mind of a male shifter.”
As I thought, there was definitely more to it.
“Okay, I’ll ask your mother about that too,” I mumbled.
“Are we done with this?” he asked tersely.
Patience, Laura, patience!
“We haven’t been together for years, Aleksei.” I tried a shaky smile. “Even if it feels like it, in a good way. So I don’t quite know how to navigate this, but I’m doing my best to support you.”