Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
After saying this, he gave me a crooked grin.
I’d never seen that grin.
I could see it on a little-boy version of Tanyn.
That little-boy version being our son.
In other words, that grin was spectacular.
Onward from that, I realized the more I got to know him, the more I learned about him, the more I learned to love about him, and this happened in a manner it seemed I’d never stop learning. He was like a daily discovery on a voyage of marvels. And I wondered if the rest of my life was going to be spent enjoying this expedition.
That thought was far too rosy-romantic for me, Catla Truelock (although the thought was honest).
Which of course made me snap, “You’re failing at ceasing doing that.”
He straightened in his seat, his lips again quirking as they muttered, “Right. Right. We have to be on our game.”
“Yes.”
“About what?”
“Laura.”
His brows drew together. “What about Laura?”
“Have you been listening to me at all?”
“Hanging on your every word,” he lied.
I sighed.
Then I (mostly) repeated, “She hates crowds. In truth, she’s a homebody. Aleksei has proved adept at keeping an eye on her, but over the years, Monique, Gayle and I got used to doing it. And Aleksei is going to be in high demand tonight too. So we need to be prepared to perform a rescue if someone corners her and Aleksei isn’t around. Or she gets caught in a group of too many beings. Or we’re in her group, and beings are being overwhelming. Yes?”
He said nothing, just regarded me.
“I know it might sound strange. But that’s just how she is.”
“Being an introvert isn’t strange,” he replied.
I was glad he thought that way, because it wasn’t.
“Though, it’s distressing to know Laura is going to have to live her life thrust in the limelight, having to do this kind of thing on a regular basis, and she doesn’t like it,” he remarked.
“It is that.”
“To explain my earlier reaction, it was because I just sometimes get blindsided by how caring you are.”
This got my attention.
“And no, before your demon rises up,” he began, “I wasn’t making some kind of statement about you. I’ve known from the jump you were a loyal friend. I just get surprised with how deep that goes.”
Ah.
That was incredibly sweet.
And maybe I was a voyage of discovery for Tanyn too.
“Probably a good idea for you to get used to it,” I remarked.
“I’m not sure I will. But I’ll try.”
I fell across the seat to lean into him.
He put an arm around me to pull me closer.
“Are you nervous about tonight?” I asked.
“No. Are you?”
I tipped my head back to look at him, got an eyeful of his strong, square jaw, then got an equally delicious eyeful of his gorgeous face when he looked down at me.
“I don’t mean about our official coming out. That’s done. This is just a formality. What I mean is, the last time we were at the palace together, there was a troll attack.”
He released a big breath and looked forward out of the skyscreen.
“I can’t say I’m not on edge.”
For now, Arnaud was still in custody.
For now, he’d been granted a reprieve from further samples of blood being taken and truth serum being given, as his attorneys made a humongous fuss and pushed an appeal to a higher court. Our males elected not to fight this in order to be certain not to give Arnaud any foothold in future to launch a successful defense.
Though, the prisoners at Gehenn were regularly having their bloods drawn, and so far, the agent was still in their system.
It had been a while since the attack on Sigil, and a longer while since the death threat against me.
However, this wasn’t the kind of thing where the alarm dulled over time.
At least not for Tanyn.
“I’ve gone over the RS’s plans on security, twice. I can’t see any holes. Nayden’s gone over it too. Same thing. That said, no aspersions on this celebration for Laura and Aleksei, but it’s simply a matter that I’ll be glad when the night is at an end.”
“Are you normally a party person?”
“My mates and I getting together, eating junk and watching a ring ice game. Yes. Wearing this fucking suit, being on show, having to make small talk. No.” He gave me a squeeze. “You?”
“I love to dress up. I love to eat and drink and be merry. And I enjoy being around beings, even a crush of beings.”
“So that would be a yes.”
I smiled at him. “Yes. It would be a yes.”
“Then I guess I get to enjoy you enjoying it.”
“And in the end, we’ll go home.”
“And in the end, we’ll go home.”
After he said that, he bent to touch his mouth to mine.
When he lifted his head, the pilot told us, “We’ve been cleared to jump the queue for VIP arrival. Landing in five minutes.”