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)
Sure, I was late.
But he knew why I was, because I didn’t want this meeting at all because the oh-so-not insignificant fact I did not want to give up everything I knew and loved and marry King Tanyn.
I just met him three weeks ago, for one.
Therefore, I didn’t know him much at all, for another.
What I did know, I wasn’t fond of, for yet another.
He was unbearably arrogant, for starters (a reminder: him kissing me then telling me to scrape off my…situationship, like he had every right to do so, after we’d just met).
Onward from that, it seemed Tanyn Firefierce had zero emotions, which did not enamor me to spending a lifetime with him, since, in my arsenal, I had too many.
And I’d repeat, I was seeing someone.
But mostly, I was a fully functioning adult female. I had a very good job I excelled at. I had good friends who I adored who returned that. I lived a life I enjoyed. That life was a full life. I knew my own mind.
And I could pick my own damned husband.
Regrettably, Dad wasn’t done.
“This realm does not revolve around you, Catla Truelock.”
“Mammon,” Mom murmured warningly.
“No, Freya,” Dad bit. “I’ve had this conversation with my daughter too many times. This is the last.”
He delivered that to Mom.
To me, he said, “Tanyn’s Public Relations Director has been holding for us to holo with her for the last ten minutes. She has things to do too. I don’t have to remind you, the recently deposed king of Sky’s Edge is facing a bevy of trials for calamitous international incidents along with murder. She does not have time to await your fancy. I also shouldn’t have to remind you that Tanyn certainly does not have time to waste. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it one last time, it’s insufferably rude, and it cannot, and I will have your promise right here, right now, it will not happen again.”
In return, I did not remind him I had no idea Tanyn was going to be there, and as such, further had no idea some PR Director was waiting to have a chat.
Instead, I sat completely still and stared at my father.
I sensed Tanyn shift uncomfortably and heard my mother’s soft, sweet, “Catty.”
But it took very long moments before Dad cottoned on to the situation.
He was a demon.
I was half demon, half human, but in things like this, the demon always won out.
And the “thing like this” was, you didn’t cross the pride of a demon.
I could, and had, taken my father’s dressing-downs for reasons, admittedly, I deserved (what could I say? again, I was half demon, this always won out, so naughtiness, rebellion and willfulness was ingrained—Dad had even conceded he often got in trouble for these same things when he was younger). And for others I would vociferously contend I did not.
However, these were always studiously private family affairs.
Speaking to me like this in front of Tanyn was unconscionable.
And I noticed, belatedly, Dad realized it.
“Catla,” he murmured.
“Carry on with it,” I said in a dead voice.
“Sweetheart, I—” Dad tried.
“Please, carry on with it,” I hissed.
“Perhaps I should—” Tanyn started.
My gaze shot to him. “No. Stay. Let’s get this done.”
There was a long, awkward silence after that, and this long, awkward silence had a lot to do with the fact, not only that you didn’t cross a demon’s pride, but also, demons had grave difficulty apologizing, like my father should be doing right now.
But he would not.
“You were keen to do this, Mammon,” Mom said in an irate tone (oh yeah, even human, she knew you didn’t mess with the pride of a demon, maybe even better than Dad and I did—also, she was a mom, and you didn’t mess with that either). “Do it,” she finished.
Dad took a breath in through his nose and stated, “Mira, Tanyn’s PR director, will explain the ins and outs of things before you two officially come out at Aleksei and Laura’s engagement party. However, none of that can happen until you move beyond the compatibility trial. This has been arranged for the weekend after next.”
Even though this was going to require me changing plans, since it was right then Thursday, so I only had just over a week to prepare, I said nothing.
“Tanyn wants to host you on Sigil Isle. In the home where he grew up,” Mom said. “Won’t that be nice?”
I looked to her and replied without inflection, “Lovely.”
She pressed her lips together before she sent a cross look to Dad.
Tanyn finally spoke.
“Does this work with your schedule?”
I turned my expressionless face to his equally expressionless (but still handsome) one.
“Does it matter?” I asked.
“It does to me,” he answered.
I arched a brow. “Indeed?”
It was an excellent question.
As noted, he knew I was with Bash too, when he went into negotiations with my father…