CHAPTER 38 #2
“Leandro José Polanco Gutierrez at your service.” He gave a half bow from his seat.
“Whoa, that’s a mouthful.”
“For a huera like you, it is. That’s why I go by Leo.” He grinned at me, and I grinned back.
“So how long are you here for?” I asked.
“Forty of your Ptekennan days. Well, 38 now.”
“Are you staying at the Palace?”
“Yes, they’ve given me a very nice guest room. Why, do you wanna see it?” he waggled his eyebrows at me ridiculously.
“No,” I laughed. “But I’d love to invite you to my cottage tomorrow and show you the village where I live. I can stay at the Palace tonight - they keep a guest room for me. And then tomorrow, after breakfast we could head out there. What do you think?”
“I think I’ll follow you wherever you want,” he said, smiling warmly at me. I smiled back, a little unsure. It seemed like he was flirting with me, but I caught the boyfriend comment earlier, so I wasn’t sure.
“Ok, I’m going to head to my room. Do you need help finding yours?” I asked.
“If you can walk me to the guest wing, I know where it is from there,” he said.
“Great. Let’s meet here for breakfast at eighth hour,” I suggested.
“It’s a date,” he said. We walked toward the guest wing, chatting the whole way.
Leo seemed like a naturally flirtatious person, so maybe it wasn’t personal.
I couldn’t tell, but I was charmed by his friendly, easygoing manner, and it was so relaxing to talk to a human.
I hadn’t realized how stilted communication was with the translation device.
It did its best, but there were often English words and phrases that it didn’t know.
I couldn’t use any slang, because it was almost always misinterpreted.
I had to talk to the Ptexari as if I were talking to my teacher or an employer - professional level English.
With Leo, I could talk like I did with my friends.
There was no lag in the conversation. It was just so… easy. The conversation just flowed.
When we split ways, he opened his arms again, offering a hug, and I greedily took it.
“Thank you for everything,” I said.
“You haven’t even seen everything I got,” he quipped.
“You flirt. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bright and early, brighteyes,” he said. I laughed, and we said goodbye. As I made my way down the hallway, I thought about how lucky I was to have met him and to have a friend in the King who went to all this trouble. I didn’t know how to thank him for this, but I would find a way.
Dakleth
My mate did not seem to realize that all the rooms in the Palace - except the bedrooms - were monitored by cameras through the communications panel.
As soon as she and the human male fled the ballroom, I went to the security room and followed them on the cameras.
I left my father and sister to deal with the chaos my mate left in her wake.
I did not care about the fallout from her enchanting concert.
I only cared about her. And whatever she was doing with that blasted male.
I watched as they settled on cushions in the family’s receiving room. They sat close together on the cushions and chatted over cups of Oonag.
I didn’t understand all of their conversation thanks to some faulty translation, but I gathered he was telling her of how he was kidnapped and came to live on Coromonn.
He explained about the desirability of human females - I had to concur - and about my father contacting him to build Andie’s piano.
The conversation itself was not that interesting, but I could not take my eyes off how they looked together.
They both practically glowed with excitement.
They touched each other so casually, and I found it hard to understand.
The Ptexari did not touch one another unless it was necessary.
We did not share affection so easily. I found myself wondering what it would be like if my mate casually touched my arm or held my hand.
I had a sudden, deep longing to experience that with her.
The bond practically hummed with her joy.
Her excitement was palpable, and I experienced an angry jealousy so strong that my palms started leaking lifeblood from where my tightly fisted claws dug through the skin.
I should be happy for her. I should celebrate this joy with her, but all I could see was how her eyes lit up when they met his.
How quickly they were both speaking in their excitement.
How his hand rested on her thigh as he leaned in and smiled at her.
I hated him. I hated him for having her attention.
I hated him for sharing her musical ability and interest. I hated him for being a source of comfort to her.
I hated that he was only a few centimeters taller than her, so his face naturally rested close to theirs as they spoke.
I hated that I could not be him. For her.
So that she could be that relaxed and happy in my presence.
Instead, she hated me.
I slammed my fist through the comms panel that showed him touching her thigh and left the room.