Chapter 17 The King Beneath #3
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I grinned. My mood had improved since the morning.
I was trying to focus on how my life could look and not dwell on what I’d lost. It would likely prove to be easier in the daytime.
I couldn’t imagine sitting around this apartment for the rest of the night and I told Elena so.
“Oh, you should come to my show, then!” She flopped down on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table, clearly comfortable in this space.
“I’m dancing in a big drag show tonight.
It’s going to be so fun. Actually… I have to get to rehearsal in about…
fifteen minutes… merde!” She jumped up again.
“I’ll definitely come but… what is drag?” I had to admit I didn’t know what she was talking about.
“Oh, goodie!” Elena squealed. “And oh no.” She dragged the word out so it sounded like it had about twenty extra ‘o’s, her mouth turning into a comical moue.
“You don’t know what drag is? It’s okay, I didn’t either until I moved down here.
You’ll see. You’re going to love it. I promise.
But I do have to go. Ciaran is coming to the show, he’ll take you.
I’ll see you later, okay?” She kissed me once on each cheek, a familiar gesture that reminded me of my friends in the city above, gathered her things and clambered back down through the trap door.
I was alone. For the first time since I had made the harrowing trek through the tunnels under the opera house. I was truly alone. If I let it, my mind would start to remind me of all that had occurred. I didn’t want to do that. So, I began looking for something, anything, to distract myself.
Ciaran was whatever the opposite of a hoarder is.
He had very little in the way of personal belongings.
I took the liberty of amalgamating some things in his dresser, claiming one drawer for myself.
I carefully folded my new clothes and placed them in the drawer.
Soft pants, button-down shirts, some underthings and socks.
It seemed symbolic; like I was accepting the semi-permanence of the state I was in.
I couldn’t go back home, but how long could I stay here?
I hung my dress on the back of the door. Maybe I could wear it tonight? Were you supposed to wear dresses to a drag show? I was more than a little embarrassed that I didn’t know what it meant.
Once I finished putting my things away, I started snooping through Ciaran’s books.
He kept very few. I thumbed through a book of poetry absentmindedly.
I wondered if Seff ever read poetry. I doubted it.
I knew he preferred to read great tomes about the war.
He must have read the Scion scriptures at some point, but from what I knew about them, they were hardly poetic.
Prescriptive, rigid texts telling you how you should and more importantly should not live your life.
“That one’s good, but the erotic poetry is in that one on the nightstand, if that’s what you were looking for.”
I screamed, I couldn’t help it, and dropped the book I was holding. Ciaran was right behind me; he’d somehow arrived without me hearing him.
“What the hell!” I shrieked. I picked up the book and smacked him on the arm with it.
“Sorry. I couldn’t resist. How did you not hear me?” He chuckled darkly. My heart took a few moments to restart as I clutched my chest.
“How did it go with Elena?” Ciaran stepped back into the common area of the apartment; I followed.
“It was fun actually. She’s amazing. Thank you for introducing us,” I replied honestly.
“Of course. I had a feeling you two would get along. Elena has been through a lot,” Ciaran explained.
He was carrying a paper shopping bag full of groceries and began to take them out and place them in the kitchen cupboards.
“She’s a good person to talk to. If you ever feel the need to get anything off your chest.” He was, once again, so considerate.
I couldn’t believe I had thought he was a villain just a few days ago.
“Elena told me she’s dancing in a show tonight. She said you would take me?” I made myself ask the question, even though I was nervous he would tell me no.
Ciaran’s eyes lit up. “You’d want to go—with me?” He emphasized the last part of the statement—with me. Oh no. Had I just inadvertently asked my forced roommate, king of the magical City Beneath Lutesse, out on a date? Shit. I had to backpedal.
“I want to go see Elena… not like… together or anything. Just if you’re going, I’ll come along… If you don’t mind, I mean…” I was stumbling over my words. Shit, shit, shit. You are such an idiot, Seraphina.
“Sure, you can tag along, but definitely not together or anything.” He was mocking me, leaning casually on the counter.
“I just meant… we can go as friends, not like a date.”
Why could I not just shut up? Why was I still talking? What business did Ciaran have looking so good in a fucking plain black shirt? Those shoulders… the way it stretched across the planes of muscle on his chest… I could barely form a sentence. Stop it.
“Oh, so we’re friends now?” He grinned. “Thank the Goddess. I was thinking we were still in the ‘enemies’ phase of our relationship.”
I rolled my eyes, his humour disarming me once again. “Okay, I admit it. We’re friends. You saved me. You deserve it. Now can I come to the show tonight?”
“Of course. And I already told you we were friends. But just so you know, Seraphina, friends don’t snoop through friends’ sexy book collections.”
The book in question was still in my hands. I threw it at him.