Over #3
“Please know you’re free to stay here if you wouldn’t feel safe in Nocturn,” he continued.
“However, also know I’ll be happy to provide you with a full detail so you can be safe if you choose to go home.
That said, I’ve shared this decision with Aleksei, and he’s informed me he’ll have you covered with RS.
My assumption is, once it’s clear to whoever is behind this that you and I do not have a future together, the threat will go away, and you can live your life as you see fit. ”
I didn’t speak, nor did I even twitch.
“I apologize for putting you through this,” he said emotionlessly.
“But rest assured, it’s over. I expect we’ll see each other at official events, considering your relationship with Laura, and should Gayliliel and Cormac mend their rift.
I hope it won’t be awkward. But I can promise to avoid you, if that’s what you need. ”
I remained very still and utterly silent.
“Will you be staying?” he queried. “Or would you like me to arrange for your return to Night’s Fall?”
“I’ll be going home,” I said through stiff lips.
“As suspected,” he replied immediately and indifferently. “Would you like to return with your parents or—?”
“No, I’d like to be alone. And I’d prefer Aleksei’s detail.”
Was that a mild tightening of his lips I saw?
I didn’t know.
And at that point, I didn’t care.
“It will take some time to arrange the soni-jet,” he remarked.
“I don’t need the soni-jet.”
He nodded. “So be it.”
I didn’t move.
He softened.
Slightly.
“Again, my apologies for putting you through this,” he said quietly.
“Liar,” I replied.
His oh-so-handsome head ticked. “Pardon?”
“You’re a fucking liar.”
His pupils started dilating.
“You lied just now,” I informed him. “And you lied when you told me you saw me. You never fucking saw me.”
“Catla—”
I stood. “Fuck you, Tanyn Firefierce.”
He stood too. “Cat—”
I squared my shoulders and declared, “Avoid me at official events. Alas, even though I never want to see you again, I’ll be supporting my gals when they need me to do so. Thus, on occasion, I’ll be forced to endure your presence. But I never want to speak to you again.”
“Cat.”
I said no more and was moving swiftly to the door.
He didn’t call my name again.
He did not come to the queen’s chamber to speak with me in order to right his wrongs he’d done to me while I packed my oh-so-many cases. Nor when I was writing the digi-note. Nor when I went to his room to place it on his bed.
He didn’t show at the landing bay to say goodbye either.
I took off in a royal UtiliSport without seeing him again.
Because King Tanyn said it was over.
And it was over.
Just like that.
Tanyn
Late that night, when Tanyn was heading to bed in order, he knew, not to sleep (because that wasn’t going to fucking happen), but at least try to rest, was when he saw the digi-note sitting on his pillow.
He picked it up, opened it, and read:
Tanyn,
I wasn’t given the opportunity to express how deeply sorry I am that you lost your mother—and your father—the way you did.
I can imagine this is very difficult for you.
As it was surely difficult for you to share the news with Zyra and Mangold.
And I do not envy, not only you all having to deal with how this makes you feel, but whatever the fallout of it will be.
You should further know I deeply regret my insensitivity in the face of what you learned yesterday. I’ll make no excuses because it was inexcusable.
Obviously, I don’t know what will come of all of that, what more you’ll learn, what other treacheries you’ve been living under the whole of your life.
But I hate that you have to live with the knowledge of your mother’s final moments, the decades your father endured, and all that the three of you lost in between.
One thing I know, you’re a strong male and you’ll find a way to cope, as you’ll find a way to rule Sky’s Edge and heal with your beings.
Take care.
Best~
~C
He reread the note.
And he re-reread the end of the note.
Best.
Just…
Best.
“Fucking hell,” he growled.
And, with a vicious side arm throw with which he used his demon strength, he threw the digi-note, shattering what was probably a priceless mirror that hung across the room, and it not only went through that, but embedded itself in the stone under the snowpack.
Then he strode out of the chamber to go to his study.
Because…
Fuck it.
If he wasn’t going to sleep, he might as well get some bloody work done.
Catla
It was late and I was staring unseeing at the lights of Nocturn out my floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows when my Palm chimed.
I’d been dealing with a lot of comms all day from just about everybody (except Gayle), and fortunately, they were allowing me some space to deal with all that had gone down.
I was figuring they were done doing that, and vaguely curious as to who lost patience first (my guess: Dad), so I looked at my Palm.
What I saw made me shoot up in bed.
It was a text comm from Gayle to our group string.
I opened it and read, I’m fine. Cormac finally gave me back my Palm. He’s also, it will not surprise you to know, an imperious, arrogant prick. Too much for a text. We’ll conference soon and I’ll fill you in. Love you all.
“Well, that’s both a relief and a disaster,” I mumbled.
Laura’s and Monique’s replies tumbled in.
But so as not to open their door to me, I went out of the group string and opened a text comm direct to Gayle to say, Glad you’re ok. Keen to hear what’s happening. Stay strong and love you too.
Gayle didn’t return my text (or any of them).
And I went back to staring at the lights of my city, lying in bed.
All alone.