Later #2
I handed back her tablet, shaking my head. “No. But I can comm her.”
I could.
But I already knew they weren’t making a statement.
They were just being in their own worlds, or world, seeing as they were sharing one.
“It might be good they take some of the attention off you and the king,” Mira remarked.
“As it goes in the cycle, since the media don’t chew on anything too long, they like fresh meat, you two will be old news, they’ll be new.
Of course, we can squeeze some pics in of you both going to the ballet, or out to dinner, or something.
And then, to the citizens of the Edge, you and His Majesty will just… be.”
It would be nice not to be in this castle all of the time. It was big, and gorgeous, but the reprieve down in the Fall did not suck.
Even so.
“I’m not sure they’re ready to be outed,” I told Mira.
“I don’t know why they aren’t being more careful.
” I did. Cormac was fighting a losing emotional battle (or I hoped it was losing), and Gayliliel had spelled herself not to care.
“I just wouldn’t count on that when His Majesty and I do what we need to do. ”
She lifted her chin to acknowledge what I said and then asked, “Is there anything else?”
“No. Thank you for the time.”
“Don’t mention it,” she replied, got up and left.
I watched her go.
She was professional and not unfriendly, but she made it clear she had a job to do and not a lot of time to waste on chitchat and relationship building.
That could be because we had a bumpy beginning and she still wasn’t at one with me being who I was to Tanyn.
It could simply be her way.
The good news was, I didn’t care which it was.
I rose as well, with the intention of going to my desk to see about getting some work done.
But I changed my mind, walked out of the study, out of that wing to the other, and on my way, it was not lost on me there was an increased number of guards stationed around the castle.
This had started happening yesterday.
I’d decided to ignore this for the present. Tanyn being protective wasn’t new to me, and although I wanted to be kept informed, I didn’t want to be asking him constantly to explain his every decision as he went about doing that.
I smiled at those I passed, and when I arrived at the closed door to Tanyn’s study, I raised my hand to knock twice, then opened it and stuck my head in.
Hurley appeared from behind Tanyn’s desk, trotting my way.
My male turned his attention from two displays hovering over the desk, whatever text covering their clear surfaces in blue, green, yellow and red I could not read, because it was backward.
When he caught sight of me, he smiled.
He was, for once, alone.
“Got a minute?” I asked.
“Always,” he answered.
That made me smile, internally, but as his reward, I swayed my hips naturally as I entered, closed the door, said hello to Hurley but didn’t bend to him because I was making my way to his daddy.
Though, full disclosure, the reward part was that I put more oomph into my natural sway.
I stopped on his side of the desk and leaned my bottom against it next to where he sat in his chair.
His gaze was still aimed at my hips which were incased in a skintight, cobalt-blue pencil skirt.
Mission accomplished.
I gave him time to appreciate how mega I was.
He took it, and finally, lifted his gaze to mine. “Meeting done with Mira?”
I nodded, resting some weight into the apples of my palms on the edge of his desk. “I’m sure it’ll take an enormous weight off your mind to know the ball is in hand.”
“Finally, I can sleep easy,” he quipped.
My lips curled up before I shared, “Mira thinks I need an aide.”
Tanyn sat back in his chair. “I agree with her.”
“I do too.”
I explained how we were going to attempt to hire internally.
Tanyn listened then jutted up his chin. “A good solution.”
“Did you see the pic of Mac and Gayle today?”
“Mira forwarded it to me.”
“Do you know anything about that?”
“No.”
“So they’re just being idiots?” I asked.
“The only being who cares less than me about what others think about what he does and who he does it with is Mac,” Tanyn reminded me.
“Right.”
“It’s good, baby,” he said softly. “It paves the way for when they’re actually together.”
“Right,” I repeated, because he was, indeed, right.
I just hoped the “when they’re actually together” part came true.
I then tilted my head to the side and decided, since he seemed chill and didn’t have a study full of beings when I arrived, now was the time.
“Is there a reason the number of guards has been increased?”
“Yes and no. You know we had that pic analyzed.”
I nodded.
“Even so, we don’t know what that form is in it. All we know is that it’s not a smudge on the lens or a pixel glitch.”
I nodded again.
“And I’m not taking any chances,” he concluded.
Well, there it was.
Tanyn being protective.
Since I had nothing to say about that, I said nothing.
“Bain has been in touch. They’re returning on Friday,” Tanyn told me.
That was good.
And Tanyn already knew Gayle had been in contact last night, sharing she and Cormac would return on Sunday. We both knew Laura and Aleksei were returning tomorrow.
On that topic…
“I’m not sure this is sustainable, honey,” I told him.
“What?”
“Us four, together all the time.”
“Cat—”
“For starters, we just made that pact not too long ago, and we’re not together now.”
Tanyn didn’t reply, because he didn’t need to. He was well aware they weren’t with us.
“And I’m going to need to go down to the Fall and stay there at least a week. I need to introduce important clients to Lua. Assist in her transition.”
“We can work that.”
“Okay. Then there’s the ball. That’s happening here,” I shared something he knew. “The Vernal Gala in Land’s End. And the Sunray Soiree in Dawn’s Break during the Solstice. We’re all going to have to go to both.”
“Sweetheart—”
“Laura’s planning a wedding and she can’t beg off appearances she’s barely just accepted.”
“Catty—”
“Gayle and Mac need room to maneuver whatever is going on between them. Bain is going to release Aleece from her spell, and then there’s that. They should have privacy for those things.”
“I understand, but—”
“And you and I need to be out and about. We can’t all go traipsing around as a foursome to the symphony and ballet. Beings will wonder what the hells is going on. I shudder to think what they’d think if they knew we were all hunkering down in Berg Castle.”
I finally let Tanyn speak, and he said, “We already knew we’d need to go about our lives and duties as they came about.”
“And I know this contradicts all I just said, but I feel weird about us not being together,” I admitted. “Vulnerable, somehow.”
He reached to me, wrapping his fingers around my hips and pushing his chair back to adjust my position so I was in front of him.
Once he got me where he wanted me, he kept his hands on me, looked into my eyes and said softly, “I sense, with you saying that, you, and perhaps all the females, are feeling what we males are feeling. It’s mostly that I’m far more comfortable knowing you’re near and safe.
But I settle even further knowing all of them are safe…
and near. And since we discussed this very thing, I know the other males feel it too. ”
And this explained another reason why they pushed us to stay close.
“That’s weird, isn’t it?” I whispered.
“It’s what we have to work with. We have enough to try to understand. That is what it is, and when we learn more about all the rest, maybe what we’re all experiencing will be explained.”
I wasn’t a huge fan of this.
Tanyn read it.
“Baby, it’s going to be okay.” His thumbs were drawing circles on my hipbones. “We live our lives. We stay vigilant. And we keep at this until we figure out what’s going on and put a stop to it.”
I let out a breath.
“You’re wound up,” he said, mild surprise in his tone.
“I need to go to Sigil.”
I did.
So did Tanyn (said me).
“I mean, who’s taking care of the lynx?” I asked.
“The Grendiers are still stationed there, and they’re looking after them.
They’ve had good luck with weather, not many snowstorms, so construction on the new base is coming along smoothly, the same for the renovations.
The new windows have already been installed, the repointing done, and the heating system has been upgraded. ”
I was mildly bummed about that last.
Thank the gods for temperature control, I could turn it down if I felt like snuggling up with a blanket, cocoa and/or Tanyn (my choice, obviously: and).
“They’re moving onto the interior,” Tanyn continued.
“Plastering. Replacing some floorboards, refinishing all the floors, deep cleaning. They say within two weeks, maybe even sooner, the decorating can start. A week more, enough work will be done on it, the Red Wing substation can house fighters and Manny and Zyr can return.” He gave my hips a squeeze.
“Things are getting done,” he assured. “Patience, baby.”
I was not good with patience.
“Cat?” he called.
“What?” I asked, focusing more attentively on him.
At what I saw, my breath caught.
“How do we take your mind off things, hmm?” he asked, voice low, eyes fading to black.
But I knew his answer to that question, because his hands were skimming down my hips, my thighs, to the bottom part of my skirt.
“I don’t know,” I lied. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“One or two,” he murmured, shimmying up the skirt.
I shifted my legs to assist the shimmy.
Once it was around my waist, he didn’t even bother rising from his chair before he hefted me onto the edge of the desk.
Smooth move.
Effective move.
Very effective.
And drat the male, once I was where he wanted me, he took his time drawing my panties down my legs.
“Tanyn,” I snapped.
“Patience,” he replied. “Lie back.”
I did as I was told.
He spread my legs.
He took too damned long doing that too.
He then ran a finger lightly through my wet folds.
I trembled on his desk.
“Honey,” I whispered.
Going the other way, he bent in, and dragged his tongue just as lightly, and agonizingly slowly.
Oh gods.