Pride #3
“Once the trial is over, we’ll be working out the specifics,” Mira replied. “Though, I’ll warn you now, I believe the king should be seen with Miss Truelock no less than four times. The goal should be six.”
Considering one could say Tanyn’s job being the new king and cleaning up after his criminally insane (in a variety of ways) half-brother was more important than mine as the director of an art gallery, I sensed I’d be spending a lot of time on a craft in the coming weeks.
“Perhaps Miss Truelock can work from Abyssinia?” Mira suggested.
But before I could answer (not that I was going to, I either wouldn’t have a choice, although it was practically impossible to manage an art gallery not being in the gallery, or during the trial I’d make it so this would be moot (pray Lilith)), she said, “Just a warning. Again, we’ll work out the details after the trial. ”
When no one said anything, Tanyn asked, “Is this acceptable to you, Catla?”
It was not.
“Of course,” I replied dully.
Tanyn studied me.
I let him.
Mira broke into this. “Well then, we have our course set, and we’ll be hard at work at it after the trial. Though, I’ll put everything in place so I simply have to hit go when I have the order.”
Tanyn broke our staring contest to turn to the holo. “Thank you, Mira.”
“At your service, sire.”
That sire business again.
Yuck.
“Lovely to meet you,” Mom said.
“You as well,” Mira replied, sounding like she meant it, when she totally didn’t.
Dad pressed a button on his desk console and Mira blinked out.
I pulled my Palm out of my clutch and started to order a Fly.
“Catla?” Dad called.
After I hit go on the Fly, I looked up at him. “Is that all?”
“I was hoping you’d have dinner with us.” He threw out a hand to indicate Tanyn. “All of us.”
I stood. “I’m afraid I have plans. And I just ordered a Fly. I’ll wait for my pilot outside.”
“You have a detail, dearest,” Mom noted.
“And I’ll be living with that the rest of my life. For now, I want to take a Fly home.”
“Is that wise?” Mom asked Tanyn.
Before he could answer, I began moving to the door, saying, “Enjoy your evening.”
“Catla!” Dad called sharply.
I turned to him, looked right into his eyes, and he flinched.
“Enjoy your evening,” I whispered.
With that, I resumed my trek, trying, and failing, not to allow all the things that had been crashing through my brain for the last week since I found out what Dad had done to crash into my brain.
For starters, I had to break up with Bash.
As a repeat, I liked him, and I had hopes I could put Tanyn off, but I couldn’t string Bash along while I went on a compatibility trial with another male. He was a demon too. He knew all about this. No way he’d wait for me to do that. It’d be mean and even cruel to ask him to.
So there was that.
And if I did not put Tanyn off, I’d have to quit my job.
I loved my job.
And I’d have to leave Nocturn.
I also loved this city. I was born here.
I grew up here. My life was here, and it was more than just my job; it was the museums, the parks, the theaters, the shopping, the hustle and bustle, the fact there was always something to do, somewhere to go, something to see.
It was my flat, which I had made perfectly my own.
And my friends.
Laura, Gayliliel and Monique.
Laura and I had been besties since we were eight. Gayle came a year later. Monique was a newer addition, but treasured.
It was hard to recall times in my life when Laura and Gayle hadn’t been a part of it.
How was I going to live without them being a ten-minute craft ride away?
Of course, we would all eventually find mates. Have babies. Life would change. It wouldn’t be drinks and shopping and brunches and clubbing forever. I was aware of that.
But I never thought life for me would change in the way I’d only see them occasionally, not only because I lived in a whole other realm, but also because I’d be covered in queenly duties, which included providing my husband with an heir.
I didn’t want to be so far away from my females.
And even if I was very, very angry at my father, I didn’t want to be so far away from Mom and Dad, either.
I didn’t want to be a queen.
I wanted to be who I was.
Then, of course, there was my own father humiliating me in front of a king.
Speaking to me like I was five years old.
Speaking to me like he did not know, because I told him, loudly, I had no interest in any of this, and therefore I wouldn’t rush, panting with excitement, to a meeting with him and Mom to talk about it.
All of this was a lot.
But none of it was my choice, and that made that “a lot” far too much.
So much, as I walked down the steps, I felt myself fighting tears.
Me, Catla Truelock, half demon and tough bitch (though, also half human, so that explained it) fighting tears.
I’d almost made it to the front door when I felt fingers curl around my upper arm so firmly, the grip and the resultant halting of my forward momentum had me whirling toward whoever grabbed me.
Wretchedly, it was Tanyn.
Making it more wretched, it was in that moment the first tear fell.
Demon tears were red. They weren’t blood, just crimson-streaked water.
Therefore, he could not miss it as it traveled in what felt like slow motion down my cheek.
And he watched it glide along my skin.
All the way.
Once it dropped off my jaw to soak into my slim-fitting, sleeveless, black, to-the-knee dress (with its slender, black patent leather belt—black was one of my colors (or non-colors, as it were), but I’d purposefully selected it for its funereal properties for this meeting), his gaze lifted to mine.
“That wasn’t how I wanted that to go,” he said quietly, his deep silky voice feeling silky against my skin.
I ignored it.
“Well, that’s how it went,” I replied. “Now, if you’ll release me, my pilot will be here shortly.”
“Allow my detail to take you home.”
“At this juncture, I’ll have to pay if I cancel the Fly.”
“I’ll reimburse you.”
“I’d rather be alone.”
“You’ll have a pilot in a Fly.”
“I think you understand what I’m saying.”
“Catla—”
I twisted my arm and gained my freedom. “I have to go.”
“I don’t leave for Sky’s Edge until tomorrow. Have breakfast with me?” he requested.
I shook my head. “Thanks, no. It seems I’ll be away from the office quite a bit in the coming weeks, and out of town soon, so I have things to do.”
“Catla—”
The front door opened for me as I approached it, but I turned to him.
There was no remorse in his face, no empathy. He was watching me, intently, but another thing I knew in the very little I knew about him, he kept his cards close to his chest…always.
I was to be his wife, and he wasn’t giving me anything, even now, not having missed I was feeling too much.
Why do you even want me? I’m all wrong for you.
I wanted the answers to this question, but I didn’t ask. Not now. I was still fighting emotion. I couldn’t take more.
“I’ll comm you,” he said.
“Of course,” I replied.
Then I turned and walked out of my parents’ cube of a multi-million-mark house to the Fly, which, thank Hecate, had perfect timing and was coming in for a landing as I marched down the steps.
The king of Sky’s Edge stood in the open door to my parents’ house, arms crossed on his wide chest, watching me fold in.
“Yeesh, is that—?” the pilot began, staring out the side screen toward Tanyn.
“Just…can you please just go?” I begged.
He looked back at me, and I noticed he was human.
He noticed the red tracks on my face.
And thank the gods, when he did, after I was secured, he spoke no more.
And we took flight.