Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“Careene and I raised six fledglings to adulthood. Four daughters and two sons.”
Robyn watched Kyzel’s expression over the rim of her wine glass as he ran down the attributes of each of his children, his eyes alight with love.
Bragging rights were a parent’s due, but Kyzel spoke of them and their individual accomplishments without taking credit for himself.
And, frankly, she’d do just about anything to keep him talking.
It was like his voice resonated with her down to the marrow of her bones.
And between her legs.
Kyzel smiled. “It is one of my greatest comforts to know that Careene lived to see them fly the nest before she took on with an illness and passed to The Great Aerie a sun migration ago. Which is a year by your calendar.”
“I’m sorry.” And she meant it, even though she wouldn’t be sitting here with this compassionate man if the woman were still alive.
“She no longer suffers, and that brings our heirs and me great peace.”
“Heirs? Is that what they are now that they’re not fledglings anymore?” And how exactly would they feel about their father hooking up with someone from another planet?
“In a manner of speaking. All Bezchians are heirs of our world.”
“Ooh, that’s poetic. I like it.”
Kyzel’s smile brightened and he reached for his wine glass. “Now, it is your turn. Tell me about your three children. Is that the correct word?”
“Yes, children.” Her mother’s heart filled to bursting.
“You know about Kathy already. She lives a half hour away. My first born, Karen lives in Colorado with her husband, and is a mother herself now. Their daughter, my granddaughter, Danica is two years old. And Kevin, Jr. is single, a geologist, and currently lives in Arizona.”
Kyzel frowned. “Your former mate’s name is Kevin, correct?”
Boy, he picked up on that really fast. “Yep. Remember how I said he was controlling?” She paused for him to nod.
“When I was pregnant with our first baby, he wanted a boy so bad just to name it after himself. But, when we found out it was a girl, he decided her name should at least begin with a K like his. Did the same with Kathy.”
Which wasn’t even short for Kathleen or Kathrine. Just Kathy.
“Naming a fled…child after one’s self….” He stopped. “I am sorry. It is none of my concern.”
She gave a little laugh. “You’re right. He was driven by his ego.
It isn’t always like that, though. In other families it’s more about family and belonging.
But in Kevin’s case, it was all about him.
” She huffed a small laugh. “Fortunately, I was ‘allowed’ to choose their middle names, which are a bit more creative.”
“We do this too on Bezchi. Most monarchs will have at least one fledging named with a combination of their names.” He blinked a couple of times, then looked down at his wine glass as if he’d said too much.
That was weird. “I’ve heard about the monarchs on Bezchi. They’re elected and rule in pairs, right?”
“That is correct.” Kyzel shifted slightly on his bench.
“All monarchs from all the clans mate for life. Some clans have a mixture of members who are life mates, and seasonal mates. The Firewing clan does not mate until they find their soulmate.” His gaze met hers, sharp with emphasis. “But all raptors mate for life.”
Every bit of moisture evaporated from her mouth, and somehow magically reappeared in her panties. Goodness gracious, that was such a turn on. If he didn’t stop looking at her like he wanted to devour her, she just might haul him onto the table and have him for dinner.
“What about you, Robyn?” he murmured. “Would you mate for life?”
Warmth rose to her cheeks, and she couldn’t look away from his intense gaze. “For the right guy….”
Somehow, she’d croaked the words out. There was no denying Kyzel was checking all the right guy boxes. He even smelled good. Delicious, actually. She inhaled the subtle scent of nutmeg, which she’d always liked, but now was her favorite.
Kyzel covered her hand on the table with his and raised it, stopping next to his mouth. “I would like to be your right guy, Ms. Martin, if you would allow.”
Ms. Martin? Allow? He was asking her permission? What a novel concept.
She wet her lips with her tongue. “I think I’d like that, Kyzel.”
As long as she didn’t go and screw things up.
He smiled and brushed his lips over her knuckles.
Oh, yeah. She was going to do more than try to make this work.
Kyzel stepped through the restaurant’s huge double doors and into the warm evening air. It was nice that contorting himself to enter and exit the facility had not been necessary.
He reached for Robyn’s hand. The simple act of twining his fingers with hers filled him with a deep sense of rightness.
Their conversation at dinner had been deeply personal, not superficial.
His children, her children, his hopes and dreams for his people, and her hopes and dreams for the women she worked to help.
But, most of all, she wanted to pursue a relationship.
This was so different to what he experienced with Careene.
Yes, he had known some personal details about his mate, but their discussions had been centered on how they could best work together for the good of their people, and their fledglings.
He could please her in bed, and she him, but what had he known about what stirred her to great passion?
Nothing.
They had never had a choice about being together.
It just was. Both of them had the necessary traits to rule, therefore their mating was inevitable.
He had cared for her, yes, but he had never been in love with her.
How could anyone be in love with someone they did not know?
It was sad, but there hadn’t even been the potential of that type of love with Careene.
With Robyn, however—
“You must be having some deep thoughts.” Robyn’s mellow voice drew him back to the present.
“I am beginning to realize how little I know.”
“An epiphany moment, huh?” Her chuckle floated on the warm night air. “And here I was afraid the steak tartar wasn’t settling well with you.”
He gave her the biggest grin possible. “First, your aunt’s cinnamon rolls, then the Polish sausage, now the most perfectly done steak. If I keep eating so well, I will not be able to get off the ground.”
A flash of headlights from a car pulling up in the driveway shimmered over the wall of the restaurant for a brief moment.
“Well, we don’t want that to happen. I actually like flying with y—” She stopped walking. “Oh, no.”
“What is it?” He followed her gaze to the male exiting the newly arrived bright red car, which seemed to be missing its roof.
The male was a stranger to Kyzel, but the way Robyn puckered her lips and squished her nose like she had tasted something sour showed she not only knew him, she also did not hold him in high esteem.
“That’s Kevin,” she muttered.
“The mate you parted with?”
“One and the same.”
“Do you wish me to intercede?” He had no true claim to do so—not yet anyway.
“No. I got this.” She faced the approaching male as though prepared for battle.
Kevin did not appear to be hostile—he was even smiling—but why take the chance? Kyzel fanned his right wing out far enough to cover Robyn’s back. It was a subtle yet effective way to let the male know he would defend her.
“Hey, Robyn.” Kevin waved a hand in a friendly manner as he approached. Interesting how some things were universal. “How are you?”
“I’m fine, Kevin. What’s going on?” There was a barely detectable undercurrent of wariness in her words.
The man’s grin faltered a fraction, then returned with full force. “Heading in to make a dinner reservation. I, um,” he clasped one hand behind his neck and his smile took on a sheepish quality. “I took your advice.”
Robyn seemed bewildered. “What advice?”
“I went out last night and, well…” He shrugged his shoulders. “I met someone.”
“You did?” This news seemed to bewilder Robyn, or was that disappointment?
“I did.” He shook his head and chuckled.
The short under-feathers at the base of Kyzel’s scalp quivered.
“I know, I know. I always thought you were it for me, but…, well, when I struck up a conversation with Raven, something weird happened. We just seemed to have a lot more in common than you and I ever did. Made me start thinking, you know?”
“That’s great, Kevin.”
Robyn sounded sincere, yet no Bezchian male could have such a quick reversal of such deep-seated feelings. Of course, Kevin was not Bezchian, and Robyn was not questioning it, so perhaps it was possible for humans.
Kevin turned and met Kyzel’s gaze as he extended his hand. “Hi. I’m Kevin Donahue, the asshole ex, who promises not to be such an asshole anymore.”
Kyzel clasped the other man’s hand in the Earth greeting of a handshake. “I am Kyzel Raptorclaw. Pleased to meet you.”
Good thing he had paid attention during the culture and etiquette videos the agency had sent. Kevin’s grip was firm, but not overly so, as the vids had stipulated. It was possible that the male was being more honest than Kyzel credited him.
They released hands, and Kevin nodded his head in the direction of the restaurant’s front doors. “Well, good to see you again, Robbi. I’d better go before all the good seats for tomorrow book up.”
“Yeah. See ya, Kevin.”
Robyn watched Kevin stroll into Snodgrass’s, then quirked up one corner of her mouth. “Well. That was interesting.”
“Do you think he is speaking true?” Kyzel’s question was laced with doubt, and who could blame him?
“I kinda wondered at first, and would still be skeptical if he’d used a more common name like Susan or Debbie; but, Raven? That’s not a name that would ever be on his radar.” Not in a million years.
Case and point, the names he’d picked for their kids. Well, that was all water under the bridge. Hopefully Raven wasn’t a prostitute or something. But that wasn’t her problem now, was it?
“Where is the roof of his car?”
“The roof…oh, that.” She waved her hand in the direction of the little two-seater. “It’s called a convertible; the roof retracts so you can drive around and feel the wind in your hair. Kevin bought this one a year ago.”
And immediately drove to her place to take her for a ride. Like she’d ever fall for that one.
The warmth of a large, gentle hand against the small of her back drew her attention to Kyzel. The lingering remains of the sunset gave his headfeathers and wings a faint coral glow, but it was the intensity and focus of ice blue eyes that sent a flutter through her.
“I think flying is more fun.”
“So do I.” She ran her tongue over her lips, and his gaze riveted on it.
It was time to make a choice; end the evening here, catch a cab and go home alone, or have him take her home and see what happened. It’d been so long since she’d invited a man over, but Kyzel wasn’t just a man. There was something comfortable about him, about being with him.
For the first time since she’d walked away from her miserable marriage, she didn’t want to be alone. Not tonight. Not again.
She ran her finger over the silky shirt he’d called an omlek and pressed forward. “Let’s go back to my place for a nightcap.”
Kyzel’s feathered widow’s peak furrowed. “What is a nightcap?”
“Drinks, talk.” She gave her shoulders a shrug and peered up at him through her glasses. “Something more.”
Oh gosh, she was coming onto him, and it felt…good. Great, even. A shiver of anticipation coursed through her, settling snuggly in her privates. And just a little bit naughty.
His expression heated and he nodded. “I would like that very much.”
Yes, so would she.