Page 93 of Moonlit Thorns

“Thanks, Nero. You look very handsome.” They separate, and Anabelle sticks her hand out toward the woman beside him. “You must be Maude. It’s great to finally meet you.”

She smiles and shakes Anabelle’s hand. “Thank you. Great to meet you as well.”

“Maude, this is my brother Asher.” Nero gestures to me.

I nod and reluctantly stick out my own hand. “Pleasure.”

“Likewise,” she says as she takes my hand.

There’s a beat of awkward silence before Anabelle rescues us. “So, Maude, are you used to these kinds of big events?”

“I’ve been to some before, but nothing this extravagant.” She glances around. I don’t like the way her eyes gleam, as though she’s tallying everything up and figuring out what it might cost.

“Me either. It’s a little overwhelming.” Anabelle laughs, and Maude just gives her a small smile.

My eyes narrow. I don’t care if it will piss Nero off, but if this woman gives Anabelle attitude, I’m going to say something.

“So what do you do for a living, Anabelle?” Maude asks.

“Oh…” She glances at me. “Well at the moment, I’m actually working as Asher’s assistant.”

It’s clear to me Anabelle’s a little embarrassed to admit that, probably wondering how it will look since we’re here together.

“I see.” Maude looks between the two of us. “Well, you’re still young. Plenty of time to find yourself.” Again with that small smirk.

“And what do you do, Maude?” I ask.

Nero must sense my irritation because I notice his knuckles whiten around his drink.

“I went to Harvard and earned my degree in economics, and I work for the state now.”

So she’s smart. That might explain one reason Nero is so head over heels for her.

“Very impressive,” Anabelle says because that’s the type of person she is, happy for other people’s success. I get the distinct feeling that Maude is not that kind of person.

“Where are Sid and Kol?” I ask, changing the subject.

“They went to get a drink before we had to sit for dinner.” Nero sips his cocktail, seeming to relax a bit. “Actually, here they come.”

Sid and Kol join our group. Neither of them has brought a date tonight, which isn’t surprising to me.

“Anabelle, you look lovely tonight,” Sid says, leaning in to give her a hug.

Kol simply nods in her direction, acknowledging her presence. That’s about all I’d expect from him. “I fucking hate these things.” He pulls at the collar of his tuxedo and takes a drink from his glass.

Obviously they’ve already met Maude, because Nero doesn’t do any introductions. I’ll have to ask later what their impressions of her are.

The six of us make conversation for a while. I swear I spot Maude checking out Kol a few times from behind her mask, but there’s no way that can be right.

Eventually, I turn to Anabelle. “Let’s go grab a drink from the bar.”

“Okay. It was good to meet you, Maude. See you guys in a bit.”

I don’t waste any time pulling her away from the group.

“See, that wasn’t too bad, was it?” Anabelle says as we move through the crowd.

“Speak for yourself. I don’t like her.”

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