Page 31 of Mated By Twilight

She didn’t sing. She didn’t even look like she was breathing. Her eyes were so wide, they seemed eaten up entirely by white, staring at Corvidair in horror.

Tillos and Sollit moved at the same time, rushing into the room.

Tillos grabbed Corvidair by the back of the neck, yanking him back by the scruff while Sollit grabbed Leah around the waist. They pulled apart at the same moment, rescuing her from his overenthusiastic grip.

“Watch your hands, Corvidair,” Tillos said, stepping between his mate and brother and their boss who only laughed at their display of protectiveness.

“She hastalent!” Corvidair declared happily. “You heard her sing! Let me hear you sing again, pretty bird. You’re going to look so good on stage.”

Leah yanked herself free of Sollit, hitting the ground on both knees. Sollit rushed to help her up, but before he got the chance, she had already scrambled to her feet. She ran from them all, head down, hunched over herself, a sound horribly like a sob ripping from her throat. Tillos glared at Corvidair who had the nerve to look confused.

“What?” He asked, unmoved by their stares.

Chapter 14

Sollit

“Leah?Aevea? Can you come out now?”

“No!”

“Leah, no one is going to laugh at you, I promise.”

“Go away!”

Sollit frowned, scratching the back of his head, staring at the locked privy door. This really was not ideal.

It was better than when Corvidair had been here, bellowing at the door for her to come out, demanding, in that jovial, booming voice of his, that she sing for him. Tillos had driven him away and was keeping him back, leaving Sollit to try to get their mate from the public privy she’d hidden in.

She was quite distraught about being overheard, and Corvidair had only made things worse. Sollit was sure he heard her crying and it broke his heart. Corvidair didn’t mean anything bad by his immediate attention, but Leah clearly did not appreciate it.

Sollit knocked again on the locked door. He could call maintenance to have it unlocked, but he would rather she come out on her own. Not that it seemed likely to happen anytime soon.

“Can you just tell me why you’re upset?” He tried again, going for a different approach this time. “I can help if you just tell me,”

There was no response this time. Sollit cocked his head at the silence, but just when he was about to ask again for her to talk to him, the door slid open. Leah was standing there, head bowed, shoulders hunched, face red, eyes swollen. She looked so miserable.

“Ah, myaevea,” he cooed, putting his arms around her. She curled into him, hiding her face.

He kept her close as he turned, walking her away from the privy, taking her back towards their room. If she insisted on being locked in a private space, he’d prefer it be that one. He felt Tillos’ relief at his own determination. Though he wasn’t in eyesight, he recognized from Sollit’s emotions that he had gotten her out.

He allowed her to hide against him until he’d walked them back into their room. From there, she detached from him and once again locked herself in the privy. He was much less concerned about her hiding there, although he was worried that she was so desperate to get away from everyone.

“Leah?” He knocked on the door gently.

“I’m fine,” she promised, but it sounded like a lie. “J-Just… go and do the show.”

“We have understudies, Leah. We can miss a show.”

“No. Go. I’ll be fine.”

Sollit frowned at the door. It seemed wrong to leave her alone, but she insisted, again.

“I don’t want to be the reason you miss a show,” she said, sounding so sad and guilty. “Just… give me a minute. Okay?”

He hesitated again but gave in. “If you insist, Leah. We’ll be back right after. Alright?”

There was another long silence before she agreed softly. He left her there rather reluctantly, stepping out of the room to find Tillos already coming his way.

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