Page 85 of Peacock Me Like a Hurricane

“You don’t sound like you believe that.”

Fuck. I can’t bald-faced lie to him—not here and not now, because it could save someone from what happened to me.

“I don’t believe they’ve been that busy with Amanda—she’s an amusement. They keep blathering on about Beltane, but I don’t think they care, nor do I believe that either of them is still grieving Rhea. Maybe they miss Alistair, but I doubt that. I also don’t believe that Sari put any work into Beltane. I think she convinced everyone it was touchy-feely horseshit. Guess I showed her.”

A ghost of a smile crosses my lips and I take a breath, heading into the tricky part. “Wilde is far too involved with Talia in his mind. That will be nothing but problems; I’ve seen this before. I think they’re conspiring with that Southern twat over more than that stupid ass bar, which worries me. I believe adamantly that Sari and Wilde don’t give a rat’s pizza-eating ass what I’m feeling about any of it—including my news—because it doesn’t involve their needs.”

He studies me, tilting his head. Lifting my face up, he looks at me with a concerned expression. “You’ve changed. You didn’t use to talk about them like this.”

I shrug, casting my eyes down. “Perhaps Beltane provided the clarity that I needed to see things through the right lens.”

Surprise filters through our bond. “Isn’t that interesting? You’ve piqued my curiosity now, kitty.”

It’s true.

When the Goddess chose him—not Alistair or Wilde or anyone else—I knew that the Universe was telling me something. It was telling me to fix old mistakes and be happy. I’m powerful in my own right, but when I’m joined with the right person, there is no limit to what I can do. Bast showed me that my light shines brightest when the surrounding people are not trying to put it out.

“Once I’ve had some more time to process it myself, I will.” I give him a small smile, not wanting to get his hopes up. It’s not fair to even hint at the things I’ve been considering since Beltane until I’m ready to commit to them. Otherwise, it’s cruel. “Let’s go back to the party stuff, hmm?”

Rolling his eyes, he flops on his back and groans.

“Okay, Mr. Dramatic. Yes, I expect you to attend. Given your insistence that you want to show us off in public, I hoped that Talia and the rest of your crew would come. Everyone in my house will be there and our community has a history of throwing enormous, wall-rattling shindigs for birthdays.”

“There’s a ‘but’ hidden in there. I sense it in the pause, woman. Out with it.”

“Only the theme, but we’ll talk about it later.” His eyes narrow and I grin, hoping to distract him until he sees the invitation on the community blog. “Did I mention that we only have four days left before we do the test?”

He beams. “Getting closer, aren’t we?”

I nod, rubbing my hand over my tummy as if I have every reason to assume something is growing there. “Much.”

“Well, mate, I can’t have you catting around without me! To the party, we will go. I’ll tell my goddess she’s expected. Maybe Theodora and Damien will come, too. Theodora’s not been out and about much, so that would be fun.”

I smile and ruffle his hair. “That sounds lovely, baby.”

The ringer on his phone echoes off the walls and he turns to the nightstand, his hand scrabbling in the bowl for it. When he doesn’t find it, he sits up and growls. “What the sodding hell? I bloody put—Minx!”

I blink and give him a confused look. “What? I didn’t do anything!”

“I put my phone, the Romanov cufflinks, and my brand bloody new Meterois watch in this bowl. The bowl Ididnotice appeared after the key incident that we will never speak of again. Ilikeall the little touches your git put in and that’s why I’ve beenusingthem. However, the better part of eight figures is missing in action from the sodding nightstand!”

My confusion and amazement war inside me. On one hand, why in thehelldid he have eight figures worth of crap in a tiny bowl on our nightstand like it was a bunch of stuff from Target? I didn’t do a damned thing to move it, even as a joke. It’s not like a goddamn ninja broke in unnoticed and whisked away from his?—

Oh, fuck.

“Um, I am telling the truth.” I bat my lashes at him, having realized what the problem is.

He glares at me as the phone rings again.

“I didnottake your stuff. Now that I know what it costs, I’m not even sure I want tolookat your stuff.” An eye roll is my only answer, so I forge on. “However, Imightknow what happened.”

“Out with it, woman!”

Letting out a piercing whistle that makes both Taurus and Aradia wince, I look around. No luck. It used to work when Aradia was little, so I thought it’d work here. Okay. What thefuck could that droid have taught the little bugger to get him to?—?

Christ. How could I not know this?

I take a deep breath and start singing, “Yo ho, ho ho…”

---