Page 216 of Night's Fall

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Aleksei snatched me to him as he burst out laughing.

The sound rang out in the cavernous room.

Honestly?

As much asIloved it here,Ihadn’t been sure aboutSpikeback.

The penthouse was totally our place.

But hearing his laughter echo in that room,IrealizedIwas wrong.

Every place was our place.

But this was whereIlearned he loved me, andItold himIloved him.

So this would be our new place.

And whatever life brought us, we’d find the same thing there.

Always, with myAleksei.

Chapter33

Hero

“Well?”

Antheme looked toGayle, then toCat, then toMonique.

Once she did that, she put her finger to her chest and inquired, “You’reasking me?”

“Yes,I’masking you,”Ireplied.

“I haven’t worn a dress in my life,” she told me something that did not surprise me.

“It’s not a dress, petal, it’s agown,”Lancethuffed.

We were at my final fitting.

TheMasquewas only a few days away.AndalthoughIwas a little anxious to put all ofMadamGarwah’straining to use on such a big stage, and a little more anxious, because tons of people around me, almost all of them strangers, definitely all of them curious about me, wasn’t my thing.

ButIhad to admit,Iwas also a little excited.

This magnificent gown would make any female excited.

ExceptAntheme.

On that thought, along with riding the crest of theAlekseiwave that had become my life,Ismiled.

Not much but normal stuff (or, my new normal) had happened sinceAlekseiand my love fest atSpikebackCastleover two weeks earlier.

And that was good.

The fittingsIhad scheduled for the vid were done, the adjustments made, andIwas ready to roll when we were ready to shoot (except gettingMardeloutfitted, he wasn’t available to me, but his costumes were constructed).

I’d scheduled my first royal appearances, these to happen after theMasque.

Thankfully,Alekseiwas going with me to these appearances.

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