Page 104 of Night's Fall
He positioned me at his side and made sureIknew to stay there by wrapping his arm around my waist.
I didn’t want to catch certain eyes.
ButIhad to catch certain eyes.
Sweeping through my beings,Itook in the fact thatMr.Truelocklooked cool as usual, lounged casually in an armchair like he owned this penthouse, his long legs crossed.
Mrs.Truelocksat in a chair next to him wearing one of her signature elegantly feminine dresses, her coppery-blonde hair perfectly coifed, andJupiterwas in her lap (she was the only oneJupiterliked, which told you all you needed to know about the lovelyMrs.Truelock).
Gayle andCatshared a couch, and they, unsurprisingly, considering where we all were and who we were with, appeared alert, but also surprisingly rested considering the night they’d had.
Time to face the music, soIasked quietly, “Areyou all mad at me?”
“Hells no,”Gayleanswered, then said to the king and queen. “Nodisrespect.”
“Be yourself inmy home,”Alekseiput in before the king or queen could say anything.
Oh dear.
I wasn’t having good thoughts about this unplanned, post-assassination-attempt, inter-family mingling, andIwas already not having good thoughts.
“Anyway, truth serum is a trip, sister,”Gayletold me. “Akiller one.I’mfeeling a whole lot better about law and order in our realm after dealing with thoseRMIguys.They’relike…whoa.Totallyon it.”
Sirk grunted unhappily.
Gayle darted a glance at him and then her face flushed prettily.
“He almost got arrested when the constables tookGayleinto custody,”Cateducated me.
Gayle’s cheeks got even pinker.
Sirk’s pecs popped when he crossed his arms irritably over his chest.
Interesting.
I filed that in myMakeCatand/orGayleTellMetheStoryLaterfolder.
Not catching the vibe, someone rudely wanted the story now.
“What did you do?”PrinceErrolaskedSirk.
“Nothing smart,”Sirkreplied sharply.
Denied the goods on a misadventure bySirk, who was adult enough to know whatever it was, it was a misadventure and not be proud of it,Errolsneered atSirk.
I studied another prince of my realm.
Aleksei’s youngest brother was the picture of a morph of his mother and father, except he got the more feminine traits of his mother, including her hair, and the weaker traits of his father.
In other words, he wasn’t unattractive, but he wasn’t handsome.
He was pretty.
I returned toCat. “IsTerrintonokay?”
“He’s ecstatic,” she shockingly shared. “Hesaid all the pieces were better afterAlekseiwas done demolishing them.Hewants to refund all the money, hike up the prices, and sell them all again.”
From what littleIknew of the old guy, that tracked.
