Page 14 of Night's Fall
Okay.
Okay.
What was happening?
Chapter3
Unexpected
The booths were elevated from the rest of the club by three steps, the better to look down on the little people, who were big people to the other 99% of the population.
I navigated these steps like my life depended on it, even asIbattled with everything that was going on in my brain and body.
Feet hurting.Phantombeast rearing her head for the first time sinceIlost her.Dreamcome true of meetingPrinceAlekseiand doing it in a posh club whenIwas in a pretty frock with sexy shoes and really good hair.
I mean, how was this even real?
The human stopped just to the side of the low table sitting before the prince, andIstopped right in front of it.Ibarely caught myself from crying out, “Idid it!” whenImade it there with no incident.
I then stared at the long, powerful body folded into the plush booth, his face still in shadows, andIdid this thinking it was goodIcouldn’t see his face, for after besting the effort of appearing before him without incident,Ididn’t want to pass out at witnessing his sheer male beauty, live and in person.
I said nothing.
He said nothing.
The human said nothing.
I said more nothing.
The prince remained silent.
The human made an annoyed noise, got close, and hissed, “It’scustomary to curtsy.”
Such was my surprise at his statement, my head jerked to the side (and slightly down) to take in the human. “What?”
“This is theTrueHeirof the realm.Youcurtsy,” he snapped imperiously.
He could not be serious.
“In a club?”Iasked.
“Anywhere,” he spat.
HolyBeelzebub.
I turned back to the prince, and it was thenIfelt a chill sluice over my skin, the phantom in my chest subsided as my stomach curled into itself.
I felt this because he was sitting there, silent, expecting me to curtsy.
By the gods, it was theYearof theDragon2118.I’dseen people genuflecting toAleksei, his father,KingFillion, his mother,QueenCalisa, brothers,PrincesTimotheeandErrol, and his sister,Aleece, but this was at ceremonial events where the royals were wearing crowns or troll skins or royal battle armor.
Not out at a (very elegant, but nevertheless just a…)bar.
I’d never curtsied.Ididn’t really know how.
WhatIknew wasIcould feel the attention of everyone in the club, they were expecting me to do something, andIfeared what they were expecting me to do was curtsy.
SoIdid.
