Page 23 of Needed in the Night
Mikas’s gift broke the dam. A flood of others came forward, jostling their way through the crowd in their enthusiasm to contribute. Hands clasped, the Sirrah sang an almost effervescent aria in gratitude.
With surprising gentleness, Mikas put my hand back on his forearm and guided me away from the crowd, across the promenade, and into the perfume shop.
CHAPTER 8
ISLA
The shop’sdoors were wide open to welcome customers. The Sirrah’s voice followed us inside and blended with the soft music playing in the showroom.
To my relief, we were the only shoppers, so we had some privacy while I tried to rein in my runaway emotions. I didn’t mind so much if Mikas saw my anger and tears, but I didn’t want Scar to wonder why seeing and hearing the Sirrah had upset me so much.
Mikas bent his head again, squeezed my hand between his arm and the hard muscles of his torso, and murmured, “You forgot to limp, Isla.”
Oh, damn it to all the hells—I’d been so captivated by the singer, and then so angry and upset, that Ididforget. Only four months after starting my involuntary leave of absence from the Web, I was already getting rusty on basic ruses.
His gaze searched my face. “I did not mean to upset you. I am sorry.”
“I’m fine,” I said, and forced a smile.
He didn’t believe me; that much was clear from the furrow between his dark brows. When he started to speak, I raised my free hand.
“She’s right outside,” I murmured, with my back to the shop’s doors like his so our lips couldn’t be read and even eavesdropping tech would struggle to catch our voices. “Our shadow. You saw her, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” His expression hardened. “I was not sure you had noted her presence until you feigned that stumble so we could speak quietly.”
I liked very much that he’d seen what I’d seen and understood why I’d wanted to hang onto his arm. And even after only knowing him a few months, I felt so comfortable and safe around him—even more so now away from the bar, despite Scar’s presence.
That wonderful sense of safety was one of the reasons I’d brought him with me to the perfume shop…which like me was more than what it seemed.
With a real smile this time, I gestured widely at our surroundings. “Have you ever been in an authentic Engareni perfume shop?”
“I have not.” He scanned the seemingly endless shelves of bottles, jars, and flowering plants gathered from a hundred planets. “It is certainly wondrous, although the scents are quite strong for those of us with keen senses.”
I winced. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that.”
He smiled slightly. “There is no need to apologize.”
We turned at the sound of footsteps. A beaming, feathered Engareni woman emerged from the back, her hands outstretched.
“Hello, hello!” she crowed, her voice tinged with a squawk. “So lovely to have such beautiful customers come into my shop.”
“Thank you.” I inclined my head in a traditional Engareni greeting. “I’m Isla Mair.”
“I am Madame Ycari,” she said, returning my nod. “Purveyor of the finest perfumes on all of Fortusia.” Feathers ruffling, she craned her neck to look up at Mikas. “My, you are a big one. A beastly beauty of a male.”
Mikas blinked twice. This was certainly the first time since I’d met him that I’d seen him at a loss. I bit my lip to stifle a chuckle.
“I am Mikas Auren,” he rumbled, with a nod.
“Mikas and Isla. Yes, yes.” Ycari trilled. “What a lovely couple you are.”
Mikas’s expression remained neutral, but his spines bristled. Did her assumption that we were a couple upset him? But why would it?
“Oh, we’re not a couple,” I said quickly. “Mikas is my good friend. And we work together.”
“Hmm.” Ycari made a strange clicking sound with her tongue and teeth and eyed us, as if unconvinced. “Not a couple, not a couple. Hmm.”
“Thank you for coming out to meet us,” I said to distract both of them. “I’m here to sample some scents. I’ve heard good things about the Centenian gregarus.”
