Page 30 of Bearing Secrets
“Wow. You guys sure know about style, don’t you?”
He smiled. “It’s cheaper if you order in bulk. I have a lot of siblings.”
“Alright…” She looked around the room. It was large, with a big bed in the middle of one wall, the wardrobe and a desk against another. Several sitting couches and chairs occupied one corner, next to what she assumed was the door to the hallway outside. The last had a big walk-in bathroom. “Can I have some privacy?”
Kirell nodded and slipped out the big door.
Her eyes continued to roam the room. “Sure are a lot of bears around here.” The bedposts were all carved into the heads of a bear. On the ceiling was a large mural depicting several bears in a forest. Elsewhere in the room were figurines and another painting.
Finally, she gave up and started stripping out of her dress, folding it carefully over the back of a chair before pulling on the sweatpants.
“Are you re—”
She yelped, slamming her hands over her chest as Kirell came back in the room. After a moment she calmed, realizing she was both facing away from himandwearing a bra. It was still a little vulnerable, but she composed herself and pulled the sweatshirt on, even as the door clicked closed behind her.
“It’s safe now,” she called.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, apologizing even as he was coming through the door. “I figured you’d had long enough to change…”
“My fault,” she said, waving it off. “I was snooping, trying to figure out why there’s so much bear stuff here.”
“Yes. That. Well, that’s kind of complicated.”
She lifted both eyebrows, expecting him to say more, but he stayed silent. “I see. Well then Kirell Ursa, I—wait a minute!” she exclaimed, snapping her fingers.
He looked around at her outburst.
“Ursa. That’s the constellation of the bear, isn’t it?”
“It is. Come on outside, I’ll point it out to you,” he said, gesturing to the door.
“What? Why? It’s just stars?”
Kirell sighed, looking a little exasperated. “Come on. Let me show you.”
She couldn’t figure out why he was acting so strangely. From the moment they’d stepped into his house, Kirell had come across like another person entirely. It was starting to grate on her nerves, and she was thinking of asking that he take her home, because it was making her uncomfortable. Whatever thisTop Secretstuff was that he wanted to share with her, Natalia was no longer sure it was worth the effort.
The earnest look on his face, combined with the clear nervousness he was doing his best to cover up, gave her pause. There was no sense of maliciousness or other bad feeling from him. Just…discomfort. It was that lack of bad vibes—something she’d always been adept at picking up—that swayed her decision.
What the hell, I’ve come this far. May as well see it through. A Green Card and ten grand isn’t something to just throw away.
Back out they went, through the hidden passages and down an elevator, before emerging at what she assumed was the rear of the palatial house. The grounds spread out before them, gentle rolling hills of green interspersed with clusters of trees, before disappearing into a forest perhaps half a mile or more distant.
More importantly, right in front of them—a hundred feet or so away—was a massive patio area, replete with barbecue area, swimming pool, hot tub, what looked like a sauna, and even better, a lit fire.
“This is wonderful.” Her attention was eventually pulled upward, to the clear sky above. The night might have had a bit of a chill to it, but there wasn’t a cloud in sight, giving her a breathtaking view of the stars. “It’s been so long since I left the city and just looked up. It’s so beautiful.”
Relaxing into one of the loungers, she enjoyed the warmth of the fire, letting it ward off the cool touch of the fall night.
“There.”
Kirell had his hand raised, finger pointing to the night sky at a distant object. Following his gaze, she looked up at the stars.
“Do you see the Big Dipper?”
Nodding, she located the pot-shaped constellation. It was one of the few she knew. Stargazing was an enjoyable activity, but Natalia had never bothered to learn many of the names or locations of them.
“The handle is the tail of the Great Bear constellation, or Ursa Major.”
