Page 31 of First
In this case, I choose a flower.
The trick must delight healthy children as much as the sick because the girl gasps, squees, and says something that sounds like her version of “again!”That’s when a young Alpha emerges from behind a leafy bush. He’s tall and handsome, with auburn hair and brown eyes.
And he says in a friendly tone, “I’m starting to wonder if maybe you’renotthe monster they made you out to be.” Ivar’s scent is all over him. Even from a few dozen feet away, I can easily pick it up.
I rise to my feet as the man exchanges a nod with my guard, then comes closer.
“This is Marguerite,” he tells me, picking up the child. She must be his and Ivar’s daughter.
Which makes her Gabriel’s niece, I think to myself—for some reason, with an odd pang in my chest.
“And I am Andreas.”
I force out a smile. “Sofia.”
“Oh, I know. Martia and I work together, and she’s been complaining about you for the past two days. And yet, no one will tell me what the deal is between you and the general,” he says, with something I can only describe as a pout. “It’s rough, being surrounded by Alphas. They’re not good at sharing gossip.”
“Oh. Well, my deepest sympathies.”
“No offense, healer, but you can shove your sympathies up your nose. There’s something else I want from you.”
“And what would that be?”
He grins. “Information.”
He leads me to a little play area right behind a giant fern, where we sit side by side on a stone bench and watch Marguerite build castles in a rocky sandbox. “So, you’re Lennart’s mate?”
“You know him?” I ask, surprised.
“A bit. I was born and raised in House Niemi, though not in the main branch of the family. But Lennart and I are both third sons around the same age. There was some overlap.”
“Ah. Well, I’m sure Ivar has already explained the gist of what’s going on.”
“Only the bare bones. Lord Larsen, cold Omega, Right of the First Night. That’s about it.” He sighs. “Ivar’s entire life consists of gathering exploitable information about people and events and circumstances. When he’s home with me and Marguerite, he likes to relax and never shares any juicy stuff. Mostly, we talk about boring property disputes that ended two hundred years ago.”
“Who doesn’t like a good land registry?” I ask dryly.
“Who, indeed. So, how did you meet Lennart?”
“We were both training as healers.” It feels so long ago. “And then we became friends.”
“Love at first sight?”
“Not really. He liked me for longer than I did him. He was nice, but I didn’t really think of him like that. When I ended up being cold, though, he told me that he didn’t care. That I was still perfect to him.” I swallow. It’s strange, sharing such intimate details with someone I just met. But my head feels stuffed with cotton, and I might be running a fever, and there is something soothing about putting my thoughts in order to lay them out for another person. “It was a tough time. I couldn’t figure out my body. I felt like I was disappointing everyone around me. But Lennart was so accepting. When he asked me to be his mate, I accepted.”
“Was that recently?”
“No, not really. Years ago.” I feel myself flush. “I pushed back the mating for a while. I was just very busy with work, and then my father was sick, and after…”
“Not eager?” Andreas asks.
I glance away, a mix of guilt and defensiveness churning through my stomach. “It’s not so simple.”
“I’m sure it isn’t. And what about you and Gabriel? How did that start?”
“How did what start?”
His smile is amused. “Your relationship.”
