Page 59 of Crave Me

Which meant breakfast was typically around noon to three, lunch happened around six or seven, and dinner occurred by midnight.

The schedule worked for us, even when the days were long in the summer.

I’d shared the nuances with Nyx earlier. She hadn’t seemed bothered by them, just intrigued. And she’d enjoyed making food requests in the kitchen.

When she hadn’t been able to tell me the last time she’d eaten something, my heart had dropped. I’d not been properly caring for her, despite herhospitalitycomment last night.

Sure, she’d just become mine this week, but I felt like a failure for not even asking if she’d wanted to eat at the restaurant in Dublin. None of us had ordered food. However, that wasn’t the point.

She was my mate—or sort of my rejected mate, anyway—and I needed to care for her.

I ran my hand over my face as I ascended the stairs and growled when my watch vibrated.

I’m done with political discussions,I thought at it. But when I saw that it was Kaspian, I answered it anyway.

“I’m exhausted,” I told him. “Whatever it is, I trust you to handle it.”

“I tried that earlier and it pissed you off,” he remarked, the retort well earned.

And I was too tired to think up a witty comeback.

“What do you need, Kas?” I asked, continuing my climb up the stairs as a hologram of his face followed me.

“It’s about Klas’s burial,” he said, diving straight to the point. “His body was claimed before Nolan could finish arranging a flight here. Apparently, Klas’s mate decided to keep him in Ireland. She had him moved to another morgue earlier today. One that was closer to their home.”

My steps slowed. “His mate?”

Kaspian hummed in confirmation.

My brow furrowed as I considered the transfer request I’d just signed off on the other day. “I didn’t realize he had a mate.” Had she been mentioned in the file? I’d reviewed so many that I couldn’t quite remember.

“I didn’t either,” Kaspian admitted. “But I didn’t know him well.”

“Neither did I.” A fact that left me feeling uneasy.

However, there were many members of my House that I didn’t truly know. It was impossible to meet them all. That was why I had territory advisors, trusted members of my cabinet that I relied on to know the constituents within their jurisdiction.

“If his mate wants to bury him in Ireland, then we’ll need to allow it,” I finally said. “That’s a family decision.”

“I agree. I just wanted to let you know since you requested a warrior burial.”

I nodded. “I did. But I didn’t realize he was mated.” Or I would have taken time to meet his mate in Dublin. “Can you send something? Not traditional flowers, but perhaps a fortune stone or something to commemorate Klas’s service?”

Kaspian considered for a beat before dipping his chin. “I’ll talk to Niamh about it.”

Niamh was my sovereign in that region—one I was currently figuring out where to relocate now that Ireland was under Death and Diamond’s control. “Is she coming in tomorrow for the meeting?”

“She is,” he confirmed.

“Good.” I needed to talk through some strategy with her. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, Cara keeps sending me photos of herself on your roof. Had I realized babysitting duties involved a swim in that pool of yours, I would have accepted the task.”

I grunted, ending the call without replying. He wouldn’t have expected one anyway.

Thoughts of tomorrow’s meeting weighed heavily on my mind as I finished my trek up to the roof. Even if I wanted to sleep, I wouldn’t be able to. Not until I sorted out what I wanted to say to my council.

Sighing, I used my thumbprint to access my sanctuary and stepped through the threshold. I’d asked Cara to take Nyx by security earlier, saying to grant her the same permissions as mine. And she’d obviously done that since she and Nyx were on my roof.