Page 21 of Needed in the Night (The Fortusian Mates, #2)

ISLA

When I slid onto my chair at the bar, Mikas set a bowl of jampas and a glass of brandy in front of me. The last time for this tradition? Another pang.

“Excellent music choices again tonight,” he said. “Your Fortusian pronunciation has improved significantly from your early days here.”

“I would hope so.” For the benefit of our eavesdropping boss, I added, “I don’t have any plans to go anywhere, so I’ve been practicing my vowels. Before too long, I want to trick people into thinking I’ve been speaking Fortusian all my life.”

I worried Mikas might not understand why I’d said that, but when he smiled, I knew I needn’t have been concerned.

“I am glad to hear it, Isla. Zaa’ga would not be the same without you.” He glanced at the bowl of berries. “Would you like anything else?”

I didn’t have much appetite, but the berries looked particularly ripe and sweet tonight, so I tried a handful. They tasted even better than they looked .

“Delicious,” I said when I could speak again. I dabbed my mouth with a napkin. “Really outstanding. Thank you for the treat, as always.”

“My pleasure.” He glanced at his order screen and picked up a tall glass to mix a drink.

“I need to go back to the market tonight,” I said, with a loud sigh.

“That bottle of perfume I ordered is finally ready, and I still need food for the week. Since we’re off at the same time tonight, I don’t suppose you have time to be my escort again and carry my purchases?

” I held his gaze. “Or are you too busy?”

To my relief, he took the hint and played along. “I really should stay and work on inventory,” he said, sounding reluctant for the benefit of the surveillance.

“Please?” I asked, injecting a plaintive note into my tone. “I know it’s a last-minute favor, but I promise it won’t take too long. An hour, hour and a half at most. I have to get back too.”

“All right,” he grumbled. “An hour and a half maximum .”

“Thank you.” I made my voice a little frosty as if he’d irritated me and focused on my drink, pointedly ignoring the berries. Mikas moved his drink-making farther down the bar, his spines prickling visibly.

I hoped we’d sold it well enough to Nubo and my playacting with him earlier about his proposal had been convincing enough that we’d get out of the building and to the market.

Once Mikas and I made it into the perfume shop, I could tell him the truth: Brae and I needed to leave Onat’ras tonight, and I wanted him to come too.

As fast as my set had gone by, the next hour dragged on interminably.

It was exhausting to sit and wait to see if Nubo would come up with some excuse to demand one or both of us stay behind and not let the anxiety show.

And what if Mikas had changed his mind about leaving?

What would I do if I offered to go away with him and he declined?

My chest felt tight even thinking about that possibility .

I hated to pretend to be miffed at Mikas and not chat as we usually did. Even faking being mad at him made my stomach churn. Or maybe that was just anxiety about our escape. I did eat the jampas, though. Fake argument or not, I wasn’t going to waste the most delicious berries on the planet.

An hour later, when our shifts ended, I headed upstairs with Brae while Mikas tidied up behind the bar.

In my apartment, I swapped my lovely teal gown for a much more casual knee-length dress, kept one dagger in my arm sheath, put the rest into my boots, and left my hair loose.

I took what I hoped was one last look around my apartment.

I expected to have second thoughts, but I didn’t.

As much as I’d tried to pretend otherwise, this place hadn’t felt like home to me.

It was only ever just a place to stay. I hadn’t put down roots anywhere except maybe the chair at the bar where Mikas had served me berries and brandy after every shift.

“Are you ready for this?” Brae asked as I slung my cross-body shopping bag over my shoulder.

“As ready as I’m going to get,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “Am I crazy for doing this?”

“You know you aren’t.” He perched on the back of a chair so he could look me in the eye. “You deserve better than living like this. Both you and Mikas deserve better.”

I took a deep breath and let it out. “Thank you. I just need you to watch for trouble while we figure out what’s next.”

“I will. Once you talk to Mikas, let me know your plan and what you want me to do.”

“Okay.” I touched his wing. “Thanks, Brae. I love you.”

“I love you too.” He nuzzled my hand. “Don’t tell anyone I did that.”

“Our secret,” I promised.

When I opened my door, I found Mikas waiting. “Ready?” he asked, his voice gruff .

“Ready,” I said, forcing a smile. “Thanks again for coming.” He grunted.

In shadow form, Brae followed us out of the building, and then flew overhead to snack on insects as he accompanied us.

Brae wasn’t our only watcher. Slug followed too, as usual without making any effort to disguise herself.

Her obvious presence made me wonder whether others might be watching.

It was an old trick: keep your quarry focused on an overt shadow to discourage them from looking for others.

I wouldn’t put it past Nubo to have multiple sets of eyes on us.

Do you see anyone else but Slug following us? I asked Brae, who was circling overhead judging by the telltale warm tingle on the back of my neck.

After a moment’s pause, he replied, No, but I’ll keep close watch. She’s being too obvious, isn’t she?

Much too obvious , I agreed. Thank you.

As impatient as I was to get to the market, I took time to gaze at the waterfall, inhale the sweet scent of the pink water, and feel the mist. Of all the planets, moons, and space stations I’d ever visited, this was the most beautiful and calming place I’d been.

So that was two things I’d miss about Onat’ras: my chair at the bar and this beautiful lake.

Mikas stood at the lake’s edge next to me, studying the waterfall with his hands folded behind his back. Would my proposal to leave tonight surprise him, or did he suspect my motives for our trip to the shop? His expression gave nothing away.

With one last look at the waterfall, I turned my steps again in the direction of the market sign. Slug followed about four or five meters behind us.

“It would make the most sense to pick up your perfume first,” Mikas said as we walked, making no attempt to not be overheard. He glanced down at me, his eyes twinkling despite how irritated he looked. “Perishable food items should be last.”

Some of my unease faded and a warm, bubbly feeling swelled in my heart. If he wanted to go to the perfume shop, maybe he did want to talk in private. Maybe he did want to leave.

“I think so too.” I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “I’ll try not to buy too much for you to have to carry back.”

“Next time, you may have to request your purchases be delivered,” he said, his voice loud for Slug’s benefit. “Or commit to only buying what you can carry yourself.”

I knew somewhere beneath that spiky exterior he had a sense of humor. I wanted to see more of it. And I wanted to hear him laugh.

The market was even busier tonight than on our previous visit. I followed in Mikas’s wake as he made his way through the crowd, with Slug still trailing us.

Long before we reached the perfume shop, I heard the familiar sound of the Sirrah’s breathtaking singing even over the loud chatter and shouts of shoppers, shopkeepers, and other performers. The uneasiness in my stomach and tension in my shoulders lessened immediately—enough that I noticed it.

The last time we’d been here, listeners in the vicinity had seemed eerily enthralled.

Simply because her singing was so exquisite?

Or did she have some power, or even magic, that made her voice literally captivating and reduced negative emotions?

I hadn’t thought to ask Mikas at the time.

If so, that would add to her value for those who thought of people in those kinds of terms.

We paused outside the perfume shop to join the crowd of listeners and drop coins into the Sirrah’s collection box. Once again Mikas made a generous donation. I gave half of what I had in my bag, in case it was my last opportunity to do so. Truly, her voice was like nothing I’d ever heard .

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Slug leaning against the wall of the metaphysical shop next door, staring at the Sirrah with a sneer. Who could listen to such a beautiful voice without being moved? The sort of person who could know Mikas and think he’d want to be a raider, I supposed.

Reluctantly, I slipped away from the crown of listeners and into Ycari’s shop with Mikas. The doors were closed tonight, so once we were inside I could no longer hear the Sirrah or any market noise. Slug took up a position just past the shop’s front windows.

“Isla!” Ycari came flying out of the back hallway, beaming at us, the feathers on the crown of her head ruffling with joy. “And Mikas! My lovelies, how are you this evening?”

“Happy to be here,” I said fervently. “Very excited to see what perfume you’ve made for me.”

“Oh, yes, yes! I have made you truly a masterpiece.” She shooed us toward the back hallway. “You’ll want to experience it fully, I am sure. You must stay at least an hour, my lovelies. The scent will develop as you wear it. I must have your full approval of every note of the scent.”

“Did you include the Centenian gregarus?” I asked. “And the Solani violet?”

“Oh, the violet ,” she said, with a knowing smile. “The violet! Of course, of course. That is why you must stay for the full hour. The violet takes time to develop, lovelies.” She craned her neck to look at Mikas. “You will not mind waiting with her?”

“I will not mind at all,” Mikas rumbled.

My heart leapt.

“Wonderful.” Ycari ushered us into the same sampling room as before.

On the counter was a breathtaking pink crystal bottle with a stopper in a strange swirling shape. Next to it was a fabric pouch and a wooden box carved with the same design as the stopper .

With so much of my focus on trying to get away from Nubo and Onat’ras, I’d almost forgotten I was going to get a bottle of real Engareni perfume made by a master perfumer.

I’d never bought something for myself that was so purely indulgent.

I’d never had the means. And I hadn’t believed I deserved such things until I’d lived free and happy on Fortusia and started to figure out who I was and wanted to be after a lifetime of pain, fear, and danger.

This perfume was a symbol of a better life I’d once thought I’d never have.

I didn’t regret commissioning the perfume—not one bit. Some things were worth far, far more than their price.

“I hope you love your perfume, Isla,” Ycari said, dipping her head to me, her expression sympathetic as if she knew what I was thinking. Perhaps she did. “Three, six, four.”

“Three, six, four,” I repeated dutifully.

Ycari squawked excitedly and closed the door to the hallway, leaving us alone.

I turned to go to the counter to claim my perfume and found Mikas standing behind me.

His stoic, granite-like facade had evaporated. To my utter astonishment, his expression was now so tender and unguarded that he was nearly unrecognizable.

What in the worlds had come over him? Was this the same stoic, nearly emotionless man who’d watched me sing, listened to me chatter, and served me brandy and berries nearly every night for three months?

Served me brandy and berries .

Maybe it was the wonder and awe created by the Sirrah’s singing combined with the grim reality of her precarious life as having a prized talent, or how gently Mikas had held my hand the last time we were in this shop, or thinking of the brandy and berries in combination with this sudden tenderness that made me consider the possibility it wasn’t just a nightly thoughtful gesture between colleagues and friends .

And if it wasn’t that…

I sucked in a breath. Great gods above and below, how dense could I be?

He’d quietly offered me food and drink, again and again, as I sat at the bar ever watchful, ever on guard, and yet utterly oblivious to what was quite literally right under my nose all this time:

Mikas .