Page 22 of Night’s Fall (The Four Realms #1)

Cancer

I was running between bathroom, closet and bedroom in a tizzy.

I should have cancelled my instruction with Madam Garwah that night. Attending it didn’t give me enough time to get ready for the showing without rushing, and I hated to rush.

But if I had cancelled, how would I have moved from what fork, spoon, wineglass (etc.) to use and what topics of conversation were acceptable with my dinner companion, depending on if he was an aristocrat, a peer or a statesman, to acceptable behavior in a receiving line, of which (it had become clear Madam Garwah knew my future before I did), I would eventually be the one receiving, rarely the one shuffling through the line?

I needed to be ready for what was to come, and I couldn’t miss a day.

Although I’d heard nothing from Aleksei since his return comm after I’d left him an audio message that morning (during which he’d shared it was still iffy he’d be able to attend the showing), there was a small chance I not only would be attending him as a royal that night, but also his sister.

Though, I’d also heard from him the day before. He’d given me a good morning comm, which was short since he had to make a meeting, and a goodnight one, which was much longer and fortunately just flirty and chatty. We didn’t get in to anything deep.

Not that I didn’t want to know him deeply, but it had been intense, and it was clear we both could use a break.

And anyway, flirting with him was all kinds of fun. Aleksei was an excellent flirt in a manner that was very Aleksei .

Hot and sweet.

But a possibly imminent audience with two royals was on my mind.

The fact I’d buzzed Sirk up and he was currently heading toward the door I’d opened was on my mind.

The fact Allain had gotten in touch earlier that day to press about me signing the no contact order against my parents (this he’d sent, and I’d signed, and I’d subsequently received a notice from the Royal Ministry of Law and Justice that it had been filed), and I wondered if my parents received the same notice, was also on my mind.

The fact I couldn’t find one of my two silver strappy high-heeled sandals was on my mind.

And the fact that Cat was on my Palm display, freaking out about champagne, was on my mind.

“Everyone’s coming, Laura . Everyone !” she all but shouted. “ I mean, I knew Terrinton was a draw, but Bash and Tay are seriously connected.”

Cat, being Cat , tapped into those connections and, good news!—even though she was working, Bash was her date that night.

“So it’s going to be a crush,” she continued.

“ Royal Fire and Safety will be all over my ass if I don’t put out a velvet rope, something I’ve done.

I had to hire a door attendant who can let in the VIPs , and cycle people in when others leave.

It’s become a nightmare. And I know, I just know , because free booze makes beings deranged, I’m going to run out of champagne.

I put an emergency order into food supply, but they’re backed up, and estimated delivery time is between three and four hours from now.

The doors open in twenty minutes, so I don’t have three hours. I’m sunk! This is a disaster!”

“Laura?” Sirk called from the other room.

Dang it!

I limped, one sandal on, one sandal off, toward my bedroom door, assuring Catla , “ Sirk and I’ll stop by an off-license on the way there. What do you need? A case? Two ?”

“Oh my gods, I’d love you forever. Two . Can you make sure it’s chilled?”

I hit the door saying, “ We’ll do what we?—”

I looked toward the entry and saw Sirk standing inside, looking fabulous in a brown suit, light-blue shirt and burgundy tie.

And standing with him, holding Nova to his chest, giving her a neck rub, was my mate.

Therefore, I shrieked, “ Aleksei ! ” hobble-ran like an idiot across my loft, and he had to quickly drop Nova , because I threw myself in his arms.

He lifted me up his chest and tucked his face in my neck.

“You made it,” I whispered into his ear.

“Indeed,” he whispered against my skin.

I shivered.

He set me on my mismatched feet and pulled his face out of my neck, but as he did, he ran the edge of his teeth along it.

Oh…

My .

My nipples beaded and my head tipped back.

“I don’t wish to mess up your lip stain,” he explained the sultry scrape.

I couldn’t care less about my lip stain.

“Or devour you in front of Sirk ,” he went on.

Okay, that would be awkward.

I smiled at him, pressed my hands into his chest and then frowned at said chest.

“You have Nova fluff all over you.”

And he did, her fur marring the miraculousness of his royal-blue three-piece suit, which he’d coupled with a crisp white shirt, a navy blue-and-white diagonally striped tie and matching pocket square.

He looked confident, stylish and good enough to eat (even with the fluff).

“Not the end of the world, especially when my female’s a celebrated costume designer. I suspect you can help me with that.”

He suspected correctly.

I beamed at him, got up on tiptoe, kissed the underside of his jaw and turned to Sirk .

I shambled to him, gave and received a big hug.

“Hello! Hello !” I heard Cat’s voice. “ I’m delighted the prince has arrived, but I need champagne! ”

I lifted the Palm I’d forgotten I held as Sirk asked, “ What’s this?”

I gave her my face even if I was answering Sirk . “ Cat , my friend and the director of the gallery we’re going to tonight, is having a champagne supply problem.”

With no warning, he plucked the Palm out of my hand and peered at the display.

“You need champagne?” he asked.

“Oh my gods, you’re fucking gorgeous,” I heard Cat breathe.

When she did, I took in Sirk and realized she was right.

Sure, Sirk was so handsome, I didn’t miss this, but it only registered in my mind in a vague way, considering Aleksei’s looks were god-like, thus he outshone every male around him.

Now it was registering in a not-vague way.

Aleksei still looked like a god.

I glanced over my shoulder to smile at my mate.

He wasn’t paying attention to the conversation.

He was staring at my behind, and the expression on his face put goosebumps on my flesh.

I didn’t know if he would make it, but I was me, thus, I would have worn something like what I had on regardless.

But right then, with his expression, I was glad I was wearing my flamingo-pink satin, to-the-toes gown that was cut on the bias, had a halter-neck, zero back, clung to my curves and showed side boob.

I wore nothing else but the little diamond studs I’d bought myself after my first lead costume designer gig, and the diamond bracelet Mr . and Mrs . Truelock bought me when I graduated from the Royal College of Art and Design .

Oh, and a single silver sandal.

My mane-mate had put my hair into a messy, side pony.

I sensed (mightily) that Aleksei approved.

“I’ll have my suppliers propel three cases, chilled,” Sirk was saying, so I turned back to him. “ You’ll have them in less than an hour.”

“Oh my gods,” Cat repeated. “ I love you.”

Sirk grunted and tossed my Palm to me.

I caught it and aimed the display at my face. “ You good?”

“Get here, I need you. I’m glad the prince made it. I can already tell you look amazing. And I love you. Byeeeeeeee .”

My display went blank.

I pivoted my head between the two gorgeous males in my presence and stated, “ We best get going.”

“I think you best find your other shoe first, bissi ,” Aleksei suggested on an amused half-grin.

“Oh! Farg !” I exclaimed, and totter-ran to my closet.

I eventually had to run through a third of my shoe display program before I found, for some unhinged reason, I’d shoved the other sandal in with a pair of foam kicks that I’d bought because I thought I could pull them off, but I wasn’t a foam (or a kicks) type of female.

And after successfully rejoining the males, fully shod, I had to dash back to the closet to grab a handheld lint vac.

But I finally got Nova’s fur off Aleksei , and I was on his arm as he escorted me down in the lift.

He went out first and got in his JetPanther .

Sirk and I exited five minutes later, and he situated me beside him in his awesome, sporty bright red BratShot 250.

And off we went for Aleksei and my first officially unofficial appearance in the same public space being mates.

Color me crazy, me, Ms . Homebody , was looking forward to it.

But mostly, I was glad he was back.

* * *

“Okay,” I whispered, sitting beside Sirk , five crafts back on hover over the street, waiting for our turn for the VIP valet to let us onto the deep-purple carpet outside Cat’s gallery, Tempera .

I was watching Aleksei stride purposefully through the lightning storm of the flashing cams to the front doors.

“That was terrifying,” I finished when he disappeared inside.

Sirk had told me Aleece wasn’t coming, and I was kind of glad, because the frenzy I just witnessed had me inwardly quailing, and she might have made it worse.

I’d seen it happen to him and other famous people.

But knowing him, him meaning something to me, and witnessing it in person, I was struggling with a mixture of outrage, revulsion and fear.

The first two I felt for him because this was his life, and I knew he didn’t like it.

The last was for me.

“It’s all he knows,” Sirk replied. “ Sure , sometimes he finds it mildly annoying, but he’s learned to play the game, and when he needs his space, he knows how to get it.”

“Right,” I mumbled.

“Laura, this is his life,” Sirk said low what I’d just thought.

Left unsaid, And it’s going to be yours too, so buck up, buttercup .

I turned his way. “ There could be a half a dozen crazies on that pavement.”