Page 68 of Night’s Fall (The Four Realms #1)

Suite

I t was still dark the next morning when I felt Aleksei pull from my arms and leave our bed.

When I heard the door to the bathroom close, I turned to my back and stared into the murky room.

We’d both had a restless night.

Not a surprise.

It was also the first night since we lived together where we did not make love.

That wasn’t a surprise either.

Then again, Aleksei had been called away, so I’d gone to bed alone and had been so dead asleep, I hadn’t felt him join me until I woke due to him shifting.

Commence our restless nights.

And as I lay there, I thought much the same thoughts as had assaulted my brain over and over through the dark hours.

Primarily, remembering one of the last things Antheme said on this earth was that she was going to protect me.

Yes, she’d been referring to the Masque , but the message was the same.

Our conversation wasn’t me sharing how much I liked her, gruff and distant and blunt as she was, or the fact that her being gruff, distant and blunt were big reasons why I liked her.

It wasn’t about how much I appreciated her looking out for me.

We’d shared throwaway words. Nothing important. Two females walking to a craft and talking.

And then her lifeless body thudded to the pavement on a city street, and she was no more.

I wanted those last moments back for so many reasons.

To grab hold of her and pull her down with me so she would still be here.

To shift time so Antheme , or Fannon , or someone saw the shooter and stopped them before they released the blast.

Or simply to have our final conversation be about something meaningful.

To shut down these thoughts, I turned to my side, claiming Aleksei’s pillow and holding it close, breathing in his scent.

I felt that nearly imperceptible shift of the bed when a feline lands on it, and sensing my mood, Comet shared none of his usual complaints when he approached. He just allowed me to add him to the pillow I held in my arms.

The cats had been brought from the penthouse (obviously), as had a ton of my clothes, and other things I’d need.

Palace staff moved me in.

Seeing as I didn’t want my fur babies to get lost in this palatial maze or get stressed at another big change, the cats were sequestered in Aleksei’s suite, which was more like a flat, and not a small one.

There was the vestibule, and the sitting room. There was also a study, which was large, and a library, which was small.

The library had three walls full of books (yes, real ones, but they were so old, I was afraid to touch them for fear they’d fall apart), a comfortable armchair, foot stool, lamp and table, and that was it.

It was a cozy nook I could see Aleksei using and wondered if he had. If this was one of those quiet places where he retreated in order to escape his brothers and the duties he’d been born into.

I hadn’t asked him about this last night before he’d gone off to do whatever it was he’d been called to do. His mood didn’t invite conversation.

But, because I wanted to know all about him, I made note to ask him about it later.

In the suite there were also two bedrooms, both sumptuously appointed, but Aleksei’s was bigger. Each had attached bathrooms and rooms that used to be dressing chambers that had been converted to closets.

The bathrooms were old-fashioned, though they’d been modernized since the Palace was built, but before it was historically designated, so now, there could be no more changes. As such, they didn’t have bath pods, instead, bathtubs and showers.

The bedrooms were situated at opposite sides of the suite, and Aleksei explained there were two, because in olden times, husband and wife didn’t sleep together.

That said, my stuff was moved into his room, and it was my mate who directed it there.

The last rooms were found off the old dressing chambers. They used to be the bedrooms of the prince’s valet and his princess’s maid.

Aleksei’s valet’s room had been fitted with a state-of-the-art Body - Tone unit.

The room where my maid would have stayed had been set up for Queen Calisa to be her personal retreat when she was a princess.

That room was my favorite in the suite.

It was a stark contrast to the heavy masculinity that dominated the rest of the space (save the princess’s room, but even that was a feminine version of the rest, featuring furnishings and fittings in deep wines and bright roses).

The princess’s retreat was decorated in soft, cool tones of delicate green and misty blue, with a lush daybed, a big display and a cleverly crafted cabinet that held a small fridge and cupboard for drinks and snacks (due to Bev - Buddy and Snack - Sensations needing access to supply tubes, they couldn’t be outfitted in the Palace ).

I wondered if Queen Calisa had a room like that to get away from it all in her current situation in the Palace , and I hoped she did.

Knowing I’d never get back to sleep, I kissed Comet on his downy head (he mewed mildly angrily at the indignity of that) and he scampered when I slid out from under the covers.

I went to the bathroom and gave Aleksei a sleepy smile as his stormy gray eyes (apparently, the weather boded rain that day) followed me in the mirror on my trek to the little room that held the loo.

He’d showered and had a towel wrapped around his waist, and my vintage-loving mate was shaving rather than using a Beard - Raze .

This made me smile again.

I did my business, came out and used the basin beside his to wash my hands, doing so watching him wipe off shave foam.

“How are you doing, honey?” I asked.

“Shit,” he answered.

Hmm.

At least that was honest.

“I was wondering if you thought it would be appropriate for me to contact Antheme’s parents.” I inquired. “ To tell them?—”

He cut me off. “ Ask my mother about that. I’ve no fucking clue what you should do about it.”

With that, he prowled out of the bathroom and into the closet.

Seemed Prince Aleksei got cranky when he didn’t get decent sleep.

Understandable.

Especially after yesterday.

I fit my Denti - Clean in my mouth and hovered over the basin so the water that often dribbled out didn’t wet my nightgown. A quick donning of the Ultra Paint on cleanse setting, and then I headed to the closet.

Aleksei was wearing suit trousers, shoes and buttoning a light-blue shirt.

I wanted to ask about what he’d learned when he’d been called away last night, but other pressing things were at hand, so I asked about that instead.

“Okay, I was also wondering if maybe I could go to this meeting with you this morning,” I queried.

“No,” he replied.

I waited for him to say more.

He did not.

This made my head titch. “ Just …no?”

“These are affairs of state, Laura .”

“I’m aware,” I replied. But yesterday, a female I liked and respected dropped dead beside me after taking a stream for me or taking it to manipulate my mate and his realm . So I’d kinda like to be in the know about what’s happening , I did not say.

“The Masque will go on,” he announced. “ Security will be heightened, of course. You being here at the Palace and available, with nothing else to do, can help Mom with that.”

I couldn’t get into his mentioning the Masque would go on, something I wasn’t sure was a good idea, but it also wasn’t my choice, nor did I suspect I had any say in the matter.

No, I had to dive into the other thing.

“Help your mother with the Masque ?” I asked like he said, Help Mom dig up the entire garden and replace the flowers with rutabagas .

He stopped shrugging on his suit jacket and asked in return, “ Am I speaking the old language and you aren’t following?”

My beast curled into herself, his swelled, and I tried not to get angry.

Aleece had told me last night that Antheme had been on Aleksei’s detail for three years.

I’d known her weeks. And as mentioned, it was Aleksei himself who appointed her head of my team.

Thus, he liked and respected her too, so I had to give him some room to grieve.

And Mr . Truelock had warned me to be cautious with Aleksei now.

I’d already learned that lesson, but I didn’t quite know how to balance being supportive to him in his loss and cautious with him considering his mood.

In this vein, I thought it was safe to request, “ You’ll brief me on what’s said?”

I was wrong about it being safe.

“Have I been keeping anything from you?” he asked sharply.

“Honey,” I said softly, “ I’m trying to be there for you.”

He adjusted his cuffs under his jacket with short movements. “ It’s interesting how you trying to be there for me is all about what you want.”

It felt like I’d been slapped.

And it felt like it happened again when he didn’t notice.

Instead, he informed me, apropos of nothing, “ The Palace works on an old bellpull or phone system. You can pull one of the cords in any of the rooms, and a member of staff will come up and attend to your needs. Or if you want something, say, to order breakfast brought up, pick up the receiver on the apparatus by my bed, hit the one button, and a member of staff will answer. Tell them what you want. If you don’t fancy that, there’s always a buffet in the breakfast room.

That’s not the one we eat dinner in. That’s the informal dining room.

If you don’t know the way, call a member of staff to escort you. ”

It had been over a century since we’d moved to Palms and wrist units, etc. As such, I’d never used a phone in my life.

But I knew what telephones were.

I didn’t share that.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Again, since you’ll be here with little to do, you should arrange to have a detailed tour so you don’t need to trouble a member of staff to show you where to eat breakfast. This will eventually be your home. You should know how to get around in it.”

He and I hadn’t yet found the time for that tour.

However, I’d been looking forward to Aleksei giving it to me, and although his suggestion was a good one (of course, I did need to learn my way around the Palace ), the way he suggested it wasn’t so good.

He gave me a close look and ordered, “ Don’t act wounded, Laura . I have a lot on my mind, we both lost someone important to us yesterday, and for once, this is not all about you.”

I felt my lips part at this insult.

Delivering it, and all the rest, he didn’t want me to act wounded?

Was he mad?

Patience, Laura , patience .

“It isn’t your place to sit in on meetings like this,” he went on. “ Like it isn’t your place to attend sessions in the Center and cast votes for the realm.”

“I know that,” I replied as evenly as I could.

“So why are you looking at me like I rehomed your cats?”

“Because I don’t know the male I’m talking to,” I retorted before I got control of my mouth. I took in a deep breath, reminding myself to be calm, rational and supportive, and continued, “ Honey , I understand you’re grieving?—”

“I’m not grieving, I’m angry,” he bit out. “ It’s clear I’m not the True Heir because my brothers are fuckwits. Something is happening, and for some fucked-up reason, you and I are at the center of it. But even if I might be part of it, you always seem to be in the thick of it.”

I could see this was a lot for him.

I decided to address that.

“Can we talk a little about what happened last night?”

“What happened last night?” he asked.

“With the dragons, cats, wolves, bears,” I explained, deciding to start with that first.

“Dad told you.”

“I sense there’s more to it.”

He shook his head. “ I also don’t have time to do what your mother should have done and give you an understanding of the mind of a male shifter.”

As I thought, there was definitely more to it.

“Okay, I’ll ask your mother about that too,” I mumbled.

“Are we done with this?” he asked tersely.

Patience, Laura , patience!

“We haven’t been together for years, Aleksei .” I tried a shaky smile. “ Even if it feels like it, in a good way. So I don’t quite know how to navigate this, but I’m doing my best to support you.”

“Your best would be not waylaying me from important matters in order for you to take my time to point out how hard you’re working to support me.”

Perhaps it was his suggesting the unthinkable, rehoming my cats, even as a for instance.

Perhaps it was him weaponizing what I’d said weeks ago about how I worried I’d made us all about me.

Perhaps it was that this wasn’t a heat-of-the-moment reaction to traumatic events, which plausibly would cause tempers to flare, but instead a cold distance while delivering seemingly calculated cuts meant to draw blood.

Mostly, it was all of that.

So I didn’t lie. I didn’t know this male.

And I didn’t like him.

Whatever it was, I was less cautious with my words than I should have been when I retorted, “ I do understand you have important matters on your mind, and though I’ll never understand what a heavy burden you have to bear, I know it’s there.

That said, it might be nice if you understood I haven’t been taught how to deal with a male shifter in times like these, and as such, perhaps you might put some small effort into not behaving like a dick. ”

At that, his head ticked, and his gaze darkened to a starry night.

Dang.

Then he spoke.

“And maybe we can have this discussion when I haven’t been up all night, knowing the citizens of the Fall are riled, they want blood, but before that, they want answers we do not have .

Not to mention, finding it impossible to sleep knowing that my mate has been in the sights of a stream twice .

I’ve seen the vid from the cam on that street, Laura .

I know how close you were to Antheme , thus I know you could have been hit by the stream that burned a hole through her gods-damned heart.

I’ve also been in a cold, clinical room and seen for myself a lifeless Antheme with a hole burned through her gods-damned heart . ”

Oh gods.

He’d seen her?

“And the last thing I want on this earth is to lose my mate and turn into a weak, bitter piece of shit like your fucking father,” he concluded.

With that, Aleksei was done talking, I knew, because after he finished speaking, he walked out on me.