“I say, lead on.”
Later, after they’d eaten and whiled away several hours doing it, when the faerie lights lit the inside and outside of Blackwaters like fireflies and they were two thirds of the way through a second bottle of wine, Spook reached across the table and took hold of her hand.
“Hey, once the album’s done, do you fancy taking a trip home with me?”
It was the first time she’d heard him really acknowledge that the world beyond the island’s borders existed. “To your place in London, did you mean?”
“No. Sweden. I meant come with me to see my family. It’s time I apologised to my sisters for the shit I’ve put them through this last year and meet my youngest niece. She’s nearly three, and I’ve not seen her in the flesh.”
“You’re an uncle? I didn’t know that—”
“Three times over.”
Alle squeezed his hand tight. “I’d love to come with you. Do I get to see your home there too? It’s another island paradise, right? Like here?”
“It’s a house on a lake. Nothing like this place, and not nearly so rugged.” She’d missed out on seeing it when Black Halo had been there working on their previous album, due to having to pull out of her contract to work with them in order to play nursemaid to her dying father, and then nursing Ewan through his toe amputations.
“Reckon you’ll make it to Sweden with just me for company?”
His head dipped, but it was a valid question.
“All I’m saying is, I’d understand if you’d rather take Xane with you.”
“Xane belongs with Luthor and” —he swallowed hard— “with Dani.”
“Isn’t that long over?” She wasn’t familiar with the details of the break-up, only knew, that at some point between Spook’s disappearance and Xane going to find him, Dani had also vanished from the scene, but she’d not been familiar enough with any of the people involved to ask about it, and in any case, her mind had been laser focused on one thing and one thing only. Finding her own lost love.
“I’m not entirely sure where it’s at,” he admitted. “But I know he’s still madly in love with her. They both are, and it’s at least partially my fault they’re not together, no matter what they’d have me believe.”
“Because of what happened in Gothenburg?”
“Yeah.”
She remembered her own fury and hurt, but Lyra’s words to her, too. Ronnie’s agent had seriously put things into perspective for her, and she’d realised some things about herself in the process. Primarily, that she wasn’t prepared to give up on Spook over one moment he had a perfectly valid explanation for. Same as she wasn’t giving up on him now knowing that his relationship with Xane was definitely not platonic.
“Can’t they talk to her? Make a grand gesture or something?”
Spook poured them the remains of the bottle of wine. “The silly buggers stymied themselves. They put the ball in her court and promised not to make contact, so it’s all on her to make contact if and when she decides whether being part of a triad with them is something she actually wants.”
“So, they’re adrift? Well, that sucks. I mean, waiting in general sucks. Waiting months to find out if someone’s willing to fight for you…”
“I’m sorry I made you wait, Alle.”
“Shit! I didn’t mean it to come out like that.” She took a long swallow of wine. She was already buzzed, but a bit more wouldn’t hurt. “I’m just glad we’re together now and are hopefully on the same page. Now, not trying to change the subject or anything, but completely changing the subject, isn’t it your birthday soon?”
“My unbirthday, you mean.” He shrugged, as if the matter was of no significance. But Alle was from a family where birthdays were special and celebrated. Where a fuss was made.
“When do you usually celebrate? The 28thor the 1st?”
“Usually the latter, but I don’t normally do a lot.”
“We should do something. Us. Something special.”
He gave a shrug. “Well, the butt sex already happened.”
It had, and she could still feel where he’d been. She clenched her muscles, and a ripple of pleasure ran through her at the memory. “What about—”
“Is this going to involve a spanking?”
