Adrian
If they were giving out awards for Hollywood level acting, I deserved one. So did Stef.
The reception going on inside Max’s mansion was truly spectacular. Two days ago I would have been wandering with a joyful eye, in complete awe over the art and hanging lights. The glass? Maybe crystal? I wasn’t sure, but the material was translucent and twisted into unique shapes that hung from the ridiculously high ceiling, each one of them longer than I was tall.
One side of the room was lined with buffet tables with every oddity imaginable. I’d tried a few Atlan classics. They weren’t terrible, but I couldn’t lie. I’d been really happy to come across the table that held Mom’s selections. I’d never been happier to see chocolate chip cookies in my life.
There were other things, too.Hors d'oeuvreswith cheese and meats. Stuffed mushrooms. Stuffed peppers. Jams, jellies, and baked goods to smear them on. There was even an ice sculpture—that didn’t appear to be melting…at all—of a dancing fairy complete with pixie wings and adorable animals at her feet.
Not ice. No way.
And it sparkled. Stefani reached out to touch it as I watched.
“Looks like ice,” she said.
“I think it’s the same thing as the lights.”
Stefani looked up, then back down. “Right. But I really wish Mom had chosen a bird or a waterfall or something. Do you know how many of these Atlans have asked me where the fairies live on Earth? And if they have mates?”
I chuckled because I’d been asked the same thing at least a dozen times. “I swear one of them looked like he was going to cry when I told him they didn’t exist.”
Stefani crossed her arms. “How do you know? Maybe they do. There are a lot of planets out there, right?”
“I can barely handle this one. If fairies are real, they’re probably mean and like to eat small children.” The half-eaten cookie had lost all appeal. I thought about hiding it on the table somewhere. Fortunately, one of the hired event staff appeared as if by magic and offered his tray as a final resting place for my unfortunate little friend. “Thanks.”
Stefani watched the man—alien—walk away. He wasn’t Atlan. None of the event staff were. They weren’t human, either. I wondered where they were from. Another unknown planet?
Stefani interrupted my musing. “Eat small children? We’re talkingTinker Bellhere.”
“Exactly. She turned out to be a jealous little bitch, too.”
“Jeez. Grumpy much?”
“I can’t help it.” I grabbed my second chocolate chip cookie and anxiously nibbled on the edge. If ever there was a day to ‘eat my feelings’,today was that day. I felt like I was about to explode. Or sob. Throw myself down on the ground and have a massive screaming fit. I held all the emotions in. Barely. “Do you think they got him out?”
“Shhh.” Stefani looked around. “You’re lucky no one is close enough to hear you. Max told us, specifically told us not to say a single word about it. We are here so we can’t be suspected. So is Max. And Mom. Even that scary Prillon doctor is over there chatting up some scarred-up Atlan who looks like’s he’s about a hundred years old.”
“That’s Warlord Zahn. He’s the head of their war council.” I looked at the older male, and the glittering mating cuffs on his wrists.
“How do you know that?”
I shrugged. “Couple days ago, I was excited about this party. I made an effort to memorize the guest list, like Mom wanted.”
“Oh.”
“Didn’t even look at it, did you?”
“No.” It was Stefani’s turn to shrug. “I’m getting along just fine. No one expects me to know anything, so I just smile and pretend to be thrilled to meet everyone.” She popped a pepperoni and cheese hors d’oeuvres in her mouth and grinned. “Nebe gonna tak tu thay pee-pu ebuh uh-gem.”
I burst into a laughing fit, drawing the attention of several large males in the room. Shit.
I slapped my twin’s ass behind us both, where no one would see. “Don’t talk with your mouth full. God. You’re a mutant.”
She giggled. I scanned the crowd to find our mother watching us closely. She smiled and nodded, apparently pleased with our ‘everything is perfect’performance.
Right. Perfect. Fine. Everything was fine. Everything had been lovely and wonderful for more than three hours now.
Except it wasn’t. They’d forced me to remove my mating cuffs. Which made me sad, and angry, and finally resigned to letting go of my connection to Kovo for a few hours. A pair of mating cuffs on one of the human visitors under Max’s protection wouldnotbe missed. Not only were we human, but we were his daughters. That would grant any mate of ours extra clout. Mating cuffs would invite our guests to ask questions. Lots and lots of questions that we would not be able to answer without ruining the entire plan to save my man.
