We went into the elevator that took us up to Kaspian's apartments.
As we ascended, Kaspian peered at the cat. “There is something odd about that cat.”
Then the elevator stopped. Before anyone could step out, the cat darted out of the cab.
“Cat!” I called after him.
“There is only the garden on this floor.” Kaspian stepped out.
“I guess he had to go.”
I followed Kas out to a stone courtyard. There was a building that housed the elevator and that was it as far as enclosed rooms went. The building was large, but not as large as Kaspian's apartments—as evidenced by the ceiling that continued past it in all directions. Several doors spotted the building in addition to the elevator panel, all of them closed except for an open archway leading to stairs.
“What if he takes the stairs down instead of up?” I asked Kas.
“There's a guarded door at the bottom.”
“Oh. Okay.”
The rest of the courtyard stood beneath that stone ceiling I mentioned, columns spaced out beneath it for support. Chairs, couches, and low tables clustered in the courtyard, a few of the groups gathered around fire pits. Arches defined the edge of the space and beyond them was a sunlit garden. The orange cat was already investigating the closest plants.
I went over to where the cat was sniffing the leaves of a rubbery plant. He glanced at me, then sashayed to another. Once I was out there, I looked back. And there was the central keep, rising above the courtyard, its white marble walls gleaming in the sun. I recognized the balcony off Kaspian's living room. Seeing it like that, I recalled how it looked when we first flew in. I'd noticed the gardens then, but hadn't put two and two together.
“This is beautiful.” I found a stone bench carved with birds and sat down.
A tree with bright green leaves and fluffy white flowers bent over me like an umbrella. Not that I needed the shade; the sun was in the process of setting. Pink and orange stained sky—the Sun's goodnight to the world. That's what my mother used to say.
“Is something wrong?” Kaspian sat beside me.
“A sunset is a sunset. But it seems ten times more beautiful here.”
Kaspian put his arm around me. The sensation shocked me at first. I'd never dated a man as large as Kas. Usually, I was the larger guy, and it fell to the larger man to do the arm-around-the-shoulder thing. It felt good to be the smaller man. Kinda nice to have someone bigger holding me. So silly, but that's the truth of it. It just felt . . . safe. I guess I liked the idea of Kas protecting me, after all.
“I haven't felt safe since I was a kid,” I murmured.
“Do you not feel safe now?” Kaspian leaned in.
“No, that's the thing. I do. I feel safe.” I looked at him. “I shouldn't like it. Especially not after I made a fuss about taking care of myself.”
“Everyone likes to feel safe.” He nuzzled his head against mine. “Even Dragons. It's why we value strength above all things. And why we rule. There's safety at the top.”
“Also danger.”
“Yes, but the safety outweighs it. At the very least, the top gives you a vantage point to see your enemies coming.” He chuckled and nodded forward. “Maybe we don't need that sandbox.”
I looked over to see the cat pooping in the dirt. He buried it, then looked at us as if we were being rude.
“Hey, you're the one who pooped within eyesight,” I said to it. “Next time go behind a bush or something.”
The cat came over and sat on my foot.
“Hey! You just pooped and now you're gonna sit on my boot? Now, that's rude. Leather is not toilet paper!”
The cat looked up at me as Kas chortled.
“Come on.” Kas stood up. “Let's show him the way upstairs. Then he can make himself at home.”
Instead of going to the elevator, Kaspian went for the stairs. Sure enough, Cat followed.
