“Why would that even come up? It’s not a normal human thing to do. We’ve never brought it up with any candidate before.”
“No, we haven’t, but you and I haven’t watched while Roark fucked someone, either.”
“She does seem more accepting. Maybe it means she is the one?”
“Or she’s never had sex good enough to not care if someone is watching before,” I say.
She hardly weighs anything, but between the age of the floorboards on the second floor and my dragon’s exceptional hearing, I hear her on the landing. Because I don’t want to tell her. We’re sexual beings. Even so, there are some rules we can’t break for our own lust. A thunder can never share a female that isn’t theirs. It’s disrespectful to their future mate. I’d never do it, and I’m going to have to repeat that over and over in my head until it becomes true.
The light yellow cardigan she’s carrying flops with each step she takes on the stairs. “I’m ready.”
“Good. Kieren can drive, and we can sit in the back seat. Though I hope you’re not too hungry. Kieren is the only person I’ve ever met to get a ticket for going too slow on thehighway. Our late afternoon lunch might turn into a late dinner.”
Raine’s laughing already.
“You really shouldn’t laugh at his horrible attempts at jokes,” Kieren says.
“Horrible? My sense of humor is the only thing that got you through the second year at the academy.” I give my chest a melodramatic clasp and then wink at Raine. Which sets her off in a fit of laughter.
“I think Evander’s quite funny.”
“Do you?” Kieren arches his eyebrow at her. “I suppose you’re right. He does keep the levity up around Cloud Rift.”
“Are you ready for the tour, mademoiselle?” I offer her my arm.
“Yes, thank you.” Her blue eyes blink up at me. But then there’s another set of light blue eyes looking at me too. Kieren’s. He cocks his head at me.
I put up the privacy screen in the car as we make our way down the driveway, but Kieren lowers it back down. And when I try to raise it again, he turns off the controls in the rear. Like I’m a child.
“How can Raine hear my guided tour of the area if the glass is up, Evander?” He’s glaring at me. He doesn’t have a tour prepared, but he doesn’t want me having my way with her in the backseat. I don’t blame him. He’s still got a week before he can touch her. More than I’d be able to withstand.
“A tour. That’s wonderful. You remember how you said you would answer any questions I had?”
“Of course.”
“Well, when I was getting my sweater, I was thinking... you mentioned a portal. But I?—”
“You’ll see it soon enough,” Kieren says. His eyes flick atus in the rearview mirror. He can’t see her leg bouncing and the slight twitch of her hand when he deflects her question.
I take her hand and give it a squeeze. “For the ceremony, you don’t have to go through it, and it won’t hurt you.”
She nods.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” I say.
“But I’m pretty good at worrying.”
“Well, you’ll have to use your talents on a different topic, like whether we’ll ever make it off the mountain before all the shops close.”
But twenty minutes later, Kieren has us parked at the edge of town. He’s out of the car and has her door open before I can get to it. He takes a large step backward when she gets out.
“It’s like a picture book. The planters full of flowers, the timber-lined buildings, even the fluffy white clouds on the perfect blue backdrop are magical. It’s so pretty that my pictures will look fake.” She takes her phone and snaps a few of our quaint little town. “I’m in love.”
“Me too,” Kieren says, only he’s looking at Raine and not the village. He shakes his head. “Here, let me take a photo of you and Evander.” He’s careful to take the phone from her in such a way that he doesn’t risk brushing her hand. She puts her arm around my back, and I do the same to her.
A villager, one whom I feel I should recognize, says in German, “What a cute couple.”
I reply in German, “Thank you, but we’re just friends.”
