“Wow,” Arlet was staring over Rabbit’s shoulder, a mixture of awe and trepidation causing her earlier smile to wane some, “I heard they were members here, but I didn’t think we’d actually run into one.”
“Who?” Rabbit swiveled in his seat, immediately spotting the person who’d caught her attention standing in front of the hostess at the entrance to the restaurant.
“The Devils of Vitality,” Arlet answered anyway, her voice lowering despite the fact there was no way she could be heard from the other side of the room where the new topic of conversation was. “He goes to your school, doesn’t he? The Brumal Prince?”
“Baikal Void,” Rabbit said, taking him in one more time before turning back to face forward. “Yeah, he does.”
So much for not having to worry about running into anyone from Vail.
“Do you know him?” She asked, and he shook his head slightly, feigning sudden interest in the menu even though he’d already decided what he was going to order a few minutes ago. “Then…why is he coming over here?”
“What?” Before he could look a second time, a figure stepped up to the side of their table, and even without glancing up the tension in the air made it obvious who it was. Still, with nothing else to do but look, Rabbit tipped his head back, sucking in a breath when he found that same teal-blue gaze already on him.
“Um,” Arlet cleared her throat, and glanced between the two of them, nervous, “Can we help you?”
“You owe me a meal,” Baikal’s voice was smooth and rich, deeper than Rabbit expected, and somehow…intimate sounding. Even when he spoke he kept staring directly at Rabbit, paying no mind to the girl sitting across from him who was growing antsier with each passing second.
Rabbit recovered from his initial confusion and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair in a false sense of confidence he was not feeling. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, but we’re actually in the middle of something and you’re interrupting.”
“Am I?” He lifted a dark brow and finally tilted his head toward Arlet. “You’re the composer’s daughter, right? I heard all about you from Rabbit. Doesn’t your father have a contract with Void Quality Sound?”
There hadn’t been a threat in that statement, and yet…
“That’s not—” Rabbit tried to correct the situation, but she must have caught it too because she didn’t give him a chance to explain.
“I’m sorry,” Arlet got to her feet and collected her purse, “I didn’t realize the two of you already had plans. We can reschedule, it’s no big deal.”
“Wait,” Rabbit stood and went to go after her when she practically raced from the table without sparing him a second glance, “He’s not—”
Baikal planted a hand on the space between his neck and shoulder and shoved him back down into his chair, holding him there with a strength that was uncanny when Rabbit attempted to struggle against it. His grip tightened and he leaned in, bringing his face close enough that Rabbit paused.
“Careful,” he glanced casually around the restaurant, “we’re being watched. Wouldn’t want to tarnish your sparkling reputation as the sophisticated prodigy by causing a public fuss, now would you?”
He was right; all of the people at nearby tables were trying and failing to act like they weren’t eavesdropping. Even though he’d yet to graduate or officially start his career, the entire planet knew his face. The magazine article Arlet had read had been one of the dozens he’d been forced to partake in over the years.
Baikal’s face wasn’t any less unrecognizable.
Vitality was a planet under rare circumstances, governed equally by the Imperial family and the Brumal Mafia. The terms of their alliance weren’t publicly known, but neither party had ever tried to keep their connection a secret. The Emperor ruled in the light, but there was a seedy underbelly that operated untouched by the same laws and regulations that applied to regular citizens.
As soon as Rabbit relaxed back against the wood, Baikal hummed in approval and released him, making his way into the empty chair that Arlet had just been sitting in.
Without skipping a beat, he motioned to a nearby waiter, jumping right in as soon as the man was before them. “I’ll have H4, medium rare.” He scowled at the water Arlet had been given. “And bring me lycan, on the rocks.”
“Of course, sir.” The waiter turned to Rabbit. “And for you?”
“I’m not staying,” Rabbit said, though he didn’t make another move to leave just yet, seemingly glued to his seat when his words had Baikal sending him a warning look across the small table.
“He’ll have C2,” Baikal corrected. “And put it all on his tab.”
The waiter didn’t confirm with Rabbit whether or not any of that was correct, merely bobbed his head once and backed away.
Rabbit glowered as he watched him go. “Why exactly am I paying for your dinner?”
“Don’t you remember?” He slid his foot out from beneath the table and shook it to get his attention. The boots on his feet were different from the ones he’d been wearing that day in the cafeteria, but his point was apparent.
Shit.
“Fine,” Rabbit conceded since it had been him who’d made the mistake. “I’ll go pay now and—”
