I got why he felt the need to be so present, to keep us both safe, but it also annoyed the hell out of me.
“He has,” I replied, focusing back on our conversation.
Drew didn’t have his phone on him when we chatted in my office, and part of me wondered if I was getting ready to becourtedby some annoying hipster who turned his nose up at normal things, like always having a phone on your person.
However, I had given him my number on a scrap of paper before we left my office, and he said he’d call.
I hoped hewouldn’tcall. I hoped that he would send a text like a normal person. Thankfully, two days later, I got my first text from him.
Drew: Vanessa?
Me: You got her.
Drew: Hmm, not quite yet, but I will.
Me: You seem very confident about that.
Drew: I still think about the way your entire body flushed during our conversation in your office, so yes, I am feeling very confident about that.
And that was the point that I whipped out the vibrator before replying. We’d texted only a couple of times since. Thankfully, though, our first date was going to involve dancing, and I was very excited to show him one of my favorite pastimes this weekend.
“He is very familiar with texting women,” I added, after eating a bite of popcorn. “I get the feeling that he’s dated a lot, because his intensity can be panty-melting.” I tilted my head in thought, ignoring the sitcom we were watching. Liam, though he tried to act like he didn’t, was very enthralled with the plot ofGilmore Girls. I guess they didn’t have human programs in his realm, and he was fascinated by human culture from a few decades ago.
“Intense, huh?” Audrey smiled at me, sitting cross-legged in her seat on the couch. “You haven’t dated anyone like that before. That’s kind of fun.”
“Yeah.” I smiled, then frowned. “I’m going to wear out the batteries in my vibrator, though.” Audrey laughed while Liam gave me an annoyed frown. “You still don’t have to be here,” I reminded him. “This is our house. Don’t you have some castle to count your gold coins in or something?” Liam sighed, then shoved an insane handful of popcorn into his mouth as he focused on his favorite show.
“My family isn’tthatwealthy.”
“If your sister is queen, I’m sure you are.”
Liam frowned but didn’t fight me on it.
“Are you ready to go to Hyvenmere again?” Audrey ignored our bickering and kicked me with her foot. “We’re going to Lydhavn on Sunday.”
I raised an eyebrow and asked, “Where is that, again?”
“Lydhavn is the capital of Lyndoruun, where Ilia’s court is,” Liam explained.
“It’s this Sunday, right?” It was the day after my date with Drew. I knew I wasn’t going to get lucky with him yet, so it wasn’t like there was a benefit to having the condo to myself the next day.
“Yes. That’s when Bandthral is happening,” Audrey explained, before I could ask.
I grimaced. “Speaking of Bandthral, Hush referring to it as a ‘mating ritual’ was very odd to hear.”
“Why?” Liam asked.
I opened my mouth to explain how barbaric it sounded, but then realized that might be offensive, so instead I decided to say, “It just sounds so sexual.”
“That’s because it is.” Audrey explained. “Sex isn’t nearly as stigmatized in Hyvenmere as it is in our realm.”
“It soundssomuch better over there,” I murmured. “Minus the problem with siren women and children disappearing. And that Ilia is being a huge dick.” Liam snorted while Audrey shook her head at my over-simplified words. “So is this orgy strictly between mated Hyvenmerians, or is this just kind of a come one, come all, free-for-all situation?”
Liam gave me a confused look while Audrey choked on her bite of popcorn.
“That’s not—oh my god.” Audrey chuckled a little as she cleared her throat. “No. Bandthral is what sirens do to try tofindtheir mates. Each territory has its own version of this every season.”
“Oh.” I blinked at her, then turned to Liam. “So you have a Bandthral, too?”
