“You seem like you need a minute,” Stellan muses. “Should we recess and convene later?”
As my phone dings, I open my mouth to ask him about the astral projection. It’s a text from Leigh. My breath stalls.
Leigh
I’m coming to Aurora tonight. I’ll sleep on the train. Set up the meeting with Stellan. Make it early. I need to be back in Borealis tomorrow before midnight.
Holy hell. Leigh’s coming to Aurora. What made her change her mind? You know what, it doesn’t matter. She is coming, which means, things are finally heading in the right direction.
A surge of anticipation courses through me, a potent mix of excitement and nervous energy. Leigh,here? In the same space as me, not just an astral projection or in my dreams? The possibilities are endless – and intoxicating.
“Wilder?” Stellan prompts.
I clear my throat. “Leigh agreed to meet. If you mean what you said at the rally about peace and are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that it lasts, then you will meet us tomorrow at Furies at ten o’clock in the morning. Don’t be late.”
No sound comes from Stellan’s end. I think I’ve shocked him. He’s a small-time reporter running for mayor and gets a one-on-one with the queen. Maybe he is having a heart attack. The thought brings a grim smile to my face.
“Hello?” I ask.
“I’ll be there.”
“And the article?”
I leave my room to scrounge up whatever is left over from dinner in the kitchen. As I descend the stairs, a warm evening breeze rustles my hair, carrying the scent of blooming flowers.
The aroma is a welcome change from the sterile, stale air that had been clinging to my room. I pause on the last step, drawn to the open doorway. Instead of heading straight for the kitchen, I veer off course and step out into the balmy night.
“When Leigh revealed the letters, she proved that, as Nebula, we must demand better. We must demand thetruth. Let Leigh address the article’s validity. Until then, I won’t take it down. If you can’t accept that, perhaps this meeting is a bad idea,” Stellan says.
I take a deep breath. He’s right, but airing family secrets fans the flames of discord. He is doing more harm than good for our people.
“You’re playing with fire,” I point out.
Stellan’s response is quick. “Imagine if the Council’s predecessors hadn’t covered up the truth about the First War, and the Labor Laws never existed—would you have enrolled at the Blade Academy following your Emergence? Or would you have pursued another path? As leader of this new enclave, I plan to give all Nebula achoice. I’m not the bad guy. So if that is playing with fire, I’ll happily burn.”
Outside the common room, I pause where a movie’s muffled sounds filter through the door. Gianna is curled up on the couch, the flickering light casting shadows across her face. The sight of her sends a pang through my heart. I can only imagine the pain she’s going through as Fynn’s former fiancée since that article was published.
Maybe Leigh opened up to her about Fynn. Perhaps they spoke about what Leigh and I couldn’t.
“Stellan, you don’t know the first thing about running a country,” I say. “You need Leigh, and Leigh needs you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I hang up the phone, then I text Leigh back.
Wilder
Meeting scheduled.
Leigh
Leave your door unlocked.
Wilder
I’ll pick you up.
We need a moment alone before we meet with Stellan—a chance to align our thoughts and strategies—and I don’t trust us being able to have that conversation in my room and keep our clothes on. If I am driving, I’ll have a better shot at keeping my hands to myself. More importantly, we need to have a heart-to-heart before we have sex again. The secrets between us create a chasm I fear will soon become insurmountable if we don’t address them.
Leigh texts back a playful wink face emoji, eliciting a smile that tugs at the corners of my mouth. This could be massive if she’s really had a change of heart. At a minimum, knowing that she’ll behere,in the flesh, is progress.
