Nerves nip at Castor so roughly it drags me back into the moment. Awkward, he greets the couple, “Brittny, Ollie. Nice to…cordially meet you both. Before I ruin everything, allow me to say I enjoy your art.”
Ollie’s brows shoot up his tan-and-white forehead. “Our…art?”
Castor nods, worrying his thumb over my knuckles. “Your music.” He directs his attention toward Brittny. “Your book. I got an audio copy off NetGalley and finished it last week. Very brave, smearing the details of your relationship so publicly. Irespect the nerve. I enjoyed the writing, too. Expect a five-star review from me to appear just as soon as Amazon gets its life together and posts it.”
Brittny’s lashes flutter. “Oh, um. Th—”
Ollie claps his hand to her mouth. “Careful, sunshine…remember yourself.”
“Right, sorry,” she whispers, flushed. “I’m used to only humans complimenting my work. I’m not really sure what to…um…say.”
“You should consider expanding your publishing rights. Faeries do so love a touch of something as whimsical as your story. I’m certain queries would go over well on this side of the realms.”
“I’ll…consider it.” Brittny glances at me, at our joined hands, then at Castor’s face. A small smile lifts her lips, but the silence proceeds, practically deafening.
Castor notices, so he points at the covered dish Ollie’s holding. “What’s that? Smells delectable.”
Ollie clears his throat. “Cinnamon rolls. I got carried away earlier doing some time at a bakery, so they made me bring the excess home. This is…not all of it.”
Brittny laughs. “Not even remotely.”
“Doing time?” Castor asks, then he clicks his tongue. “Ahh, yes. The insipid littlejob boardof Cael’s, no doubt.”
“Job board?” I ask.
“A method in Cael’s kingdom that divides tasks among his subjects. We shall need to devise a system for our own eventually…perhaps sooner than later, in truth.” He winces, bites his tongue, and steps past the couple. “Anyway, this was a grave error. Goodbye.”
I dig my heels.
Castor flinches. “Darling…”
“Pollux is in there,” I say, pointing past Ollie and Brittny.
“Yes, and?” Castor asks,shissed.
“Maybe we should…you know…” Be in there, too? See what might happen? Assess if what Pollux knows about our rising kingdom has been shared with anyone here already…? “Do recon?” Have happy friend-and-family time, together.
Castor inhales, slowly, letting the breath leave him in a quivering exhale. “I…really…would rather…not.” His chin dips. Nauseated sensations trip to me. Worry. Fear. Hurt. He still hasn’t processed the news Pollux laid on him last week. I know that. I know that fully. And I’ve seen how hard he’s been working to consolidate his emotions about it whenever Alexios has come by to continue helping with our building kingdom.
He loves Alexios.
He loves Pollux.
He treasures and values them so much ithurtsto know the same emotions aren’t reciprocated at the level he faces every single day.
I don’t budge.
“I’ve kidnapped several people in there,” he whispers.
Ollie interjects, “Well, we’re gonna head in. And if you decide to join us, I’ll make sure Meda doesn’t eat all the cinnamon rolls before you get a chance to have one, okay?” Ollie then promptly ushers Brittny behind him, toward the entrance, where he walks right in without knocking.
In the void of their presence, I step closer to my mate. “You’ve kidnapped how many of the people in there?”
“Two.”
“So I might be able to make two whole friends based on a commonality? You’d rob me of the chance to mingle and bond upon similar experiences?”
“Danielle…”
