Nell was happy. And safe. As long as those things remained true, there wasn’t much Harper could do.
Going by Evie’s weak smile, she was thinking something similar. But she relented, same as Harper had done, and turned her eyes towards the stage again. A man with violet eyes and clad in a leather vest over a bare torso summoned cheers from the audience as he ‘caught’ a nearby onlooker with a precise lasso throw.
An impressive display. One Evie didn’t pay attention to at all. Her eyes flicked towards the back of the room, and then her face split in a grin as Natalya came into view. The crowd parted, letting her and her entourage approach the VIP area unhindered.
Harper stared, too. Patricia was walking right behind her, eyes scanning the room, but she wasn’t alone. At her heels, in her usual leather jacket and holding a drink glass, Maya shot Harper a smile.
“Where were you?” Evie had stood from the couch and leaned over the VIP rope as Natalya came near, pressing their lips together. “I looked for you on stage and couldn’t see you.”
“I was watching.” Natalya nodded towards the staff door. “Trish and I had some business to discuss. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be somewhat hands-off on this place. It takes some getting used to.”
“I calmed her nerves,” Patricia said. But going by Natalya’s pinched expression, she hadn’t gotten rid of them completely. Rescinding control, of anything, clearly wasn’t in Natalya’s wheelhouse.
Natalya unhooked the rope, taking Evie’s hand and following her to the couch. She seated herself at the far end, facing Patricia who sat in the chair across from her, which Harper found herself grateful for. Even though she’d been around Natalya several times, her intensity was hard to get used to. Evie was the only one unaffected by it.
But she was easy to ignore now. Maya had ascended the steps, flashing a bright grin as she walked over to Harper.
“Finally got away from Court. Aleksander is running me ragged.” She sat down next to Harper and handed her the drink glass. Ice water with lemon. “But I brought a gift. So you wouldn’t be mad.”
Harper accepted the glass and pretended to inspect it in grave detail before pursing her lips and smirking.
“Consider yourself forgiven.”
Harper took a sip and, seeing that Evie and Nell were engrossed in their own conversation, planted herself right in Maya’s lap.
“So… What Courtly intrigue has our brooding King pulled you into now? More lycanthrope business?”
“Nothing quite that serious.” Maya pulled Harper a little closer, leaving a hand resting on her thigh. “It’s been quiet. The bites we’re dealing with right now come from ants rather than wolves. Annoying but manageable.”
Harper cocked an eyebrow. “And secret?”
“Only somewhat.” She leaned in, placing a kiss on the side of Harper’s neck. “I’ll tell you later. When I have you all to myself.”
Harper was pretty sure she kept her expression under control, but just because her reaction to those words was internal didn’t mean Maya didn’t feel it. Her lips rested at her throat, right at her pulse point, meaning shedefinitelynoticed how Harper’s heart rate sped up.
The scars she carried were barely notable enough to earn the descriptor. Just a few tiny dots on her neck and wrists. And the inside of her thighs, as of recently. All of them could be easily covered with makeup.
That night she hadn’t bothered. The way Maya’s eyes stayed fixed on her neck as she leaned away made that more than worth it.
“How does it feel?” Harper leaned against Maya, drawing her eyes to her own. “Knowing you won’t be allowed in here again?”
Maya made a theatrical sigh. “Dreadful. I’ll miss it. Seeing you play people like they’re toys was very entertaining.”
“I’m upset, too,” Harper said, feigning sadness in her voice. “I don’t see myself moving my talents elsewhere. Unfortunately, that means we’ll never know just how much money I could make you spend on me.”
“It wouldn’t have been a cent more than whatever cash I had on hand.”
“Yes, it would.” Harper grinned as she hovered her lips right by Maya’s. “I would have drained your bank account.”
For a moment Maya matched her teasing expression. But then it waned. Or relaxed, would be the more accurate description. Her fingers had been moving around Harper’s waist as though preparing to tickle her, but now they turned caressing instead.
“You’re truly special, Harper,” Maya said quietly. “I’ve never met anyone like you. Never change who you are.”
A few weeks ago, Harper would have sought a way to dismiss those words. To throw a mocking descriptor at them as a means to lessen their effect, because resting in it was too risky when the peace it brought would eventually be taken away.
But she’d practiced since then. Could feel when an incoming comment was made to deflect rather than engage.
“It’s actually pretty devastating how much I love you,” Harper whispered, only just keeping herself from lowering her gaze. “I’m still figuring out how to handle it. It scares me sometimes.”
