“Go have fun, darling. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
With a final, beautiful smile, Natalya walked into the crowd. It parted for her, allowing Evie a clear view as she went to the exit and vanished. It left her confused and concerned, for more than one reason now.
We’lltalk? What the hell did that mean? It didn’t sound good, whatever it was. It was hardly ever good when someone said they wanted totalk.
Evie ran through a list of all the possible topics Natalya could have on her mind. She’d asked about the Ribbon contracts, butafter she’d just assured Evie she wouldn’t have to be Claimed, she didn’t know what else that could be about.
Maybe she wanted to talk about Varro again. Though plenty of useful information was revealed through the interrogations, none of it was significant enough to explain why Varro wanted her back.
It could be about how Evie was progressing with the therapist. Her sessions with Georgina were going better now that she was opening up, though they left her feeling fatigued. Natalya had found her crying after the most recent session. She hadn’t even asked what was wrong. She’d just held Evie as she wept.
That was probably it. She was leaning on her too much, and Natalya never wanted that. Protect her and keep her safe, yes, but comforting her after a tough round of therapy wasn’t on Natalya’s list of responsibilities. Maybe her asking about the Ribbon contracts was Natalya trying to hand Evie over to someone else. Maybe she didn’t care as much as she was pretending to.
But it felt so right to be in her arms. It felt so perfect.
It wasn’t perfect if Natalya didn’t want it.
Shaking off the confused feelings and replacing them with irritation, she walked through the crowd to rejoin Blake and Sam at the bar. Blake was grilling Sam about something, reminding Evie of a cat playing with a dying mouse.
”What’s with the doe-eyes, Sam?” Blake said. She’d taken to Sam almost immediately, and her way of showing endearment was through teasing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sam was busy inspecting the shot glass in front of her. “I’m not being doe-eyed.”
“Nah, I recognize flustered when I see it,” Blake said. “Can’t blame you. Drago’s hot.”
She said it loudly enough that Drago, only a few feet away, definitely heard. He didn’t react, but Sam’s face turned bright scarlet.
“Shutup,” she whispered.
Seeing that Sam’s apprehension was teetering into panic, Blake decided to be merciful. She turned to Evie, who had just sat down next to her.
“She returns,” Blake said. “Did you have a goodtalk?”
“It was great,” Evie said tightly. Blake frowned.
“Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” Evie grabbed a shot and emptied it in one swig. Blake whistled.
“Your tone and behavior certainly match everything beingfine.” Blake raised her hands in surrender when Evie shot her a look. “Never mind. Not my business.”
“Your girlfriend’s still scary,” Sam said, glancing at Evie.
“She’s not…” Evie’s eyes trailed to the exit Natalya had just disappeared through. “… my girlfriend.”
Chapter 29
The location Hasan had chosen for their meeting was fitting for the well-tailored, noble-looking vampire. An expensive French restaurant with outdoor seating in an immaculately maintained garden. It screamed rich and decadent. That Hasan was so at ease in the space fit with him being over 300 years old and the spawn of a vampire Queen.
“Lady Natalya,” he said as she approached his table. He was handsome and well-groomed, with black hair and brown skin. He started to extend his hand but then stopped himself. “Right. I was told you’re not one for handshakes.”
“You’re well informed, Mr. Khara,” Natalya said, sitting down and glancing at the nearby tables. The place even smelled rich, and it was full of humans. “This isn’t my usual scene.”
Hasan laughed. “I have heard of your scene. I suspect this is a bit more…airythan your Court. Not as much leather. Fewer chains.”
“Airy, huh?” Natalya flashed her teeth in a sharp grin. She would have lit up her eyes too, but she was wearing sunglasses like she always did in public. Due to the eccentric clientele that frequented the Court of Chains, she could go without them in the high-rise, but not in this place.
“I enjoy a good view.” He looked at the garden as he said it, not at her. Seemed Hasan was more charming than sleazy. “And I figured you would feel better out in the open. In public.”
