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He had also wondered if he ought to warn Madeline—to give her what the humans called a “heads up” about the impending proposal. But he worried if he did that her reaction when he asked her to Join with him wouldn’t be authentic, and then her family would be suspicious all over again. No, it seemed the only thing he could do was to keep the proposal a secret.
“Just say something about how she’ll be making you the happiest man on Earth by marrying you,” Ethan advised, breaking into his train of thought.
“But I don’t live on Earth,” Grath pointed out in a low growl. “I’m only visiting. Iliveon the Kindred Mother Ship!”
“Okay, then tell her she’ll make you the happiest man on the Mother Ship. Or the galaxy—or the universe for that matter!” Ethan muttered. “Shhh—here they come!”
Madeline and her sister Anna came to the table, holding full plates of food. This morning the main course was a gluey concoction that had a pleasantly nutty flavor. It was served with nuts and berries and cream on top and Grath had heard the humans about him called it “oakmeal” or something like that. There were also more fluffy scrambled ovums and thick, sizzling sausages that were meaty and delicious. Madeline’s mother apparently believed that a large First Meal was important to start the day.
“Well, is everyone ready to go ice skating after breakfast?” Madeline’s father asked the table at large, after they had mostly finished eating. “You too, sweetie,” he added, looking at Madeline. “I know you always complain about how cold you are, but you know it’s a family tradition.”
“Actually, I have a feeling I’ll be just fine, this time,” Madeline remarked, and shot Grath a sly wink.
She certainlyoughtto be fine, he thought dryly. He’d pumped enough essence into her system that she ought to be able to keep herself warm all damn day! Its effects probably wouldn’t wear off until nighttime.
“I’m not sure we’re going to be able to find ice skates to fit Grath, though,” Madeline’s mother said, frowning. “What size do you wear, honey?” she asked, looking up at him. “A fifteen? A sixteen maybe?”
“Actually, I have some ice-sliders in my ship,” Grath told her politely. “They might not look exactly like what you humans call ‘ice skates’ but I think they’ll work.”
“Ah—I see you did your homework before you came down here,” Madeline’s father said approvingly.
Grath nodded.
“I did study some of the cold weather activities and sports you humans engage in—I wanted to be prepared for anything.”
Although the one thing hewasn’tprepared for, he thought, was the fact that he was apparently going to be proposing to Madeline tonight during the Yule Ball.
He pushed the thought out of his mind. There were other things to concentrate on—such as finishing his bowl of oakmeal and going ice sliding with Madeline. He would worry about tonight later.
THIRTY-ONE
MATTIE
Mattie had never had so much fun ice skating in her life. Usually it was a miserable experience—she wasn’t very good on ice skates because the thin blades made her wobble and she always felt like she was going to fall or twist an ankle. Also, she was always freezing cold, no matter how much she bundled up.
But Grath had solved both those problems. First of all, his essence flowing through her bloodstream kept her effortlessly warm. Mattie could feel the freezing temperatures all around her, but it was like the cold couldn’t affect her because her body warmed itself automatically.
Also, as it turned out, the ice-sliders he had been talking about weren’t some special kind of shoes—they were little devices that fit on any pair of footwear and made them slick enough to skate on ice. Not only that but they had automatic stops on them—kind of like invisible brakes that made it easy to slow down and stop whenever you wanted to. They made skating on the slippery ice as easy as walking across the street in summer.
These two factors combined meant Mattie was having more fun than she could ever remember. She glided effortlessly over the frozen pond, feeling like a professional ice dancer as she twirled and spun and she never felt cold even for a minute.
But even better than never being cold and suddenly being able to skate like a pro, was having Grath there with her. In the past she’d always felt so left out—so alone. But this time the huge Hybrid was there, holding her hand as they raced across the frozen surface of the pond, laughing as she twirled around and around until she got dizzy, catching her when she jumped recklessly into his arms—(a move she certainly wouldn’t have tried with a smaller, human man who wouldn’t have been strong enough to catch her.)
It was so much fun and the best part was, it all felt sonatural.It didn’t feel like they were faking it or playing parts. Everything between them just seemed toflow.
There was no doubt about it—they had crossed a bridge together last night, Mattie told herself. What had started out as fake was feeling realer by the minute. She could no longer deny it—she was falling in love with her Protector and unless he was the most amazing actor ever, Grath was falling in love with her too.
Still, she told herself not to get her hopes up. After all, she might be imagining all of this—maybe Grath was still just faking it—pretending to be in love with her to fool her family. But it certainly didn’t feel like that. Itfeltlike he really loved her.
And every time he held her hand and laughed with her or swung her into his arms or pulled her close for a kiss, Mattie felt it more.
There was something there, all right—something real.
She was sure of it.
THIRTY-TWO
GRATH
