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“I didn’t have much time. She said she was coming back, and there was a short window for marketing,” he blubbered.
My hand closed around his throat, and I lifted him up slightly as voices rose in the hallway.
“You did it to humiliate Maren and me,” I snarled, my fangs protruding as I pressed my face to his. “You’re shameless, and I have half a mind to teach you a lesson for it.”
“NO!” Jergin shrieked. “Please, Alpha! I’ll do whatever you want! I’ll take them down! I’ll… I’ll pay a fine to the kingdom! I’ll?—”
“You’ll remove the advertisements, and you’ll apologize to Maren.”
I released him in an unceremonious heap, gasping and panting. He looked up at me balefully as I opened the door to kick him through crawling. “And Jergin, if I ever hear of you pulling underhanded shit like this again, you won’t get off so lightly. You won’t get off at all. Do you understand?”
He nodded, half-running, half-crawling out of the box.
“Nyx!” Maren darted through the door as her boss fled to safety, her eyes wide and scared. “I tried to warn you before, but your phone was off.”
“I know,” I sighed, gathering her in my arms to kiss the top of her head. “It’s all taken care of now.”
But I was still fuming at Jergin’s actions, the fact that he had done it in the first place. A part of me felt like he still needed a lesson in etiquette for messing with my Little Muse.
Chapter 15
Maren
Over the next week and a half, I fell into something of a routine, growing accustomed to having Drakias around. I woke in the mornings and went to the market for fresh herbs and produce. I found myself more inspired to work, not only on my jewelry, but also on making potions I hadn’t tried in years, the extra space of the condo giving me room and options.
By noon, I found myself back at Maximo’s for rehearsal, but I was beginning to dread going there. My castmates had stopped whispering about me, but some point blank asked about my relationship with the king, which I answered as honestly as I could.
“Do you think you’ll be queen one day?” was one of the most common questions I got, and it hurt my heart every time. My hands would automatically fall to my belly, but the answer would always be the same.
“No,” I repeated. “No, King Nyx wouldn’t marry someone like me.”
Jergin clearly didn’t want me there anymore, but he was too afraid to fire me now that I belonged to the king. He cast mevenomous looks no matter where I was, but he made it a point to stay away from me—as if he were afraid.
“What is up with him lately?” Tristiana asked one afternoon after we had finished our rehearsal. “He’s acting like more of a chump than usual.”
I didn’t tell her about what Nyx had said and done to him that evening, but the scene of Jergin scrambling on the floor, gasping for air, was forever ingrained in my mind. I had only heard part of the argument beforehand, Nyx threatening my manager and Jergin’s pleadings.
“No idea,” I lied, feeling guilty that I couldn’t share it with my best friend. “You going to come over soon and see my new place?”
“Do I have an invitation?” Tristiana asked, blinking in surprise.
I put my hand on her arm and smiled warmly. “Of course you do. You always have.”
She pulled me into a hug, and we embraced tightly. “I really am sorry about how I ambushed you at the castle,” she mumbled.
“It’s okay. You were probably right. I don’t know if Nyx and I have a real future together, but I am enjoying what we have in the here and now.”
She pulled back and looked at me seriously.
“He doesn’t seem to be going anywhere,” she reminded me, just as Nyx had proven so many times already. “Maybe I was wrong about him, and maybe you are, too.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Right. He’s going to make me queen one day. A cabaret dancer, Queen of Steelshire. That’s doubtful,” I chuckled, but my heart grew heavier with each passing day at the reminder.
“Call me, and we’ll make a date,” I promised, untangling myself from her embrace and hurrying out the door before she could see my crumbling face.
What are we doing if this isn’t forever? It’s only going to make it that much more painful when we have to say goodbye to each other. Maybe it’s best if he never knows about the baby.
I didn’t like to have these conversations with Nyx. It ruined the mood, the light, floating bubble that existed between us, separating us from the rest of the world. But there was a whole other world out there, with faeries like Jergin who threatened our peace at every turn. I had to remember that. I had to stay grounded before I found myself blindsided again.
