Page 17 of Sky’s Edge

“I told you I would,” he replied.

“Tonight?”

“Apparently.”

Good gods.

My face had to be glistening. It might even be red from the visor’s ministrations (I had very pale skin, this happened). As such, I had no makeup on. My hair was scraped back into a mask.

And I was naked.

Fortunately, he couldn’t see me being naked.

But I was naked…

While talking to King Tanyn Firefierce.

“Okay, then for you too, as you can see since I’m relaxing in my serenity pool. So, again, I’m all right.”

“I’m not comming you about that,” he replied. “I’m comming to tell you a soni-jet will be picking you up on Aleksei’s landing pad at six thirty Friday night. Lex is arranging it so your security will be able to access it to get you there. Is that acceptable to you?”

A soni-jet?

A soni-jet would get me to Abyssinia in an hour.

Which meant a soni-jet would get me to Sigil Isle in maybe an hour and five minutes.

And that meant I’d be at the citadel where he grew up probably before eight o’clock Friday night.

Not deep into the night where I’d show just in time to go to bed.

Time enough to have dinner together.

Time enough to have conversation.

Time enough to have sex.

Gods.

“You’re going to soni-jet me?” I asked.

“For the foreseeable future, travel time is going to be an issue for you in living your life while having me in it. Fortunately, I’m king so I can commandeer a soni-route for something other than diplomatic, military or emergency purposes.”

“I guess it’s good to be king,” I mumbled.

“Yes, it is,” he replied.

It took effort, but I didn’t roll my eyes.

“I’m aware this probably won’t help,” he began. “But I’m going to say it regardless. Your father was out of line. He realized this after the fact, which I understand doesn’t help you in coping with what he did. However, what I hope might help is pointing out that it is far from a bad thing to have a father who cares for you so much, he expects the most from you because he knows in his heart you’re the type of being who can deliver, he’s overprotective of you, and he wants the absolute best for you.”

Even with the warm waters lapping around me, I felt chill to the bone at the reminder of what his father did to him. To him and his mother.

Cheating on his wife with one of her dearest friends.

And not only ending his marriage to her in favor of that deceitful friend, but stripping her, and their son, of titles, lands, and banishing them to a freezing cold island far away from anything and anyone.

It was my understanding, when he came of age, Tanyn had received the education any prince of that realm would have, without the status of being what he was.