Page 191 of Sky’s Edge

He had a ton on his plate.

“So I have no time to sit down with the castle steward and head housekeeper to understand why I see so many servants,” he said. “To know the crown underpays essential staff. To learn that beings working right under my nose were going about those duties with residual fear that they’d be mistreated while simply doing their jobs. No time now, and no time in the immediate or even distant future. Not that this isn’t important, just that I’d not have the headspace to notice it and do something about it.”

I was understanding what I did to earn what happened last night.

Sort of.

Tanyn confirmed it by saying, “You noticed it. You did something about it. And I know one of them, Camaryn or Barret, spoke to the staff about it because I’ve already noticed a change in their manner. Less tense, more attentive. And the female who took my order for your coffee also brought your coffee.”

“This isn’t a big thing,” I said.

“It is to me,” he refuted. “Though, not as big as resting in the knowledge that you were looking after Manny and Zyr while I was necessarily occupied doing other things. Equally huge, knowing it took less than two weeks for you to win over Nayden, who can hold a mean grudge. But you won Uly in a day. And I can promise you…that is no easy feat. They would never behave like they did last night with me in front of you if they hadn’t fully accepted you. They were as they always are. You were a part of us. Or at least, last night they performed a sort of initiation.”

And now it was coming clearer.

Tanyn made it even more clear.

“You took a leave of absence from work to give me peace of mind, and I didn’t even have to ask. You went right into action to sort unexpected visitors. And you barreled right in to calm Mac down.”

“Tanyn.”

“And you call me Tanny when you’re being sweet.”

I pressed my lips together.

He slid his fingers along my jaw then his thumb over my lips.

And he said softly, “I know you aren’t there yet.”

Oh, I was thinking he was wrong about that.

And that scared me most of all.

“And I don’t want to alarm you,” he kept on. “I just want to be upfront about how much all of that means to me.”

“It really isn’t that big of a deal,” I whispered.

“You are very wrong, my beautiful Catla,” he returned in his own whisper, his gaze darkening, the red lightning flashing, and his voice lowering even further. “By the gods, I wish my mom could have met you.”

Unh-unh.

No way.

I had one heartbroken female on my hands, one incensed one. I still hadn’t told Tanyn about Mira being kind of a bitch.

And since my chicks were here, I was forming a plan.

Not to mention, he had traitors to interrogate.

I didn’t have time to weep in my male’s arms, and he didn’t have time to hold me through it.

We both had shit to do.

“Don’t make me cry first thing in the morning,” I snipped.

His response was to kiss me.

It was deep and long and wet, and when it was over, the last thing I felt like doing was crying.