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Or else, her tone implied. I was suddenly grateful I’d had the foresight not to use the vid-phone. “Fine.”
“Make sure you talk to the owner, not the manager. He is next to useless.”
I frowned at the odd edge of amusement in her voice. There was something going on that I didn’t understand. But I didn’t bother questioning her because she had already hung up.
I tossed the phone onto the vanity, then had a quick shower. Once dressed, I headed into Tao’s room. And noted, with some annoyance, that Azriel had yet to make his appearance. Apparently, when reapers were in a snit, they did it properly.
Ilianna was asleep on the chair next to Tao’s bed, but started awake when I walked in. I grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean—”
She waved the apology away, then rubbed at her neck as she sat upright. “I’ve got to be up, anyway. I promised I’d ring Carwyn to confirm tonight’s date.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You’re actually going?”
She frowned. “I told you I was.”
“Yeah, but I figured last-minute nerves might step in and stop you.”
She shook her head. “There’s no avoiding it. Mirri’s right.” She hesitated. “Besides, he and I are destined to be, so I have to be honest with him.”
“Destined?”
She wrinkled her nose. “It’s just something I saw a long time ago.”
I frowned. “Just because you foresaw this union happening doesn’t mean you should let it override your own feelings for Mirri—”
She smiled. “It won’t. You should know me better than that.”
“Then why all this ‘destined to be’ shit? How much pressure is your dad putting on you?”
“Lots, but I can understand his reasons—a union with Carwyn has financial advantages for both families.”
“So what? What you and Mirri have is more important than anything else.”
“We may be in love, but we are also mares. It is a fact of life that mares end up in the herd of a stallion, whether we like it or not.”
“Well, that sucks.”
“Yeah, totally.” She gave me a somewhat wan smile. “Trust me, I’ve done my best to avoid the whole situation, but the reality is, I have little choice. If I reject Carwyn, it’ll be some other stallion—and maybe someone far less understanding and patient than he seems to be.”
I sat on the arm of the chair and gave her a quick hug. “I’m sure you will work something out.”
“And hopefully that something will be artificial insemination,” she muttered. “I am not going to bed with the man if I can at all avoid it.”
“So why not suggest that? What have you got to lose?”
She snorted. “Um, have I mentioned he’s a stallion?”
“I’m sure even stallions are sometimes capable of thinking with their brain rather than their dicks.”
“I wouldn’t be betting on that,” Tao muttered, his voice hoarse but nevertheless music to my ears. He opened bloodshot eyes and glared at us. “And don’t you two know it’s not polite to be talking about sex when a man is trying to get some sleep?”
I grinned. “A werewolf complaining about people talking about sex. I think the world just ended.”
“I think it did for a while there.” He closed his eyes and scrubbed a hand across his bristly jaw. “I’m sorry—”
Ilianna caught his free hand and squeezed it lightly. “Don’t be sorry. Just be damn sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?” His voice was a rich mix of anger, frustration, and fear. “This damn thing inside me is strong—”
