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“That is absolutely Tamyn’s fault,” Devi piped up. “She opened a bottle of wine when we got back to hers.”

I laughed. Thankfully, they’d all been too drunk to really notice how long I’d been in the restroom last night. While I’d been gone, Tamyn had bought another round of shots.

“Oh.” Malcolm shifted, pulling my phone out from under him. “Sorry. Didn’t realise I was sitting on your phone. Think you just got a text.”

My pulse leapt, and I only just managed to stop myself from snatching the phone out of his hand. “Thanks,” I said calmly, keeping my face blank as I took it and opened the text from Nuni.

Hey, he’d sent back. Then another text came through. So what excuse did you use to your sister for being gone for so long last night?

I smiled, typing out a reply. They were all too drunk to notice. Was your brother annoyed?

Eh, he was fine, he replied. I drove him home so he couldn’t exactly be mad.

I tried to think of something to say back to keep the conversation going. That was nice of you, where does your brother live? No, that was weird.

How many siblings do you have? I finally asked, remembering the pictures in his office, and him mentioning that his brother Sorin had been visiting one of their other brothers last night.

Seven , he replied. I’m the oldest by a few minutes. Three brothers and three sisters, and my sibling Laki is non-binary.

Wow, eight var Rorik children. I wondered if they were all like him. I hadn’t spoken to Sorin last night, but he’d appeared a little more laid-back than his confident, cocky brother.

How about you? Just the one sister? Nuni asked.

Yes, I replied. And a brother-in-law, her husband Malcolm. They have two kids.

Nuni responded a few seconds later. Oh, nice. My sister Daga and her lifemate had a brood of four last year. They’re cute as shit. In small doses.

I chuckled. Nuni didn’t seem like the type to thrive on being around kids. I wasn’t either, aside from my niece and nephew. And I definitely understood what he meant about small doses.

So… what are you up to today? Nuni texted again. My belly clenched.

I’m at my mum and dad’s for my sister’s birthday lunch, I told him.

He replied almost instantly. MUM, huh?

I rolled my eyes with a tiny smile. Yes. I’m originally from London. We moved here when I was fourteen, so now my accent is a weird mix.

I had noticed, he replied. It’s cute.

God, I was a thirty-seven-year-old woman. I should not be getting butterflies over a man telling me I was cute.

How about you? I asked.

Me? he replied. I’m from here. Lived here my whole life.

No, I meant what are you doing today? I sent back, trying not to squirm in my seat.

I’m actually at my mom’s too. She promised to make me porin today when I dropped Sorin off last night.

So his brother lived with their mum. It wasn’t that interesting, or even relevant, but I hungrily consumed every scrap of information about Nuni’s life.

It’ll just be a casual arrangement, I reminded myself. Just sex. It’s not like we’re going to start dating.

We couldn’t. It wasn’t like we could go out together. Last night’s close call with Corva had been a glaring reminder of that. This was a big city, but demiurgus circles were small, especially the upper-echelon ones that Nuni and Corva were both part of. The demiurgus members of the city’s high society tended to frequent the same bars, restaurants and hotels. And I just couldn’t imagine Nuni in a rowdy bar or quaint Italian restaurant, dressed in his expensive suit and jewellery and asking the waiter to tell the kitchen he needed a very specific ratio of protein to carbs in his meal.

My mouth twitched into a fond smile.

Another text from Nuni came through. Sooo this is kinda awkward, and I’m not trying to pressure you, but… where do we stand after last night’s ‘lively discussion’? Is the discreet thing still on?