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Drackus clears his throat, and Mom cuts her eyes in warning. Drackus the Dominant just got told to "fuck off" with one glare. Ha!
He cowers, much to my delight, and Mom returns her attention to Frankie as her eyes change from excited to dreadful.
"Why are you here? You're supposed to be watching the imposter."
He sighs out heavily, shakes his head, and drops to a chair beside the window. Shay goes to sit down close to Drackus, and Mom returns to his lap. If Frankie needs to sit down, this is bad.
I return to Kane who pulls me down to his lap and he holds me tighter, preparing for the worst.
"They know you're looking for them, Calypso. The imposter fled, and she fled fast."
Mom and Drackus curse in rambled unison. I just shake my head. That was all we had. They needed to know we didn't suspect anything. Now they'll up their game and their timeframe.
"How? Why?" Mom groans, but then she shakes her head. "The night stalkers Drackus and I fought. It was them, wasn't it?"
Frankie nods slowly. "I only caught snippets of the conversation, but yes. It was them. She hit me and some of the guards hard on her way out. Bitch is strong. Then it took me forever to explain to them that it wasn't you. I've—well, I've been expelled from the council grounds, and… so have you," he says, letting out a heavy breath full of angst.
Mom rolls her eyes. "Good. I'm sick of them anyhow."
Not the answer I expected. Frankie looks at her and smiles. "Same here." His smile falls as he takes in her closeness with my father, and he looks away to hide the tremor of pain. Shit. Frankie has loved her for so long.
"Well," Zee mumbles, breaking his silence. "What now?"
Everyone sits quietly for a minute, but finally, Kane says, "Now—we get ready. There's going to be one hell of a fight. And I have a feeling it'll be coming soon."
Kane shuts and locks the door to our small bedroom, and then he looks around woefully. Spoiled thing.
"Missing your big bad bedroom?" I tease, making him smile as he continues his survey.
"I just wish there was somewhere better than this for this moment."
My heart flutters from his seemingly distracted comment. What's he talking about? Better for what? I try not to think about the answers to those questions.
He finally quits studying his small surroundings, and then he chuckles when he sees me. "Relax, babe," he mutters while leaning down to fish something out of his bag. Whatever it is, he shoves it into his pocket. "Come here," he says, smiling.
He opens his arms for me, and I willingly go to him, cuddling against him as he drops to the bed and drags me with him. I smile as his lips gently stroke my forehead, and then his hand slides down my back to start tracing circles on my back. I nuzzle my head into the crook of his neck, sighing contently.
"Somewhere better for what moment?" I ask, suddenly feeling less anxious.
"This moment," he says, pulling me closer. Then I feel something cool against my skin—something metal.
I look down to see him dragging a ring up my side, smiling as he lets the metal graze my skin with a feather-soft touch. I sigh in relief and disappointment. It's not an engagement ring. It's a... mood ring?
"What's that?" I ask, grinning when it tickles my side.
He smiles as well, and then he kisses my forehead lightly before pulling back.
"This is a special ring blessed by a chanter. It'll show all your moods—which will serve me well," he says, winking at me and making me laugh. Then his face turns back serious. "Each color is personalized, making it just for you. It'll only read your moods—no one else's."
Tears well up in my eyes as I stare at the ring he has drawn closer to my face. It's just a black stone right now—devoid of any emotion and waiting for my touch. I reach for it, but he pulls it back, keeping it just out of my reach.
"I can't have my ring?" I ask, trying to pout, but only managing to grin instead when I see the sweet smile he has.
"You can, but not yet. I need to explain the colors and what they mean first."
I smile up at him, enjoying the beauty in his emerald green eyes, but oddly—I wish he'd give me his night stalker eyes—the real him.
"Explain," I say with a girlish grin.
