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“There will be a festival during the full moon in two days,” he clarified, watching as Fletcher brushed his hands down his pants, sending dust flying everywhere. “We wolves gather together on a full moon.”
We did that on Earth, as well. And during the vampire war, it had been even more important that we stick together during a full moon. Those were the nights most packs were attacked.
"Those gatherings are as common as cornbread, but this one is special. It only happens once a year." Fletcher's eyes lit up with excitement. "All the packs will be in attendance. Now, Lucian, you can’t weasel your way out of coming this year. Not when you have your lady to take with you.”
“I’ll be there,” Lucian told him. “That is, if you want to go, Natalie.”
Fletcher looked at me expectantly.
"I'd like to go," I said, smiling when Fletcher tipped an imaginary hat at me.
“I’ll see y’all there then. Enjoy the rest of your day now.”
I watched him leave, but I could feel Lucian's eyes on me. "You don't want to go, do you?" I asked, turning to him. "I'm okay with staying at home if you'd prefer that."
“I do want to go,” he said. “You’ll enjoy it. There is still a lot for you to learn about what we do in this realm. And this festival should help give you a good idea.”
“Great. Because I really want to go. Pack gatherings were always a lot of fun on Earth.”
He nodded. "Will you stay until I'm finished here? I won't be long."
"Sure." I moved closer to him and got up on my tiptoes so our faces were as close as possible. "I like watching you work. I do want to talk to you about something, though. I wanted to let you know that Rumir told me his side of the story. It’s not what you think.”
Lucian turned away. “Maybe later, Natalie. Right now, he’s the last person I want to talk about. Okay?”
He picked up the rack and started working, and my shoulders slumped. "Okay," I said under my breath.
He stopped but didn't turn to face me. “I just want you here in the present with me,” he said over his shoulder. “That’s all. We can talk later.”
I walked over to the fountain and sat down. "I understand."
And I did. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to do my damnedest to fix this, no matter how long it took or how unwilling both men were.
* * *
Rumir
Iran my thumb back and forth across the tips of my other fingers, recalling the softness of Natalie’s skin.
We’d spent hours on the club roof last night, and I could barely wait to see her again. Each time I closed my eyes, I saw her smile and heard her laugh. Being with her had brought me more joy than I'd felt in a long time.
The wait I’d had to endure before I found her had been worth it, despite the unsavory addition of Lucian to the picture.
Natalie had listened to me speak about my feelings without interruption and without judgment. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had such a civil conversation with someone where I didn’t feel like something I said would be thrown back at me.
I hadn't felt pressured by her to be anyone but myself, and that was almost surreal to me. She even got me to speak about my mother and Lucian—something I didn't talk about to anyone.
All I had to do was keep my anger in check whenever she was around. How hard could that be?
My butler Myleon, a golden robot, stopped at the door. “Master Rumir, your father is here to see you. Shall I tell him you're indisposed at the moment?"
I was in the parlor with the bright midday sun beaming in through the grand floor-to-ceiling window, but the mere mention of my father made me feel like my day was about to get rained on.
"It's okay, Myleon, let him in. He’d only come back later.”
Myleon bowed his head before turning away. “Yes, sir.”
I sighed and closed my eyes, readying myself for this encounter. The last time I saw my father was almost a year ago, and it hadn’t been something either one of us wanted to repeat. So why was he here? No doubt he'd heard about Natalie and Lucian. And I was sure he was going to tell me his opinion on the subject, whether I wanted to hear it or not.
