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“Well?” He chuckles, raising an eyebrow. “Today would be nice.”
“Ha, very funny,” I remark sarcastically. “Let me think for a moment.”
“Take your time.”
Stroking my chin in deep thought, I think about where he and I should get mated. Coming from the trenches of the lowtowns with no friends or family, I never even thought that getting mated would be a possibility.
Then the answer hits me. I’m in the middle of it, my eyes widening with joy as I glance around the gardens, nodding in approval.
“It seems as though we have our answer,” remarks Valkus. “Care to share?”
“How about right here in the gardens?” I propose.
“I should have known you would pick that.” He laughs.
“So can it be done?”
“Althia, anything can be done for you.”
At that moment, two things melt. My heart for this man, and the tension he carried on his face when we were talking about his family.
I wonder if I make him feel the same way… Does he know the effect he has on me?
What if it is true that Valkus knows my feelings for him? Could it be that he has me right in the palm of his hand?
There is a darker side to him that I’ve only seen a glimpse of.
“I like the way you’re looking at me,” he says, snapping me back to reality.
I blush, completely unaware of the fact I’d been admiring him so openly for the past few seconds.
“Sorry.”
“One might think that you fancy me,” he remarks with a playful smirk.
Dark side or not, I know two things for certain. This man has me right where he wants me, and I’m loving every minute of it.
13
VALKUS
Today, Althia and I are going to speak to the King’s royal floral designer, as we continue to make arrangements for the mating ceremony.
Althia and I are becoming closer and closer every day, and even my mother and father seem to have stopped harassing her for her presence in their house.
Progress is progress, I think to myself as I pull on my shirt, while Althia gets ready in the bathroom.
Just then, the door to the bedroom creaks open, and Nexus slinks in, his tail between his legs as he looks around furtively.
“Where have you been?” I ask him, kneeling to stroke his fur, which is slightly matted and covered with mud.
Nexus chirrups and then sinks tiredly to the ground.
“Is that Nexus?” Althia calls from the bathroom, the door swinging open only a moment later. At the sound of his name, or perhaps at the sound of Althia’s voice, Nexus’ ears perk immediately, his large eyes swiveling to find Althia.
“Aw, poor baby! Did those mean old mynahs give you the run around again?” Althia asks, walking straight past me to kneel beside Nexus. I stifle an incredulous laugh at the image her words conjure up.
Nexus is one of the most fearsome predators on the planet. A measly mynah bird could hardly get close to him without being shredded to pieces, much less upset him the way Althia is insinuating.
