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We stopped in front of an exhibit of the moon. Celeste paused. “Isn’t it amazing that people actually walked up there?” she asked dreamily. “To stand among the stars…I wonder what it was like.”
I watched her closely, more interested in her expression than the moonscape laid out before us. “Well, perhaps you’ll get thechance someday,” I whispered, glancing around to make sure no one could overhear us. “There’s a funny thing about living long enough to watch humanity advance.”
Celeste’s silver eyes widened as she looked back at me. “Do you think…?” She paused and shook her head. “I couldn’t even fathom.”
“Now, I hate to drag you away,” I murmured as I escorted her back toward the exit and our waiting car, “but Mr. Nix has a reservation for two at Consulate UWS, and I’d hate to be late. I’ll remember to allow for more time at the planetarium next time.”
Celeste beamed at me, her silver eyes sparkling like stars. “I’d say we could skip dinner and stay here, but I’m starving,” she said. “For future reference, I could probably spend a week straight in a planetarium and be happy about it.”
“Noted,” I murmured, unable to take my eyes off her as she continued to chatter away, barely settling down once we got to the restaurant and took our seats.
“I’m glad you had a change of outfits for me on the jet,” she said quietly, glancing around the Consulate UWS. “Wearing workout clothes to the planetarium would be one thing, but I don’t think they’d even let me in here.”
I sighed. “You’re gorgeous no matter what you’re wearing, though that shade of blue does bring out your eyes.”
Celeste flushed, smoothing a hand over her dress before looking back at me. “I feel like I’ve been talking all day,” she said, taking a sip of her wine. “Have you been to New York City before?”
“I have,” I said, smiling. “But only for business. I haven’t taken much time to explore the city any more than necessary.”
“Is it somewhere you’d want to come back?”
“Certainly,” I said, smiling at her. “I’d spend a week at the planetarium with you if you’d like, though I think we’d be remiss not to visit the Met at least once.”
She brightened. “Well, yeah! Do you like to visit art museums?”
“When I can. I do enjoy seeing how expression of art and ideas change over time. Despite my lifetime, I didn’t get to see everything, and certainly not in different parts of the world. I find that interesting.”
Celeste’s smile was warm, her eyes never leaving me even as the waiter brought our first course. After a few bites, she continued her train of thought. “I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of places, but are there any places you’d like to travel? For the museums or the food…or even just because?”
“I want to go anywhere you want to go,” I said easily, because it was the truth. Ihadseen a lot, but Celeste hadn’t had that opportunity in her lifetime. “Who I am going with is more important to me.”
“That’s sweet,” she said quietly, taking another bite, “but surely there’s a location youwantto see. Being your partner means I want to know about you, too. What excites you the way the Hayden Planetarium excites me? Or what food do you want to try? What do you really miss?”
“Hm.” Well, when Celeste put it like that… “I’d like to tour the Asian Pacific someday. I regret not learning as much about those regions as I have Europe, for example—and I think it’d be different. Refreshing, even.” I paused. “I would also like to run the Tibetan Plateau as a wolf. There are native wolves in the area, and…” I shrugged. I didn’t have a reason, specifically, but that idea had always appealed to me.
“It can’t be any more rugged than Antarctica,” Celeste laughed, shaking her head. “I imagine it’s beautiful, though. And so much less populated. Imagine how many stars you could see there!”
I grinned back at her. As Celeste began talking about her own travel wish list, I made a mental note that a trip to the TibetanPlateau would be good for us both. The perfect getaway once all this eclipse business was over.
After dinner, Celeste and I took the short walk to the Four Seasons hotel. Though Celeste seemed taken aback by the lobby, she was stunned into silence when we opened the door to the massive suite Mr. Nix had reserved for the night. The suite was larger than most apartments in the city. Celeste balked, however, as I tried to lead her inside.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, frowning.
“I… Fenris, this room must have cost a fortune!” she said quietly, as if speaking too loud might cause one of the paintings decorating the room to burst into flames. “We can’t stay here.”
I frowned and motioned for her to follow me as I walked through the sitting room. “Of course we can.” I gestured to the pair of handsome armchairs, placed where they comfortably viewed the magnificent cityscape just outside. The lights of New York City twinkled back at us.
“No one has ever spent this much money on me,” Celeste said, continuing to protest.
I resisted the urge to frown. “Ah, well, you see, I am particular about my lodgings,” I said, wondering if I could do an impression of Piers. However, it was better to leave the put-upon drama to the vampire. “Most human residences weren’t made with a shifter’s heightened senses in mind. I simply must spring for the best, or I’ll find myself in discomfort all night.”
“Hmm…” Celeste said, walking inside and shutting the door behind her. Her smile was already returning as she wandered through the room, running a hand over the back of the armchair. “I must be one lucky witch to get to share it with you, then.”
“On the contrary,” I rumbled, swooping in to kiss her the way I’d imagined since we first arrived at the Hayden Planetarium. “IbelieveIam the shifter lucky enough to share it with an exquisite witch.”
She giggled gently, her face turning pink before she slipped away, walking from the sitting room into the large bedroom. Her expression morphed back into awe. “Fenris, look at the size of this bed. We could have an entire party in here if we felt like it,” she murmured, walking over to touch the sheets. “So soft…”
“I’d rather we keep it to ourselves,” I murmured, closing the French doors that separated the two spaces. Of course, there was no one else in the suite, but now the intimacy of a smaller space felt right. As I looked back at Celeste, she’d already wandered over to the bathroom, her jaw falling open.
