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“My little diplomat.” I glance in the rearview mirror at her in the backseat, looking for the frown I know I’ve got coming.
Instead, she looks ahead with a pensive expression. “Argoss says diplomats are betas who can’t punch hard enough to live through a real apocalypse.”
“Yeah, well…” I trail off, uncertain where I’m going with this.
“Argos isn’t right about everything,” I finally conclude. I release the tension in my shoulders, rolling them out while flipping on the radio.
Lucy leans forward and turns it off. “Meerkat fact! They don’t drink water.”
I’m beginning to think this meerkat thing isn’t a phase. Since the party yesterday, she’s drawn three pictures for Argoss’s office of meerkats in various repose. She’s designed two potential Halloween costumes with the animal in mind, unsurewhether she wants to go as a living or ‘ghosty’ meerkat. I sat through her torrent of names for what, and I quote, ‘could potentially be the greatest friendship of her young life.’
I’d call the admission a masterclass in drama if the prospect of a familiar was a real inevitability for my little one. Whether or not a fledgling mage acquires a familiar varies from family to family.
But she is an only child, I think.A companion would do her good.
“Isn’t that interesting?” Lucy asks as we pull up the drive. “I wonder if that makes them allergic to water.”
“Probably not,” I reply. What kind of animal doesn’t drink water? Where’s she even getting these facts?
“You guys are never going to believe what happened,” Argoss says as soon as we find him in one of his usual spots, the bay window overlooking the river. But rather than gazing out of it introspectively, he’s gesturing to the assortment of shopping bags spread across the couch.
“Someone broke in and left these here!” Lucy points to the bags.
“Even better,” he says. “Guess who gave me the best advice on vampire sun protection.” The demand bores Lucy, whose face falls as she leers up at him. Sun protection isn’t better than presents to her.
“Damien Vox,” I reply.
An easy one, as we’re in constant contact with him lately.
He grabs a blue and white bag and hands it to Lucy, then says something about Vox letting him and Greiko make a bid to lease his open space. I’m too busy fingering the note in my pocket to respond. Until he smiles my way. My breath catches instinctively, and before I know it, I’m smiling.
“Which is why you’re the best wife who deserves the best of everything.” He gestures to the gifts, then breaks the distancebetween us. I don’t want to enjoy his touch, but I do. My hand fits perfectly in his, even if it is an illusion.
“A friend for Joe Galaxy!” Lucy squeals, pulling out a huge stuffed elephant. She heads for her room to play with her new things as Argoss pulls me down the hall.
“A menagerie!” he hollers over his shoulder, covering my eyes and telling me not to peek.
When I finally see the newly renovated reading room, complete with a rustic-style kitchenette in the corner and a few plush chairs overlooking a gorgeous view of the front yard, I’m struck with the scent of lavender and pine.
“So, what do you think?” he asks in a velvet-smooth voice.
I run my hand along one of the mahogany armchairs as his arms slip around my waist. Argoss did all of this for me? He spins me around and cups my chin, and I melt under his embrace.
“Chic and cozy,” I say, forgetting all about the note once his lips touch mine.
18
ARGOSS
Ican't get enough of her taste. Her mouth is warm. Her lips are so soft that they draw me in. I can't stop kissing her. Again, I want to be gentle and careful. I'm always afraid that I'll scare her. But after our last time, I'm more confident. I know she wants me.
As I kiss her, I feel her hands start to roam over my body. She pulls me in closer, her fingers dancing over my skin, igniting a fire in my blood. I can feel her desire growing with each passing second.
I break our kiss to make sure the door to the reading room is locked, just in case we aren’t as alone as we think. Then I return to tear her shirt off and continue trailing kisses down her neck, over her collarbone, and down to her breasts. I swiftly remove her bra to take one of her nipples into my mouth, flicking my tongue over it while my hand kneads the other.
She moans, arches her back, and pushes her chest closer to my mouth. I can feel her hands tangling in my hair, pulling me in closer and urging me on.
I continue to lavish attention on her breasts, moving lower and lower, until I reach the waistband of her pants. I look up at her, seeking permission, and she nods eagerly.
