Missing the Night

by Viola Grace

  Tynan murmured quietly, and Hector looked at her with eyes blazing. “You are wearing what?”

  Stovos watched their interaction with an amused expression.

  “Underwear under the skirt. A little silk, a little lace. You saw it yesterday.”

  “What about your nylons?”

  “I don’t like nylons.” She ate quickly and sat back, sipping her coffee. “You felt them. They are silk.”

  He opened and closed his mouth with a snap.

  Stovos rapped his knuckles on the table. “Hector, Tynan, you have work to do. Nessa, you need to stop teasing them.”

  “I am not teasing. I have tried to avoid them figuring it out because they are super enthusiastic about adding me to their team. What we need is a few days alone to make me less of a novelty.”

  He sighed. “When I finally managed to connect with my mate, we had a solid month to acquaint ourselves. She only tried to crawl out of my bed once.”

  Nessa chuckled, and the tension was broken. She knew it would be revisited later, but for now, she was free to drink her coffee before they headed into their company headquarters.

  “I will take Nessa in, just so you two don’t decide to divert her.”

  Her mates looked disappointed and a bit rueful. She was being held away from them until they finished their homework.

  The drive into downtown was quiet. Nessa finally said, “I am surprised that you drive your own vehicle.”

  “I have a driver when I need it, but I enjoy it. The last century has had a lot of exciting developments.” He smiled, and she looked at his human seeming as a man with dark mahogany skin and black hair with a few grey streaks.

  “Have you ever considered a second mate?”

  He glanced at her. “Trying to set me up?”

  “No, of course not. I would never do that with someone who has not indicated that they were interested in seeking someone.”

  “Hector has been grown for hundreds of years. It is rather late to be considering seeking a new woman for me.”

  “Why? Love is love. You either accept that, or you don’t. If you don’t, what am I even doing here? Me and Hector and Tynan hitting it off is pretty unlikely. So many factors had to connect to get me here.”

  He nodded. “They searched for you for years. One minute he is barely moving unless it is to a bar, and the next, he is seeking out private detectives and trying to describe you to folks who had been at the party. He and Tynan were frantic, and you had just disappeared.”

  She sighed. “That is part of the magic. I wasn’t good at removing my mark yet.”

  “How many times had you fed before?”

  She looked out the window. “That was my first time.”

  “And you chose my son and his bondmate?”

  “I didn’t want to feed, so I left the party and stood outside, trying to think of what to do. They came up to me and complimented my dress, asked me to dance, and since I had never been asked before, I said yes. We moved together in the moonlight for song after song. When they asked me to come with them, I said yes, and we spent the next twelve hours at an apartment. I fed, they slept, and I worked to remove all traces of my energy from them, but they were lying shoulder to shoulder, and I couldn’t scrape it off in between. I called it good and left. Knowing that I had just done something really stupid, I left town, and my parents helped scrub traces of me, just in case.”

  He chuckled. “Ah, so that would explain it. There should have been some trace of you, but it was as if you had never existed, and as they never got your last name, that couldn’t be traced as well. Your changing appearance also would not help.”

  “Yeah, I was rather counting on that.” She watched as the buildings got larger until he pulled into the area in front of the building, and a valet darted out to nod, bow, and take the car. Nessa got out before Stovos could open the door, and he sighed. She took his arm, and they walked into the building, past security, and up to the top floor.

  “Do I look human enough? I can make my hair a light brown, but it is hard to hold.”

  He smiled. “It is fine. It adds a youth to your appearance that will make folks underestimate you.”

  “Well, as I am not that old, I will take that as a compliment. Sort of.”

  He gave her a quizzical look. “How old are you? I hadn’t thought to do the math.”

  “Thirty. I was twenty when I met them. That is why I ran.”

  His eyes widened, and he ran a hand through his hair. “I have shoes older than you.”

  “Yeah. I know. My mom is only sixty-five. Dad still apologizes for that.”

  “He does?”

  “Yeah, and then, he chases her up the stairs to apologize properly.” She twisted her lips.

  “So, you grew up with an oversexed faerie in your home.”

  “Yeah, but Dad says it isn’t over; it is just right.”

  Stovos laughed. “He was supposed to marry a cousin of mine.”

  “I am glad he didn’t.”

  He smiled as they exited the elevator. “So am I. This is much more entertaining than listening to her whine about Cian seeking other lovers.”

  “Um, he doesn’t. He gets what he needs from my mother. He’s faithful to a ridiculous degree, actually.”

  “Well, that answers my last concern.”

  “If I would run around on Hector?”

  “Correct.”

  “Don’t worry. They satisfy me. The hunger doesn’t even rise now. I could probably go another ten years with what I have taken in.”

  “Please, don’t run again.”

  She laughed. “A contract is a contract.”

  “Ah, speaking of contracts, we will get settled, and they will come in to outline the procedure of getting the shares, and you will sign the bridal contract.”

  He settled her in a comfortable chair near his desk, his receptionist got her another coffee, and the lawyers came in. It was funny to see a set of wolves turn into kittens when Stovos looked at them.

  She was spoken to, explained to, and the entire wedding contract was gone over line by line. She signed.

  They handed her a tiny dagger. “Now, lock it, please, Miss Northern.”

  “Oh. Wow. We are doing this, huh?” She pricked her pinkie and pressed it next to her signature.

  The contract rose, shivered, and locking faerie script ran around the edge. It was official. She sucked on her pinkie, and one of the lawyers offered her a hot pink adhesive bandage.

  They brought out the next wad of paperwork. “Now, we have the share transfer from the Twilights and Mr. Poldan to you.”

  She looked at Stovos. “Was there something you didn’t mention to me?”

  He didn’t glance up. “Nessa, you talk so much that there wasn’t a chance to get it in. The guys insisted that you start on equal footing, so they are each offering a third of their shares, and your reward is providing the difference to make you the second-largest stakeholder in the corporation. Part of the family now, Nessa.”

  The lawyers explained voting, project proposals, and shareholder meetings. Nessa only drifted off twice.

  Chapter Ten

  She stretched when the paperwork was done, and she was a wealthy woman with a stroke of the pen. Well, the stroke of the pen and the ceremony in two days. When she signed the license, her share contract went into effect. The lawyers left.

  “Anything else? Bloodwork? Internal exam?” she called over to Stovos.

  “No, I cancelled those.” He smiled. “I am thinking that Tynan would have noticed something the last time he was in there.”

  She stared at him in astonishment before she stuttered out, “And Hector wouldn’t?”

  “Tynan has medical training. It comes in handy when they get overly enthusiastic bashing at each other.”

  She smiled. “The sword fighting?”

  “If that is what you want to call it.” He shrugged.

  She lau
ghed. “Right, so how do I kill time now? I guess I could look for a purse.”

  He nodded and pressed a button on his phone. “Orvis, can you come in for a moment.”

  The woman who inhabited the desk in front of Stovos’s door came in and said, “Yes, Mr. Twilight?”

  “How is the workload today, Orvis?”

  The woman who was wearing all browns and greens said, “Your calendar is clear. Everything is contained. What do you need?”

  “Do you have time to take my soon-to-be daughter-in-law shopping on my account? She needs new accessories, makeup, some casual jewellery. Oh, and a leisurely lunch, of course.”

  Orvis looked at Nessa, and Nessa’s eyes widened. “Tolly?”

  Orvis blinked, and a slow smile crossed her features. “Yes, Mr. Twilight, I will be able to take her shopping.”

  Stovos paused. “Wait. Do you two know each other?”

  Orvis nodded. “We met six years ago when she was working with my sister.”

  Nessa smiled. “How did it turn out?”

  “She starts kindergarten this year, so thanks again.”

  Stovos looked like he wasn’t used to being ignored. “Well, fine. If you get along, get to it.”

  Orvis paused, “Do you need tea or coffee or anything while we are out? I estimate that we are going to be gone for two and a half hours.”

  “Fine. Go.” He waved them off.

  Nessa walked up to Atolica and linked arms with her as they left the CEO’s office.

  Atolica handed her a thick silk wrap for the trip outside, and they headed to the elevator.

  They stepped in and were heading down to the lobby when the door opened and Meredith stepped in. She looked at Orvis and nodded. “Ms. Orvis.”

  Orvis pressed the fourth floor, and they waited. “So, Meredith, I hear your cousin is in town.”

  “Yeah, well, she is just going to whore her way through the population and leave again. I heard that she was fucking Mr. Twilight and Mr. Poldan, so how choosy can she be, wrecking a relationship like that.”

  Nessa stopped hiding. “Nice to know what you think of me. Hiding behind manners and family chats has been tiring, hasn’t it?”

  Meredith jumped, and Orvis calmly stopped the elevator and used a key in her hand to lock it.

  “Nessa! I didn’t see you there.”

  “That is the idea.” She rubbed her forehead. “You know. Everybody is trying to urge me to your wedding next week, but I just can’t stomach it. I hear you are invited to my celebration on Sunday. Feel free to develop an excuse. I won’t wreck your day; you won’t wreck mine.” She raised her brows. “Fair?”

  Meredith paled. “My fiancé will want to know why we aren’t going.”

  “So, make something up. You are good at that. Do you know that I have had one relationship in my entire life, and I am marrying them on Sunday? I know of at least seven guys who have taken you for a spin, so which one of us is whoring their way around?”

  “You had boyfriends...”

  “I had stalkers. I went to the lover’s lanes and hid in my car, taking in the passive sexual energy rocking out of those cars. I had been catching my food through the air, but once I had that night, it was enough, and for the first time in my life, I wasn’t hungry. One night lasted me ten years.” Nessa nodded. “I doubt you can say the same.”

  “Robert said you had seduced him.”

  “Robert was caught jerking off under my window, and my mom beat his ass before he was arrested. I was just trying to get through life without needing braces. I never had anything to do with that perv. Check the court records. He confessed for a lesser charge, but his texts to you about my having a birthmark on my inner thigh were bullshit. I don’t and never have had a birthmark. That is part and parcel of the love-talker thing. Our bodies are beautiful and unmarked at all times.” She sighed, exhausted. “You are family. You have access to the records.”

  Meredith blinked, and tears welled in her eyes. “That can’t be right.”

  “You have the information. You have had access to all of the sources this whole time. Did you ever ask one question?” Nessa nodded to Orvis.

  Orvis released the elevator, and she murmured, “Meredith, I will have the court document packet sent to you before the end of the day. Mr. Twilight had me pull it together.”

  Nessa blinked. “He had it pulled?”

  “That kind of obsession comes up, and he wants you safe, so he will deal with Robert Kinsen. Mr. Twilight can be very persuasive, but as you are about to enter the public eye, he does not want your new life interrupted by the past.”

  “He told you that?”

  “He is very good at texting.” Orvis smiled slightly.

  The elevator stopped, and an unstable Meredith stepped out. Orvis slammed her hand against the elevator door and spoke to the receptionist across the lobby. “Hannah, can you get the grey file off my desk and have it copied for Meredith? There is some information she needs for the weekend.”

  Hannah nodded. “Of course.”

  Orvis nodded, and the door closed. “There. That is one thing sorted.”

  Nessa sighed. “I don’t really feel like shopping.”

  “Tough. That is my assignment, and I always finish my assignments.”

  Nessa sighed. “Right. You are excellent at what you do.”

  The chime rang, and they got out on the main floor, striding across the lobby. A car pulled up as they walked out, and a young man got out to hold the door for them.

  Orvis waited for her to slide in and slid in next to her.

  She spoke to the driver before he closed the door, and he nodded.

  “So, why do we need a driver for just a few accessories?”

  “Oh, he carries the bags and puts them in the trunk. It makes the ladies look dainty and airy.”

  “What is the deal with the scooting in the car?”

  “A lady is never supposed to get in on the traffic side if there is an alternative.”

  “Oh. Weird.”

  “So, have you chosen the vehicle as stipulated in your contract?”

  Nessa bit her nail. “No. I can’t quite decide if they will let me have it without building a wall around it or something.”

  Orvis took her hand and blinked. “Wow. Okay, I will make an additional stop. Reese, can you stop at Harver’s?”

  “Certainly, Miss Orvis.”

  The car glided along smoothly, and Nessa asked, “Okay, Tolly, so how did you get here?”

  “I worked for a branch of the corporation, and when there was a request for me to transfer, I did.”

  “Did you work with Mr. Twilight before?”

  “Yes. He came into town, and I was assigned to him for the duration of his stay. I appear to have made a favourable impression.”

  “Yeah, well, you are the most competent and efficient person that I know. I hope that your income is equivalent to your duties.”

  Tolly nodded. “It is. I made sure, and it is in the employment contract.”

  “Do you attend all the company events?”

  “Of course. I will even be managing things at your wedding.” Tolly smiled. “Me and that clipboard you got me.”

  Nessa smiled. “Does it help?”

  “When I am wearing gowns. Definitely.”

  Tolly’s problem was that her breasts were huge. She wore a constricting bra and a minimizing band over them at the office, but she had needed to be able to hide her stunning figure in plain sight to do her job. She worked hard to not be noticed.

  They pulled up at their first stop, and the whirlwind of shopping began with a manicure and makeover with all of the makeup used on her in a discrete little bag that Reese took possession of. French-tipped nails that were hard as rock. Abeetha Harver was an artist who liked her work to last.

  The next stop was a few blocks away, and the jewellers opened their door the moment that Orvis left the vehicle.

  Ne
ssa made sure that her skin tone was correct, even if her hair was paler than when she was fully manifested. They walked into the shop, were served tea, and an elegant woman sat with them with a tablet and another larger one on display in the middle of the table. “Miss Orvis, what can I provide you with today?”

  “Stella, this is Miss Northern, soon-to-be Mrs. Twilight. Mr. Twilight has ordered some everyday pieces for his new daughter-in-law.” The sentence explained it all.

  “No ring?”

  Orvis held up one finger. “Just a moment.” She worked quickly at her phone with two fingers, and then, there was a small shiver of the flat tablet. “Leave the ring fingers bare; anything else she wants is fine.”

  Nessa leaned over and asked, “Do I need to get something for the guys?”

  Orvis smiled, and her fingers tapped. She paused, waited, and said, “Get whatever the fuck you want.” She turned the phone to show Nessa. Stovos was simply registered in Orvis’s phone as The Boss.

  Stella smiled. “Now, Miss Northern, our selections are magic reactive, so...”

  Nessa dropped her glamour, and then, Orvis snapped her fingers in front of Stella’s face. “Nessa, please, resume your subdued appearance.”

  Nessa put it back up and smiled politely. “Is that enough for you?”

  Stella was shaking, and she nodded as she pulled herself together. “Yes, that is... Mr. Twilight is fortunate.”

  Orvis nodded. “He truly is. She is the only manifestation of her kind.”

  Stella smiled. “Excellent. Well, then, I have a few items that I can show you. Do you have preferences as to colour?”

  “Not for the metals, but red and blue for the gemstones, please.”

  Stella nodded. “So, this is for daily wear?”

  “Yes, I am getting some kind of family jewels for formal events.”

  Stella shivered. “I see. Well, I will try and do my best for you. What about this?”

  Orvis looked and said, “Too delicate. She needs a box or herringbone chain at least a quarter of an inch as the base.”

  Nessa blinked. The necklace in question was lovely, but it was rather thin.

  Stella entered the new criteria and smiled. “What about this one?”