As a fellow taxpaying Zone resident, Gwen understood Farhanah’s anger. Even at the best of times, SERC and the common human government woefully neglected the Containment Zone. Now they’d allowed zombies to slaughter countless Zone inhabitants without giving those inhabitants any warning or any means of communication with the outside world. Farhanah, Gwen, and everyone else had gone without official assistance for days.Days.
Still, Hugh was risking his reputation—maybe even risking his life—to help now that he understood the situation. He might not be perfect, but he certainly wasn’t useless. And if he did, in fact, have a stick up his very fine ass, it suited him quite well.
“Councilor Blacke is trying his best, Farhanah.” Cheeks flaming at the insult to him, Gwen got to her unsteady feet and joined the demon at the door. “I’m so glad to see that you’re safe and sound. Hugh, if you could step aside?”
She tugged the door from his grip and let Farhanah inside. Still eyeing the demon balefully, Haziq’s aunt smoothed her handsewn tunic over her hips and followed Gwen back to the couch. Hugh stationed himself behind them, his stance alert.
“Can I offer you a drink? Some, uh…” Gwen mentally ran through her current food supplies again and once more came up nearly empty. “Cheese and crackers, maybe?”
“I’m fine, dear. But thank you for offering.” Without further ceremony, the older woman launched into her tale. “Gwen, a soldier knocked on my door a few minutes ago. According to her, the danger is probably past, although we’re supposed to keep an eye out for any stray creatures their patrols might have missed.They don’t know when telecommunications or Zone access will be restored. Hopefully soon.”
Haziq’s aunt patted Gwen’s knee with a raw-knuckled hand. “I asked whether anyone had visited your apartment building yet to share the news. She said they hadn’t, and since they were taking a lunch break, it might be another hour or two. So I came over to tell you myself.”
Gwen’s smile turned genuine. “That was very kind of you. Thank you, Farhanah.”
The other woman dismissed Gwen’s gratitude with an eloquent flick of her wrist, then tucked a silver-streaked strand of hair back into her thick, dark bun. “I just hope we can all leave the Zone soon, or at least contact our families. My nephew must be out of his mind with worry.”
Oh, damn. The next time Haziq talked to his aunt, he might mention meeting Farhanah’s oracle neighbor. Outside a SERC councilor’s apartment building in Georgetown at roughly four in the morning. While access to the Containment Zone was still theoretically impossible.
And if he or Farhanah shared that information with the wrong person…
Disaster. Utter disaster.
“I, uh…” Gwen bit her lip. “I actually met Haziq. Last night.”
“What? In Georgetown?” Farhanah’s golden-brown forehead crinkled. “How is that possible? The entry gate hasn’t been open for days.”
Gods and goddesses above, Gwen hoped all the lying would stop soon. “It began working again, very briefly. I got lucky with my timing and happened to get out. I went to see…” Her headtipped toward Hugh, who watched her performance impassively. “Haziq works at the councilor’s apartment building, which is where I met him. He’s just as lovely as you always said, Farhanah.”
The other woman’s skeptical frown transformed into a proud beam. “He’s an excellent young man. Smart. Hardworking. Extremely handsome too. You agree?”
“Definitely.” Now came the most delicate part of this discussion. “Listen, Farhanah. Could you possibly keep my visit with the councilor a secret? I don’t imagine you’ll be asked about it, but if you are, maybe you could claim not to know anything?”
Farhanah twisted to aim a fierce scowl at Hugh, her graceful fingers curling into claws. “You’re ashamed to publicly acknowledge her? What kind of no-goodcreature”—she spat out the words like dirt from her mouth—“would take advantage of a sweet girl like Gwen and refuse to claim her in the light of day?”
Gwen’s ears should have burst into flame. She cast an agonized glance toward Hugh, unsure whether to counter the other woman’s misconceptions.
His own cheekbones burnished a vivid pink, he raised a staying palm. “Ma’am, I believe you’ve misunderstood—”
“Haziq would never forsake you in such a cowardly fashion, Gwen.” Farhanah turned back to her neighbor, her dark eyes narrowed consideringly. “When we’re able to leave the Zone once more, perhaps you could join me and my nephew in a celebratory meal?”
Wow. Even Gwen’s supposed late-night frolics with demons hadn’t diverted the older woman’s matchmaking efforts. Which was very open-minded of Farhanah, but…
“I, uh…” Helplessly, Gwen looked to Hugh for assistanceagain. “Thank you for the invitation, but I don’t…think that’s a good idea?”
He mouthed something she couldn’t make out, his expression stony. She frowned at him, confused, and he repeated himself more slowly.Do you want Haziq?
Gwen’s tiny headshake and diverted attention apparently alerted Farhanah that an unspoken conversation was occurring.
“Why are you here, Councilor?” Rising to her feet, she swiveled to glower directly at the interloper in her midst. “It’s daylight now, and you have an emergency to belatedly address. Shouldn’t you be working?”
With long, unhurried strides, he rounded the couch and stopped beside Gwen. Then, to her shock, he gently tugged her into his arms for the second time that morning, pressing her tight against him with one lazy hand stroking up and down her spine. At the roaring heat of his slim, strong body, the tenderness of his touch, she sagged with pleasure, melting into his side.
“Indeed I should. But I wanted to personally escortmy girlfriend”—his possessive emphasis on that phrase hitched Gwen’s breath—“back here to pack, since she’s living with me for the foreseeable future.Publicly.”
For once, he’d managed to lie without stumbling. Progress!
He pressed a light, sweet kiss to the crown of Gwen’s head before continuing to address a visibly mollified Farhanah. “This is a fraught moment, politically. There may be media attention or other unfriendly eyes upon me and those in my orbit. We simply want to keep Gwen’s late-night visit to ourselves in hopes of protecting her privacy.Notbecause I intend to keep her presence in my life a secret.”
