Page 77 of Beautiful Prey

“Well, we had a date.” Letting go of my throat, he leans back. “But when I came to collect you, even your brother didn’t know where you were. Do you make a habit of disappearing when I’m looking for you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“You’re wrong.” Using his fork, he steals a strawberry from my plate and pops it into his mouth, smirking when he catches me staring. “And I don’t like not knowing where you are. I actually find I can’t stand it. So where the fuck did you go, stormbird?”

I press my lips together. “I’m not telling you anything.”

One corner of his mouth lifts. “Oh, we’re still doing that? Come on then, pet. Keep it up.”

“I’m not keeping anything up, and I’m not your pet. Not your prey either. I never agreed to any of this.”

“No.” He glances past me.

I follow his gaze to Onyx, talking with both hands while Ryven laughs beside him. He looks so happy that for a second I see him years ago, before the coughing got bad, before every good day came with numbers attached.

Asher watches him too, and somehow the question stops feeling optional. “So where were you?”

His eyes stay on my brother.

I could still lie, but I don’t. There’s no point. He’d know anyway. “The museum.”

His attention comes back to me. “Museum?”

I nod. “Yeah. The old historical museum, on the east side.”

“And what does my stormbird do in an old museum when he’s hiding from me?”

“I...” I draw a slow breath. “Go to look at the old holo-portraits. Believe it or not, Calder used to be green. That was before the Imperial families bought the mining rights. Before they stripped everything that wasn’t worth exporting. Sometimes I go there to remember we weren’t always just... this.”

“A green Calder,” he drawls.

I sigh. “It’s been a long time now.”

He studies me for another moment, his knife resting against the edge of his plate before he sets it down. “Why don’t you show me sometime?”

“What?”

“The museum. I’d like to see the Calder before men like Vasco got hold of it.”

The waiter returns and takes away our empty plates. I wait until he’s gone before setting my napkin aside. “I’ll think about it. Anyway, thank you for dinner. It was... something special. I don’t usually have dinner with my boss, so I guess I can tick that one off. Now, if you’ll excuse us—” I push my chair back. “I’d like to take my brother home. He’s tired.”

Asher’s mouth curls. “Stormbird. I haven’t even told you my proposition yet, and you’re already running away?”

“I’m not running away. I’m simply retiring for the night. My shift starts at four tomorrow morning.”

“It doesn’t. You don’t have a shift tomorrow. Or the day after. Your new boss has other plans for you.” His fingers find my knee beneath the table and slide higher. “You’re going to show me green Calder. The rivers. The orchards. Whatever’s left of the world before it got stripped for parts.” His thumb slides along my inner thigh, and my breath goes short. “I want to know where your mind wanders. I don’t like it wandering somewhere I can’t follow.”

I should move his hand, I should. But I grip the edge of the table instead. He’s overwhelming me, and it’s terrifying. “I don’t want—” I stop. I don’t want him inside the few things that are still mine. Pressing my lips together, I swallow the rest.

“Now.” Asher gives my thigh one final squeeze before withdrawing his hand. “The proposition.”

“You mean the one I won’t be able to refuse?”

“That’s the one. You’re not going back to the eastern block tonight. Neither is your brother. You’re both coming home with me.”

“Coming home to— No. Not happening.” I lurch forward, my hands fisting in the tablecloth. “No way. I’m not sleeping in your apartment.”

“You’ll sleep where I can see you.”