While You Were Creeping - Poppy Rhys Page 0,44
a strangled sound. “I-I can’t tell you because I don’t know.”
I turned toward Kye. His ear twitched like he could hear the conversation. “What do you mean?”
“It just showed up in my bag, Ms. Zax. And...” She sounded nervous, like she was holding back.
I paced in front of my kitchen island. “And what?”
“It just had a note with your name on it. I had to deliver it, Ms. Zax. I had to!” She sounded guilty and jumpy all at once. “Headquarters has been so strict this year about gifts. They even installed a new policy that no elvshkin would get a year-end bonus if they returned without an empty bag. And-and I’ve got a youngling on the way, Ms. Zax. I’m not proud of it, but I need that bonus.”
“But...” That didn’t make sense. “Whoever I spoke to at headquarters said there was no record of a gift given to me.”
Nan went quiet before she whispered, “Really? None at all?”
“None.”
“I didn’t know that. If there’s no record of it, then it can’t be returned. I’m sorry, Ms. Zax. Had I known it wasn’t on the registry, I wouldn’t have insisted. Oh, I know!” She excitedly squealed, as if she just figured out all the answers to my problems. “You could regift it!”
I scrubbed my forehead, my head pounding and ready to implode, but it wasn’t Nan’s fault. If she were being truthful, there was nothing more she could help me with.
“Thanks, Nankino.”
“No problem! Happy holidays, Ms. Zax!”
“You too,” I absently mumbled. “And congratulations.”
Jumbled thoughts weaved in and out of my mind once I disconnected. Who’d left Nan the cube and why was it specifically addressed to me?
More importantly, where was I supposed to go from here? My only lead just turned into a dead end and time was not on my side.
In less than a week, Kye would be gone.
Merry Christmas to us.
TWENTY
New Year’s Eve
KYE
“You don’t have to go to this,” Holly said from the doorway, her hands tightly clasped at her front. “A deal’s a deal, and I didn’t uphold my end. If you told me to fuck off right now, I wouldn’t blame you.”
Gods, she was a vision in that green dress.
The lace buttoned at the back of her neck and snuggly fit her chest and arms. The rest was a solid fabric that molded to every curve, ending right below her knees.
It made her eyes seem ethereal and her red hair, that was neatly draped over her left shoulder, appear brighter in shade.
The bracelet I’d made fit perfectly on her wrist. She hadn’t removed it since Christmas. I wouldn’t lie—I’d be fucking pleased if she never took it off again.
“And leave you to have all the fun?” I hmphed, even if she didn’t appear amused. “Not happening. But you know what can fuck right off? This torture device you call a bowtie.”
She cracked a smile, her deep shade of lipstick the color of blood. “Here, let me help you.”
“Help me out of it, I hope.”
“Tsk, tsk,” she teased, her slim fingers expertly tying the ridiculously shaped fabric. “It’s the perfect addition to a well-fitted tuxedo. We can’t forget the bowtie.”
“Who wears something this fucking silly? I’ve been stuffed and squeezed into this outfit like a trussed-up chicken.”
“It fits perfectly! Riq made sure of it.” She stepped back and gave me a thorough once over before she sighed appreciatively. That was a sound I could get behind. “It’s an old Earth fashion. And if there’s one thing Tinsel loves, it’s old Earth stuff.”
I grumbled under my breath about old Earth but I couldn’t deny, when I saw our reflections in the mirror, Holly and I looked like we belonged together.
When I rested my hand on her lower back and she moved into my side, nothing had felt more natural.
“Are we the last to leave?” I asked once we got to the garage.
She nodded. “Yep. Mom said she’d save our seats.”
In the transport—that was once too small, but now it felt just right—I turned to Holly. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Screw their wedding.”
She laughed and shrugged, setting the transport to the Mezook Lodge where this event would be held. “I’m surprisingly good with all of it. As long as you promise to save a dance for me.”
“Just one?”
She canted her head to the side, shooting me a sly smile. “Okay, five. Six. All the dances.”
I chuckled. “You got it.”
The ride into town, I tried to stave off the feeling of dread that was