Spell Cat by Tara Lain Page 0,14
He smiled just suggestively enough to give the women a chance to roll their eyes knowingly as he and Lavender rose. She was wearing the color for which she was named. A deep, rich purple-blue, like the flowers. She really was lovely.
As they walked away from the table toward the solarium, Aloysius leaped from the chair to which he’d been exiled onto his usual spot on Killian’s shoulders. Lavender squeaked a little and then laughed. “He’s charming. What’s he called?”
“Aloysius. But I call him Al.”
“Hello, Al.” She reached out. Killian held his breath, but the mercurial familiar seemed to like girls too, because he purred and rubbed against her hand like a good feline.
Killian opened the solarium door, and the two of them walked inside with Al perched atop Killian’s shoulders. Killian took a deep breath. Warm, moist, full of oxygen. Refreshing. He offered Lavender his arm, and they strolled on the pathway through the dense plants. Aloysius’s purr was soothing.
“Do you make your home in Moscow, Lavender?”
She smiled and stooped to smell some exotic flower. Killian liked flowers, and she reminded him of one. Something quietly beautiful, but with a touch of sass. “Oh my, no. I actually live right here in New York. I’m in law school at the university where you teach. Many of our party came from Russia, St. Petersburg mostly. But Daddy has homes in several cities, and I prefer this one. He spends much of his time here too, as you know.”
He gave her about a million points for that. He adored this city, the life and vibrancy. “But why have they made such an elaborate ritual of our meeting? We could have stopped in for coffee or had drinks, for Powers’ sake.”
She gave him a small smile. “Partly witchly love of protocol, I think, and partly me being a witch.”
“Excuse me?”
She sighed and walked a few steps to a bench set along the gravel path. They were hidden from the guests, but could still hear if anyone came in the solarium door. She waved a graceful hand at the bench. “Do you mind?”
“Want to sit?” He raised his eyebrows. “I thought you might not care to ever sit again after that endless ritual inside.”
She sat on one end of the bench, leaving space for him if he wanted to join her. “It’s not the sitting. I just need to focus for a minute.”
“Sure.” She intrigued him.
Aloysius, the unpredictable, made a leap from Killian’s shoulder into Lavender’s lap. She squeaked again, then laughed and began to pet the inky fur as she stared at the path. She looked up at him. “I didn’t want to meet you.”
Well, hell. For a flash, he felt wounded. But that qualified as both ironic and ridiculous. He laughed.
She looked surprised. “Is that funny?”
“Not the fact of it, only my reaction. Demonstrating the total idiocy of masculine ego, I was offended for a moment by the fact that you didn’t want to meet me, when, of course, you had no reason to want to meet a witch whom you’re being forced to marry, and I didn’t want to meet you either.” He held up his hands. “Oh, not the reality of you. In fact, you’re delightful. But the concept of a female I’m being forced to marry is very distasteful to me for many reasons.”
“One of them being that you’re homosexual?” She kept petting.
He smiled. “Am I that obvious?”
She cocked her head. “I think if I didn’t already know, I might suspect. Your amazing, effeminate beauty, your impeccable taste and manners….” She shrugged. “Sometimes things are stereotypes because they’re true. But I was told by a number of people that you’re gay. It’s quite well-known in the community, as I’m sure you’re aware.” He nodded, and she smiled sadly again. “I will say that I would find you very attractive regardless of your sexuality, if things were different.”
“You mean if you weren’t being forced to marry me?”
Her sigh might have cracked some ribs. “No, I mean if I wasn’t in love with someone else.”
That got him to sit. He put a hand on her arm. Okay, neither of them was really thrilled to be touched. He pulled the hand back. “I had no idea. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself because I’m being forced to marry when I’ve never been in love, and here you are being forced out of the arms of someone you do love.” He rose and paced a few feet. “Is it someone I know?