Page 72 of For the Strange and Surprising

Before I know it, I’m crossing the stone barrier. I alter my direction and head for the palace. I’m supposed to meet Isolde this evening, but she won’t mind me showing up early.

“Where are you going?” Ecaeris questions quietly, extending his steps to reach my side.

“To see Isolde.” I cut my eyes to him. “You can stop following me now.”

He growls in frustration, and I whip around to face him.

“Growl at me again,” I snap in warning. “And I’ll treat you like you’re a fucking puppy.”

He holds his hands up and pops his lips before he grins. “I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

“I’m not.”

“Sure. I definitely believe that.”

I stop walking and gasp. “You believe me? I suppose there’s a first time for everything.”

“I’ve never had anyone throw rocks at me.” He shrugs. “So, maybe you’re right.”

I glare at him, imagining all the ways I’d like to shut him up. It takes considerable effort, but I manage to get my feet moving again.

“Should I be worried?” Ecaeris inquires, leaning forward to glance at my expression.

The playful tone of his voice makes me want to scream. The feeling grows when he opens the door to the palace for me. His manners are infuriating, though I probably would have been pissy if he hadn’t been chivalrous, too.

I want to choke him and kiss him again. Maybe at the same time.

“Yep,” I respond. “You’re a large target to aim at. I doubt I’ll miss.”

“Don’t you two look cozy together,” Isolde chimes as soon as we enter.

“How did you know we were coming?” Ecaeris asks.

She smiles. “Rinya just left. Connak sent her to find you.”

“Did she say what he needed?”

“I don’t recall,” Isolde says, innocently teasing her son. “But she did say you were with Ada. I assumed that since you two were alone, you were—”

He blanches. “Please don’t finish that. No assumptions.”

I see what she’s doing, so I can’t fathom why Ecaeris doesn’t. I give him an out before his mother starts asking him about our nonexistent sex life. The glint in her eyes tells me that is precisely where she would take this conversation, if only to see him flustered.

“Isolde, do you have a minute?”

“For you, sweet girl? I have all day.”

Ecaeris leaves without so much as a see you later to either of us. Her laughter over the matter is infectious, but when we stop, I grimace.

“I need some pants. The dresses are beautiful, don’t get me wrong. They aren’t practical for everyday wear, though. Especially when I have nothing under them.”

“What do you need under them?”

She leads me through the palace to a flight of stairs as I struggle to answer her straightforward question. Isn’t it obvious?

Finally, I groan and murmur to her, “Please tell me that panties are a thing here.”

“Ada, I’ve sent you garments to wear beneath your dresses.”