Chapter 176: Laziness

Then...

Nothing.

The object had disappeared.

Not deflected.

Not fallen.

Disappeared.

Blanche blinked before slowly turning her head.

Kiyan hadn't moved from his spot.

Well, almost.

A fraction of a second earlier, he had been several feet away from her. Now he was standing right beside Blanche, the apple core caught between two fingers.

His face was perfectly impassive.

"Really?"

Erik shrugged, completely unimpressed.

"It was going to hit someone."

"That was the point," he replied calmly.

Blanche took the apple core from Kiyan's fingers and tossed it into the trash. Since it was food, he couldn't make it disappear with his powers.

"You two are completely insane."

Erik burst out laughing.

Kiyan, meanwhile, simply returned to his spot as though nothing had happened.

Blanche shook her head, torn between laughing and throwing something at him herself.

One thing was certain: with these two, even eating an apple could turn into a survival exercise.

"Poor Nicky. I genuinely feel sorry for him," Erik continued.

What was wrong with him? Was she imagining things, or was he actually in a good mood?

"He's much better company than you. And stop pretending. I know you like me... way, way deep down."

She headed toward the stairs and climbed the first step before turning around. Both men hadn't taken their eyes off her. The dangerous gleam in the mage's eyes sent a shiver down her spine, and yet...

It unsettled her precisely because he was still her friend.

"Is Eva not coming home?" she asked, concerned.

"Weekend at Sean's," Kiyan explained.

Blanche's eyes lit up.

"Compromise?"

The man smiled. Erik snickered.

In the end, she wished a good afternoon to whoever had managed to understand her sentence between two yawns, before dragging her exhausted carcass upstairs.

She would have liked to come back down and listen in, but with her invisibility skill limited to ten seconds...

She also had no idea what the properties of his detection skill were.

What if he could sense her without even seeing her?

And besides, whatever they had to discuss, she wasn't actually that interested in listening.

She was genuinely exhausted.

Safe from prying eyes and ears thanks to her playlist, she decided to give Dean a call before fatigue finally claimed her.

"Hello?" the mixologist's voice boomed after the very first ring.

She collapsed heavily onto her bed, making the mattress bounce.

"It's..."

"Yes, I know," he interrupted. "I'm at work. Give me a minute, don't hang up."

Blanche, both surprised and offended, stared at her phone as though it had suddenly become a sentient and deeply unpleasant object, before Dean finally returned.

"Sorry, Mistress. Kyst was nearby. He didn't pay attention to your voice, but if you'd said your name..."

Blanche sighed.

"Mistress?" the vampire repeated.

"You did the right thing," she conceded. "But please, could you stop calling me 'you' so formally?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. How may I assist you, Mistress?"

With all her strength, she held herself back.

"There's something else I need to know, isn't there?"

"Indeed. You had instructed me to warn you if you ever asked that question. There is a hotel on Epsilon's main boulevard: the Palazzo d'Aphrodite. You've owned a suite there since 1792. Ask for Nikolaï, the owner. He's an old friend. You'll find your account there."

"Thank you, Dean. That's a huge help."

"My pleasure, Mistress."

Her phone immediately vibrated: call waiting.

Wiwi.

She said goodbye to Dean and answered the new call.

"Hi!" she said enthusiastically.

"How are you?" the young drakion demanded.

There was obvious concern in his voice.

It was almost adorable.

Blanche was beginning to get used to people she barely knew being surprisingly attentive toward her.

"It could be worse..."

"I was devastated to hear about it."

"It doesn't bother me that much," she admitted.

After lowering the blinds, she stretched out completely on the bed.

"I assume Saphir knows?"

Wow.

First Erik and Kiyan knew about the phoenixes, and now Wiwi knew Saphir.

She had clearly missed several episodes.

"I think it's time you explained how you and I know each other."

"Oh no. It would be way too funny to see your face. Besides, that's not a conversation to have over the phone."

He had a point.

And now that she was lying down, Blanche could feel sleep creeping over her despite herself.

"When and where?"

"Tonight, after the gala? I'll walk you home, or you can come to my place."

Blanche yawned and, forgetting she was still on the phone, nodded before answering out loud.

On the other end, Wiwi groaned.

"Damn, you're making me want to sleep. I'll let you go. See you tonight. Kisses."

"Kisses."

She hung up, set her phone down, and closed her eyes.

Blanche woke up in her bed.

Well...

Aaron's.

The distinction brought a faint smile to her face, still trapped in the haze of sleep.

She was so accustomed to his scent by now that she almost automatically associated it with rest: something warm and familiar, mixed with the discreet fragrance of clean sheets and that distinctly masculine scent that seemed to have seeped into the mattress.

Blinding daylight filtered through the curtains, far too bright for her half-closed eyes. A few rays slipped through the gaps in the fabric, casting golden bands across the duvet and giving the room an almost peaceful atmosphere.

Blanche groaned softly and buried her face deeper into the pillow.

Her hearing, however, clearly had no intention of granting her a few extra minutes of peace.

Footsteps echoed downstairs.

Then a cupboard opening.

Dishes.

A drawer being closed.

Someone was busy in the mess hall kitchen.

Nicky.

Her heightened hearing allowed her to distinguish every one of his movements despite the distance. She could almost follow his path through the barracks without even having to leave her bed.

Whatever.

She had absolutely no intention of getting up.

Not now.