They’d given the Zane a room similar in size to her own, with the same strange octagon shape. There was even a balcony. However, that was where the similarities ended. For one, this first room wasn’t the bedroom, more a sitting room that had been decked out to look like an intimate dining area for the night. A round glass table big enough to seat four was situated right in front of the window, with a shallow glass bowl set in the center.
When she glanced inside the bowl, she found a single pale pink floating candle, the wick alight with an equally pink glow. Vaguely, she wondered how they got the flame to do that, but curiosity about the rest of her surroundings had her moving on.
Against the wall across from the window overlooking his balcony was a long silver table. An assortment of glass and metal bottles was scattered across it, the liquids sorted from light gold to dark amber.
“He color-coded his liquor.” She sent the thought to Ruckus with a shake of her head. What a freak.
They’d agreed he’d remain close enough for their fittings to connect. They wouldn’t keep the channel open but wouldn’t ignore each other, either. That last part was mostly Ruckus’s stipulation. He was worried about her and what would happen tonight. Since she was worried about the same things, she decided she was okay with having him in her head.
“This brown stuff in tall bottles is alcohol, right?” she added, absently touching the crystal topper of a bottle filled with mud-dark liquid.
“Not the same stuff you’re used to,” Ruckus replied, “but yes, basically. If he offers, decline.”
She snorted. Obviously. Not that Trystan seemed like the type to “offer” often. He’d demand.
The walls here were painted pale gray, and the floor was black. It was almost like the room had been made for Trystan, with its monochrome coloring and cold, steel-like exterior. There were no pictures on the walls, and despite the tables that had been set up, the room felt empty.
Having already explored the sitting room, and assuming that the closet and bathroom were in the same places as in her own rooms, Delaney found herself drawn toward the last door.
It was painted a darker shade of gray than the walls, with a handle such a bright silver, it glinted in the lamplight. She pushed the door open and stepped inside the new room, reaching around the inner wall for a switch to help chase away the darkness. There was no point to that, however, because a moment later a single bulb at the very center flickered and painted the room in a golden hue.
“Delaney,” Ruckus spoke, but she was too distracted.
She’d walked into Trystan’s bedroom.
The bed was neatly made, the silky navy-blue bedspread so dark, it was practically black, and was without a single wrinkle. There was carpet in here, dark and thick so that her heel-covered feet sunk in.
Unfortunately, that was all she got to see before she heard someone shifting at her back.
“They’re motion sensored,” Trystan’s smooth voice said. “The lights.”
She spun around to find he was watching her from less than ten feet away. He’d stopped near the table, the pink glow from the candle casting wicked shadows across his angelic features. He appeared more the devil in disguise here than she’d ever seen him before, and a tingle swept up her spine.
This was dangerous, her snooping, and as if to reinforce her thoughts, he spoke again.
“But you knew that.” He tilted his head. “Didn’t you?”
Tugging the door to his room shut with a bit more force than necessary, she crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. She knew how ridiculous it was, trying to look intimidating to an alien twice her size, but pride wouldn’t let her back down, or show how embarrassed she really felt at having been caught snooping. And in his bedroom, no less.
“You’re late,” she stated coolly.
“You waited.” His eyes scanned her body languidly. “Interesting.”
She had no idea what he was implying, but there was something. Not wanting to dwell on what she couldn’t figure out, she motioned toward the still unset table. The quicker they got this started, the faster she could leave. She already didn’t like the way he was looking at her, different from the steady hatred he’d carried during their past encounters. No, there was something else there, and the fact that she couldn’t tell if it was suspicion made her even more uncomfortable.
“Are we going to do this or what?” she said with a huff. It wasn’t hard playing the spoiled princess when she didn’t like the guy in the room with her.
If he’d expected a different reaction to his tardiness, he didn’t show it.
“Why don’t you sit down?” he suggested in an almost purr. “I’ll get dinner.”
She chose the chair closest to the exit. It meant she’d have her back to the door and wouldn’t be able to see who entered, but she knew that Ruckus was on the other side and would stop anyone who was a threat to her.
Except, of course, for the Zane, who he’d let right in.
Her choice also meant she had to pass the Zane to sit down, and though she kept as much space between them as possible, he seemed to touch her with his trailing gaze alone. The second she was tucked into the glass chair, her legs beneath the table, he gave a satisfied nod and moved for the bar. His deft fingers reached under the lip, and he pressed a hidden button.
The bottom of the bar opened up, the flat sides pulling to the right and left to expose a hidden inner chamber. There were two wide shelves within, each with two golden trays identical to the ones from breakfast.
Taking a tray in each of his large hands, Trystan slid them out and then brought them over. One tray floated into place in front of her, while the other slid into the empty spot directly across from her. But Trystan had already turned back to the bar, returning with two tall glasses that reminded her of champagne flutes. He held the one with the lighter amber-colored liquid out to her.
“Bergozy is your favorite, right?” he asked, settling into his seat. He lifted his own darker drink, sipping it and eyeing her over the rim.
She placed the glass down to the left of her tray without tasting it. “I didn’t think you paid attention.”
“To your likes and dislikes?” He quirked a thin blond brow. The setting sun outside the large window wall to his right cast a sparkling array of warm tones across his already golden skin. His sky-blue eyes were bright, the ring of crimson around them a beautiful contrasting color closer to burgundy right then.
He’d changed his outfit from before, so that he was wearing an all-blue suit that looked like it’d come straight from a fashion runway. He’d paired the dark navy suit jacket and pants with a crisp shirt that matched the main sky color of his eyes, and had left the first three buttons undone to show an inch of bare chest.
“I don’t,” he finished, draining his glass before dropping it down to the surface of the table with a click. “I assumed dressing as someone from Earth would make you more comfortable, seeing as how you enjoyed your time there so much.”
Great, so he’d caught her eyeing him. Awesome.
“Picking my favorite drink and dressing to impress?” She made a tsk. “Careful, seems like you’re paying attention to my likes and dislikes now.”