Pia Does Hollywood (Elder Races, #8.6)

But I’m not on vacation, Pia thought.

She watched Tatiana closely, but the other woman had many years of experience with being in the limelight, and her poise remained flawless.

Still, the suggestion said everything. Something was wrong.

It was oh, so tempting to accept the invitation. She could soak up some sun, get in some pleasure reading, and swim to her heart’s content, and probably even sneak in a few conjugal visits with Dragos.

But if word got out that this was how she spent much of her week with the Light Fae, what would the other demesne leaders think? How would the human government react?

She chose her response with care. “What a wonderful suggestion. Thank you for thinking of it, but I thought the point of this week was that you and I interact and get to know each other a little better? If I stayed at the Malibu beach house, I’m concerned that the other demesnes and the White House administration will not look on that choice with favor. And I have too many commitments over the next several months to consider committing to another week’s visit.”

The Queen was not pleased. Pia watched the subtle tightening of Tatiana’s mouth. “Yes, I know.” Tatiana snapped off the ends of the words with a delicate bite. “You made that clear when I emailed you and suggested that you visit at a later date.”

Despite the diversity among the Elder Races, there was one thing demesne leaders had in common that Pia had noticed over the course of the last eighteen months—absolutely none of them liked being crossed or denied in any way.

Well, Tatiana was just going to have to suck it. Pia didn’t like the situation any more than the other woman did, and her time and needs were just as important as anybody else’s.

Still, if something was indeed wrong, she didn’t want to make a bad situation worse. Again, she chose her words with care.

In a quiet, nonconfrontational voice, she said, “I know the terms of the diplomatic pact are difficult, and not just for all the demesne leaders but for their families as well. The last thing I want to do is disrupt your life as much as mine has been disrupted by this. If there’s anything I can do to help ease the situation for you, please let me know. I’m happy to help you in any way I can.”

The Queen stared at her with hard, glittering eyes just long enough to make Pia nervous. After all, she didn’t know Tatiana well, but from everything she had heard, the other woman was formidable in every way. This exchange wasn’t going to lead to some sort of royal tantrum, was it?

Then Tatiana let out an explosive sigh and rubbed her eyes. “Just tell me this much,” she said. Her words were still clipped and short, but there seemed to be slightly less bite to them than before. “Did Dragos follow you here?”

Pia froze. In retrospect, she should have expected something like this, but she hadn’t and the bald question caught her completely flat-footed. Like a frightened rabbit, for a moment she didn’t even breathe.

Trying to stall for time, so she could think of a good way to lie, she asked cautiously, “Why would you ask such a thing?”

Tatiana barked out an unamused laugh. “Pia, everybody in the entire world has heard in great detail what happened when you went to visit the Elves in South Carolina.”

“Yes, but the Wyr and the Light Fae aren’t enemies, like we were with the Elves when that happened,” Pia said cagily, while telepathically, she said to Dragos, Uh-oh, I think we’ve been made.

I’m busy dealing with an unexpected issue, he said tersely. I’ll be in touch soon.

What on earth was he busy with?

She had just time to turn grouchy at his response when Tatiana snapped, “Stop prevaricating. I’ve asked you a straight question, and I expect an honest answer. Is Dragos here in Los Angeles or not?”

Great, numbskull. Just bloody great. You’ve already managed to piss off the Queen. What’s next on your agenda, setting fire to Disneyland?

“He might be,” Pia muttered. Nerves had taken her over. She scratched at her itchy thigh then smoothed the fabric of her dress over her thighs with tense fingers. “Nobody said he couldn’t take a vacation in southern California during my visit.”

Inexplicably, Tatiana relaxed. Sitting back in her chair, she said, “This visit of yours might turn out to be useful after all. Why don’t you get in touch with him and ask him to come here, will you?”

She felt her eyebrows shoot up. “You—want him to come here?”

The other woman snorted. “You probably don’t hear that all too often.”

“No, frankly, I don’t. I love my husband very much, but I’m under no illusion about how stressful his presence can sometimes be to others.” She hesitated.