“Even if she drugged him the two nights before?”
“Two wrongs don’t make a right, Jim. Surely your mother taught you that.”
I laughed. “How about three wrongs, then? Your two and my one.”
“Still a fail,” Electra declared.
“Fine,” I said. “I apologize for letting you eat the drugged food that you meant for me.”
“I appreciate the apology, but I’m afraid it’s not enough.”
“Okay, then how do you propose I make it right?”
A sly smile formed on Electra’s face. “I would like for you to get me a plate of non-drugged food.”
“No problem. I’ll have some takeout sent to your house. Just tell me what–”
“Not good enough,” she stated, cutting me off. “I want to see how your face looks at mealtime when I’m not being drugged.”
I frowned, trying to make sure I understood what she was saying. “Electra, are you…are you asking me on a date?”
“No,” she declared fervently. “It’s not a date and we’re not back together. It’s just dinner.”
“Okay,” I said. “But what happened to not doing stuff like that?”
Electra stayed silent for a few moments, and it wasn’t clear that she was actually going to answer.
“I miss you,” she finally said. “Of course, it wasn’t me in control these past few days, but I could see what was going on, and it just made me acutely aware of all the fun we used to have – not just as a couple, but also as friends.”
“I understand,” I said. “And if it means anything, I miss you, too.”
“That was a given,” she announced, tossing her head haughtily. “You could have saved your breath.”
“Next time I will,” I said with a chuckle, causing her to punch me playfully.
“You still need to fix this thing with Myshtal before we can get back together,” she said, “but I think we can hang out as friends until then.”
“You sure?” I asked.
“Not really,” she confessed. “But, in all honesty, the alternative hasn’t really been my cup of tea.”
Chapter 67
I threw a party that weekend in honor of Myshtal coming home. Calling it a party, however, was a bit of an exaggeration since it was really impromptu and involved just a few close friends: Electra, Smokey, Vestibule, and Cat. I had been slightly worried that – after her time with my cousin Monique – Myshtal would be burned out on social events. However, I had completely forgotten that, as a Caelesian princess and favorite of the queen, she went to galas and balls all the time, almost as a requirement. In short, it appeared that “burned out” wasn’t in her vocabulary. More to the point, she actually liked socializing.
“Oh no,” she assured me when I made the suggestion shortly after she returned (at which time I also handed over the ring Mouse had taken). “A party sounds great. But I think we should probably clear the air first.”
“About what?” I asked, although I had a pretty good idea.
“My behavior when you came and got me.”
“You were high,” I insisted. “Don’t worry about it. You weren’t yourself.”
“The drugs only removed my inhibitions,” she said. “Let me express how I feel about you. But you already knew, didn’t you?”
I sighed. “Yes, but I didn’t want to say anything. This situation is complicated enough without additional emotions getting involved.”
“Well, you can rest assured that I don’t plan to act on my emotions. I know how you feel about Electra and give you my word that I will never be a barrier to your relationship.”
“Wow,” I muttered in surprise. “That’s more than I was anticipating.”
“I just feel the need to be honest. If you and I are meant to be together, then it will happen in time. I don’t need to do anything to hasten or force it.”
I frowned as she spoke, thinking. The temporal rogue I had encountered on Caeles at one point revealed to me and Myshtal that – in the future – the two of us would be king and queen of the Caelesian Empire. Hearing her now, it appeared that Myshtal believed what we’d been told and would be content waiting for that future to unfold.
“I suppose that’s true,” I finally said. “If it happens, it happens.”
After that, with Myshtal on board with the idea, I had made the requisite calls to my friends. As part of the invitation, I gave everyone the option to bring a plus-one, but the only person who took advantage of it was Electra, who came with Dynamo. She insisted, however, that it wasn’t a date.
“He was just going to spend the evening sitting at home alone,” she told me at one point during the evening. “I felt bad for him.”
“No worries,” I told her sincerely. “I hope he has a good time.”
I was extraordinarily pleased when Cat showed up with Vestibule. Given how she’d felt about me knowing about her powers, I was worried Cat would avoid me now that I’d seen her in action. Surprisingly, she sought me out shortly after arriving.
“You want to take a walk?” she said.
“Uh, sure,” I replied.
With that, we had gone out a sliding door at the back of the embassy that opened onto an extensive loggia and pool area. It was dark out, but the loggia was well-lit, and the illumination spread out onto the grounds, revealing, among other things, a parterre garden and a gazebo.
“It’s lovely out here,” Cat said, walking towards the edge of the loggia.
“Thanks,” I replied, as I strolled next to her. “I really don’t come back here enough.”
She turned to me. “You wanted to know about my powers. I’m sorry you had to find out the way you did.”
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “I know that wasn’t you in control. I’m just happy you came through in the end.”
“Me, too,” she said with a smile. “It was like I was sleeping – dreaming everything that was happening – and then I heard you screaming my name, telling me to wake up.”
“And you did. But I’m curious about something. How’d you know what to do
