And that, he would never allow.
In a blink, he was directly behind them, and before his pet could answer, he had already bent down to whisper in her ear, “Hello, pet.”
The whispered words, combined with the mesmerizingly familiar voice, had Zari jumping. She whirled around and jumped another step back at the sight of Alexandru. What was he doing here?
Her Master’s voice was the soul of innocence as he asked, “Did I surprise you?” He was as beautiful as ever, with his jet-black hair looking slightly wind-tousled and a wicked gleam making his green eyes brighter. He had on his usual all-black attire, which meant he had come to LSL directly from a hunt.
Beside Zari, Rhapsody curtsied, prompting her to curtsy as well. She always, always forgot to do that.
“Lord Alexandru,” Rhapsody murmured.
Alexandru bowed. “Lady Rhapsody.” At his words, he saw his pet’s eyes widen, as if surprised that he knew the other girl’s name.
“If you would excuse me, milord,” Rhapsody said and at his nod, she turned to Zari. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Zari. I look forward to furthering our acquaintance.”
“Umm…sure. Me, too.” Her sudden formality impressed, intimidated, and confused Zari.
When the other student left, Alexandru said dryly, “Is it shocking that not all girls say ‘see ya’ when leaving?”
She made a face. “I don’t always say that.”
Instead of answering, he simply opened his arms. As he expected, she didn’t fly to him right away. He knew his little pet well, after all. First she would blush—-
In front of him, pink had blossomed in her cheeks.
Then she would look around—-
His pet’s gaze was darting left and right now, self-consciously looking for people who might see them.
Then she would look at him—-
Their eyes met, gray and green, their desire mirrored in each other’s gazes.
He asked huskily, “Did you miss me, pet?”
The words had her drawing a shaky breath—-
And then she was flying to him.
Her arms curled around his neck as his own went around her sweet little body. He bent down, his mouth capturing hers in a kiss.
Did you miss me? He asked it again, but this time through the blood bond they shared as Master and pet, one that allowed him to be connected to her, in ways that not even human couples married for decades could yearn to experience.
Yes, Master. She said it freely in her mind, knowing that no one but Alexandru would be able to hear the longing in her voice. This latest hunt had her Master gone for a week. Seven days of wishing he was next to her, of wondering whether he ever thought of her.
When he ended the kiss, both of them were breathing hard. He glanced down at her, satisfaction surging inside of him at the swollen look of her lips.
Zari remained still and silent, unable to pull her gaze away from her Master. Need glittered in his eyes, the very same emotion that had every inch of her body tingling. She fought hard to veil her thoughts, something she had asked Lord Erou to teach her in the days Alexandru had been gone. It was a skill she practiced day and night, knowing it was the only way to keep her Master from learning how helplessly in love she was with him.
“You’ve become good at hiding your thoughts.” Surprise tinged his tone, his pondering gaze slowly roaming her face.
“H-have I?”
His lips curved in a smirk.
Drat. That only meant one thing. He had seen through her. Not wanting to give him a chance to ask her why she wanted to hide her thoughts from him, she said hurriedly, “I have a question, Master.”
He looked at her for a moment, as if debating whether to push the issue or not. Finally, he took her hand, making Zari silently breathe a sigh of relief. As they walked, Alexandru asked, “What is it?”
“Umm, Rhapsody. How did you know who she was?”
An odd glance was slanted towards her. “How would I not? She’s come to the place where you live. I had to make sure she wasn’t a potential threat to you.”
“B-but she’s just a student,” she sputtered.
“Her circumstances are mysterious. It aroused my curiosity.”
“Mysterious?”
“Her Master’s anonymous.”
Confusion clouded her tone as she asked, “Anonymous? Do you mean we don’t know who her Master is?”
“Not only that. She doesn’t know who he is either.”
“But how’s that possible?”
“If my information is correct, she only communicates with her Master through letters.”
“Oh.” She tried to understand how that would work but couldn’t. A pet was supposed to be the source of life for her Master, but if they only communicated through letters, what kind of duties was Rhapsody able to perform?
By the time they had reached his rooms, his pet still hadn’t said a word. Closing the door, he turned to find her looking at him seriously. “Why would a Master want to be anonymous?”