Drone

XV

XV

Phoebe tried very hard to ignore the sink hole that suddenly appeared in her belly. It was very difficult, nigh impossible, to do because she could feel her heart falling into that abyss. But they had promised to talk this out. She had to listen to him.

So she took in a breath and said, her voice only slightly unsteady,”C-can I ask why?”

“You're upset.” Wasp said, almost sounding surprised.

“I'm not. I mean, I'm trying not to be. It's just that I thought we...I mean it felt like we were-”

“Phoebe, no.” he jumped from chair and took her hand in his quickly, kneeling at her side. “I didn't mean it like that. I suppose, if you want to, you can call me your...boyfriend.”

“You hesitated.” she accused sadly.

“Only because it's a weird word to me.” he laughed and stroked the back of her hand. “I'm a mage, Phoebe. I was raised as a mage. Boyfriend and girlfriend doesn't have the same connotation to me. It literally sounds like you're saying I'm your boy friend and I'd rather think I'm not.”

“Really?” she asked hopefully. She felt the sinkhole starting to close up again. “Then what word do mages use if not boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“Mate.” he answered simply. “Lover. Lady. Love. Pretty much anything that doesn't include the word 'friend'.”

Phoebe had to admit that those options sounded a great deal better than simply boyfriend or girlfriend. “So, follow up question, am I your lady?”

He smiled at her gently and kissed her hand. “You are most definitely my lady. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry like that. Consider it clashing cultures.”

“Is there anything else about being raised as a mage I should know?” she asked, smiling a bit. It was amazing how clearing up that one detail just immediately lifted her mood.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. He figured she might as well know now. “I'm never going to ask you to marry me. At least, not in the way you're used to.”

“Does that mean your thinking about marrying me?” Phoebe was surprised to find that she didn't mind at all if he was. It wasn't like he was asking her now, he was just giving her a warning about the future.

“Let's just say that you're the first woman I've ever brought into my palace who wasn't in Nest.” he answered. He got to his feet, pulling her with him and holding her in his arms. The fire cracked merrily behind them. Everything seemed brighter now to Phoebe. “My turn?”

She nodded as she patted down his shirt. It wasn't really out of place, she just wanted to touch him.

“Does Ratel really mean that much to you?” His voice was somber.

Phoebe didn't answer right away. She looked up at him, directly into his eye. She didn't want him to think it was just a knee jerk answer she was giving him. She wanted to make sure that he knew that she knew that she was sure. And he deserved honesty.

“I had a crush on Ratel for a long time. I mean, it felt like a long time. That was just part of his magic too. Anyway, I felt that if he wasn't your brother, I owed him an explanation. I swear, Wasp, I was going to tell him that I didn't want him anymore. That I met someone else. He just started being all evil and creepy before I got the chance.”

Wasp chuckled deep in his chest, the sound reverberating through Phoebe's heart, pleasing her with the sound. When he asked his next question though, his voice was still serious. “Were you really so determined not to believe me?”