Expiration Date (Books 1 and 2)

26 Not A Date

"No."

"Preeminence—"

"I said no." My hands are clamped together on the desk, relaxed. My voice says otherwise. The men gathered around the table worked with my father's Order. This is their first official meeting with me as Preeminence. Or wasbecause I'm about to call it.

Bradley Callar splays his palms face up on the table. His estate was bombed the severest. He's eager to blame my cousin, but we don't have proof. A part of me believes it was rebels instead. "You really don't think he deserves worse than exile?"

"What he deserves and what I want are two different things. My cousin deserves to be tortured. But I don't want him anywhere near my home, or your estates, or this town, or this country for that matter." I stand. "He stays where he is. That's final." I gather my tablet and jacket. "Good day."

I exit the room before they can protest.

I find Iris sitting in one of the chairs by a window. I didn't know she would be here yet. I told her driver to drop her off here at city hall, but I expected to be done before she arrived. She must have heard me yelling, and now she'll be scared of me again. She won't want to stay, and Erik will fight every day to leave. Erik—because that's what this is all about. Making sure Erik stays.

She looks at me with a blank expression.

Yes, it's absolutely about Erik and not about getting to know her.

"I'm sorry that you had to hear that."

She rises from her seat, her lips twitching.

"What?"

A smile settles on her face. "The Preeminence apologizing for a temper tantrum? What has this world come to?" She heads for the door and pushes it open.

"Temper tantrum?"

She's already outside, the door slowly dragging along the floor after her. I hurry after her. This is about Erik. A hundred percent. I think.

She's waiting for me on the sidewalk, an innocent expression on her face.

"Temper tantrum?"

"No," she deepens her voice, and I realize she's imitating me. "I said no. What does that sound like to you?"

Rolling my eyes, I walk past her. The restaurant's down the block. "You've certainly loosened up since last night."

"You walked in on me. What choice did I have but to laugh it off?"

"It was on accident, and I didn't see anything." If my mother were to find out I walked in on a young woman, she would run me out of the Estate. She'd be mortified and would most likely lecture me on how she raised me with a better sense of propriety than that. She'd drag Colton into the lecture to make sure he never did the same. Then she would kick me out.

"You really are flustered over it."

I should be angry right now. I shouldn't allow anyone, let alone her, to jest with me, but the way her eyes are shining right now, I can't find it in me to put a stop to it.

I reach the restaurant, a mom-and-pop place, and the staff have a table prepared for us in less than a minute. I didn't call to make reservations because I knew if I gave them time to prepare for the Preeminence, they would do something fancy, and I wanted Iris to experience this place for what it is—simple, no frills. Westerton is an old town but beautiful, mainly built of brick. When the Society moved to our Estate here a few years ago, this was the restaurant I would sneak off to when I needed space.