Helena figured that’s how it always worked. “It’s always the ones you do expect who fuck you over. You have your list—and I know you did, because we’re alike that way—so you get the guy who is 9 of 10 on that list and you feel so accomplished. And he turns out to be wrong for you in every way.”
“You lucked out. I mean, I don’t know the whole story. But the broken engagement.”
Helena liked Molly a great deal. They were alike in temperament, which helped just then when she decided to share.
“He hit on my sister. He was a fool and so was I for never seeing it. He was so perfect on the outside. He had a great job. He drove a great car. He was handsome, but not too handsome. His family was a great family. He stood up when my mother came into a room. My judgment is flawed, clearly, because I didn’t see past any of it to who he really was.”
Molly waved that away. “You were what? Twenty?”
“Twenty-three. I’d known him for years.” He’d made her feel pretty.
“We all make mistakes. I’m sure Lark made him sorry he hit on her, and you did the right thing by breaking up right away.”
“I’m assuming you heard the whole story.”
“No, I mean, I knew he hit on Lark and she told you and you broke things off and things were tense between you two for a while. But that’s really it.”
“Things weren’t tense because I blamed her. I would never, ever have believed she’d betray me like that. He was mistaken in any attempt to claim that. I should thank him though because once he tried that it made it even easier to cart him to the curb and leave him there. He was a dick. Is a dick. I doubt he’s changed.” She chewed her bottom lip.
“You don’t have to say more. But if you want to, I’m here. I like you, Helena. I consider you a friend and I’d like you to confide in me, but I understand it’s hard.”
“My judgment is bad. That’s really it. Later, once he was gone and I looked back, I could see it all so clearly. All the stuff he did that was crappy. But I missed it during the relationship. Or maybe I ignored it. Either way?” Helena shrugged. “It was pretty obvious. I didn’t care that he looked at other women. He’s a dude, they all do. Most of them just do it well enough that we don’t notice too much.”
“That’s respect.”
“Exactly. I look too, for heaven’s sake. But my sister. My. Sister. Lark never in a million years would do that to me. No matter what. I never doubted that. It just, it sucked that he’d try to betray me in any sense, but with the person I was closest to in the world. Hell, maybe I was jealous that he preferred her to me.”
Molly sniffed. “He did it to hurt you. He chose her because it would hurt you if you found out. Yes, Lark is lovely and I quite enjoy her. But he didn’t hit on her because he preferred her; he hit on her because he could, because he liked the thrill of the potential to get caught. And, I’d wager, he figured that even if she turned him down she’d never tell because Lark didn’t want to hurt you.”
Helena paused, thinking that over. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way.” She smiled, buttering her toast. “He seriously misjudged her if that was the case. She gave him a black eye and then she dragged him, by the ear mind you, to me and told me what he’d done. She was so outraged.”
“He’s clearly lucky to be walking without a permanent limp.”
She smiled at Molly. “He is.”
“Things are better now. Well, not like in the big picture, which seems to be full of bombings and shootings and that sort of thing. But Lark and I are close again. I’ve missed that. She’s in Seattle though. But maybe . . . maybe it’s better that way.” Maybe Lark needed to be in a place where she could make her own decisions, which were clearly better than Helena’s choices anyway.
“She misses you a great deal. And I know what you mean about things being better, some things anyway.”
“Gage.”
Molly nodded. “Yes. We had some rocky moments. But in the end, he comes to me. He accepts his feelings and he’s at my side. I’m glad to have that. Especially now when things seem so dark. But back to Faine. Things are moving in a good direction. I like that because he’s a sweetheart and you deserve someone like him.”
“Well, don’t go registering us at department stores or anything. Just a kiss. Things are way too busy for anything else, and to be totally honest with you, I don’t know if I’m cut out for a relationship.”
Molly thought this was hilarious. “Not a kiss. Kisses. Which is different. Also, he’s not some twenty-four-year-old human. Lycians, like all alpha males”—she snorted—“they don’t play around like that. He’s four hundred. He and Simon, males like them, they know what they want and they will stop at nothing until it happens. He’s not smitten with you. Not only smitten anyway. He wants you. He watches you work and it’s clear he approves. I say ride that train because you need it.”
Helena guffawed. “You’re sort of dirty.”
Molly winked. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“Ha. It’ll be our secret.”
Shortly after that they heard footsteps down the back stairs.
“Thanks for listening.”
Molly shrugged. “I can say the same. It’s what friends do. Also? Can’t wait to see the looks on their faces as they realize we’ve been talking and they don’t know about what.”
“My respect for you grows every time I see you.” Helena winked and went back to her breakfast as Faine and Gage entered the room.
TOSH didn’t see much more than Helena’s back and Faine to her right. Big dude, and so not like any shifter he’d ever seen. Then again, it wasn’t like he had a huge amount of experience with shifters.
Speaking of . . .
He looked to his left and caught Delilah’s profile. “You all right?”
The crowd all around them surged, but he trusted his people and Helena’s magick to hold it all back. When things were tense like this, he could sense Delilah’s otherness. The wildness in her eyes, just beneath her skin. It made him a little sweaty. In a good way.
But just then she was angry.
“I don’t spend ninety hours a week working for my constituents to have people call me names. Oh sure, we’re supposed to have thick skins, but how much deeper can these assholes dig, huh?”
He wanted to brush the hair away from her forehead, wanted to ease her stress. God knew there was enough to go around just then. Raised voices buffeted them from all sides, though he was pleased to note it wasn’t all negative. But Marlon knew how to pack a hearing room, he’d been doing it for years, and stupid, fearful people were easily manipulated.
Helena held a hand up, bringing them all to a stop. So serious, his friend. All business as she spoke to the capitol police officer who was at the side door where they’d entered the room. He nodded and Faine went first, two other guards followed and then Helena waved them forward.
“Remember the days when the worst thing about a hearing with Marlon Hayes was having to listen to his asshattery for an hour?”
Delilah giggled a moment and touched his shoulder. “Thanks for that. I needed the laugh.”
They moved to their seats at the dais and Helena settled a few rows higher with several other aides and guards. She’d gone into some sort of watchfulness, still, seemingly calm and relaxed, but he knew better.
“Funny how he doesn’t need bodyguards.” Tosh lifted his chin in Senator Hayes’ direction as the smarmy bastard glad-handed his way over. He shot a glare toward Molly, who was, this time, sitting on the panel with the rest of the experts.
“If he keeps pushing this agenda, he will. I’ve spoken with a lot of my people back home. Things are getting worse. If he pushes, he’s going to get way more than he bargained for. They keep underestimating people they themselves refer to as monsters. Which is a tactical error of epic proportions.” Delilah moved to her seat, just a row behind, and pulled her notes out.