Knight in Leather by Holley Trent Page A

“Just stay away from her. You see her coming? Walk the other way. Maybe if we’re lucky, we can get her to check out and not come back.”
    “Luck’s never been on my side, Princess.”
    “Oh, you do fine ,” Hestia said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “You have no idea how many people have tried to kill you and failed.”
    “Excuse me?”
    Hestia plucked invisible lint off her robe, frustratingly tightlipped at the worst possible time, as always.
    He hated when she did that—tossed out bait, and then snatched it back before he could consume it. He understood that there were rules of conduct for the gods, but Hestia seemed, to him, especially sadistic.
    He growled. “If she goes near Dasha—”
    “We’re not going to let her get near Dasha,” Princess Simone interjected. “We’re going to do everything we can to obscure what the nature of your relationship is for as long as we can or until Laurel goes away. No one outside this complex—beyond Thom—knows who your mate is or even that you have one.”
    “At the rate we’re going, I’ll never be able to court the woman properly.”
    Hestia buffed her nails on her robe and emitted the most ladylike grunt he’d ever heard. “Think outside the box, fairy. You rely on antiquated modes of courtship, but these are modern times and you’re dealing with a woman who would prefer you not get close at the moment. So what’s that tell you?”
    “That I’m fucking screwed.”
    Hestia sighed, and as she vanished, pled, “Oh, Mielikki, deal with him.”
    Mielikki didn’t appear, and Ethan was pleased that she didn’t. One exasperating goddess per day was about his limit.
    He leaned his elbows onto the counter and stared at the princess. “Well?”
    She shrugged. “Hestia had a point.”
    “Maybe you could tell me what it was.”
    “Think, E. If you can’t be right in front of Dash without making her anxious, that doesn’t mean you can’t still communicate with her.”
    “Call her?”
    “Nah. No offense, but that would probably be about as awkward as two thirteen-year-olds being allowed to use their parents’ phones for a chat. You don’t know each other well enough to have a productive phone conversation yet, but I have another idea.” She extended her hand, palm-up, and wriggled her fingers. “Give me your phone.”
    He handed the device over without question.
    Simone worked her thumbs rapidly over the screen and handed the phone back to him a few minutes later. “There you go. Added a new app for you.”
    “What is it?” He squinted at the little icon on the screen. An angry, fanged piggybank tromped Godzilla-style through a partially razed city.
    “A cross between Monopoly, SimCity, and Battleship is the best way I can describe the premise. You have to try to collect properties, and your virtual opponents have to try to take them out. It’s cutthroat. Actually, BUY, BUILD, DESTROY! is the kind of game friendships fall apart over.”
    “So, you are trying to sabotage my efforts with Dasha?”
    Simone wriggled her brows. “Trust me. Sign up for an account, and add player DotDotDotDash to your friend list.”
    “Ah.” He was getting the gist. Slowly . But he still didn’t understand why he would have her play a friendship-ruining game with the mate who was already wary enough of him.
    The princess, obviously guessing the cause of his discomfiture, laughed and shook her head. “Just do it. I swear, even if you piss her off, the game will get her talking to you. She’s serious about her gaming.”
    “You’re sure about this?”
    “Honestly, I think this is one of my better ideas, but, hey—I’ve had some real duds.”
    “I’m trusting you, Princess.”
    “I’m trying to do the best I can by all of you fairy thugs. Maybe I’ve been slow with the learning curve, but I’m coming around.”
    He tucked his phone into his pocket and reached to unlock the door. “Aye, you are. Let’s just hope Dasha will, too. I’m dying