Too Close to the Sun (The Sun 1) (49 page)
Dante gave her a studied look and she held her breath. Finally he nodded and smiled. "You did well today, Priestess. I apologize for the unpleasantness; you should not have had to see that. You must be fatigued."
Was there something more to his statement than the surface-level show of concern? Unsure how to respond, she said nothing.
"I will have a room prepared for you. In the meantime, I would be honored to have you join me for the evening meal."
He then pushed a button on the table beside him and almost immediately, an elderly woman appeared.
"Please have a room prepared for Priestess Eemin. She will be staying with us for awhile. A suite I think, perhaps along the inner corridor, and let Cook know there will be two for dinner this evening."
The elderly woman nodded and left.
"Tomorrow, I will give you a tour of my city and then I have several business meetings that I would like for you to attend. Will that be acceptable?"
His tone suggested that the question was merely a courtesy. Her attendance at the meetings was part of their agreement. She couldn't refuse, not if she wanted to find her father. So she smiled and nodded.
"Good." Dante rose gracefully to his feet, offering her a hand. Standing, she noticed that he stood not much taller than she. As the panther rose beside them, Dante gestured to the door. "Shall we?"
She preceded him out of his audience chamber and then allowed him to escort her down a hall until they reached a private dining room. A table already laden with food stood at the center and Phoenix eyed it, amazed she could feel hungry after seeing the corpse. Beside Dante, the panther seemed to grow agitated and Phoenix wondered if it might be hungry, too. If so, would the cat prefer its meal cooked?
Or raw and still fighting for her life?
Walking to the far side of the table, she put distance between herself and the animal. She was relieved when a man appeared to lead the panther away.
Dinner was surprisingly enjoyable. Dante made for an interesting dinner companion, entertaining her with stories of his travels throughout the galaxy, telling her of places she had only read about in the e-journals. Afterwards, he showed her to the room where she would be sleeping. As he'd requested, it was an internal room and therefore had no windows, but it was by far the most luxurious suite she'd ever stayed in. Her feet sank into the plush carpet and the crisp, homeland-quality linens on the bed beckoned to her weary body.
"I hope you will find these accommodations comfortable. As you can see, your bag has already been delivered from Mr. Zimmers' ship. If you need anything, you have simply to press the intercom and ask."
Phoenix looked around, suddenly very ready to spend a little time alone. "Thank you, Mr. Dante. I'm sure I'll be fine."
"In that case, I will leave you. For your own protection, I suggest you lock your door. Our cloud city can be a dangerous place. I will have Marcus come for you in the morning. Breakfast is served at oh-eight-hundred sharp."
With that, he turned and left her alone. After locking the door as suggested, Phoenix began unpacking.
Twenty minutes later, she had washed and changed into her nightshirt. Though the session with Dante and Mr. Zimmers had been stressful and tiring, Phoenix found she was too restless to sleep. There was a vid-screen with an assortment of entertainment discs, so she climbed into bed and watched a movie, hoping to unwind. After an hour or so, she turned everything off and closed her eyes.
Though she was bone tired and the bed felt luxurious, sleep eluded her. Dozens of images flooded her mind, from Dante and his panther, to Mr. Zimmers and the dead man's body.
Ironically, though these images were troubling, it was the memory of a tall, dangerous looking man with short unruly blond hair and penetrating deep golden brown eyes that kept her awake.
Where was he now?
And why did she care?
Other Books by Robin T. Popp
The Night Slayer Series
Out of the Night
Seduced by the Night
Tempted by the Night
Lord of the Night
The Immortals Series
The Darkening
The Haunting
The Reckoning