Page 61 of Bitten By the Basilisk

When Silas returned with Alice to the main banquet area, most of the other guests had already found their seats for the evening’s plated service. His place was at the head of the center table, Alice would sit to his right, and his parents would be across from her.

Practically every head in the courtyard turned to observe their approach, the din of conversation growing more animated.

The party had been in full swing for an hour before Alice had arrived, enough time for the boldest of the unmated attendees angling to catch his interest to approach him and learn they had no chance of doing so.

One debutante had given him a look that said she wasn’t yet ready to give up, and he now noted her disappointed expression as she looked Alice up and down. With luck, she would hit it off with one of the unmated males sitting near her.

Lance and his allies had taken their seats at the far end of another table. While no one would fault Silas for it—not even his father—he had not greeted Lance’s group when they’d arrived, nor had they come to introduce themselves.

But the rival shifter and his entourage were keeping a close eye on Silas. He wouldn’t say they’d been staring with obvious menace, but their expressions couldn’t be described as friendly.

Lance had bulked up significantly in the time since Silas had last seen him, and despite his own comparable size, the threat Lance represented nevertheless got his hackles up.

Every time their eyes met, he had to restrain himself from clenching his tail into tight coils that were ready to spring, unsheathing his claws and fangs, and hardening his chest and shoulders to appear wider and display his strength.

Unfortunately, even though Lance had failed to win against Silas’s father, the attempt had not violated any of their customs, meaning he could not be barred from this or any year’s mating festival, nor could he even be denied a second challenge attempt, as Silas was now the Basilisk of Indigo Cove.

Silas had expected his father to resume his campaign of pressuring Silas to pursue whichever of this year’s candidates conferred the most wealth and power, regardless of compatibility.

However, Gabriel had kept his distance so far, only once regarding Silas sullenly from across the party, and instead remained next to Silas’s mother as the two of them pretended they weren’t living separately.

They watched his and Alice’s approach from their places at the center table. His mother wore a curious smile, whereas his father’s expression was notably stiff.

“How do I address them?” Alice hurriedly whispered, clenching his arm against her soft chest.

“Mr. and Mrs. Stone is fine.” Upon glancing at her nervously twisting her lips, he laid his hand over the back of hers and stroked the side of her wrist with his thumb. “Just be yourself, kitten. That is more than enough.”

As they neared the table, his mother rose from the seat she’d made of her copper coils. His father did not.

“Father, Mother, allow me to introduce Alice York,” he announced. “Alice, these are my parents, Gabriel and Vesta Stone.”

Alice drew her hand from his arm and executed a deep, Japanese-style bow. “Mr. and Mrs. Stone, it’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m deeply grateful and honored to have been invited tonight.”

His father crossed his arms, and his frown deepened, but he remained silent.

“Aren’t you just lovely,” his mother said sweetly as Alice straightened. “Much taller than I expected.”

Alice nodded. “My late father was six foot four.”

His mother raised her eyebrows. “He must have towered over your mother. How is she, dear? I’ve not been to the spa in over a month, I’m afraid.”

“She’s well. Busy. I’m in town to see a play she’s helping put on at the community center.”

“The Undrowned Pirate? I have plans to see it later this week. Will she be lending her talents to the production?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then I can hardly wait. And please, call me Vesta.”

“Allow me to help you to your seat,” Silas said, taking hold of Alice’s hand.

As she didn’t have a tail, she had been given a regular, armless chair. He used his tail to tug it away from the table, guided her to sit, then tucked it beneath her.

“You are aware that your mother should be seated there?” his father grumbled. “You’ve known this outsider for only a day and already she’s more important?”

“I can move,” Alice hastened to offer.

Silas placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her seated. “As the one I intend to court at this year’s festival, Alice should sit close to me, should she not?”