Vroom!

*Hezzlie*

I decide to take a shower before I hunt Natalie down to tell her the good news.  I certainly wasn’t expecting to have sex on Rowan’s couch, but I’m beginning to accept the fact that I can’t keep my hands off the man. What can I say? My mate is super hot.

I used the afterglow face of my lovemaking to Rowan to secure her a vehicle. It’s never crossed my mind to ask Natalie if she knows how to drive, but then, why would she ask for a car if she didn’t? I can’t imagine there being a lot of reasons for her to drive while working at the mansion, but she has mentioned visiting the villages, so I think she must know how.

It’s been so long since I’ve driven anywhere, I wonder if I remember how.

Clean, with my hair dried and styled, and a fresh coat of makeup on my face, I seek Natalie out. I check the maids’ quarters first. The rooms are more spacious than I would’ve expected. Nothing glamorous, but there are beds with dressers and one bathroom shared by two people. Some of the doors are open, so I poke my head in. I don’t see anyone, and I don’t want to be nosy. I have no idea which room is Natalie’s, so I decide to go to the breakroom, which is off the kitchen. No one knows where she’s at, so decide to check with the kitchen staff.

Smokey Sam is working hard on what smells like a delicious roast for dinner. I hate to interrupt her, but her face perks up, and she smiles when she sees me. “Good evening, Princess.”

Is it evening already? I guess so. “Hi. Do you happen to know where Natalie might be?”

She thinks for a second before she says, “This time of day, she’s probably cleaning on the second floor in the west wing. She’s probably with Wilma.” Her smile doesn’t falter.

“Perfect. Thank you.” I inhale deeply. “That smells divine.”

Smokey Sam’s cheeks turn a nice rosy color that has nothing to do with the heat of the stove. “Oh, thank you, dear.” I can tell she takes a lot of pride in her work, which is great for the rest of us since we get to eat it.

I take off for the second floor and have to pause at the top to think about which way is west. I’m still not sure, but I pick a direction and go with it. After a few moments, my bet seems to pay off as I hear voices. Well, a voice. A whispering voice.

I stand outside of the door where I think I hear Wilma whispering to someone. I’m not sure what she’s saying because her tone is so low and her voice so quiet. So I knock on the door and then open it.

Wilma turns in my direction. The room is empty, but I think she must’ve been on the phone because her hand is in the pocket of her apron. Her eyes are wide, and then I realize it was rude to just barge in, but I fully expected to find her in here with Natalie.

Feeling sheepish, I smile at her.  “So sorry,”  I tell her. “I’m looking for Natalie.”

Wilma’s usual kind disposition slips into place after the startle wears off. “She’s in the parlor two doors down, Princess. Shall I lead you to her?”

I can see that she’s got her duster out and must be busy in what looks like an office of some sort. “No, I’ll find her. Thanks so much. Again, I’m so sorry to have startled you.”

“No worries,” Wilma says again. She picks up her duster and starts to hum as she goes on about her work.

I close the door in case she needs to finish her call. It doesn’t bother me that she’s on the phone while she’s on duty when she’s always on duty, more or less. No one could ever say that Wilma doesn’t get her work done.

I find Natalie a few doors down. She is also dusting, but she’s not humming. Her forehead is creased. The door is open, so I don’t hesitate to walk in. “Hi.”

“Oh, hi, Princess–”

“Hezzlie,” I correct her.

“Princess Hezzlie,” she says quickly.

“Just Hezzlie.”

She swallows hard. It’s so hard for her to call me Hezzlie, it's almost comical. “Hezzlie.”

“I have some good news!” I can’t help but smile at her now.

Natalie bites down on her bottom lip, her hands trembling slightly as she sets the duster down. “You do?” Slowly, she comes toward me, like she’s afraid I might be just teasing her. “Did you get a chance to speak to the Alpha?”
“I did.” She stops in front of me, and I interlace my fingers with hers, both of our hands joined. “He said you can leave the day after tomorrow.”

“Really?” Her eyes bulge, and she starts to jump up and down, taking me with her. We both bounce for a few minutes until she lets go of my fingers and wraps her arms around me. I can’t remember the last time I saw someone so happy—well, except for when I saw my mom for the first time after Peripheral, but that was a sad happy. This is just a happy happy.

“Oh, Princess Hezzlie!” she says 

“Hezzlie,” I say as we continue to bounce and hug.

“You’re the best! I’m so happy, I don't know what to say.” Her smile is so wide, I can see all of her teeth.

“You don’t need to say anything,” I assure her. “He is a little worried about you being put in harm’s way, but he agreed to it. He said you can use the vehicle in parking spot fourteen. I have never been to the garage. Do you want to go out and look now, or are you too busy?”

She looks around the room. “I’m honestly finished with this room. Let me check with Wilma.” She walks out the door and turns the wrong way.

“She’s in that room over there,” I tell her. “That office.”

Natalie’s forehead creases, and she says, “She is?” We look, but Wilma’s not there anymore. Then, she says, “She should be over here in the sitting room this time of day.”

“Oh.” I guess she just went in there to take a call? I don’t ask questions. It doesn’t matter. I follow Natalie down the hall, and then I start to wonder what the difference is between a parlor and a sitting room, and when we find Wilma, I’m lost in a maze of my own thoughts.

Natalie tells Wilma the good news, and she’s just as happy as we are. She tells Natalie she’ll finish up. “There isn’t much dust anyway,” and we thank her and head for the back staircase that is closer to the garages.

We crunch across the driveway and up the path to the building, which is further away than most garages I’m used to, but the important people get dropped off at the door and have cars brought to them, I assume, so it’s no skin off the king’s nose if other people have to walk a bit. Besides, the building is so big, it would look odd sitting right next to the mansion and distract from its beauty.

Not that this building isn’t pleasant to look at. It reminds me of a Victorian carriage house, only it’s so much bigger.

A few people are milling around. Everyone bows their head to me and says, “Princess,” when they see me, and it’s strange and annoying, but also polite.

When we walk inside of the garage, I am in shock at how many vehicles there are. I knew there would be a lot, but I wasn’t expecting there to be so many. I can’t even count them all. A lot of them are black, but not all of them. As we start to walk down the aisles, I see various sports cars in a variety of bright colors as well as some classic cars that are also not black. There are even a few pickup trucks in red and blue. At the far end of the garage, there are several large transport vehicles that seem ominous to me. I assume those are troop transports, and I hate that they are even necessary, but I know firsthand they are.

“Here it is!” Natalie exclaims, and we both stand with our mouths hanging open staring at a baby blue sports car. 

I’m not good with makes and models, but I can see that it’s got a fancy seal on the front of it.

“Oh, my Goddess!” Natalie squeals. “He’s letting me take the fucking Miata? Oh, wow!”

“Miata?” I repeat. I can see why she’s excited. I would be, too. That’s got to be an expensive car. “Cool.”

“I don’t know,” she says, latching onto my arm. “What if I wreck it.”

“You won’t,” I assure her. “You know how to drive, right?”

“Yes, but it’s been a while.”

“You’ll be fine.” I could be lying out my ass. I have no idea what kind of a driver she is. I doubt I could handle this bad boy. I wonder what other brands of cars there are in here. Porsche? Lamborghini? Probably. 

Natalie is still smiling when she turns toward me. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening! I’ll get to find out if Cory is my mate or not!”

I wrap my arms around her. “I’m so excited for you!” I tell her.

“Me, too,” she says. “Thank you for all of your help.”

“You’re very welcome.” And I mean it. I know the Luna Queen’s main job is to serve her people, and I’m beginning to think I might actually end up being pretty good at it.