Chapter 423

"More inconspicuous," he murmurs, opening the door for me. When I slip inside and buckle my belt, he goes around to the driver's seat and climbs in, starting the car.

"Such a new leaf, Luca," I say quietly, turning in my seat to smile at him. "No press at all?"

"No press," he says, giving me a sad, ashamed little smile as he starts to pull out of the garages. As we go, I note that another car follows us - black, but likewise inconspicuous. Almost assuredly filled with bodyguards that my dad sent after me. If Luca notices, though, he doesn't say anything. And neither do I.

"Where are we going?" I ask, looking out fondly at our beautiful city as it passes by. Night is already encroaching on this, the second-darkest day of the year. Everyone complains about it - wanting summer sun at all hours - but honestly, I kind of like it. Something about the brief days and the long, quiet nights...I don't know. It's peaceful, and mellow, and full of secrets.

"Not far," Luca says, smirking a little as he drives, being a bit cagey on purpose. He glances at me and I just smile at him, happy to let him have his secrets. He's not wrong, though - we drive about fifteen minutes towards his neighborhood and then stop, to my surprise, on what feels like a random street by a public park.noveldrama

When I see the groups of people - families mostly, little kids eagerly clutching their parents' hands - I gaps, delighted.

"We're going to a bonfire!?" I gasp, sitting up in my seat.

"Is that all right?" Luca asks, grinning at me and producing two knit caps from the back seat.

"Yes!" I say, almost bouncing in my eagerness. "Yes, yes!"

Luca laughs and pulls the black knitted cap down over my conspicuous hair. I take his meaning immediately, tucking the ends of my hair into the hood of my coat and pulling my scarf up so that it covers half my face. When I look over and see him doing the same, I grin, because he really does look disguised. I mean, there aren't that many well-muscled Alphas around that are his height - but at the casual glance, there's no real sign that it's Luca Grant under there.

"Very mysterious," I say, laughing, loving it.

"Just for a few minutes," he says, nodding to me and taking tucking a spare bit of my hair up beneath my cap. "We'll get some cider, and then find a spot, and then the darkness will do the work for us."

I nod eagerly, agreeing to the plan, trusting him. And so we get out of the car, and Luca grabs a blanket out of the back seat and comes around to my side. I slip my mittened hand into his gloved one as we start forward, eager and excited. Because bonfires - they're traditional midwinter activities and almost every neighborhood has their own. But I've never been able to go to one - my family, we're just too obvious when we go out into big crowds like this.

But as Luca and I slip through the gathered people, I realize that when I'm just with him, all wrapped up like this? It's enough - we're just...two normal people here for the celebration. Not Princess Ariel, just some girl here with her boyfriend.

And I absolutely love it.

Luca leads me to a little stand where a woman is selling hot mulled cider for charity at what seems like a ridiculously cheap price. Luca buys two and when the woman leans forward, asking if we'd like to spice that up a bit, he laughs and nods. She grins at him and pours a generous portion of whiskey into each cup. Luca tips generously and I smile at the woman - who of course can only see my eyes - before taking my cup and walking close at Luca's side over to where the bonfire is just being lit.

Unlike most of the crowd, though - which gathers eagerly around to watch the flames start to lick up the wood - Luca and I head to a slight hill behind the bonfire, shrouded with trees and darkness. There, Luca hands his drink to me to hold for a moment and then spreads out the blanket.