“No, I don’t think so.” He was good-naturedly bashful at having been caught in the sentiment, but stood by it nevertheless. “I have met Her Majesty as well. When she was still the Chaldean. I mean no disrespect in saying so, but I think the feeling is mutual enough. She wouldn’t want me in her service anymore than I would want to be there.”
Mikino and Melisande both had faith in Azyebel which was enough for Andrew, but it was clear the best thing he could do for her was to keep his distance. Maybe that would change eventually. They were bound to run into one another often enough and she was supposedly going to be playing a part in his wedding some day, but for now she had enough going on without having to grapple with her opinions on a human living and working so closely with Sidhe.
There was no such tension between him and Mikino Alcaeyn, and certainly not with Shayleiah by the look of it. He watched the girl a moment longer, and then shook his head. “I’ll go be a bad influence in a while. She’s having fun and Mel is watching, so I’d probably get myself in trouble too.” The tone of it was too affectionate to believe he was in any real danger of more than a mild scolding. He didn’t realize that talking to the Asrai was what could truly cause problems for him. “So tell me about the north. Any must-see spots, if we forget about the fact that there are still batches of Danaan around?”
He had a honeymoon to plan, after all, and Mel was of a mind lately where snow meant romance. Maybe her memory of that chilly first encounter was skewed, even though he’d been the one with the head trauma.