Page 28 of The Piper's Pursuit

Steffan started to sweat. The smell of the liquor filled his senses, and it was as though he could taste it on his tongue. Memories flooded him, times when he and his friends drank, got into fights, and played pranks on people. Thankfully, he had not shamed himself as much as he might have. And yet he had done things none of the rest of his family would ever dream of doing, and it began by drinking to the point of losing control.

From the age of sixteen, he’d liked the feeling that drinking gave him. At this moment, as the smell of it wafted to him, he became almost dizzy. He wanted it. His hand trembled to take the goblet and bring it to his lips.

Hennek was clearly tempting him. But why? What was his intention? To get Steffan drunk and then what?

Steffan reached out. His hand wrapped around the cup. He could drink one sip to shut Hennek up, but would he be able to stop? Hennek would only keep pushing him to drink more.Not only that, but there was Katerina... He didn’t want to disappoint her. If he allowed her stepfather to ply him with drink, he might lose her tenuous trust—and that trust had become a precious thing to him.

Steffan was no longer that reckless young soldier who was willing to risk anything, to get drunk and rowdy and do mischievous deeds, to prove he wasn’t worthless.

He could still smell it, though, and even though he wished it didn’t, it still drew him. But...This is not who I am.

He pushed the goblet away, and instead took up his cup of weakened wine and drank a long gulp.

Steffan’s eyes met Katerina’s.

A servant entered the room and whispered in Hennek’s ear.

Hennek barely nodded, then said loudly, “Is everyone finished? Let us see what my men have to report about the beast you killed.”

They got up and followed Hennek to his office. Just outside stood Otto with his big, beefy arms crossed, another large man beside him. Hennek unlocked the door and they all went in.

The hair on the back of Steffan’s neck stood up. Hennek’s expression was too smug. The big guards looked defiant.

“What did you find, men?”

Otto grunted, then spoke. “The animal we found dead on the side of the hill outside Hamlin was a young wolf, but not uncommonly big. It was not old enough to have killed the first victims.”

Katerina clenched her fists at her sides. “That’s a lie. It was not a young wolf, it was two years old at least, and itwasuncommonly big.” She leaned close to Otto, eyeing him with an angry scowl. “Uncommonlybig.”

“Are you calling me a liar?” Otto asked, taking a step toward Katerina.

“Yes.”

Steffan took a corresponding step closer to Katerina, ready to step between her and the burly giant.

Hennek held up a hand. “There, there. It is understandable that an inexperienced woman might think a young, small wolf was the Beast of Hamlin. An understandable mistake. But, Steffan, you realized it wasn’t an uncommonly large animal, did you not?”

“Herr Bürgermeister, I am sorry to contradict you and your men, but the beast we killed was neither young nor small.” Steffan realized it would do no good to argue. Neither Hennek nor his men would ever capitulate. However, he was not going to let Hennek taunt Katerina with a lie.

Hennek made a show of turning his body toward his men. “We shall all go up and see the animal’s body, then.”

Otto’s mouth opened slightly while the man beside him cleared his throat and shuffled his feet.

“What is it, man?”

Otto coughed and said, “We already buried it.”

Hennek threw up his hands. “Why would you do such a thing? I don’t suppose you’d even be able to find it now, would you?” Hennek gave a slight shake of his head while staring intently at Otto, a movement so tiny Steffan might have missed it had he not been paying such close attention to Hennek.

Otto froze, then leaned his head back. “It was somewhere in the woods. I couldn’t tell you where we were exactly. The ground was soft all around, so we just dug a deep hole.”

Hennek heaved a loud sigh. “Well, it can’t be helped now.” He swung his head toward Steffan. “You are satisfied, aren’t you?”

“Satisfied?”

“That it was not the Beast of Hamlin. It is an honest mistake. The wolves in Hagenheim are probably not as big and strong as our wolves. Your wolves are used to a more mountainous region. All that climbing up and down the Harz Mountains will have kept them small and wiry.”

Steffan nearly snorted at the ridiculous explanation. But he bit back the sarcastic reply that jumped to mind and merely said, “Perhaps so.”