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In his peripheral vision, he saw Charlotte’s eyes widen.

“You know,” he said, swirling the amber liquid in his glass, “I hadn’t planned to stay long at all. But I think I’m beginning to see the appeal.”

He made eye contact with the blonde then, his meaning clear.

To her credit, Charlotte met his gaze and did not look away.

Perhaps not so delicate as he’d thought? The notion intrigued him.

“Torr and Laria have talked about staying for the opening of the bar,” Toni said. It didn’t surprise him that she was trying to play peacemaker—Laria would have done the same thing, and the two often reminded him of one another. So be it. He’d drop his combativeness if the Cheld did the same.

“If possible, yes,” he said, looking at Toni. “I would be honored to help get it ready for the opening. Are you still thinking Halloween weekend?”

His brother had mentioned a masquerade party as the soft opening, although it seemed there was a lot of work to be done in less than a month.

Luckily, Lawrence and Toni had unlimited resources at their disposal to make it happen.

“Yep,” she said. “That’s the plan, anyway.”

He glanced back at Charlotte, who was watching their exchange with barely hidden curiosity. No, there was more to it than simple curiosity.

Torr recognized that look—he’d seen it too many times in his seven hundred plus years to mistake it for anything else.

She desired him, perhaps as much as he desired her.

“Will you be there?” he asked her directly. “To help open the bar?”

She held his gaze. “I will. Alessandra and Toni are dear friends.”

Each word was enunciated perfectly. Her posture, ramrod straight.

“Are they?”

Aware he goaded her with his tone, Torr wasn’t surprised when she bristled at his intended meaning. Why had they not met before?

“Indeed.”

They’d not gotten off to a spectacular start. Though undeniably beautiful, she spoke too primly. Sat too stiffly. The prospect of finding out why was too intriguing to ignore.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

This time, she didn’t hide her annoyance with him at all. So there was a spark inside somewhere?

Interesting.

There was no new Cheld to protect, no arousals that demanded he and Laria leave Stone Haven to find, and cloak, their brother’s descendant before he or she could be slaughtered by one of Kenton’s murderous brothers or swooped into the fold of the Sect. Nothing to take him away from Stone Haven at the moment.

Before today, he had dreaded the prospect. Aside from helping his brother, there really wasn’t much to recommend the quiet, peaceful town. Boredom did not become him. He had spent his long life traveling by choice.

He gave his attention to Toni. “I look forward to working with you and Lawrence. And to seeing your friends again.”

There was only one friend he cared to see, and all three women knew it.

“Well, it was good to see you,” Alessandra said, clearly meaning the exact opposite.

“And you,” he said, breaking eye contact with Charlotte. “Do tell Kenton I said hello.”

Alessandra glared at him like a mother bear protecting her cubs. He couldn’t help but laugh.