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“Sure thing, come with me.” Walking towards the structure where I sat with the Harbinger's son, Braxton, the other day, he gestured for me to sit at the table inside it. “I’ll get him for you.” Turning to leave, he abruptly stopped and faced me again. “Brax was about to have something to eat, do you want me to bring you a sandwich too?”
“A sandwich?”
The sweet yet savory smell of food instantly slithered through my nose, and my stomach both relaxed and groaned. Gods, I wanted hot food so badly. All I had in the past two days was water from the bay and the fish Vyper forced me to eat raw after he couldn’t take feeling my hunger anymore. At least Draco had the good sense to use his fire breath to roast one for me.
“I would, but I don’t have any more coins to offer,” I admitted. “Things are very different where I come from, so I wasn’t as prepared as I thought for this trip.”
Understanding filtered into his eyes and he nodded. “Oooh, are you from another country or something?”
Saying I was from another world entirely wouldn’t go so well, so I just nodded. “Yes, one far, far from here.”
“I see. It all makes so much sense now. Well, don’t worry. We got you.” He winked.
“Really?” Excitement rushed through me. The food here tasted like the gods had made it themselves.
“Of course. Do you want the same from last time?”
“That would be wonderful, and I would be truly grateful…”
“Josh,” he offered.
“Thank you for your generosity, Josh.”
Smiling like my words had touched him, he nodded. “Perfect. One hot pressed panini, and a hot guy coming right up.”
Laughter escaped me; I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t sure what he meant byhot guy, but the way he said seemed very suggestive. Giving a pointed look to his friend, he went to the short wall while the other disappeared through a door at the back.
Instantly, my hand went to hold the ring I had used to draw strength from during the past several months, but it no longer hung from my neck. My chest tightened. I had lost it, but I supposed it didn’t matter. I had no use for it anymore.
Hands falling to the table, I tensely rubbed them together, waiting. Why was I suddenly so nervous? I wasn’t sure of the answer, but what felt like snakes of anxiety slithered around in my belly.
“What did you want to show me?" Braxton’s voice reached my ears, and I stood. His steps halted the moment he saw me. “Evanna?”
The tone in his voice, as well as his expression, reflected the relief he felt seeing me again, and though I didn’t understand his reaction to my presence, it warmed my heart. I had expected not to be welcomed here, knowing how painful our last interaction had been after I reminded him of his father’s death.
“I hope you don’t mind that I came back,” I offered in a low voice, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.
“Of course not. I’m glad you are here.” Braxton’s lips stretched into a brilliant smile filled with kindness, making his green eyes glimmer and confirming his words…
And there went my pulse.
Biting my lip from the erratic nerves wreaking havoc in my being, I swept my hair over my left shoulder, pulling down at the sweater I wore. “So, I was hoping we could talk.”
“Oh, yes, definitely.”
Walking around me, he fixed my chair so I could sit again, and then took the one in front of me. I wasn’t sure why he had done that—I could fix my own chair—but it felt like a kindness driven gesture, so I didn’t mind it.
“I just wanted to apologize for the last time I was here, and well, for everything.” Leaning towards him, I rested both hands on the table again. “I realize that my behavior must have seemed very strange to you, perhaps even irrational, and that is not who I am. You see, I’m not used to all of this.” I gestured to everything around us. “I come from a wor—a place where things are much simpler. One far, far away from here, and it has been hard for me to adjust.”
Both confusion and a glimmer of understanding entered his gaze. “You are from another country?”
Nodding, I offered him a small smile. “I am.”
“What brought you here?” he asked, curiosity capturing his expression as he too leaned over the table, his hands resting a few inches from mine.
I could feel his warmth exuding in waves from him and brushing against my skin. The proximity made my breath falter.
“My aunt,” I confessed. “What is left of our family is going through a very difficult time. Before she passed away, she asked me to come here looking for someone she believed could help us.”
