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“Why? Do you want him?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure if I was jealous or trying to protect her from the trouble she could be getting herself into.
Before she could answer, the bell chimed over the door and a tall man with dark hair and a neatly cut beard stepped inside. He had silver at his temples and a look in his eyes that told me he’d quickly sized up the room. I could see gears moving behind his eyes as he calculated how he would take us down if he had to.
The tall blonde woman handed Arven and me a set of drinks before shaking her head and jerking her thumb towards the new man in the restaurant. “No, I have my hands full with this one.”
The fresh coffee warmed my palm and gave me something to focus on other than the implication that I wanted Arven. The smell of cream and vanilla curled in my nose. There was another scent that reminded me of graham crackers and cinnamon. When I took the first sip, the taste of a familiar breakfast cereal exploded on my tongue.
“Oh gods, this is exactly what I needed after a near death experience.”
Only, opening my mouth reminded me of what we’d left. The mission had been a disastrous failure. Locke had caught me in the act. He’d sacrificed one of his own people in order to survive, which left a sour gurgle in the pit of my stomach.
“Done having your fit?” Rhoan asked behind me.
He and his queen had followed me upstairs. I should have made a break for it the moment I’d heard the groan of the spiral staircase as they ascended, but the allure of coffee had been too tempting.
I rolled my eyes where he couldn’t see.
Cerri hissed at him and told him that my reaction was warranted. I couldn’t believe the woman I’d killed had just come to my defense. This social circle confused the heck out of me, and I wasn’t too comfortable lingering here.
Was it because I didn’t know how to interact with people anymore? Perhaps.
Then, the door opened once again, and the loathsome Taliesin appeared. He paused so fast that the door didn’t have a chance to close and almost slammed him in the face. I braced myself for the fight that would come, but I could somehow feel Rhoan behind me waving off Taliesin’s battle instincts.
“Why are all of you so accepting?” I almost shouted it. Somehow, I managed to contain my confused outrage and kept my voice from echoing off the walls.
“Huh,” Rhoan said. “It’s almost like mistakes can be forgiven, especially when they’re made under duress.”
My lip curled. I hated that implication because it made me look at Arven. He and I locked eyes.
A shiver raced through me, and there was nothing I could do to hold it back.
Arven
There’d beena heartbeat where I seriously thought that I’d brought Del to the wrong healer. That moment passed quickly once she fell into an easy banter with the people around her. They were a nice sort of folk, too. Their aptitude for forgiveness warmed me to them almost immediately.
I’d heard of this man, Rhoan Glennwood, and how he’d taken the title of Nightmare King from Faust. I didn’t think that this little court was any threat to my kingdom, though. They were all far too green behind the ears. Though they’d won the battle against the local threat, Queen Beryl, I doubted they could withstand too much more.
They didn’t know what it meant to be on battlefield after battlefield. Well, save for Taliesin. He was ancient, far older than myself, even. The man watched me with his hawk-like gaze. Every move I made was carefully noted for later.
This was a safe place for Delphine. Even Taliesin positioned himself to protect Del after Rhoan vouched for her. I, on the other hand, was still an interloper. So, I sipped my rainbow-colored drink and kept to myself.
The woman with short blonde hair sidled up to me and rubbed elbows with me. She had absolutely no fear of me whatsoever, but I was starting to think that was out of pure boldness rather than a lack of information.
“Are you the one who’s going to domesticate the bounty hunter? Are you going to try to put her in a little maid apron and keep her in your elven kitchens?” Red flickered in the woman’s eyes, a sight so much like my own that it gave me pause.
The wolpertinger in my shirt pocket poked it’s head out and peered up at the woman. The sight of her made the small creature squeal in fear and bury its head again. I put a hand over my pocket to cover the creature and let it know that it was safe with me.
“What are you?” I tilted my head.
A wicked grin spread across her lips. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you going to domesticate the bounty hunter?”
“Why would I? While I understand that you’re asking me more than the spoken question, I fail to comprehend what you’re trying to get at.”
She laughed. It was a boisterous sound. The woman was absolutely unafraid of me. I had a feeling that even if she knew who I was, she still wouldn’t fear me. The Golden Beast was just another monster in a room full of people just as powerful.
I locked eyes with the chimera man across the room. Rhoan was the other I knew that had a beast form, though his was much more literal. He gave me a half-cocked smile, the kind that was warm and knowing. He could tell that being around others would be good for me.
I savored their company, but I could tell that Del was overwhelmed. Even as a child, she didn’t have any friends. This was very new to her. If we were to introduce her into the social circle, it would take time and very small doses to acclimate her to it—much like how one acclimates to a poison.
