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Internally berating myself for literally giving off smoke signals, I observe the gray trails floating in the sky, wondering how many others will see it on the off-chance anyone is flying overhead.
There are trees in the Day Realm that don’t put off smoke when they’re on fire, but I didn’t want to spend days trying to find them. I’ve just been working with what’s here because of the time constraints.
Now I feel like I should’ve taken the extra step.
“I was coming to help,” Rymus adds, trying to disarm me.
He doesn’t show signs of dishonesty. No tensing. No tick on his face as he tries to hide the pain.
Maybe he truly is a good man and a concerned citizen, but that doesn’t make him any less of a danger to us.
If he figures out what we’re doing, he’ll report us.
“As you can see, there is no burning building,” I say vaguely. “You can go.”
“Are you smoking meats?” he persists, his nose in the air as if he’s trying to detect the scent.
“It’s a distiller,” I answer, purposely not telling him of the substance we’re producing.
His eyes light with interest, but there’s skepticism in his gaze. “Liquor?”
He’s not going to stop until he gets an answer. Obviously, he’s onto us. Maybe he doesn’t know what we’re up to, but he definitely suspects we’re breaking the law.
If I were the old me, I’d kill him without hesitation, but since regaining my soul, the thought of mortally maiming someone leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Good stars, I’ve gone soft.
I still might have to hurt Rymus.
I could send him away. If I wanted to, I could dump him in the human realm. It’s doubtful he has a portal to get back. Unless he knows a Seeker who could locate him, he’d never be found. His disappearance would be mysterious, and he’d be stuck, forced to live out the rest of his days as a human.
The notion is too cruel to consider. He might have a mate. Or children.
I need a more temporary way to detain him.
“Let’s go for a walk, shall we? My mate is sleeping, and I don’t want to wake her. We can chat in the forest.” I take off for the woods, knowing he’ll follow me.
He’s intrigued about what I’m going to say, and I’m using that to my advantage.
Once we’re under the shade of the thick leaves overhead, we walk in silence for a couple minutes. We’re both keeping about fifteen feet of distance between us, trees often separating us as we traipse through the forest.
Rymus glances over at me, like he’s expecting me to spill.
I stay silent.
I’m letting the tension build on purpose. I want him to be the one to speak first. As long as I keep information to myself, I’ll hold control over the conversation.
Just as I knew he would, Rymus breaks his cool façade. “I know you’re harboring a human.”
Well, he skipped the pleasantries.
His statement holds a hint of disdain. Not surprising. It’s no secret how fraternizing with humans is frowned upon, and I have a feeling his curiosity about a potential fire is just an excuse to come poking around.
“She’s none of your concern,” I say firmly.
“Anything that goes on in my area is my concern,” he shoots back. “Did you steal her?”
Rattled from the question, I respond, “No.”
