Page 81 of Marked

His gaze darkened. “No and phaan you for thinking that.”

He paused and leaned back, draping his arm over the top edge of the booth. “When I’m with a woman, I make it my sole mission to shatter her world, ruin all future lovers for her, and ensure she remembers everything I do with her and to her.”

I swallowed. “You must have done a lot of practicing while you were away then because all I remember is your impeccable ability to annoy the shit out of everyone.”

“Just you.”

The tavern suddenly got a lot warmer, but I didn’t dare fan myself. Admitting defeat, I plucked the pint from the table and took another drink.

“So?” Ace asked.

“Still tastes like piss.”

He glanced at the ceiling as if divine intervention would blast through the ceiling and rescue him from my presence. “So, you were going to tell me about your familiar.”

“I think I’d remember that.” My lips twitched as I tried to keep a stern expression on my face.

“Funny,” Ace said. “But I’m asking you to tell me about your familiar. We’re going to be here for a few hours, and as much as I enjoy drinking in tortured silence, I’d genuinely like to know about you and your wolf.”

I sank back in the booth. His words were surprisingly honest and without mockery. I narrowed my eyes. What was the catch?

He sighed and held up both hands as if surrendering to the power of my glare.

“Fine.” I relented. “What would you like to know?”

He shrugged. “Anything? Everything? Familiars are rare. Almost as rare as any decent information about them. There aren’t a lot of bonded galeons.”

And now there were two less than before. “Lots of stories, though.”

He reached out, grabbed his pint, and lifted it as if to silently toast my statement.

“There’s not much to tell,” I said. “A little bit after you left, I started working for the queen as a hunter. I often patrolled the edges of the Danu Forest. When I walked by the woods, I felt this indescribable tug, this pull to enter and head north.”

“And you listened? You weren’t worried about a someone using their magic on you or the consequences of entering the forest without permission?”

“I didn’t consider it,” I said. “I’m immortal.”

“Yes, but until you found and bonded to your familiar, you were still killable.”

“Right.” I looked away and drummed my fingers along the smooth surface of the table. “I guess I’ve always suffered from overconfidence.”

I didn’t dare look at him.

Paul always said the key to successfully lying was to keep as close to the truth as possible.

“At least you’re on the path of self reflection,” Ace said.

I barked out a laugh and took a deep drink of the cold ale. Ace was right. The more I drank, the less I cared how it tasted. My whole mouth was numb now.

“So, what happened? You felt a tug, tramped through the woods…”

A smile spread across my face as the memory of meeting Nala for the first time resurfaced. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” I said. “I stepped into this small field with a gentle slope and Nala appeared at the top of the hill. The sun had crested the surrounding trees at the same time, so the light hit her in such a way it looked as though she glowed.”

“Sounds magical.”

I paused, studying his face to detect any sarcasm. Finding none, I continued. “She saw me, yipped in excitement, sped down the hill and barrelled into me.”

Ace sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s way too dignified for that kind of behavior.”

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