Page 59 of Faerie Hunted

I bent down in front of Noren and scratched his ears until he turned to face me fully, his attention sharpening on me.

“Find Onyx,” I said. I had no doubt he understood every word. “Tell him to meet us at the wall in about fifteen minutes. It shouldn't take too long to reach it. Make sure he understands what’s really going on. Can you do that for me?”

Noren blinked, as sure a sign as any that he understood, and I straightened as he jumped off the pallet and headed outside on silent paws.

I drew in a great breath and held it until my lungs ached. Now or never.

I’d memorized the way to Dorian’s tent. The maze seemed much less complicated with full morning light piercing through the trees. The same smoke curved from the top of his tent and I paused to knock at the entrance.

“Dorian? It’s Tavi.” My voice shook.

Crap, no shaking yet. Get a grip.

“You may enter.” He sounded as regal as any monarch I’d ever met.

I stifled the urge to roll my eyes at the grandiose tone

Dorian stood staring at a stack of papers when I walked inside and immediately set them aside just out of eyesight. “Tavi, good morning.” He offered me an easy smile and a flash of white teeth. “How are you feeling today?”

I swallowed over a knot of nerves and forced my face to mimic his. Actually, my arm barely hurt, although a dull throbbing remained if I tuned into it.

“I’m well, thank you. I wanted to talk to you about the matter we discussed last night.”

At this, his grin widened and his eyes took on the manic light I’d glimpsed yesterday, where they seemed to glow. An odd look and a distraction.

“You’ve given some thought to my proposition, then,” he said. “Come, let’s chat!”

Now or never. “I have.” I puffed my cheeks out and launched ahead. “First, thank you for everything you’ve done and for sharing your story with me. But no thanks. I’m actually ready to leave the camp and continue on my personal journey.”

I’d never even gotten a chance to explain my quest to him. He hadn’t allowed me a word in edgewise.

Dorian arched a thick dark brow and waited for me to continue.

This was the quietest I’d seen him.

“I’ve wanted to find my mother for the longest time and I finally have the opportunity to do so now.”No, I reminded myself.No excuses for my choice. Only the facts. “I have no iron in this fire.”

“No iron in this fire,” Dorian repeated. He took a step forward, his arms loose and his thumbs looped casually into the pockets of his trousers. “Tavi, I need you to understand. You are a part of this fight simply because of yourexistence. I understand you have personal goals you feel the need to accomplish but at this point, allowing you to leave on a frivolous errand makes no sense.”

Allowing me?

“Finding the mother I’ve never met is frivolous to you?” Immediately my back went up. “I thought you placed a lot of stock on the importance of family.”

He shook his head, his gaze sympathetic under his long black lashes. Fingers lifted, he pressed them in a triangle shape to his lips before he lifted his head again.

“It seems as though your priorities are not in alignment.”

I blinked at him.” Excuse me?”

“There are so many other things requiring your talents and skills. As you can see, it does not behoove me to allow you to leave. Not when I finally have you here.”

I started inching closer to the door, preparing to outright run. “What do you mean?”

Dorian simply smiled. His posture remained relaxed, easygoing. “I think you’ll find that you won’t mind staying once you've had a few days to reconsider.”

“You can’t keep me here.”

“On the contrary. I can. I plan to, until you see reason. Trust me.” He still sounded accommodating even as he swung the proverbial ax. “It’s for the best.”

---