Page 55 of Talon

“We keep it there for emergencies.”

“Do you have a lot of those involving dogs?”

“Some people fleeing abusive relationships have pets. They come, too. We’re not about to leave them behind with an abuser. Pets don’t fare well in those situations.” His eyes go dark for a second while his fists clench.

“Do you save a lot of people?” I ask softly.

“Yeah. But there are always more. The world’s full of assholes.”

“That’s depressing.”

“I used to think that, too, but there’s no point in getting upset about it. Taking action is the only way to make things right. You can’t get rid of evil, but you can fight it.”

“You’re a good man, Talon.” I finish setting our plates of food on the small table, then take a seat.

“I hope so.” He sits beside me and gives me a soft smile.

Outside, a rumble of thunder announces the arrival of a storm. As we take our first bites, a sudden flash of lightning illuminates the room, followed by a deafening boom. The lights flicker and go out, plunging us into almost total darkness. The meager light from the fireplace doesn’t do enough to light the space.

“Damn,” he mutters.

“The wind probably knocked down a power line.”

“We’ve been meaning to get a backup generator down here, but we kept putting it off.” He fumbles for his phone, checking for service.“No luck with the phones either.”

I swallow hard, trying not to let my anxiety show. Without communication and lights, I feel even more vulnerable.

“Well, I’ve never had dinner by candlelight in a cabin before.” It’s a feeble attempt to ease the tension, but it works.

“Unexpected romance.” He chuckles softly.

“Yeah.” My breathy response fills the silence.

“I know we’ve got candles around here somewhere.” He searches the room, finds a few candles, and quickly lights them. Flickering shadows dance across the walls. As we resume eating, he asks me,“Have you ever been camping? This is kind of like that, but with walls.”

“No, never. My parents always took me to nice hotels when we traveled. We went to many countries in Europe, but I’ve never really experienced the great outdoors. I don’t know if my mom would have liked it. I doubt it. She hated to get dirty.”

“What about you? Do you like it?”

“I don’t know.” I’m glad it’s so dark that he can barely see me because my cheeks are on fire.“I’ve never tried it before.”

He doesn’t reply for so long I’m sure he’s going to shove the plates off the table and throw me down on it. Or maybe that’s just my fantasies working overtime.

He stabs at the pasta with his fork before leaning to slurp the spaghetti from the plate. His table manners are atrocious, but there’s something endearing about it. If no one ever taught him how to eat properly, then he couldn’t possibly know the right way to eat it. Finishing school taught me how to swirl my pasta around a fork. I could teach Talon how to do it, but then he’d lose part of his charm. His lack of culture is refreshing. Instead of being uptight and ridged about everything, he eats with gusto and joy. I envy that freedom.

“Tell me about Europe. I’ve never been,” he prompts between slurps.

A smile plays on my lips as I recall a particularly memorable trip.“One time, we were in Paris, and my dad insisted on taking us to this fancy restaurant. My mom wore this beautiful red dress she bought just for the occasion. But when we got there, it turned out they didn’t have our reservation! My dad was so frustrated, but my mom just laughed it off and suggested we get street crepes instead. It ended up being one of the most fun nights of the trip.”

“Nina makes killer crepes.”

“How did you meet her? I know she cooks for you guys, but I don’t quite understand your relationship to her.”

“We’re not blood related. She … took us in when we were younger.”

“Before you lived with Governor Blackstone?”

“After.”

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