Page 29 of The Hunt
“Probably.” Pity weighed that word, and I closed my eyes against it.
“How soon are you meeting him?” he asked.
“As soon as he gets here.”
The door opened just then, and Tegan walked in as if my comment had conjured him. Even though he was barely four years older than me, his presence commanded attention where mine begged to be ignored. I could only hope his strength of will would protect him.
“Igottago,” I murmured to Fenris, hanging up just before Tegan spotted me.
He smiled, his hazel-green eyes lighting with pleasure as he approached the table.
“Eliana, it’s nice to see you again.” Looking completely at ease and not at all enthralled, he joined me. “I wasn’t sure you’d take me up on my offer.”
“I was hoping Anne would text me so I wouldn’t need to, but she must be pretty busy out there in the wilderness. Where did you say they were camping again?” I didn’t care if I was being obvious. I wanted the information as fast as possible so he wouldn’t read into this meeting any more than he already had.
Tegan chuckled. “I didn’t say. Just like you didn’t say why you’re so desperate to find them.”
“I need their help.”
He leaned forward slightly in his chair.
“And I’m here offering to help you instead.”
I studied him for a quiet moment, trying to figure him out.
“Do you know what I am?” I asked, finally.
“Yes.”
Before I could say more, the waitress came over for our drink order. Tegan ordered wine for both of us.
“I’d prefer water,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Tegan asked. “Wine is more fitting for what you are, isn’t it?”
Annoyed, I cut him a sharp look and saw the dark powder he’d added to his eyebrows. Seeing the blatant evidence of my slipping control and his attempt to look more appealing, I took a calming breath.
“What I am is a sleep-deprived woman at nine o’clock in the morning. I’ll have water and a lot less judgment.”
The waitress hurried away, and Tegan chuckled again in the face of my annoyance.
“There’s no need to be angry. After the uncertainty I saw on your face when you asked if I knew what you were, the drink was only meant to reassure you that I do know and am familiar with some of your kind. However, no two people are ever alike, and I apologize for guessing your preference incorrectly.”
The words were right. The look of remorse was there in his eyes. Yet, the whole thing rubbed me wrong. Probably because I didn’t want to be there at all.
“My anger isn’t unwarranted. This meeting wouldn’t be necessary if your sister would stop ignoring me. And although I appreciate your offer to help, I don’t know you or understand the motivation behind your offer. So I respectfully decline and reiterate that I’d rather continue to work with your sister.”
His eyes lost some of their shine.
“Direct and smart.” He sighed. “Let me return the courtesy. I know who you are, Eliana, and helping you will make me noticeable in the eyes of the Council. This is a lucrative move, that’s all. I want the location spell job that they’re interviewing for.”
My hope shriveled even as relief flooded me. Had he been interested in me, this meeting would have been uncomfortable, but maybe I could have persuaded him to share his sister’s location. Knowing that he’d come here with no intention of sharing that information, but rather to win me over as a client, changed everything.
“I’m sorry, Tegan. It’s not you I need, but your sister. We were in the middle of something that she and her friends need to finish. It’s nothing you can help with. But, if you tell me their location, I’d be more than happy to mention your name to the Council—”
“We both know that name dropping won’t do anything. Do you know how many druids of my age and experience are vying for the job? Please, let me help you. It’s the only way to make myself stand out. Plus, it’ll prove my discretion and my abilities.”
Since we were debating this in a public place, I highly doubted he even understood discretion.
