Page 6 of City of the Lost
I held up my hands. “Okay, fine. Azren, would you like to come in?”
Matron dropped the brow, a small smile playing on her lips.
Azren looked from me to Matron and then back again. He was probably wondering if this was a trick question since I’d spent the last five minutes telling him how it was imperative that Miss Hamilton didn’t find out what he was, and that he needed to stay outside to avoid scaring the kids with his teeth, blah, blah.
“I’m fine here, thank you,” he said finally.
“Nonsense,” Miss Hamilton exclaimed. “You will come in, and you will have some tea. It’s not often I get to meet Wila’s new friends.” She waved her hand at him in a hurry-along gesture, one that had always had us picking up the pace as kids. Apparently, it worked on adults too. Azren strode up the path and climbed the steps onto the porch. Miss Hamilton beamed at him. He blinked down at her, and then offered her a close-lipped smile.
She patted him on the shoulder. “It’s all right, dear. I know what you are. You can relax now.”
She did?
Matron chuckled. “Don’t look so horrified, Wila. Glamour has never worked too well on me.” She led us into the house. “The kids are in the garden. Go through into the kitchen. There’s a pot of tea on the table. I’ll be with you in a moment.”
She walked briskly down the hallway and through the arch that led to the back of the house. I gripped Azren’s elbow and steered him into the kitchen to our left. It was by far my most favorite room in the house. Homey, warm, and cozy, it caught the most light and was always filled with sunshine.
“She can see through my glamour.” Azren sounded impressed.
“And she hasn’t pissed herself in fright. I always knew that woman was hardcore.”
“You find my countenance frightening?”
“Huh?”
“My unglamoured self. You find it distasteful. Horrific?”
There was an edge to his tone, the kind that warned that the incorrect response could lead to problems. But the truth, the absolute truth, was out of the question, because telling him that my body ached to feel his, and that my lips yearned to touch his, wasn’t going to help either of us.
“Look, you may be Mr. Hot and Trending in the Shedim world, but on this side of the border, your true form would send neph screaming into the night.”
He flinched and then speared me with his compelling gaze. “And you? What about you?” He canted his head. “Would yourun screaming into the night?”
I sighed. “The first time I met you, I have to admit, bladder control was a serious concern. But I’ve had the opportunity to get to know you, and your unglamoured form isn’t an issue for me anymore.” I shrugged. “Probably because I’ve seen you inhale pizza and make a whole plate of waffles disappear in a matter of seconds.”
He gave me a level look that said,really? That’s your reason?
“Fine. You saved my life at the risk of your own. Trust me, your grrr face doesn’t bother me.”
“You’re not afraid of me?”
The hesitation in his tone tugged at my heart. “I’m not afraid of you, because I know you. I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”
His expression hardened. “You’re wrong. I can and will hurt you.” He gripped my shoulders. “If I come at you, if you feel threatened, then you run, because fighting me won’t be an option.”
His words filled my veins with ice. “What do you mean?”
He released me abruptly, picked up the pot of tea, and poured me a cup. “Drink your tea.”
I accepted the cup. “No, explain yourself.”
He pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m not always a master of my own actions. If Elora issues a command, then I must obey.”
“So, if she asks you to hurt me, you’ll have no choice.”
He poured himself a cup of tea. “Yes. If she asks me to hurt you, I won’t be able to refuse her.”
No hesitation, no doubt. He stared at me flatly, impassively.
