Page 38 of Owned By the Fae
‘The human woman you brought back ...’
He forgot to stutter this time, but he has my attention now.
I cock a brow. ‘The Harbinger? What about her?’
‘You know her?’ he asks.
I snort. ‘About as well as you can know a human like that,’ I deflect, wondering what this is about, what she’s said to him about me.
Has she told him I can shift?
‘What of it?’ I growl anew, my eyes narrowing a fraction again.
His hands rise as if that alone will stop me from lunging at him. Another movement that’s false if the fire in his eyes is anything to go by.
‘I shouldn't be here,’ he mutters, looking to the side. ‘If I’m found out … But when I saw you in the street, I couldn’t ...’
‘Best make the risk worth it then and begin making some fucking sense,’ I mutter darkly, punctuating my words with fingers clenching around his clothes. ‘Why are you asking me about the Harbinger? What have you heard?’
He shakes his head. ‘I shouldn't have come.’
He turns away, and I grab him. I thrust him into the wall hard enough to elicit a small groan.
‘We both know you’re going to tell me what you came to say, so do it and stop wasting time! What do you know of the Harbinger?’
His eyes narrow, and looks around to see if anyone's noticed him. When he sees there’s no one, he straightens and adopts apose of nonchalance. The pretense of fear vanishes. I don’t let go of him, though.
‘Things aren’t what they appear,’ he says after a few moments.
‘What do you mean by that?’
I hear footsteps. With effort, I uncurl my fingers just as someone else comes up the path, interrupting us.
It’s a low-level mage I know in passing, and he gives me a greeting, clapping me on the back and telling me he’s glad I’ve returned. When I finally get rid of him with promises of meeting at the tavern soon, the healer has gone.
I frown, wondering what that was all about. It must have been something important for him to seek me out at risk to himself. Is the Harbinger all right?
Deep in thought and a bit unsettled, I head back to the house.
When I go inside, Dane is sitting at a table going over some papers. My eyebrows rise in surprise.
‘Shouldn't you be at the keep?’ I mutter.
They haven't called me back since I went on the mission and killed Grith. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I suppose that if they knew I had killed him, I would be dead or at least in the dungeons awaiting execution by now.
Dane gives me a long-suffering look. ‘I don't spend all of my time there, you know.’
‘Fiana back yet?’ I goad, trying to keep the bite from my tone and failing.
It’s my current go-to because I know it upsets him. I know she’s not.
He shakes his head as if he doesn't hear it or doesn't care.
‘Not yet, but I'm told it will be soon.’
I grunt in response and when I next look up, Dane is staring at me, his eyes searching.
‘What?’ I ask.
