Total pages in book: 254
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Henri had said I didn’t need to hide who I was, hadn’t he?
Setting it on the corner of the deck, I kept my chin up and made a face that would’ve made Agnes proud as Franklin and I both silently waited and watched as a red car pulled into the lot and parked. Based off the lack of tint on the windows, I assumed it was a rental. Behind us, the front door opened and closed.
I recognized the heavy, bright energy that approached us right before a familiar frame stopped at my side.
Henri’s arm brushed mine as he braced his hands on his hips. I couldn’t help but peek at him real quick. He was in his normal clothes.
“You’re home early,” Franklin noted as he, too, stared at the parking lot as a man got out of the car and started walking over.
He seemed tall from over here.
“I’ve worked nine days in a row and finally told Waller, if he doesn’t hire somebody soon, I’m quitting,” Henri replied with a grunt. “Who’s this?”
I had to fight the urge not to glance at him again. He’d threatened to quit? Randall had explained to me that the elected sheriff of the county was actually a member of the community—Pascal’s dad. Apparently, they kept a magical being in the position to keep things running in the town, and here, smoothly. Since the town had been incorporated, there had always been one in office. Sometimes it was a member of the Blackrock family, but sometimes it wasn’t.
“I know I should’ve given you a warning, Henri, but the leader of the Alaska pack called at the last minute, and I barely managed to give Nina the news before we rushed out here. I would’ve called you in a moment,” Franklin explained, not sounding that apologetic.
To me, he sounded stressed, but I didn’t know him well enough to confirm it.
Henri’s head slowly turned to the side, and even I could feel the glare radiating off him as he focused on the older man, but Franklin wasn’t bothered by it at all from the way he ignored him and stepped off the deck, calling out, “Hello!”
I clenched my hands and released as much of the tension in my body as I could. I was strong, I was capable, and I had so much love in my body. I was Duncan’s mom, for all intents and purposes, and I would flay someone’s skin off with my teeth for my boy if I had to—throwing up the entire time, but I’d do it. I’d do it over and over again if it came down to it. This was just a meeting. Just a confirmation.
“He’s a firebreather,” Henri murmured as Franklin shook hands with our visitor.
I narrowed my eyes and fought the urge to look at Fluff again. “Really?”
There were several of those in mythology, so that wasn’t a whole lot to go off of. The closer the visitor got, the more I slowly started being able to sense him, and his magic was different from any other kind I’d ever felt before. There was a lot of it too. More than most beings.
In a way, it felt similar to Henri’s. Big, powerful, and very special.
And he was also a lot younger than I’d expected—somewhere between my age or Henri’s. I figured he was about Henri’s height, just not built as thick through the frame, though he wasn’t small in any way. His skin color was lighter, eyes a pale blue. He was handsome, but not as handsome as Henri.
And those blue eyes, that were almost glacial, narrowed by the second at me even as he spoke to Franklin. I was suddenly very aware that I’d taken my bracelet off. Too late to put it back on now.
Pushing my emotions down, I headed toward them. I didn’t smile, mostly because the stranger didn’t either. He was being discreet, but I could tell his nose was engaged. Whether he didn’t mind what he smelled or not, I had no idea, but there was nothing I could do about it.
“Ilya, this is Nina, the pup’s guardian,” Franklin introduced us, his tone kind of brittle.
I held out my hand. “Hi,” I said simply. “Thank you for coming.” A warning would have been nice, but….
The man named Ilya didn’t say a word, but there was no hiding the intensity in his attention as he shook my hand. Not in interest really, but…
Henri’s body brushed mine as he held out his own hand.
“This is Henri, the leader of our community,” Franklin said.
They exchanged a quick, tense handshake. “Thank you for allowing me to visit on short notice. I had a last-minute trip that brought me into the area, and I wanted to take advantage.” He had a deep voice. “I don’t leave much.”
Henri’s expression stayed that neutral one as he nodded.