*Soren*
As Mila hurried off, I tilted my head and watched her backside as she went. I had no intention of following her but I wasn’t above enjoying the way she looked as she left.
She was so... cute. I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it. She tried to be feisty and fierce, which I admired, but instead, it was like getting nipped at by an overly zealous puppy.
I had a puppy once. We’d play together and the more rambunctious I got, the more worked up he got. He’d start yipping and nip at with his sharp little puppy teeth.
If he did nip at , I’d yelp, purposefully, and it would startle him. He’d shy away and get really sad. Then he’d try to lick to make feel better.
That’s what Mila had done last night, though her form of making feel better went far beyond playful licks.
I smirked to myself and took a mont to reflect on last night. Based on that, she was definitely not a puppy. Though, I couldn’t help but compare her to my old pet.
No... she wasn’t a pet. She was adorable and feisty and right now, she was mine. Her determination, despite the helplessness to achieve her own goals, made feel protective over her and watchful.
I knew she was lying through her teeth. I doubted anything she’d told was real. She probably hadn’t looked in the box yet and I seriously doubted it was that dangerous of an artifact that would stop working if she was dead.
It frustrated that she thought she had to lie to and manipulate in order to gain my cooperation. We’d made our deal and I had already agreed to help, so why was she still playing gas?
Last night... I smirked and closed my eyes, rembering how open and unguarded she was under on the bed. She’d surrendered completely and didn’t hold back.
Part of wished she’d remain open and trusting when she woke up but I hadn’t counted on it. No, she’d reverted back to her sa old ways. I couldn’t be mad at her for that.
First of all, I knew she was lying so I didn’t feel like she was actually manipulating to do anything I wouldn’t already have done. Secondly, I knew it was how she survived. It would take a lot more than one epic night to get her to relax around .
Sighing, I grabbed a t-shirt and threw it on. I picked up the hotel room phone and called to Payne’s room one floor down.
“Payne, co to my room,” I ordered.
“Be right there...” he mumbled.
When Payne arrived he looked... deflated. His shoulders sagged and he had big, purple bags under his eyes. His hair was mussed and he was wearing the sa wrinkled clothes from last night.
“Did you not sleep?” I asked arching an eyebrow.
Payne grunted, yawned slightly, and then shrugged. “I did not rest well.”
“I see that,” I added with a scoff.
“The woman who sent Mila the flowers yesterday vanished into the fog. I tracked her to the forest and lost her trail. I couldn’t find anything else about her,” Payne reported.
I creased my brow and pursed my lips. “Yeah... you told that last night.”
Payne’s eyes widened and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I... sorry... my mind is... I didn’t sleep well,” he stamred.
He bowed his head and sighed heavily.
“I’m sorry, Soren. I’m a little out of it,” he admitted.
“Hmm.”
Payne had always been trustworthy. He had no reason to lie to or hide things from . If he said he was over tired, then he was over tired. I couldn’t rember ever seeing him this exhausted.
Perhaps I’d been working him too hard recently. I’d been relying on him a lot while I dealt with Mila. Normally, he and I would be out there together.
I held my hand up and shook my head.
“No need to apologize, it isn’t a big deal. Get so rest,” I ordered.
“Thank you. I am sorry...” Payne muttered. “Do you need anything from , since you called here?”
“I’d rather you rest first,” I admitted.
“Tell what you need and I’ll get on it after I rest,” he said. “Then you won’t have to call back here.”
I nodded. “Alright. If you could call Dr. Lee and ask him to et us here ASAP. I need his dical expertise.”
Payne nodded in agreent. “Are you injured, or...”
“No. Mila is still weak from the Black Fire poison and I think Dr. Lee can help,” I explained.
“Mila!?” Payne asked. “Didn’t she leave?”
“She ca back,” I said with a chuckle.
“Man, I am out of it,” Payne muttered. He ran a hand down his face.
If anyone could help Mila detox, it would be Dr. Lee. That was the first request she’d made of and I wanted to see it happen soon. Who knew what that poison was doing to her?
“Anything else?” Payne asked.
“Yes. When you’re feeling rested, I want you to start investigating Helen,” I said. I watched Payne carefully for his reaction.
Payne shuddered and looked away from . Quickly, he shook his head and t my eyes again. “Yes. I’ll get into it.”
“Thank you.”
For a long mont, Payne just stood there. He probably expected more details for the investigation I was sending him on but I didn’t have more details. Mila wanted to know about Helen and how to find her.
That was about all I knew about the situation as well.
“Get so sleep before you do any of those things,” I instructed, nodding to the door.
Payne slowly turned to leave. He shuffled to the door and pulled it open.
On the floor outside I saw a stray petal from the bouquet Mila had received.
“Payne, wait a mont,” I blurted.
If I wanted to gain Mila’s trust, I’d have to show her that what had happened between us was aningful. The petal gave an idea.
“Yeah, boss, what is it?” Payne asked, perking up slightly.
“Do you know of any flower shops in town? You did a pretty thorough investigation of the town, are there any florists in business?” I asked.
Payne creased his brow for a mont. “I’m not sure that woman would leave an obvious trail like that.”
Of course, he assud that I was referring to the mysterious woman who left the bouquet for Mila. It was a good thought, tracking her down from where she bought the flowers, but not what I was thinking of.
“Those flowers weren’t from around here. The woman had to have purchased them from sowhere else. Besides, with the foggy climate here... I don’t think there are a lot of flowers blooming these days. Even if soone was selling flowers, they wouldn’t be the type anyone would want to buy,” he concluded.
I nodded and bowed my head. “All right then. Go get so rest now. And I an that.”
Payne agreed and closed the door behind him.
Tapping my lips, I paced back and forth. What would a woman Mila’s age like?
There were the obvious options like flowers, jewelry, and chocolates of so kind. That seed a little... like I was trying too hard.
She’d probably see gifts like those as a bribe or so other way to gain her affection so I could use her. That’s how she viewed all kind gestures.
I’d have to co up with a gift idea that was personal and aningful and that would help her realize I wasn’t just trying to use her for my own gain.
Flowers were out of the question, anyway, given what Payne said. Besides, so mystery woman had already left her flowers. I wanted to find sothing more original than that.
I could replace the ring she gave ... or...
I still had the ring. Striding over to the bedside table, I opened the drawer and looked at the ring. Should I give it back to her? Would she see that as a kind gesture?
It wasn’t just her ring, though. This sa ring had been on Helen’s finger on a “wanted” poster.
Payne made it sound like she was a seer or a mystic. If she was, why would she be on a wanted list? Seers were rare. They were rare in the Realm of Light and in the Realm of Shadows. Most of them were seen as special and their talents honored.
What could Helen have done to get herself on a wanted list over a decade ago?
Seers were treated as guests, practically as royalty, especially by alphas. Why had this realm condemned her as a criminal?
I’d heard stories of seers and mystics doing so awful things with their powers. Had Helen been one of them? If so, would helping Mila track her down be beneficial? What if she wanted to hurt Mila too?
Well, I’d have to protect her if it ca to that.
I stared at the ring in my drawer.
Based on what Payne said, Helen was connected to his pack. His father had explicitly told him that she was dangerous and he wanted to know if Helen was ever sighted or found.
And if Mila was looking for her, sohow, Mila had gotten it into her head that Helen was going to help her.
So, Helen was connected to both Mila and Payne. And the two of them were connected to .
Who on earth was Helen?
And the ones that were after Mila, Alpha Chandler and Norwind, did they know about Helen too? Was she part of the bigger threat coming after Mila?
Or were they after Mila because of her connection to Helen?
Was Helen working with them or was she their real target?
I had to determine if Helen was a friend or a foe, and with what I knew, I wasn’t willing to gamble in either direction.
Singing, I stroked my chin and closed the drawer. Now, I wanted to find Helen. It was possible she could tie everything together. She was the missing piece that could answer all the questions.
I worried about Payne. The prospect of investigating her and tracking her down seed to unnerve him. I’d need him focused and at the top of his ga in order to track her down.
My thoughts raced. No matter how hard I tried to prevent it, almost every thought and question circled back around to Mila. Had she really beco that big of a priority to ?
Yes, she had, because I wasn’t going to let her life go to waste after I’d saved her multiple tis... but was there sothing more?
BANG!
My entire room shook and I stumbled slightly. The sound ca from across the hall.
“Oh shit! Mila!” I cursed and rushed across the hall, practically ripping the door off its hinges.
#
Reviews
All reviews (0)