Page 165 of Elven Shadow

Us, huh? Wasn’t this cute?

“Prepare for what, exactly?” Rebecca asked, holding back more than ever to keep from making a joke at the expense of the shifter’s sudden excitement and eagerness despite how clear she’d made it that Harkennr wasn’t exactly a good guy.

“Several different contingencies come to mind, actually,” Maxwell replied without a hint of jest in his voice.

No, Maxwell was absolutely serious about diligently helping her plan for this little sit down with one insanely bad magical she really didn’t want to see again. Apparently, though, she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Great.” Rebecca nodded at him. “I’ll take your advice, Max. Tomorrow night will be my earliest convenience, so I want you to puttogether a team small enough to not make a fuss. As long as it includes whoever you think is the best fit for a diplomatic exchange.”

When he realized she was serious and that this was basically in order, Maxwell responded with a curt nod. “I’m on it.”

“Diplomacy and an ability to keep a level head while simultaneously making a show of force,” she added. “That’s important. I don’t want anyone jumping the gun on this before we know exactly who we’re dealing with.”

“Understood.”

“Excellent.” Rebecca flashed him a tight smile as she laced her fingers together and tucked both hands behind her head. “Tell you what, Hannigan. Aldous left one hell of a mess. We’ve got our work cut out for us in cleaning it up. Kinda feels like this is how we start.”

He grunted, which could have been in agreement purely because he felt it was the most appropriate response before moving on. “And then?”

When she flashed him a wide grin this time, she meant it. All of it. “And then we do thingsrightfrom here on out.”

There it was again—that bright, brilliant flash in his eyes, like an Aegen-bound pup jumping through the Eventide currents. Or, as the saying went here on Earth, like a kid on Christmas morning.

“I’ll let you know when I’ve assembled the team,” he said.

“You do that.” Rebecca nodded and kicked both legs out in front of her to cross one ankle over the other. “And make sure everyone’s ready to move tomorrow night.”

“Yeah.” The shifter was already hurrying on his way out of the office before he paused, looked at her over his shoulder, and nodded toward the closed door. “I mean, if you…”

“I’m not gonna officially dismiss you,” she told him, letting her smile twitch at the thought. “Just go get it done.”

He pressed his lips together, as if trying to keep from returning her half-smile, then offered one final nod before slipping through the door and closing it again behind him.

Well, damn.

If Rebecca had known he’d be that eager to head out and get something started and prepared for a small upcoming mission that could potentially provide Shade with some high-level connections—maybe even an ally or two in the process—she would’ve given him a pet-project assignment a long time ago.

The way he’d looked at her when she’d declared her intentions to do things right from here on out…

Rebecca really had meant it when she’d said it. She cared enough about Shade to want to steer it back in the right direction, and though this place wasn’t her true home, she’d gotten used to it. To being a part of the team. To actually doing some good in this world, provided it allowed her to keep her secrets in the process.

Maxwell had looked so surprised to hear her say anything he actually agreed with, which made the idea far too enticing to pass up.

Had he honestly thought she would be that much of a problem for his precious task force?

Probably. Shifters weren’t the best at dishing out trust unless it was well and truly earned first.

But if Rebecca had any chance of earning it from a shifter like Maxwell Hannigan, that chance had just presented itself. Maybe after this little sit down with Harkennr, her Head of Security would finally take her seriously and quite his twenty-four-hour Roth-Da’al-surveillance.

Wouldn’tthatbe nice?

Then her attention centered on the stone figurine sitting on her desk—an invitation and a challenge all at once.

With a snort, Rebecca snatched up the figurine with one hand and jerked open the center desk drawer with the other. Inside, the new vials from Zida clinked around against each other.

The sound made her pause.

Because only now had a brand-new opportunity presented itself, and this one didn’t need to be shared with her Head of Security.

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