Page 77 of Whisper Woods

“Hey Bry, how’s it going?” He jumps, his tail thumping painfully against the leg of the desk as it lashes out. The stack of books on the free side of the desk tumble, scattering over the floor causing Brydon to curse under his breath.

“Shit, man. Didn’t mean to scare you.” I apologise, squatting down to help him as he hurries to pick up the book. But he’s a nervous wreck, his shaking hands fumbling the books he’s trying to stack back up. “Dude, are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, just…” He stands, shoving the book pile hastily on the desk and waving his hand in the air before jamming it through his mullet. “Working.”

He doesn’t meet my eye, looking around nervously. One hand is crossed overhis body protectively and the other picks at the back of his chair. I frown at him, trying to figure out if I’ve done something wrong. I can feel the heat of my embarrassment in my ears.

“Uh, yeah, well. Didn’t mean to interrupt you. Rafe’s just not in and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.” I push through the awkwardness, plastering on my biggest smile before shoving half a pastry into my mouth. It works, and Brydon softens a little, a tentative smile creeping across his face.

Yeah, I got him.I do my little internal happy dance at getting my smile.

“Yeah, sorry. I should have come and checked or something. Rafe got called out on Tavisher business. He should be back soon. Take a seat if you want. Have a look around.” He nods his head to Rafe’s bigger desk to the centre of the room. “I’m really sure he won’t mind.”

I snicker at the sarcasm in Brydon’s voice as I take his advice. Setting my cup down and cramming the last of the pastry in my mouth, I scan the shelves of the office. Brydon’s watching me intently. It’s not in a sexual way. Like, hecouldbe checking me out, but I doubt it. Not with the weird, intense energy he’s throwing off. It’s pinging off every single one of my hunting instincts, making me jittery.

It’s a pretty extreme turn around from the chill guy who shared a noodle bowl with me yesterday.

“I hope he doesn’t mind. I had a bit of a nosey around upstairs too. Found the library.” I admire the collection of treasures on the shelves. There are antiques from I’m guessing both Tathys and the Mundane, judging by some of the designs. Magical artefacts and items, including a cool-looking knife with a sick pearl-type handle and a metal chalice inscribed with some wild sigils. Skulls and feather collections, dragon teeth and shells.

And then, I realise with a loud laugh, Mundane stuff. A heap more of it. Stuffed animals, old soda cans, a themed popcorn tin from a movie nearly a decade old. There’s even a display of old cameras. I pick one up carefully, looking around at Brydon through the viewfinder to see him trying to contain his own smile. “I found his porn collection. It’s impressive.”

I click the button on the camera just as Brydon bursts into anxious laughter,and even though it makes a whirring-clicking noise, I don’t think it has any film in it. Which is a shame, because it would have been a good photo.

“Yes, it’s quite a collection. Finding it when I was a teenager probably did a lot in, uh,influencingmy interest in the Mundane.”

Chuckling at Brydon’s admission, I put the camera back and decide to leave the rest of the shit alone, just in case I break it.

“Don’t you guys have porn here?” I settle myself in Rafe’s chair, enjoying the feel of the supple leather against my back. It makes me feel connected to him, being in his space like this, and eases a little of the ache of being away from him.

This whole “feelings” thing has me all sappy and pathetic and Ireallylike it. I’ve always been a relationship kinda guy. It just never really worked out that way for me.

Brydon follows my lead, sitting back in his chair, but turning it so it faces me. He looks a little relieved to be distracted from whatever he’s working on, to be honest, and if it’s that horrible book Darius had, I don’t blame him. My stomach turns at the memories shoving their way forward, of Theo and Darius up on the cliffs of the Falls.

“Are you okay, Seff? You’ve gone all pale.” My eyes snap to Brydon and I realise I’ve drifted off into my own thoughts again. The back of my neck burns at being caught.

“Yeah, sorry. Just got caught in a thought.”

He looks doubtful, but unlikemehe has some control over his brain-voice connection so he holds his tongue.

“Well, back to your question. Yes, we do have pornography. It’s just that the Mundane was… different. You know?”

“Ah,” I say, sagely, leaning back in the chair and folding my hands over my stomach. “The taboo thing. I get it. Hot.”

Brydon snorts out a laugh, rolling his eyes at me. “Yeah, something like that.”

He looks like he’s about to say something else, but there is a knock on the door and Eldrid appears, their dour, jowly face and drooping eyes reminding me of a dog. Which is probably helped by his canine shifter scent.

“Master Brydon,” He bows his head at Brydon, who responds with a cheerytwo-finger salute before Eldrid turns to me. “Master Seff.”

Yeesh, nope, don’t like that. I’m about to correct him on the whole title thing, but he turns back to Brydon. “Your father is here. There are guards with him, too. I have him waiting in the hall. Would you like to receive him?”

Eldrid tries to hide his anxious twisting of his fingers by clasping his hands in front of him, but it doesn’t quite work.

Immediately, the tension returns to Brydon’s body, the healthy green of his face turning an orc-grey kind of colour. I sit forward, ready to do I don’t quite know what, but wanting to be ready for it either way, but Brydon shocks us all.

“Yes, Eldrid. Send him in.”

“Are you sure, Master Brydon? I would be more than happy to—” Brydon stands, cutting a hand through the air to stop Elrid from talking. His tail waves behind him.

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