Page 36 of Prince of Tides
Chapter Nineteen
Rip
“This had better be important, Eb,” I growled as I got out of the car, the gray-haired shifter waiting patiently for me.
“I do believe it is, my prince.”
I glared at him. “I told you not to call me that. I’m not your prince yet. I have to find my mate and take the Test first. And if you forget, the last time you called me that, it sort of hurt my chances.”
“Indeed,” Eb said, showing no signs of remorse. “I’m aware, my prince. Now, if you’ll come with me.”
“No respect,” I muttered, shaking my head. “What is it, Eb? Why couldn’t you just have said what was going on in your message? Surely it couldn’t be that important to summon me away from the Bastion at this time of year? The incursions are frequent. Our people need methere.”
“I remember the war well, my prince,” Eb said, moving his hair to the side to reveal the long scar that tracked from his ear down over his shoulder and, I knew from experience, all the way to mid-thigh.
There were some injuries that even dragon magic couldn’t heal completely. The creatures had torn him open and pushed his body over an undersea vent. The superheated water had seared the skin, preventing it from being able to heal properly. Although his peers had cut the dead skin away to try to heal the two ends, the fusion had left him with the scar, a rarity among dragons.
“Then you know I should bethere, not here.”
“No,” Eb said as we got in the elevator. “You should be here. Trust me.”
I looked at him, his slightly strangled tone an oddity. Eb was one of the most solid, unflappable shifters I’d ever met. Yet something had thrown him off.
“Is it bad?” I asked, reflexively curling one hand into a fist.
“That is very subjective,” Eb said softly as the elevator chimed, announcing we had arrived. “I don’t think so. But it remains to be seen how you will feel.”
Unnervedandcryptic? That wasn’t like Eb at all.
Still, there was a positive. Perhaps, after I was done handling whatever issue Eb needed me to deal with, I could find some time to track down Laurie. Three weeks had passed, and I hoped maybe she had moved past her initial anger to the point we could talk. Maybe start fresh.
I hadn’t been able to get away from the Bastion all that time, and it was starting to feel like spying, given how frequently I used the mirror to watch her. I wanted the real thing. No more reflections.
With that thought on my mind, Eb opened the door to my suite, ushered me in, and closed it behind me.
“Laurie?” I gaped, stunned by the sight of the amber-eyed blonde in front of me. She was clasping her hands in front of her, the movement resulting in her breasts pressing together, much to the delight of my gaze. “What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Rip,” she said softly from the middle of the room.
I noted where she stood. It was an unusual spot. I doubted that she’d picked it at random.
She was pacing back and forth when I got here. And look at her hands. She’s wringing them constantly. Even her form of address is nervous and contained.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Did Eric do something?”
“No, no-no-no,” she said, waving her hands at my half-snarl. “It’s fine. He’s gone. Tried to pick up my sister, but that’s all.”
“Hewhat?”
“That’s not important!” she said. “Look, just do me a favor, and shut up, okay? Let me talk? Uh, Your Highness.”
“Forget that,” I said with a slash of my hand. “My name is Rip. Use it. Please.”
“Right. Rip. Um, so the last time we saw each other …” She stopped.
“Is this a speech? That sounded awfully rehearsed.”
“It is,” she said, waving me back. “Just let me talk, okay? This isn’t easy to say.”
