Page 4 of Hunted By Wolves and Shadow
“Yes.”
Emi looked calm enough now to almost smile. “That's the name your parents gave you? Really?”
I shrugged. It seemed unlikely, but it was the only name I knew.
“Fine, Wolf, what are you doing here?”
No matter how disarmingly curious those big green eyes looked, I couldn’t afford to drop my guard. “Gardening,” I hedged.
That was one way of phrasing it. There had been digging involved.
“Gardening?”
“That’s right.”
Her eyes traveled the length of my body, taking in my threadbare trousers and the tidy tunic and vest I wore, and lingering on the width of my shoulders. I puffed my chest just a little bit.What? It had been a long time since anyone looked at me with that sort of interest, and for this heartbeat, I was only a man enjoying a beautiful woman’s appreciative gaze. I rarely got to meet new people, and never like this. Finally, I cleared my throat.
She blinked fast. “Your clothes are rather clean, aren’t they?”
“I carry a change of clothing. You never know who you might encounter.” I tossed her a wink.
She spluttered a laugh. “You never do know.”
I grinned at her playing along with me.
I was enjoying Emi’s attention too much to give anything more away. It genuinely seemed like she didn’t know the types of things that happened in these woods. I might not deserve it, but I wanted to prolong the time before she saw who I really was.
The wolf.
The beast.
The monster.
I may as well relish this brief respite since I was stuck here until I found what I needed or…No, I wouldn’t think about alternatives. The glow in my chest faded.
Being a man again for now didn’t truly change anything. I’d spent too long in the dark corruption of the Mist to escape the curse, even in this magical clearing. The tarnish of it followed me, a cold that lingered on my soul even when I stepped into the radiant warmth of a bright fire. Its stain clung to me even under the gaze of a pretty girl.
No matter how she was looking at me, I was still that beast. I had blood on my hands that would never wash off, even if no oneelse knew it was there. If Emi knew, she’d run from me as fast as her legs would carry her.
My easy grin stiffened in place.
Until I knew what had gone wrong with the prophecy, I was staying, and Emi couldn’t leave while certain death waited outside the doors. We might as well make the best of our situation. A pleasant conversation wasn’t exactly a hardship. Surely we could make idle chatter until conditions improved, and maybe she could still escape.
“Do you often bring a change of clothes and linger about your gardening jobs?” Emi removed her hooded cloak and hung it on the coat rack next to one of ruby red. My stomach twisted, something ugly rising at how similar they were. That red hood had only ever meant one thing.
“Sometimes.” I held my smile.
Emi looked at me like a puzzle to be solved, her earlier fear replaced by wary curiosity. “And Ruby invited you inside?”
My brain prickled. If she knew the witch, then she hadn’t fled here by accident. Maybe she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed. I would have to tread carefully.
Gesturing to the window, I replied, “I got stuck here when it got bad out there.”
She took in the thick Mist beyond the diamond panes and rubbed a lingering shiver from her arms. Her forehead scrunched. “And where is she now?”
Chapter 3
Emi
