Page 80 of For Dear Life

“Wow. Imagine Holly being friends with that type of girl,” Leif replies and exchanges a sly smile with the other guys.

“I don’t believe that’s amusing at all. Poor Holly.”

“Yes, poor Holly.” Grayson and Leif swap a friendlier look, and I’m mystified what changed their terse attitude towards each other.

“At least Marci helped us,” says Rowan. “We’d never know about the shifters’ connection to the witches without her. I hope Dorian had a useful meeting with Sawyer and Josef.”

Grayson’s and Rowan’s gazes lock.

“Good grief,” I say. “All this testosterone is choking me, and if you don’t stop, I’ll choke you both. Nobody is killing anybody.”

A young woman passing by holds her daughter’s hand tighter and hurries the small girl along.

“Nice one, Violet,” says Grayson. “Scare the humans.”

“I said not killing.”

Dorian waits for us in a cafe at the edge of the mall, which means I don’t technically need to enter Holly’s territory. Yet. Sitting at a round table beneath a local landscape art piece, he’s casually dressed in jeans and a faded black T-shirt, looking little different in age to me as usual. At least when Dorian wears less youthful clothing, he sets himself apart from the younger guys around.

“Is Eloise not with you today?” I ask him.

“I haven’t left town since last night.” Dorian watches each guy in an unnecessarily predatory way as they sit around the circular table with me. “With current events in town, I like to remind local people I’m around.”

I don’t bother telling Dorian that outside the academy, few humans know who he is, although they’ll easily sense his supernatural ‘stay away’ aura. The young woman in the red shirt with the café logo who approaches certainly looks more nervous than impressed, almost spilling coffee as she places Dorian’s cup on the table.

“How was your meeting with Grayson’s uncle and Sawyer?” I ask.

Grayson suddenly becomes intent on reading the laminated menu. “Can you not refer to him like that?” he mutters.

“Your uncle? I’m unlikely to forget, Grayson.” Dorian tips sugar into his coffee. “A rather unpleasant man. I hope he wasn’t too unkind to you when you ‘caught up’. He didn’t comment when I asked after you.”

Grayson holds the menu tighter.

Our information is best shared after Dorian shares his, as he won’t be in the mood for talking after Grayson’s news. In fact, Grayson should perhaps sit at a table across the café. There’s half a truth to Rowan’s comment as to why I chose to meet Dorian in public, and why I selected the most popular café with the largest space.

“I’m visiting him alone later,” says Dorian.

“Josef?”

“Sawyer. Josef should avoid time alone with me.” He glances at Grayson, but at least without a penetrating stare. “I told the man that I know about his links to the witches and need to talk about the situation.”

I straighten. “And do you?”

“No. But Sawyer isn’t aware of that. A quick sweep of his mind tells me he’s concerned about Josef’s advice, so perhaps I can find a way to the bottom of this situation.” He drinks. “Kai remains confined to his home.”

“Good,” I say. “Make sure you ask Sawyer about the runes in his room”

“Naturally. Sawyer will tell me everything, verbally or non-verbally.” Dorian taps the side of his head. “These witches must be in my custody soon. I need their minds trawled by my own witches and confessions ‘elicited’. We don’t know the extent of their necromancy, either. Numerous shifters could be unwittingly involved.”

Leif shifts in his seat, fingers curling around the pendant still worn around his neck.

“Apologies, Leif, but I’m focused on apprehending the witches and then we’ll look into what’s happening amongst the shifters.” He scratches his nose. “We can’t help the kids already targeted and used, but we can nip this in the bud.”

“Nip this in the bud?” blurts Leif. “This isn’t delinquent behavior. It’s a crime.”

I nudge Leif hard. Bad idea. Dorian’s shown a calmer side over recent events, but he’s unlikely to stay that way if challenged.

“Yes, Leif,” he says through gritted teeth, showing too much canine for comfort. “But my daughter’s safety comes first.” His savage look drills into poor Leif’s face. “I will do everything necessary to protect her. Everything. Is that clear?”

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