A girl of maybe fifteen or sixteen was the one to bring the bread and tea, a big, dark-skinned man holding the door open for her as she slipped in. They looked enough alike that Thom guessed that they might be brother and sister. He gave the man a slight nod in acknowledgement and smiled at the girl as she laid out the platter of dark bread and a blue enameled pot that smelled like bergamot and orange. Lara watched his face for a moment before her gaze flicked away, toward J.T., Cameron, and Seamus in turn.
“I imagine that your community is a bit larger than ours,” she said calmly, moving toward the girl and the teapot.
“Mildly,” Thom agreed, crossing his arms.
“Quite a bit, actually,” Seamus said quietly. “Considering the Hunt is quartered with us now.”
Lara’s gaze sharpened. “You speak of them as if you’re not of them.”
“I’m not anymore,” Seamus said. “I’ve been granted release from my obligation to them. My life is once again my own.”
Her brow arched delicately and for a moment Thom thought she would press for more information, but she surprised him by shrugging and starting to tear the loaf of bread into chunks. “How did you know anyone was here, anyway?” she asked as she handed out the bread, leaving the teenager to hand out cups of tea. The mugs were battered, looking as if they’d seen a lot of wear over the years.
“Phelan told us he’d sheltered with people here,” Thom said as he took one of the mugs. “In this general area, anyhow. It didn’t take a lot of guessing to figure out it was probably here.”
“You know Phelan?” the teenager asked, her dark eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and excitement. “He only stayed here for a night, but he was so nice. Where did he go?”
“A good question, Celeste,” Lara said, giving the teenager a warm smile before the expression turned frosty as her attention shifted back to the men. Thom sat down slowly.
Hot and cold, this one. We’ll have to tread carefully—her trust is tenuous, I think. “We found him south of here in the middle of a fight.”
“He was lucky we found him,” Cameron said. “I’m not sure what might have happened if we hadn’t.”
“Nothing good,” J.T. rumbled as he accepted a piece of bread from Lara. “But that’s par for the course when it comes to him, isn’t it?”
Seamus smiled. “He has an aptitude for trouble. He always has.”
“You know him,” Lara said.
Thom nodded. “Very well, Miss Duchnes. Our home is his home.”
She frowned. “He said he was a traveler when he spent the night here. That he had no home.”
“He was trying to protect them,” Seamus said quietly. “He thought that by staying, he was bringing trouble down on their heads. He was wrong, of course.” The former Taliesin smiled crookedly. “That happens more than he cares to admit, I’m afraid, but he means well. He loves fiercely and protects the people he loves in every way he can think of—even if he’s thinking wrong.”
