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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI imagine that your community is a bit larger than ours,\u201d she said calmly, moving toward the girl and the teapot.<\/p>\n
\u201cMildly,\u201d Thom agreed, crossing his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite a bit, actually,\u201d Seamus said quietly. \u201cConsidering the Hunt is quartered with us now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lara\u2019s gaze sharpened. \u201cYou speak of them as if you\u2019re not of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not anymore,\u201d Seamus said. \u201cI\u2019ve been granted release from my obligation to them. My life is once again my own.\u201d<\/p>\n
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. \u201cHow did you know anyone was here, anyway?\u201d 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\u2019d seen a lot of wear over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhelan told us he\u2019d sheltered with people here,\u201d Thom said as he took one of the mugs. \u201cIn this general area, anyhow. It didn\u2019t take a lot of guessing to figure out it was probably here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know Phelan?\u201d the teenager asked, her dark eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and excitement. \u201cHe only stayed here for a night, but he was so nice. Where did he go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA good question, Celeste,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Hot and cold, this one. We\u2019ll have to tread carefully\u2014her trust is tenuous, I think.<\/em> \u201cWe found him south of here in the middle of a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was lucky we found him,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure what might have happened if we hadn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing good,\u201d J.T. rumbled as he accepted a piece of bread from Lara. \u201cBut that\u2019s par for the course when it comes to him, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Seamus smiled. \u201cHe has an aptitude for trouble. He always has.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know him,\u201d Lara said.<\/p>\n Thom nodded. \u201cVery well, Miss Duchnes. Our home is his home.\u201d<\/p>\n She frowned. \u201cHe said he was a traveler when he spent the night here. That he had no home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was trying to protect them,\u201d Seamus said quietly. \u201cHe thought that by staying, he was bringing trouble down on their heads. He was wrong, of course.\u201d The former Taliesin smiled crookedly. \u201cThat happens more than he cares to admit, I\u2019m afraid, but he means well. He loves fiercely and protects the people he loves in every way he can think of\u2014even if he\u2019s thinking wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 … Continue reading