His tone was still distant and cold.
I stopped pacing and faced him. “And what was that crap about not liking humans?” I asked, unable to hold my tongue any longer. “You talked about me like…like…” I waved my arms because I wasn’t sure what to say. “Like I was a bug to be squashed beneath your shoe!” I finally said.
He sighed. “Considering you call me a monster, why are you upset about that?”
I glared at him. “I thought we’d moved past all that last night.”
“Did we?” he asked.
“Yes!” I yelled. “You made some good points. I made some good points. I thought we’d come to an understanding. You gave me my phone back this morning. Are you telling me that isn’t because of our discussion last night?”
“Discussion? I remember it very differently. Like you physically attacking me.”
I stomped my foot and slammed my fists on my hips. “As if I could do any real damage to you! You said that yourself!”
“Why are you so upset, Cari?”
“Because I don’t understand you! Just a few minutes ago, you were talking about me as though I were beneath your concern, yet your actions say the exact opposite!”
“What actions?”
Oh, he wanted a list? Fine, I’d give him one…at the top of my lungs.
“One!” I said, sticking my index finger up. “You didn’t hurt me when I bit you or slapped you the first night we met. Two – you bought me a huge coffee and a ton of pastries the next morning. Three – you bought a coffee pot just for me so that I could have what I liked every morning. You also got my suitcase for me without me having to ask for it, you gave me a comfortable room to sleep in. Hell, you don’t even lock me in at night! As far as kidnappers go, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one being this nice!”
I almost couldn’t meet his stare any longer because his eyes were burning so brightly, they were nearly blinding.
“Can you turn the headlights off, please?” I asked, looking away. “You’re blinding me.”
He sighed and closed his eyes. “Are you done venting at me?” he asked.
“For now.”
He chuckled. When he opened his eyes, they were green once again. “I don’t think you’re beneath me, Cari. Far from it. But if Leona had even an inkling that I held any sort of regard for you, she would do everything she could to either turn you against me or harm you. She’s always looking for tools. Or weapons. Any weakness will be ruthlessly exploited. She’s very much a lioness in that aspect.”
I could see that. She gave me cold chills. In a literal sense.
“Do you think she’s going to do something to you?” I asked.
He picked up a pen from his desk and rolled it over the backs of his fingers. “Maybe. Maybe not. While Leona is dangerous, she’s also patient and cunning. She won’t do anything to turn the town against her.”
“What’s her deal with the town anyway?” I asked. “You said she wanted to be mayor, right?”
He nodded. “There’s money here. Quite a bit of money.”
It’s a small town. How was there a lot of money here?
My face must have reflected my thoughts because Daniel smiled slightly. “Most of the people who live here have business interests outside of the town. In larger cities. Other countries. Leona owns quite a bit of real estate just outside of town. As soon as she realized what was happening here, she bought up tracts of land.”
“Why would she do that?” Before he could answer, I shook my head. “Never mind. I just realized. The town will eventually expand, won’t it? And it will need the land surrounding the city limits at some point.”
He nodded. “The expansion isn’t going fast enough to suit her tastes. The town grows, but only a little at a time. Since we don’t typically advertise to humans that it’s here, we only gain more population when people move into town, or couples have children. Which is rare since most of us have trouble finding mates.”
Mates? This entire conversation made my brain hurt.
Daniel continued. “She wanted to be the mayor because she wanted to force the expansion. If she’s in charge, she can choose where the town’s money goes. What land is used for upcoming projects. Or even what projects would begin.”
“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” I asked.
