She owed him a debt. And it was time to collect.
He walked inside, his eyes falling on a young woman with dark hair at a desk facing him. She was pretty and obviously had some fae heritage. His heightened eyesight picked up on the purple highlights in her dark hair and the faint glow to her aura. She sparkled with mental magic, meaning an empath or telepath.
He hardened his mental shell, though he doubted he would need it. As he drew closer, he could see that she was at least half-human. Maybe more. She probably wouldn’t be able to sense his emotions anyway. Not here in the human realm.
She stared at him with wide eyes as he approached. After blinking a few times, she spoke, “Good afternoon. How can I help you?”
The woman got to her feet and came around her desk, stopping just at the corner and folding her hands in front of her.
He halted. There was a tension in her body as though he made her uncomfortable. It was something he noticed in humans with fae ancestry. His presence made them feel wary. “I’m here to see Dominique Proxa,” he answered.
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked.
Ronan barely refrained from smirking. He hadn’t needed an appointment to see a fae business owner in a long, long time. “No, but she’ll want to see me.”
“Your name?”
“Ronan Byrne.”
She studied him for a long moment, and he could practically see the wheels turning in her mind. He saw it in her expression when she realized who he was.
Still, her response surprised him. “Let me see if she’s available. We may have to schedule an appointment for you later today or this week.”
He stared at her, a bit flummoxed. He hadn’t expected that. Her aura shifted, and he had to smirk. He was not impressing this halfling. At all. He loved it. She might know who he was, but she wasn’t going to kowtow. He had to respect that.
The woman turned and knocked on the door behind her. Chills ran down Ronan’s spine when he heard a low, almost sultry voice call out, “Come in, Veronica.”
Veronica vanished into the office, shutting the door firmly behind her. Ronan stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. He wondered if Dominique Proxa would remember him. Or recognize his name.
He was so involved in his thoughts he didn’t even notice the woman who came to stand next to him until she spoke, “Good afternoon.”
Ronan jumped, twisting in shock to stare at the older woman. “Holy—” He bit back the curse. “Um, good afternoon.”
She smiled at him, her black eyes warm and friendly. “I’m sorry I startled you, but I need to run, and I didn’t want to leave without letting Veronica know.” She gestured to the desk with the items in her hands. “Will you let her know I left these on her desk?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“I’m Zelda,” she said, holding out her hand.
Off balance for the second time in less than five minutes, Ronan shook her hand on autopilot. “Ronan.”
Her answering smile was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place her. “It’s great to see you, Ronan. Have a lovely afternoon.”
He watched her walk away, confused. She’d said it like she knew him. While she did look vaguely familiar, he didn’t recognize her.What a strange woman, he thought.
Veronica came out of Dominique’s office, glancing over to the glass-walled room to the right.
“The woman left a note and a tablet on your desk. She said she would be in touch soon.”
Her eyes came back to him, and her mouth tightened. “Dominique will see you now.”
He smiled at her, which made her cock her head to one side. She didn’t say anything else, though, just led him to the door and opened it.
Ronan sauntered in behind her as the woman got up from behind the desk and walked around to the front. When her eyes lifted to his, the blue-green color was even more intense and intriguing.
The sight of the woman Dominique Proxa had become was enough to have him stopping in his tracks. Their gazes were locked on each other, and an electric hum buzzed in his blood.
“It’s you,” he said.
