When I glance up, I notice Darhg watching me with an unreadable expression.
“We've missed you, you know,” Elga tells Darhg and moves closer to the counter, her voice dropping to something softer but no less warm. "You should come back to town more often. You have nothing to be ashamed of. There's no reason to hide away like you do."
The words are gentle, but Darhg’s entire demeanor changes as she speaks them. I watch his entire posture transform, his expression closing off like shutters slamming shut. The easy warmth that had been building in the room evaporates.
"We should go," he says, his voice even and final. "I still have lots to do at the cabin."
Elga holds Darhg’s gaze for long moments before exhaling forcefully and shaking her head. It looks to me like she knew this would be Darhg’s reaction all along.
Darhg walks out without saying goodbye, leaving me to follow. As I turn to say my goodbyes, Elga appears at my elbow for one last hug.
"Has he fed you yet?" she asks quietly, her burnt-orange eyes twinkling with mischief.
I laugh, warmth rushing back despite Darhg's sudden mood change. What’s with ogres and the food obsession?
"He cooked a whole feast this morning. Pancakes from scratch, eggs, bacon, the works. I ate so much I nearly exploded."
“Good. Tell him to feed youwith his own handsnext time.” Elga's smile turns slyly sweet as she insists. She winks. “You'll thank me later.”
Before I can ask what that means, she turns to new clients who have just stepped into the shop, leaving me standing alone with more questions than answers. Not knowing what else to do, I hug Jennifer goodbye and step outside with Darhg who is already walking toward his parked SUV.
By the time I catch up to him on the sidewalk, his entire demeanor has shifted back to the serious, grumpy bodyguard I’ve always known.
I follow Darhg toward the SUV, Elga's parting words fizzing through my mind like champagne bubbles. The cold air makes my cheeks sting, but I'm warm inside my new coat. If he notices me getting in the car and sitting in the passenger seat next to him, he doesn’t show it.
I study his set jaw and rigid shoulders as he drives us back to the cabin. I notice the tendons in his neck and the way his knuckles grip the steering wheel tighter the entire time. And I keep thinking about a sensitive boy who saved baby birds. It’s hard to reconcile this with the ogre I know now.
Where did that boy go? What happened to you?
I think about Elga's suggestion to ask him to feed me with his own hands. My pulse kicks up at the thought.
Maybe I should test that theory.
"Darhg," I call softly as we reach the cabin and he parks his SUV.
He pauses with his hand on the driver's door, not quite looking at me.
"Thank you," I say. "For bringing me here. For taking good care of me."
Something flickers across his expression, some of the harshness falling away, and he blinks at me. It’s like he doesn’t even know what to say. He must not receive compliments very often.
"They love you," I tell him simply. "You must have been a good friend to them."
He opens his mouth like he wants to argue, then seems to think better of it. Instead, he just nods once and then gets out, walking toward the cabin in a few long strides. I picked up on something here. Something about the real Darhg.
The Darhg I want to know.
I wonder what would happen if I did what Elga suggested and asked Darhg to feed me with his own hands. A flutter of excitement fills my belly at the thought.
I'm definitely going to find out.
Chapter Eight
Darhg
I’vebeenawayallday and it was pure torture. Being back is even worse.
I wish I was strong enough to stay away. There is no reason for me to keep Rona here, no rationale imperative for her continued presence in my lair.
