Holding up a finger and ignoring Vael’s gnashing teeth, she sauntered over to her purse to dig out her cellphone. A huge, mischievous grin broke out across her face when she peered at the screen. “Oh, look! Speak of the elemental… Oh.”
Dread fell heavily into his gut when Alex’s expression morphed into one of deep worry. “What?” he barked, hurrying over to where she stood by the door. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
When she didn’t answer quickly enough, Vael hissed and simply snatched the phone from her hand. His eyes darted over the screen. The words splintered into nothing but broken glass as his grip tightened.
And then he saw red.
* * *
Hele knew the date was a bad idea.
While she thought that Alex had a point, and that it was good to follow through on her threat, she knew she’d made a mistake as soon as she left her apartment in her favorite dress.
The dress wasn’t the problem. In fact, it was rather lovely — a treasured gift from her mother. Layers of gauzy purple fabric swirled around her calves when she walked, and the top was secured with a bow around her neck, leaving her back and arms free of constricting fabric. Paired with some sparkly flats and a very carefully secured hair clip by her ear, Hele felt lovely.
On the outside.
Inside, she didn’t feel good about it at all. She’d never been on a date before, though it was one of those things she longed to experience, and she was nervous meeting someone she knew nothing about. There was a part of her that ached with curiosity, but mostly she was anxious. Most of the people she encountered were clanmates or worked for the ‘Riik in some way. They were safe and within the realm of things she understood.
But a stranger? Anelf?
Hele only knew of them from what she’d read and watched. Most of that was not exactly complimentary. According to an article she’d skimmed, they had only just recently begun mating outside of their ranks. She knew they were secretive, powerful, and vicious. Unlike herself and the dragons she knew, they only had the one form. Rather than making them weak, however, it seemed they made up for this disadvantage by being almost indestructible.
The pictures she’d seen, and the very few elves she’d glimpsed from afar, told her that they were a beautiful people — richly colored and varied like her dragons were — but terrifying. Something in their bearing saidback off or I’ll bite.
The man she’d been set up with was no different.
He was the EVP embassy’s junior public liaison and knew Alex through a friend of a friend. Jacques was a pale green, with wavy hair he styled long at the top and short on the sides. He wore a pin-stripe suit and long coat. A collar was buttoned tight just under his chin. When he took her hand, it was with fingers swathed in leather and tipped with silver claws.
Wrong,something deep in her decided.He is wrong.
The wrong green. The wrong eyes. The wrong hands and scent and expression. Everything about him was wrong.
Not Vael. Not right.
Things only got worse when he leaned in close and took a deep breath. Hele stood still, confused and a little put off by his intrusion into her space, until he slowly eased back. He looked… disappointed.
But the expression quickly smoothed over. An easy smile took its place, revealing four sharp fangs. Releasing her hand, he gave her astay heregesture.
“I’ll go see if they have a table available,” he said. It was Friday night, and the steakhouse Alex had arranged for them to meet at was quite busy. There was a waiting area just beyond the doors, but it was packed with people. Hele was relieved to have an excuse to stay away from so many strangers who might gawk at her. She didn’t go to restaurants without her family often, and now that she stood outside of one, she was reminded why.
Not only did she generally avoid food, but peoplestared.
“I’ll wait here,” she’d promised him, shifting slightly to one side to keep from blocking the door.
Jacques nodded once and then slipped inside. She breathed a sigh of relief, happy to be away from all thewrongfor just a moment, and watched the busy downtown street as she waited for him to return.
She waited.
And waited.
When fifteen minutes crawled by, she peered through the doors and into the waiting area. There was no flash of pale green, or even the elegant shape of his narrow back. A few of the people had left, presumably escorted to tables, but there was no elf.
Maybe he went to the restroom?
Hele moved back into her place by the door. More people arrived, filing one by one into the steakhouse, and a few left, their eyes shiny and their laughter loud.
A half hour passed.
