“Oh, but what about you?” Celeste said quickly, as if to head off any more questions. “What do you do with yourself these days?”
Hardwicke blinked.Ah.
Usually, he’d come up with some easy and simple cover story – he was here for a vacation, just like anyone else who might have rented the refurbished fisherman’s cottage, or he was just passing through and, intrigued by the island, had taken a detour to check it out.
But none of the people he’d told such stories to to cover up the real nature of his work had been hismate, and Hardwicke couldn’t bring himself tolieto her like that. Everything in his spirit rebelled against it – a mate was supposed to be someone you could share your whole self with, after all.
So just be honest, then,his pegasus snorted.You already know she wants us. You’ll need to tell her at some point anyway.
That might have been true,ifthe pegasus was right, and there was still a chance for him and Celeste. But Hardwicke didn’t dare bank on that, and he wasn’t about to reveal the nature of who he was,whathe was, and what he did right now, in the middle of a café, over a plate of meatloaf. It was a conversation for a private setting –ifCeleste was willing to agree to such a thing.
Don’t forget, I still don’t know why she left me the first time,he cautioned himself.I don’t know what reason she had, and whether it still exists.
All she’d said was that she needed to leave, that she had commitments elsewhere that it was impossible for her to deny – but here she was, and Hardwicke would stay here with her for the rest of their lives, if that was what it took to remain by her side.
But for now, I have to figure out what to say.
Inwardly grimacing, Hardwicke decided he’d just have to tell as much of the truth as he could.
“I’m here because there’s been reports of some mysterious earth tremors over the past couple of weeks,” he said. “I’ve come to check them out.”
Itwasthe truth, after all. He didn’t need to explain the nature of the ‘checking out’, or that the Shifter Patrol Corps suspected something odd was going on, even by their standards.
Celeste blinked, her mouth dropping open – though in the next moment she’d covered up her surprise, even if it was a little poorly.
“Oh – those? I, uh, I just assumed they were… well, I guess I don’t reallyknow, but…”
She came to an uncertain halt, biting her lips as if trying to dam up the flow of her words.
“You’ve felt them, then?” Hardwicke asked, intrigued. Maybe he could find out a little more about them. “How frequently do they happen? Have they been getting stronger?”
“Oh… I guess… maybe like you said, a couple of weeks?” Celeste said uncertainly. “And… yes, I suppose they have been. Just a bit, though. At first they were barely noticeable, but lately I think they’ve been getting stronger and stronger, though nottoostrong.”
Celeste seemed flustered, though Hardwicke couldn’t figure outwhyshe’d be that way. Intrigued, he leaned forward. “Is there anything else you’ve noticed about them?”
Celeste swallowed. “Um. Maybe? The truth is… Pierce, well, you see, I suppose I should explain a little… but I guess I don’t really knowhow –”
“Ah. Good afternoon to you.”
Celeste’s words were cut off by the sound of a rich baritone voice from above them. Hardwicke had been so intent on Celeste that he hadn’t noticed anyone approaching their table – unforgivable, for both a shifter and an agent of the Shifter Patrol Corps – and now he looked up to see an older man, balding, with what hair remained to him slicked down neatly against his skull, a curling mustache on his upper lip, and a trulyinterestingpurple and green paisley tie tucked into his impeccable gray suit.
“Celeste, my dear,” the man continued as Hardwicke stared up at him. “I do hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
Chapter 3
“Uncle Gordon!” Celeste gasped, jumping to her feet. “You’re early!”
Guilt curdled in her stomach. If it hadn’t been for Gordon arriving at this very moment, she knew she would have blabbed out a lot more than she should have to Pierce – maybe even something that would have revealed the true nature of the earth tremors, and why she herself was on this island now.
But he wouldn’t have believed you, even if you had,she thought sadly, as Gordon carried on with some pleasantry or other in his posh, deep voice.He just would have thought you were completely crazy.
And why had she felt compelled to tell him anything anyway? It was true she hated lying and wasn’t very good at it, but she’d been managing to keep up her cover story here foryears– so why had she choked on it now, when she’d needed to repeat it to Pierce?
She didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, though – Uncle Gordon had clearly just asked her a question while her head was in a whirl, and now she had to try to answer it… even though she didn’t really have the faintest idea what it was he’d said.
“Uh… thank you, yes, I’m doing really well! And how are you, Uncle Gordon?” she said, taking a wild stab in the dark.
In reply, Gordon only raised a single eyebrow, and Celeste gulped as she realized her guess must have been completely wrong.
