6
Oran
I’m irritated with Shay for interrupting my night with Danni. A night that wouldn’t have happened, if he’d been there on time. I’m also a little burned that Danni didn’t tell me Shay was her father. I’m not worried about Shay and his warnings, but I am worried that Danni’s mom, Lindsay, will ban me from the café.
The café is a second home to most of us. A place where we leave messages, meet new riders, and farewell those that are leaving. Lorcan has vanished, there’s money on whether he’s dead or gone home. If he’s gone home, did he take a woman, or did he return in disgrace?
Returning home without a woman is about the worst thing a rider can do. When I go back, I won’t make that mistake. I catch myself thinking when, not if. For the longest time, I’d sworn never to go back…but now?
I can still feel her lips on mine and that sound she makes when she comes. I blame the vibration of the bike for the hard-on that won’t leave.
I glance at Shay’s back as he rides ahead. He rarely asks for help, but I’d warned him about the newyn, and he said he’d help me if I helped him with a brathu nest. It seemed like a good trade. Brathu are horrible little scaly things, venomous too. While they rarely attack humans, this nest is close to a campground. Some monsters we let be as long as they aren’t going to hurt people.
We pull into a diner at dawn. Over breakfast Shay finally looks at me like he doesn’t want to flay me.
“Don’t take my kid hunting again,” he says around a breakfast burger.
“I only needed a second set of eyes. If you’d been there on time…” I shrug and concentrate on my eggs and hash browns. I’m starving and my body is trying to replenish the energy I used casting the spell. I ate more chocolate bars than recommended when I filled up the bike last night, but I might need a few more today.
“I had things to do.”
“Don’t we all.” I was out of my area, but everyone at the café had agreed it was better I keep hunting the newyn because I know it’s patterns. My area is being covered by the guys that bordered it. This is taking me farther away. I’ll have to stop by the bar on my way back. I don’t want Danni to think I’ve skipped town and forgotten about her. “Danni—”
“Daphne.” Shay corrects.
“She wants me to call her Danni.” And I don’t have time for his bullshit. Danni is an adult. And I like her. She’d be fun to hunt with on a more regular basis. “And she’s good at hunting. Smart.” Sexy and fierce. Everything I like in one package.
Shay puts down his burger. “No hunting with her. In fact don’t see her at all.”
I don’t regret anything that happened with Danni, and Shay has no right to be warning riders away from her. She’s fae, she should get to make up her own mind about if she wants to live around humans or go to faery.
Without riders getting with humans and seeding the next generation of fae women, there wouldn’t be any. And then there wouldn’t be any fae.
He glares at me until I nod in agreement. I don’t agree, if anything I’m more determined than ever to see her. But what will Lindsay think? I don’t want to be banned from the cafe.
I decide to tread carefully until I’ve sorted out a few things.
