An impatient yowl from the direction of the enclosures reminded Odessa that she had more pressing concerns than the questionable career choices of strange men. She shook her head. “I’ll just have to take your word for it. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. If you take that path, it will lead you back to the palace. I’m sure someone there will be able to help you on your way.”
He might be the only other person besides Boris and Katrin who knows about the curse, but I really don’t think he’s going to be much help. And if Boris finds out that he knows…
She scooped up Bean and settled him in the pocket of her apron against her waist, then turned and began walking through the Menagerie, surprised and mildly annoyed when Jax fell into step beside her.
“What does a swan do for work?” He clasped his hands together behind his back and looked around in fascination. “I didn’t realize birds aspired to be gainfully employed.”
“Shhh!” Odessa spun and threw a hand over his mouth, while her eyes frantically searched the premises to ensure that Boris wasn’t lurking in the shadows.
He normally retreats to his library once the sun sets, but it would be just my luck that he chose tonight to change his schedule.
“Was my question offensive?” Jax mumbled against her palm.
She shook her head, giving their surroundings a final scan. Once satisfied that her father wasn’t going to pop out of the trees like an owl, she slowly dropped her hand. “No, but it isn’t safe to talk about. You never know who might be listening.”
“What’s not safe to talk about? Your job?”
Odessa looked up, surprised to find the amused half-grin on Jax’s face so close to her own. She hadn’t realized in the moment how much she had invaded his space. She cleared her throat and stepped back. “My…situation.”
The half-grin fell into a contemplative frown. “By situation I assume you mean the state you were in when we met the second time?”
“Yes.” She started walking again. “You really should go back to the palace.”
“Dmitri said he thought you could help me.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Why would he think that?”
“He said you’re the expert in strange creatures. Ignoring the fact that his intimation thatIam a strange creature is completely unfounded and totally off the mark, I would assume it’s because of your ‘situation,’ as you say.”
“He doesn’t know.”
“Really?” Jax tilted his head, reminding her of Bean. “Because it’s dangerous to speak of?”
Odessa let out a bitter laugh. “No. Because it literally can’t be spoken of unless you’re already aware of its existence. You’re the first person who’s figured it out.”
“What?” He nearly tripped over his feet in surprise. “Why? That seems rather malicious.”
“Normally curses aren’t cast out of good will.” She could feel Bean’s growl of displeasure rumble against her stomach.
“It’s a curse?”
“Well, I certainly didn’t wake up one morning and wish to be a swan during the daylight hours,” she drawled. They hadarrived at Katrin and Sonya’s enclosure. Odessa pulled out her keys and turned the lock. The gate swung open with a squeak, and she gestured him through. “Fair warning—Sonya can be a little enthusiastic when meeting new people.”
Jax turned around in a full circle, studying the habitat with the curious excitement that she was beginning to suspect was a trademark of his personality. “Who’s Sonya?”
A loud, high-pitched squeal erupted from a dense thicket to their right, and Sonya came charging out, eyes wide and nostrils flaring. Jax yelped and quickly grabbed her, throwing himself heroically in front of her while Bean growled as ferociously as a newborn lion and scrabbled his way out of her apron pocket. Odessa’s quick reflexes, honed by years of experience wrangling spirited creatures, were the only reason she managed to keep the little dragon from leaping to the ground and getting himself tangled in Sonya’s hooves.
Sonya skidded to a stop, her tusks just narrowly missing Jax’s middle. She stared at him in challenge.
“This is Sonya.” Odessa clutched Bean to her chest as she stepped around Jax, intending to insert herself between him and the unpredictable boar. The dragon seemed to settle, but the moment she relaxed her grip, he dug his tiny claws into her arms and pushed off, leaping to the ground with the grace and ease of a cat. Before she could react, he bounded over to Sonya, spreading his wings wide, puffing his chest, and blowing out two tendrils of smoke from his nostrils.
“Bean!” He looked like a kitten hissing at a large dog, and Odessa was certain this interaction would end just as disastrously. She lunged forward to scoop him up, but Jax’s arm whipped in front of her, stopping her. She held her breath as the boar’s attention shifted from Jax to Bean.
Sonya’s eyes turned from angry to curious, and she snorted as she dropped her snout to get a closer look. Bean trilled as hetilted his head back and forth, then tucked his wings behind him and sat, curling his tail around his feet.
Sonya grunted, then jumped backwards as if inviting Bean to play. A few moments later, the two of them were romping through the tall grass, taking turns chasing one another.
“Huh.” Jax shook his head slowly as he let his arm drop. “That’s not something you see every day.”
