Jax frowned. “What about Dmitri? Isn’t he your friend?” The word tasted sour in his mouth, but he refused to acknowledge the reason why.
“Dimi?” she repeated with a forced, breathy laugh. “He’s the Crown Prince. He has much more important things to worryabout than my whereabouts during the day. Honestly, if it weren’t for our shared childhood, I don’t think he would even be aware of my existence.”
He held up a hand. “Wait. He’s a prince? I knew it!”
“The only one we have.” Odessa looked over their work and, apparently satisfied, passed him her pitchfork and grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow.
Jax gently shouldered her out of the way, stabbing the pitchforks into the straw at an angle where they would balance on his shoulders as he pushed the heavy load. “Lead the way, Assistant Keeper.”
She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment as if preparing for an argument, then sighed in acceptance. “Come on.”
Rather than returning to the front of the enclosure where they had entered, Odessa led him further in. The rocky ground was uneven, save for a narrow track that indicated that she had traversed this same path countless times, and with each step Jax found himself growing more and more angry.
She’s expected to do thisaloneevery night? During a time of day when no one would be around to hear her scream? What if something went wrong? What if she got hurt?
He needed a distraction. “If Dmitri is a prince, why didn’t he say anything? I was under the impression he was just a palace worker until everyone started bowing and scraping as we passed.”
She shrugged, looking over her shoulder. Her pale hair caught the moonlight, glittering like sparkles, and he nearly missed her answer. “It’s a very Dmitri thing to do. He’s one of those rare sorts that understands that his title is a job description, not a defining character trait.”
“If that’s the case, why wouldn’t you at least try to tell him about your?—”
She cut him off with a glare, and he mis-stepped, causing the wheelbarrow to teeter dangerously. “I’m just saying,” he continued as he corrected his course. “He’s your friend. He’s aprince. If there’s anyone with resources to help you, surely it would be him.”
They came to a tall brick wall, overgrown with ivy. Odessa unlocked a narrow door and held it open, gesturing for him to pass through before her. He stepped onto a narrow dirt path that followed the line of the wall for further than his eyes could see in both directions. The thick forest beyond was nothing but dark shadows and rustling leaves, and his magical senses caught nothing more than a few faint strains of Owl. Though he had been invited, the entire situation felt as if he had ventured into a forbidden area.
Odessa jutted her chin toward the wall as she locked the door behind her. “You can leave that there. We won’t need it for the rest of the night.”
He parked the wheelbarrow where she indicated, then shoved his hands into his pockets as he fell into step beside her. “So…?” he prodded.
“So what?”
“So why don’t you try to tell Dmitri what is going on?”
She blew out an exasperated breath as she looked at him wryly from the corner of her eye. “You’re really stuck on this, aren’t you?”
“I’m a Bird Catcher. I’m naturally curious about all the enchanted swans I happen to meet.”
“Yes, I’m sure there are so many.”
He grinned. “It’s not the quantity, it’s the quality.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes, but he could see the hint of a smile on her lips. “To answer your question, since you apparently weren’t curious enough to listen the first time, I don’t tell him because I can’t.”
“You don’t think he would understand?”
“No, I mean I amphysically unable. It’s part of the stipulations of the curse.” She reached for his arm, pulling him to a stop as she stepped up to a door in the wall that was so well-hidden that he would have walked right by without even noticing. Her touch had lasted no longer than a few seconds, but the warmth of her fingers lingered even after she dropped her hand to wrestle with the door handle, which appeared to be sticking. He flexed his hand, willing the sensation to leave his forearm.
Different realms, Jax. There’s no point in getting involved.
“You’re talking about it with me,” he pointed out as the door finally opened with a protesting creak.
Once again, Odessa motioned for him to precede her. “Only—as I told you before—because you brought it up first.” She suddenly froze and her eyes narrowed into suspicious slits. “Something that was never satisfactorily explained. How did you know? Did Boris send you? Is this some sort of twisted manipulation tactic? I should warn you that the lions are probably on my side.”
Bean, no doubt disturbed by the sudden animosity in her tone, poked his head out of her pocket and chimed in with a tiny growl for good measure.
“So is the dragon,” she added.
Jax held up his hands. “I’ve never met your father.”
