She pauses for another sip of coffee then continues, “There’s one more thing. And I’m telling you this because you need to know.”
Uh oh.
“They can scent arousal,” she says. “Always. There’s no hiding it from them.”
I close my eyes for one second. “I know. Jonus told me that he could scent my arousal and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.”
She laughs with delight. “Been there, done that.”
“Hey, I have another question.”
“Sure, keep them coming.”
“Can you tell me more about Jonus. What is his role in this family?”
Ellie considers this carefully. “Well, I’d say he’s the one who makes everything look effortless. When Garlen was in that basement losing his mind, Jonus was the one keeping everyone calm and keeping the outside world from knowing what was actually happening. When the reporters showed up outside this house, Jonus handled every single one of them without breaking a sweat.” She tilts her head. “He’s always moving. Always managing something.”
“I noticed that. He organized my entire extraction. Not the State Department…it was Jonus who spearheaded that operation to get me out of there and back home.”
“Exactly. He can be the life of the party and do lots of charming talk, but underneath all that smooth—” She pauses. “He observes and remembers everything. He just never lets on.”
I think about all our late-night video calls. The way he’d say something offhand that proved he’d been listening to something I’d mentioned weeks earlier. I’d always chalked it up to him being good at his job.
“I’m going to tell you something,” Ellie says. “And I just need you to hear it.”
“Okay.”
“In all the time I’ve known Jonus — and I’ve known him since the day I moved in next door, which means I’ve spent a lot of time with this orc — I have never once seen him stay still. He’s always circling the room, he’s always charming someone, he’s always doing six things at once.” She meets my eyes. “Last night at dinner. This morning at breakfast. He just sat next to you. Wasn’t working anyone, wasn’t being on. He was just there. With you.”
I bite at my lip, not sure how to answer.
And then Ellie’s expression shifts. Still warm, but more careful now, like she’s decided something. “Can I ask you something personal?”
“Of course.”
“Is it true that you were engaged? Until recently?”
“Yes.” I say his name without drama. “Ryan. It was already over before Colombia. I just hadn’t said the words yet.”
“And now you’re here and not with him.”
“I put Jonus down as my emergency contact, not my fickle fiancé.”
“Ah.” She takes a slow breath. “I like you, Sloane and I want to say something and I need you to know it’s coming from a good place.”
“Okay.”
“I’m Jonus’s friend, his family now, so I just…I’m just a little worried that because you were so recently engaged to someone else that there might be the chance he’s your rebound guy.”
The word lands gently. But it lands.
“Sorry, I know that’s blunt,” she says. “But I needed to say it. To get it off my chest.”
“No, I?—”
“It’s different for orcs.” She leans forward slightly. “They can’t date. They can’t have a fling and shake hands afterward and wish each other well. They don’t have the ability to detach cleanly the way we can.” She holds my gaze. “There’s no divorce. There’s no ‘we tried and it didn’t work out.’ When Jonus commits to someone that is his entire life. So if all you’re certain of right now is that you like him, that you’re attracted to him, that you’re grateful to him for what he did in Colombia — that is not enough. Not for this.”
I don’t say anything. I just listen.
