Osiris wanted to talk? That was all? Eleanor’s eyes flicked towards the door and then back to him. Damn her—damn her all the way to the pits all monsters are borne from because she released a breath and slowly lowered the poker, keeping her eyes on him for any sudden movements.
Osiris smiled softly, his flames still dimmed, as he backed away slowly with his hands held up at the side of his head in a placating fashion.
“Just talk?”
“Just talk,” he confirmed.
“Then, I suggest you get to talking.”
Osiris smiled again, as if he were truly enjoying this encounter.
“As you wish, Eleanor.”
13
OSIRIS
Osiris sat across from Eleanor, interlacing his hands in front of him as he held her gaze. He did not know everything about human women; however, she was making the same face that Eddy would make when he was first learning to garden and harvested the wrong plants. Her brows were pinched together, and her eyes narrowed at him, hardly showing any signs of intimidation.
Even though Osiris was the one who asked to talk, sitting this close to her was causing his heart to beat erratically. His senses practically bathing in her vanilla scent that had been slowly mixing with his own.
Am I allergic to her scent?
Eleanor cleared her throat and his eyes lifted to hers. “I apologize, I was lost in thought. Please, speak freely. Anything you wish to know, I will answer.”
Eleanor nodded her head, her brows seeming to relax slightly as her muscled appeared less tense.
“What are you?” she asked, dropping her gaze to look up and down his form, her eyes lingering where his neck ended.
“I am a Dullahan.”
“Why do you have… shadows?”
“I do not know-”
Eleanor leaned forward slightly. “You said you would answer all of my questions without lying.”
“I am not lying, Eleanor. It was so long ago; I have no memory of what might have once existed or how I came to have my shadows. Perhaps I was born with them.”
She searched his gaze for any hint of deception before moving onto the next question. “Where are we?”
Osiris sighed. “We are in an enclave within the Evermore Forest. It is hidden away with the magic from one of our witches. It is not impossible to find, but” he continued, gesturing his hand in circles in front of him, “it is hard to find unless you know what you are looking for.”
“So why can’t I leave?”
“We are surrounded by other beings; it is not safe. They could spot you.”
“Beings?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. “Like that other man? I saw his elongated canines, is he a… vampire? Would he suck my blood if he found me?”
“Suck your -no, no, not at all,” he answered, shaking his head, “and yes, Elias is a vampire. Vampires are part of the group of beings that live in the enclave. As am I, and many others. Your kind calls us monsters, yet we have never done anything to deserve such a title.”
Eleanor’s shoulders sagged as she played with the end of the poker. “Will they hurt me if they find me?”
“No.”
She looked up from her weapon, her eyes wide and pleading. “Then why can’t I leave?”
Osiris held her worried gaze, wanting to offer her any comfort he could, but how was he to do that? “You have it backwards, the beings are not to be feared, they are fearful. Thisplace,” he explained, gesturing to the area around them, “is safe. If they see you, they might all try to flee. But where would they go?”
