“And,” he continued, “we’re all lucky to have found this place. It’s safe from the outside world, or as safe as any place can be. The good folk here don’t need to worry about their pasts. They’re happy in their bubble, and I intend to make sure it stays that way for a long time to come.”
I searched his hawkish gaze. It was easy to understand what he was trying to tell me. Rune wanted me to leave these people alone. And if I didn’t, he’d do whatever it took to protect them.
Fine with me. I would never aim my bow at someone who didn’t deserve it.
“I’ve heard that,” I said. “About the Isles, I mean. It’s one of the safest places in the known world.”
“You heard right. Some of the islands don’t even allow weapons. We don’t have that rule on the Floating Forest, but…” He eyed my bow and quiver of arrows, where I’d stashed them against the wall just beside the door. “I can see the merit in it.”
“Don’t you have an axe?”
“My axe is for woodworking. If I used it to kill someone, the villagers of Oakwater would banish me from the island. As they should. I don’t take lives.”
More hidden meanings. More carefully worded threats. I didn’t quite understand what I’d done to raise his hackles, but they were as raised as they possibly could be. He was so convinced I’d come here for nefarious reasons that I wouldn’t be shocked if he escalated the conversation to outright accusations. Maybe I ought to excuse myself before things went that far. This had been a decent start, as long as we parted on good terms.
“Well, this has been a lovely start to my day.” I pushed back my chair and stood. “Thanks again for the breakfast. Would you mind pointing me in the direction of Oakwater? I’m assuming they have a few inns.”
He frowned up at me, his lips curling around his tusks. “You’re leaving?”
“Yes, I’d like to get settled in somewhere.” I kneaded my shoulders with my knuckles, rolling my neck. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, camping inside a tree and all. A nap sounds amazing right about now.”
A nap did not sound at all amazing. I was far too on edge to fall asleep, nor did I plan to find an inn. I’d camp out in the woods until I’d completed my assignment, making sure none of the other villagers caught sight of my face. But I couldn’t tell him that, now could I?
“You should stay,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry?”
“You should stay,” he repeated, his voice a little louder this time. “I have a spare room. In exchange, all I ask is for some help with my woodworking. I could really use another pair of hands on some of my builds.”
“You want me to stay here. And be yourassistant?”
He shrugged. “I figure you’re new in town, which means you’ll need a roof over your head and a job to make some coin. Not sure what better offer you’d get, let alone if you’d get one at all. Oakwater’s a small village. And the one inn is routinely full.”
I squinted at him. “How’s the inn full? I thought you said you didn’t get many visitors.”
“We don’t. People show up, move into the inn, and stay there until they get their homes built, which can take months.”
“I see. And you’re the one who builds the homes, I’m guessing,” I said. “All by yourself?”
“That’s why I need another pair of hands.”
“I…appreciate the offer.”
I didn’t know the first thing about woodworking. Sure, I did a bit of carpentry on my cottage when things broke. Once, I’d pulled up a rotting floorboard and replaced it with a new one. I’d sanded the front porch steps after I’d wandered down them barefooted and got a splinter stuck in my toe for days. I’d evenbuilt a very small set of shelves, which turned out lopsided and creaky. But that was about the extent of it.
The thing was, this opportunity wasperfect. Working side by side with him, day after day…living in his house and sharing meals with him. It was the ideal way to convince him I was a lovely, trustworthy elf who he could share his secrets with. And if not, maybe he had some clues hidden around his house, ones that would lead me straight to his dragon.
He’d handed me exactly what I needed to get close to him, plopped on a silver platter. All I had to do was take it.
Which was, incidentally, exactly why I hesitated. With all the suspicions he clearly had about me, he wouldn’t make this offer unless he hoped to gain something in return—likely the confirmation he needed to…what, exactly? If he discovered I was part of the guild, what would he do? He said he wasn’t a killer, but that wasexactlythe kind of thing a killer would say when they wanted you to trust them.
I’d just have to be careful, that was all. And find what I needed before he did.
“So…” The chair creaked as he shifted his weight on it. “What do you say?”
“All right. I’ll take the job.” Fate, what was I doing?
Rune’s lips quirked. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was better than the furrowed look from a moment before. He held a large, calloused hand across the table. Swallowing, I took it and shook. His skin was shockingly warm, and while his grip was firm, his touch was somehow gentle, too. Heat pooled in my belly.
