“Well, true...” Macklin seemed to be fishing for words. “But...”
“This is the best option. Focus on your part. We will be... safe.”
Aden felt the fur on the back of his neck tense, and he shivered. He did not need to look over his shoulder to know they were all looking at him. In an instant, he forgot that he was larger, faster, stronger, and more menacing than any of them. He felt small and guilty. He was the problem.
As they neared the mansion, a streak of white fur dashed through the open gate and launched itself at Aden’s leg.
“Warrior!” Aden forgot his momentary despondency as he reunited yet again with his small friend. “Where have you been?”
The poor thing must have been hiding all this time, trying to figure out where Aden had gone.
Aden dropped to his knees, attempting to pet the overexcited pup. It was a useless endeavor as the dog was bounding weightless around Aden, yelping and licking him.
“So, you weren’t lying about the dog.”
Aden looked up.
The other two men had continued through the open gate into the courtyard, but Isa had stopped next to him.
“Isn’t he a little too small and adorable for a name like Warrior?” she asked.
Aden did not immediately deign to offer a reply. Warrior looked like a small energetic pile of fluff, but he also looked like a puppy, which was fairly obvious. “He is a descendant of wolves,” Aden eventually responded, not without some pride.
“Oh?” Isa actually sounded interested.
“Well, to be honest, I’m not entirely positive,” Aden said. “I mean I found him in the forest outside the palace.”
“In Iseldis?”
Aden nodded. If she was trying to trip him up by catching him in a lie, it was not going to work. He was Prince Aden of Iseldis. “Aren’t all dogs descendants of wolves?” he said, defending himself. “He’ll grow.”
Warrior had finally noticed that they were not alone and had turned around, placing himself between Isa and Aden. He hunched forward and growled the tiniest growl at her, as though sensing she was a threat.
Isa took a step back, holding up her hand in a mock defense. “Never mind. A warrior at heart, I see.”
“That would have been a little more helpful last night before you abandoned me,” Aden muttered under his breath to Warrior.
“What was that?” Isa asked.
Aden forced a cough. “Just agreeing with you about the ‘warrior at heart’ part.”
She stood there silently for several long moments, making no move toward the mansion.
Unsure what she was waiting for, Aden gestured toward the gate. “After you.”
She shook her head.
Ah, right. He was the enemy here.
He moved through the gate first. “Come on, Warrior.”
The dog had already started to follow him, so Aden’s words were unnecessary. But it felt better to say something to fill the awkward silence between them.
The awkwardness returned, however, moments later when he opened the door into the great hall and stepped inside. What was he supposed to do now?
“You can stay in the same room you had last night, in the west wing,” Isa said, following him through the door.
The west wing. All the other inhabitants of the sprawling mansion had slept in the east wing the previous night. He nodded.
