He also doesn’t drink blood.
I instinctively shiver, my mood dipping when my thoughts turn to Wilder. I need to help him. Someone needs to help him.
Did he find my letter? If so, did he figure out where I went? I couldn’t say Vashon outright, but he was there with me when I found the book that mentioned the gaia. But even then, could he get over here?
He’s almost certainly strong enough to swim across the part of the Sound that separates this island from Liberty, but Wilder hates water. I used to tease him about it when we were dating until I found out he’d almost drowned as a child. I doubt becoming a vampire has changed his feelings about it.
Obviously, he could use a boat to get across, but I’m not sure he knows how to use one. Though, maybe they’re not that difficult to learn to use. Sol managed it okay.
“Are you all right, Stella, mine?” Eldaren murmurs, breaking into my thoughts.
We’re standing at a table of glass and iron, the glass top made to look like leaves, with the iron support curling at the edges like branches. “Oh, that’s pretty.” I reach out, expecting the top to feel wavy, matching the pattern of leaves, and am surprised when it’s smooth. It must have two panels of glass.
Eldaren pulls a chair out for me, and I sit, smiling up at him. “Thanks.”
He blushes furiously and takes the seat next to me, leaving the two chairs across from us empty.
The Watcher sits across from me, eyeing both of us. “So,” she says to me, after a silence that stretches too long, “who are you, and what is your part in all of this?”
I sneak a glance at Eldaren, and he’s looking at the Watcher with an expression I would call panic. I smother my incredulity. For a man who’s so smart, sometimes he doesn’t think very far ahead. Surely he’d known people would be curious about me.
I smile blandly at the woman sitting across from me. “I’m the Royal Researcher,” I say calmly. “Prince Eldaren hired me to locate the gaia.”
The silence coming from Eldaren is thick enough to slice, so I don’t look at him.
The Watcher’s eyebrows rise. She’s clearly surprised by my words. “I see,” she says. “So, you’re responsible for uncovering the secret that Vashon has hidden for years.”
“That’s right.” I nod pleasantly. I wish I had something to drink. It’s easier to hide one’s expression behind a mug. “Eldaren saw my talent for discovering secrets and hired me on. He could stand to pay me a little better, but he’s not a terrible employer.”
Eldaren clears his throat, and I switch subjects. “It’s very green out here.” I wave my hand toward the window. “Do you ever get sick of it?”
The Watcher is peering at me through narrowed eyes. “No,” she says slowly. She doesn’t elaborate, and now the silence in the room is positively oppressive. I could use a distraction right about now.
As if my thoughts had called her, Sophia comes into the room, carrying a tray with teacups and odd little pieces of bread halfway wrapped in paper. I eye them. Are those cupcakes? My stomach growls.
The young woman is visibly crestfallen when she sees Eldaren and me, and I frown, puzzled. Why does she look so disappointed? I eye the remaining chair next to the Watcher.
Sophia walks over and sets the tray down and pours tea for Eldaren. “My prince,” she murmurs, passing him a cup and saucer.
Eldaren smiles at her and accepts it. “Thank you, Sophia,” he says. They lock gazes, and something swirls in my stomach, a feeling I’m not familiar with.
Stars, Stella, are you jealous?
The Watcher arches an eyebrow at her daughter but says nothing. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I would have paid ten bucks to learn.
I have no idea if they follow some kind of protocol here, but heck if I’m having anyone pour my tea for me. I reach across and grab a cup, ignoring Sophia’s startled glance. “Thanks, but I always pour for myself,” I say, ignoring the fact that Aleere has been doing that for me for the past several weeks.
Okay, so I’ve been a little spoiled. But I trust Aleere. I’m not sure I trust these clan members yet.
My nose wrinkles when the scent of mint reaches my nostrils. I don’t particularly enjoy tea of any sort, but mint least of all. It’s an uncomfortable in-between of water and peppermint, and I feel very much that it should taste of one or the other, not both.
“We typically pour for ourselves,” the Watcher says wryly, reaching for the second to last cup.
Sophia sits across from Eldaren, her face bright red.
So she poured for Eldaren because she wanted to. I peer at her, trying to clamp down on the sudden suspicion I feel. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this gaia feels something for Eldaren. But that’s ridiculous. They don’t even know each other. Maybe she’s just awestruck by his otherworldly looks. I know I was. Still am.
Oh well. She’ll figure out his personality soon enough. Handsome looks only go so far.
“What are these?” Eldaren picks up a pastry and eyes it with interest. “Are there any animal products in it?” He sniffs it. “It smells good.”
“They’re cupcakes,” Sophia says. She blinks, suddenly appearing unsure. “They have butter and eggs, but aside from that, I don’t think . . .” she trails off under Eldaren’s expression. He’s still holding the cupcake, looking at it with horror.
“I’ll eat it,” I say, taking it from him. “I don’t have any qualms about eating baby chickens.”
I mean it as a joke and choke on cake crumbs at Eldaren’s shocked intake of breath.
The Watcher observes Eldaren. “If you intend to stay with us for any length of time,” she says,
