I blinked, and Albrecht was gone. The
sounds returned to normal, and I jerked back, suddenly able to move
again. My heart thundered behind my breastbone, and a fine layer of
sweat formed along my skin. What had just happened?
Was it an illusion? No one around me
acted like a bizarre crimson-haired man had just been standing there.
Was that part of dokkalf powers? What was a dokkalf?
Was it all a trick being perpetrated by whatever we really hunted?
There was a slip of paper in my hand,
proof enough that someone had been here. I didn't remember taking it
from him. I would surely remember being that close to his hand, those
fingers, those rings.
A shiver raced through me, violent,
chilling me to the bone. There really had been a monster right here,
inches from me, talking to me, inviting us to a truce. A very
intriguing, attractive monster that stole my breath, but a monster
nonetheless.
I hurried for the suite, anxious for
the safety of my friends. I didn't want to be alone anymore, needed
to be surrounded by their protections. While I didn't exactly run, I
was soon bursting into the room, barely aware of the journey.
Everyone's gaze snapped toward me,
startled by my sudden entrance. After a heartbeat, Brenna frowned.
“You forgot the ale.”
Her statement caught me off-guard,
reminded me that none of them knew what had happened downstairs. To
them, I'd simply been away on an errand that I'd failed to
accomplish.
“I saw him,” I managed, holding out
the slip of parchment.
Dirk rushed to my side, pulling me
completely into the suite. Brenna and Chen dashed into the hall and
downstairs, presumably to look for Albrecht. I knew they wouldn't
find him, but I said nothing. They would need to look for themselves,
make sure we weren't under attack.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Dirk checked me for wounds, ran his hands through my hair, frowning
deeply with concern. His fingers lingered on the mark on my neck, the
fresh scar from our last hunt. A wave of remembered pleasure traveled
up my spine, stealing my breath. Would they be in time if Albrecht
tried something like that? “Lamb, are you all right?”
My face felt warm and flushed, and I
shook my head to clear away wicked thoughts. “I am. I just need to
sit...” I clutched at Dirk's arm, my knees weak. What was wrong
with me?
Dirk assisted me to a chair, handed me
a glass of ale. I took a sip, and Aidan took the parchment from my
numb fingers. “What's this? Did he give you this?” His words were
heavy with concern. Curses and magic could be worked through
something as simple as a note.
I nodded my head, then drew a calming
breath. I needed to get control of myself, needed to be stronger than
this. I might be a lamb, but I didn't have to act so scared. Closing
my eyes, I slowly told them everything.
“There hasn't been a dokkalf
in these lands in decades,” Dirk said, stroking my hair. His hand
trembled, and his jaw was tense. “They're noble, powerful, and not
to be trifled with.”
“So what's the plan?' Aidan asked,
handing the note to our boss.
Chen returned and interrupted Dirk's
answer. “No strangers down there. Brenna is going to patrol the
streets for a while, see if he shows himself to her.” He touched my
shoulder, then moved to strap on his weapons. “I'm going too.”
“No need.” Dirk sounded resigned,
his voice gruff. “We'll be seeing him soon enough.” I glanced at
him, watched him frown at Albrecht's note. The tremble in his hand
had increased, as if he was restraining himself from rushing right
out and facing the dokkalf like Brenna and Chen were trying.
“You want to do what he says?”
Aidan asked. “Walk into his trap?”
“Do we have much of a choice?” Dirk
snapped. “He threatened to steal my Lamb, to start a war, to punish
everyone. We haven't found a real trace of him in the two weeks we've
been here, and he walked right up to Lamb like he owned the bloody
place. What do you think we should do? Huh? What brilliant plan do
you have that's better than doing what he says?” He was practically
shouting.
