this human is attractive .
“I was thinking about your situation as I lay in bed. It must be difficult for you, being hunted and not being with those of your own kind. I’m sure being wounded and helpless in a sense doesn’t help either. You strike me as the type that doesn’t like to be dependent on anyone.”
She waited a moment before nodding. “I like my privacy.”
“As do I.” He pulled her to her feet and escorted to the table.
“So I’m not allowed to perform my own interrogation? After all, I might like to know a bit more about you.”
His brows rose. “Most people find me rather boring.”
“I don’t. Humans are social creatures, much like wolves. I find it odd that you would stray from the pack and live alone.”
“I’m not alone—Sal and Ben are here, too. And don’t forget Duke.”
“You hardly say three words at a time to your servants. And Duke is your pet. I’m talking about true interaction with another of your race.”
Gregor turned his back to her. “Perhaps I despise members of my race as much as you do.”
She’d unearthed yet another touchy subject with him. He was growing more complex than she’d first thought. “And why is that?”
He shuffled through his papers, ignoring her question.
“Do you think you’re better than most of them?”
“Let’s just say I’m happiest with my books and my scrolls and without interruptions.”
“I’m sorry to be an interruption.” She stood, wincing at the pain of her action. “I suppose I should just leave you to your books and your scrolls.”
He pushed her back in her chair, knocking the wind out of her lungs in the process. “Sorry—I didn’t mean—” He threw his hands up in the air. “I’m hopeless. I can’t even say what I mean.”
He paced in front of her chair, his hand on his chin. “I don’t like being with other humans because they don’t understand me. They demand my attention and try to make me do certain things that they decree as acceptable. Here, I am the king of my own world. I do what I want, when I want. I can focus on my studies and not worry about anything else.” He paused and considered her. “You, on the other hand, are different than most humans. I—um—don’t mind your company at all.”
She raised one corner of her mouth. “And why is that? Because I shed less than Duke?”
He grinned and looked away. “I can’t exactly explain why, but…” He furrowed his brow. “I suppose it’s because you think you could probably order me around, but you don’t. Does that make sense?”
She laughed in her mind. He was quite amusing, even for a human. “No, but I’m sure you’ll think of a better way to explain it.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but Sal called from below that breakfast was ready. When he returned, he sat across from her and divided the contents onto the two plates. “You know you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, Ranealya,” he said without looking up.
For a moment, she considered his offer. What would it be like to have a place to call home, to not have to sleep on the ground every night? To be near someone who didn’t consider her to be little more than a beast?
Then she remembered the harsh lessons she’d learned over the centuries. Memories of the Great Hunt filled her mind, and a knot formed in her gut. “My kind are solitary in nature. We possess the ability to blend in wherever we want, yet we wander throughout life. If we stay too long in one place, we’re discovered for what we truly are and shunned. We never have a place that we can call home.” Her heart grew heavy as she admitted, “It’s better to be alone than to be rejected.”
He nodded, his expression one of understanding. “I couldn’t agree more.”
They ate in silence. She felt an odd connection to this human, one that she both welcomed and feared. She’d been alone for so long. When would he reject her? Perhaps it would be better to keep him at a distance. That way,
“I was thinking about your situation as I lay in bed. It must be difficult for you, being hunted and not being with those of your own kind. I’m sure being wounded and helpless in a sense doesn’t help either. You strike me as the type that doesn’t like to be dependent on anyone.”
She waited a moment before nodding. “I like my privacy.”
“As do I.” He pulled her to her feet and escorted to the table.
“So I’m not allowed to perform my own interrogation? After all, I might like to know a bit more about you.”
His brows rose. “Most people find me rather boring.”
“I don’t. Humans are social creatures, much like wolves. I find it odd that you would stray from the pack and live alone.”
“I’m not alone—Sal and Ben are here, too. And don’t forget Duke.”
“You hardly say three words at a time to your servants. And Duke is your pet. I’m talking about true interaction with another of your race.”
Gregor turned his back to her. “Perhaps I despise members of my race as much as you do.”
She’d unearthed yet another touchy subject with him. He was growing more complex than she’d first thought. “And why is that?”
He shuffled through his papers, ignoring her question.
“Do you think you’re better than most of them?”
“Let’s just say I’m happiest with my books and my scrolls and without interruptions.”
“I’m sorry to be an interruption.” She stood, wincing at the pain of her action. “I suppose I should just leave you to your books and your scrolls.”
He pushed her back in her chair, knocking the wind out of her lungs in the process. “Sorry—I didn’t mean—” He threw his hands up in the air. “I’m hopeless. I can’t even say what I mean.”
He paced in front of her chair, his hand on his chin. “I don’t like being with other humans because they don’t understand me. They demand my attention and try to make me do certain things that they decree as acceptable. Here, I am the king of my own world. I do what I want, when I want. I can focus on my studies and not worry about anything else.” He paused and considered her. “You, on the other hand, are different than most humans. I—um—don’t mind your company at all.”
She raised one corner of her mouth. “And why is that? Because I shed less than Duke?”
He grinned and looked away. “I can’t exactly explain why, but…” He furrowed his brow. “I suppose it’s because you think you could probably order me around, but you don’t. Does that make sense?”
She laughed in her mind. He was quite amusing, even for a human. “No, but I’m sure you’ll think of a better way to explain it.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but Sal called from below that breakfast was ready. When he returned, he sat across from her and divided the contents onto the two plates. “You know you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, Ranealya,” he said without looking up.
For a moment, she considered his offer. What would it be like to have a place to call home, to not have to sleep on the ground every night? To be near someone who didn’t consider her to be little more than a beast?
Then she remembered the harsh lessons she’d learned over the centuries. Memories of the Great Hunt filled her mind, and a knot formed in her gut. “My kind are solitary in nature. We possess the ability to blend in wherever we want, yet we wander throughout life. If we stay too long in one place, we’re discovered for what we truly are and shunned. We never have a place that we can call home.” Her heart grew heavy as she admitted, “It’s better to be alone than to be rejected.”
He nodded, his expression one of understanding. “I couldn’t agree more.”
They ate in silence. She felt an odd connection to this human, one that she both welcomed and feared. She’d been alone for so long. When would he reject her? Perhaps it would be better to keep him at a distance. That way,
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