any
definite plans. She hadn’t wanted to after he lied to her about being a
shifter. And she knew he had lied, she was experienced enough a barrister to
know when that happened. It had upset and disappointed her and so she had made
her excuses and retreated to Jack’s flat, not giving him a chance to renew his
offer of working with her tonight.
The
encounter with the wolf-shifter had had an impact on her though, whether it had
been Rafe or not, and she had followed the debates in the Commons with much
greater interest than earlier. The cause felt more personal now that she knew
someone who had something to gain from the vote. It was as if her world had
been opened up a little bit more, even though everything was the same. She had
always been surrounded by the two-natureds, and Rafe hadn’t even admitted to
being a shifter so it shouldn’t have affected her so much, but it had.
Following
the heated debate had also made her understand why he would have lied. It
helped her get over her upset. Who could blame him for wanting to hide what he
was, especially when demonstrators were making things more difficult? They had
marched through Hyde Park the previous night, but like Rafe had predicted,
shifters had been a no-show. In today’s papers, the demonstrators were claiming
they had scared the shifters into hiding. Charly didn’t like it. It was only a
matter of time before the powerful shifters would show the humans exactly how
not scared they were.
As she
had suspected, the vote in the Parliament had gone against the two-natureds,
but with a much smaller margin than previously. Disappointed with her fellow
humans, she had wanted to call Rafe, but had managed to prevent herself in
time. If he didn’t want to tell her the truth, it wasn’t her place to force him
to out himself.
Still,
she felt that the lie sat uneasily between them. She was waiting for Rafe to
show up with nervous anticipation, fiddling with the papers she had placed on
her brother’s dining table. The large table that seated ten would be the safest
place for their meeting, especially if they sat at opposite ends.
Yeah,
right. As if anywhere with Rafe would be safe. And she didn’t mean his possible
status as a wolf-shifter. He was dangerous because he could so easily override
her personal restraints. Even now she felt excitement build inside her.
With
all honesty, she didn’t know what to think of him. Having been brought up with
humans only, she didn’t have any experience in dealing with non-humans, even on
ordinary matters, let alone with someone who wanted to get up close and
personal with her. Was she appalled or thrilled? It was uncomfortable to
realise that she might actually have more reservations now that she suspected
he wasn’t a human.
Then
again, it might help her keep things professional between them.
A tiny
voice at the back of her mind tried to suggest an entirely different approach.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a boyfriend like Raphael Green, a successful
businessman, to show to her parents? He would win them over easily with his
charm and then she could throw it in their faces that he wasn’t a human. See
how they would take that.
It was
a nice image, but reality intervened. He wasn’t interested in anything
long-term with her, only a quick roll in the sack. And while she was sure Rafe
could stand up to her father, she couldn’t really put him in that situation,
even if they were serious. Which they weren’t.
To
pass time – and to distract herself – Charly concentrated on everything she had
learned about the land transaction so far. She had tried two different
approaches: finding out who actually owned the land by going through official
records, and trying to come up with motives for someone who would want to
prevent the building project.
Both
approaches had turned out to be surprisingly fruitless. The last transaction
record for the land she had been able to find was from the eighteenth-century,
which baffled
definite plans. She hadn’t wanted to after he lied to her about being a
shifter. And she knew he had lied, she was experienced enough a barrister to
know when that happened. It had upset and disappointed her and so she had made
her excuses and retreated to Jack’s flat, not giving him a chance to renew his
offer of working with her tonight.
The
encounter with the wolf-shifter had had an impact on her though, whether it had
been Rafe or not, and she had followed the debates in the Commons with much
greater interest than earlier. The cause felt more personal now that she knew
someone who had something to gain from the vote. It was as if her world had
been opened up a little bit more, even though everything was the same. She had
always been surrounded by the two-natureds, and Rafe hadn’t even admitted to
being a shifter so it shouldn’t have affected her so much, but it had.
Following
the heated debate had also made her understand why he would have lied. It
helped her get over her upset. Who could blame him for wanting to hide what he
was, especially when demonstrators were making things more difficult? They had
marched through Hyde Park the previous night, but like Rafe had predicted,
shifters had been a no-show. In today’s papers, the demonstrators were claiming
they had scared the shifters into hiding. Charly didn’t like it. It was only a
matter of time before the powerful shifters would show the humans exactly how
not scared they were.
As she
had suspected, the vote in the Parliament had gone against the two-natureds,
but with a much smaller margin than previously. Disappointed with her fellow
humans, she had wanted to call Rafe, but had managed to prevent herself in
time. If he didn’t want to tell her the truth, it wasn’t her place to force him
to out himself.
Still,
she felt that the lie sat uneasily between them. She was waiting for Rafe to
show up with nervous anticipation, fiddling with the papers she had placed on
her brother’s dining table. The large table that seated ten would be the safest
place for their meeting, especially if they sat at opposite ends.
Yeah,
right. As if anywhere with Rafe would be safe. And she didn’t mean his possible
status as a wolf-shifter. He was dangerous because he could so easily override
her personal restraints. Even now she felt excitement build inside her.
With
all honesty, she didn’t know what to think of him. Having been brought up with
humans only, she didn’t have any experience in dealing with non-humans, even on
ordinary matters, let alone with someone who wanted to get up close and
personal with her. Was she appalled or thrilled? It was uncomfortable to
realise that she might actually have more reservations now that she suspected
he wasn’t a human.
Then
again, it might help her keep things professional between them.
A tiny
voice at the back of her mind tried to suggest an entirely different approach.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a boyfriend like Raphael Green, a successful
businessman, to show to her parents? He would win them over easily with his
charm and then she could throw it in their faces that he wasn’t a human. See
how they would take that.
It was
a nice image, but reality intervened. He wasn’t interested in anything
long-term with her, only a quick roll in the sack. And while she was sure Rafe
could stand up to her father, she couldn’t really put him in that situation,
even if they were serious. Which they weren’t.
To
pass time – and to distract herself – Charly concentrated on everything she had
learned about the land transaction so far. She had tried two different
approaches: finding out who actually owned the land by going through official
records, and trying to come up with motives for someone who would want to
prevent the building project.
Both
approaches had turned out to be surprisingly fruitless. The last transaction
record for the land she had been able to find was from the eighteenth-century,
which baffled
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