Page 17 of Rauf: Minotaur Mates

“Sick? Or poisoned? Or… I don’t know, hunted?”

“No one is hunting glow-goats; they’re barely sport. Far too friendly. It feels like cheating.” Mestyn had tried it a few times and it sickened my stomach.

Teresa went still with the cloth between her hands. Her fingers tightened around the fabric.

“Friendly animals would approach the wrong person,” she said.

“What about the drone?”

“What about the drone?” I asked. “It’s destroyed. Nothing to worry about.” I’d see if some of the men wanted to hunt down a beacon later, but she didn’t need to know that.

We dealt with our own problems out here. Hells, for all I knew, Korfas had set it up to spy on us.

“Maybe it’s a natural sickness and it’s nothing to worry about. But what if there’s a source and it spreads? If there’s something in the water, people could be next. I just want to make sure our environment is safe.”

“It’s dangerous out there. The terrain could kill you, even if there aren’t more drones.”

Teresa took this in and nodded. “Maybe you’re right. I should probably take this to Korfas and see if he’ll look into it with me. He can get to the bottom of it.”

I needed to agree. I needed to tell her to stay by the damned deputy and be happy. I couldn’t let myself remember the silky feel of her skin or the way her eyes had gone soft for just a moment.

“No.”

Damn it.

But I couldn’t unsay the word.

Teresa’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’ll look into it,” I said. “I know this area better than Korfas.” I couldn’t say his name without a bit of a sneer. “I’ll find out if something is hurting the goats.”

“We will,” Teresa countered. “I’ll meet you out here tomorrow.”

This was a bad idea. But she was wearing her stubbornness as clearly as any bull and she’d only sneak around if I said no. At least this way I could control her.

Somehow.

“Don’t walk out all this way,” I growled. “I’ll pick you up.”

She smiled. “Great. It’s a date.”

7

TERESA

After a second truck ride with Rauf, tongues were wagging even harder than before. Julia kept making pointed sounds at home, but I was doing my best to ignore her.

Two weeks ago, I’d needed directions to find the bride dorm from the Agency office. Now I knew which food stall gave you an extra spoonful if you smiled, which stretch of road stayed muddy long after the rain stopped, and when to cross the street before the forge smoke blew into my face.

People had started nodding when I passed. A woman selling bread remembered what I liked. Even the enormous buildings were beginning to look less strange.

Rauf and I had a plan to find out what had happened to the goats. I had something useful to do.

If Rauf didn’t go off investigating without me.

That made me scowl. Would he? I didn’t know the man, er, well, minotaur, well enough to know if he was willing to lie to my face to get rid of me. He’d seemed sincere enough and had told me to be ready, but a part of me doubted he’d truly come through.

“Teresa, good morning!” A deep but unmistakably feminine voice called from down the street. Nezara was making her way to me.