Page 57 of Heart of the Hunted
"I'm sorry,” she said.
Confused, he asked "Why?"
"Because if it had been your friend, then you could have proven to them that you've won the bet sooner,” she said. "Then you wouldn't be stuck with me any longer."
"It's okay,” he told her. "I'm sure we'll find them soon enough." Leading her over to the bar at the back of the room, he added "But for now, let’s just see if we can get a room for the night and something to eat."
Taredd didn't mention he actually wanted her to stay with him for longer, a hell of a lot longer in fact. How much longer he didn't know, but he was slowly growing more attached to her the more time he spent with her.
"Sounds good to me,” she said.
"Good, come on."
Natalia didn't say a word as she let him lead her over to the bar. Taredd noticed she was looking around the room at everyone in here. Nobody would start on her while he was with her, but he still wanted her to stay close to him. He didn't need to tell her though, because she was right on his heels the entire way.
A Shapeshifter stood behind the bar, watching them as they made their way over.
Greeting them with a smile, he said: "Evening, what can I get you?"
"Evening," Taredd replied politely. "Do you have a room available for the night?"
"For you... and the Human?" he asked with one eyebrow raised as he looked over at Natalia.
"Yes," Taredd replied curtly this time. "Do you have a problem with that? If so, I am more than happy to take my business elsewhere."
"Nope, it's fine by me,” he said, shaking his head. "Just needing to be sure, but as long as you don't cause any problems, then the Human is welcome to stay with you."
"Good."
"Just the one room?"
"Yes, one will do. Thank you."
"Do you want something to eat or drink before I show you to your room?" he asked.
Taredd turned to Natalia in time to see her lick her lips at the mention of food.
Smiling, he turned back to the Shapeshifter and said "I think we'll have something to eat first."
After giving their food and drinks order, Taredd lead Natalia over to a table that was in the back of the room, tucked into the corner by an open fire.
"Thank you," Natalia said, taking a seat in the chair he pulled out for her.
"For what?"
"Not making me sit out in the open,” she said, indicating the empty tables dotted around in the rest of the room.
It wasn't the reason why he picked this particular table, but he was happy to let her believe it was.
"You're welcome,” he told her instead.
The real reason why he picked this spot was for the view. It was a prime location to be able to see everyone in the room, as well as anyone that came and went. It was also the perfect position to prevent anybody from sneaking up on them from behind, so he didn't have to worry about looking backwards every two seconds.
There was even a reason why he held out a chair for Natalia to sit in, and it wasn't to be helpful or kind. It was so he had a completely uninterrupted view of the room.
As soon as they were seated, the Shapeshifter brought over their drinks, then disappeared into a back room to sort out their meal. It didn't take long before he returned with a tray of food for them.
"Thank you," Taredd told him as he placed the plates on the table in front of them.
