I narrow my gaze. Not liking the sound of her name on his lips. Especially the way that he said it, with an unmistakable twinge of longing in his tone.
“What about her?” I hold myself still, aware of the beast beginning to rumble and stir, and it takes all of my will to contain it. Won’t be long until he makes himself known. But now is not the time. Not even close.
“Does the Seeker know you’re here?” He cocks his head, shoots me a look of contempt.
“You think I have to ask permission to visit my ancestral home?” He glares in response, and I take it as my cue to exit. “Tell Leandro I’ll report for work first thing tomorrow.”
“Never gonna happen,” he calls but I choose to ignore him. I just head for my car and give a quick wave to Lita and Xotichl, hoping they’ll do their parts and report back to Daire.
Tell her I was here—that it’s too late to stop me from meeting my destiny.
That I’ve already joined the other side and it’s in her best interests to stay far away.
Hoping they’ll succeed where I failed by convincing her to save herself, save them, and forget about me.
Then, without another look, I climb inside, gun the engine, and drive away.
EIGHTEEN
DAIRE
With my last client gone, I head into the den, surprised to find Chay sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper and waiting for me.
“How long have you been here?” I stand before the whirring fan blades and twist the ends of my ponytail into a bun I prop high on my head, enjoying the cool breeze on my neck.
“Long enough to feed Kachina, muck out her stall, and nearly finish this paper as a steady stream of clients paraded in and out.” He motions toward a glass of iced ginger tea he has waiting for me. “Ice is probably melted by now.”
I push away from the fan and move toward it, savoring the stream of cool liquid easing down my throat.
“How you holding up?” He folds his newspaper in half and tosses it onto the table to better focus on me, as I claim the opposite chair and take another sip of my tea.
Though the question is posed innocently enough, the part he failed to voice looms large between us.
How am I holding up now that I’m all on my own without Paloma to guide me?
It’s what they’re all wondering.
While my friends have provided much-needed comfort and support, sometimes I feel like Chay is the only one who truly understands how empty life feels now that she’s gone.
Paloma was his companion, his lover, his closest confidant, and best friend. There’s no doubt he misses her as much as I do.
I slip off a blue rubber flip-flop and prop a bare foot on the table. “Honestly?” My eyes meet his, finally able to admit to the truth I’ve kept buried inside for too long. “Between the gardening, the clients, and looking after me, I don’t know how she managed to keep up with it all, and make it look so darn effortless. I always feel two steps behind . . .” I sigh, gaze down at my hands. “She’s a hard act to follow.”
“But that’s just it. You’re not expected to follow.”
“Aren’t I?” I lift my gaze to his. “I’m the Seeker. I have a destiny—and a long list of duties to go along with it.”
Chay’s expression softens as he fingers the silver wolf’s head he wears at his wrist. “
No two Seekers are created the same. And, for what it’s worth, Paloma was once in your shoes. Struggling to find her way after her own mother passed on.”
I sit up a bit higher. Eager to know more about the story Paloma never shared. “I know so little about it. She rarely talked about those days.”
“Paloma didn’t like to dwell in the past.” His focus shifts from the wolf to the intricate silver eagle’s head ring on his finger.
I nod, knowing I probably shouldn’t dwell either. But now that he’s mentioned it, I can’t resist asking, “What was she like back in the day? How did you meet?”
His lips curl ever so slightly, as he tilts his head back and allows his mind to drift to the past. For a brief moment, I can imagine how he might’ve looked then. Tall, dark, and ruggedly handsome pretty much describes it.