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A nap, a shower, and several minutes in front of the mirror later, I emerged on the back porch in time for dinner. I’d put on a simple black dress and braided my long hair. Galen deserved me putting some effort in. He’d never seen me not at my best.
Galen had changed into a linen outfit with a tan jacket, while Knight was wearing a white shirt with a black jacket that was... stylish. When had he gotten that? I looked up to see his hair was in a man bun.
A man bun.
He held up his finger at me. “Don’t comment on the man bun unless it’s to say how awesome I look.” I pressed my lips together to suppress a laugh. “Also. You look nice.”
“Of course I do,” I replied with a sarcastic smile. “I’m gorgeous.”
Galen was staring at me with raised eyebrows. “Since when did you have a sense of humor?” He looked at Knight while pointing a finger at me. “When I was with her, this woman did not understand jokes, comedy, nothing. I gave her my best effort and she never cracked a smile. She was very stoic.”
“Lisbeth? Stoic?” Knight laughed behind his hand. “We talking about the same woman?”
“My previous companion, Cameron, he taught me humor,” I explained as we sat down.
Galen looked disappointed but happy. “Then he is a better man than me. I tried for ten years, I swear this to you.”
“It was a valiant effort,” I comforted, patting his hand.
He chuckled and poured us some white wine. “My Lisbeth. I have missed you.” He swirled his wine and took a long sip.
“I have a question,” Knight chimed in. “And no offense to you, Galen. I really appreciate you inviting us to your home, I do. But Lisbeth has some explaining to do. So if you don’t mind, why are we here?”
“Pardon?” I asked, picking up my glass to take a sip. He stopped my hand and took the wine from me.
“No games, Lisbeth. You’re hiding something from me and I can feel it. Out with it.”
My poker face needed work, so I looked away. “You know why we’re here. The pack negotiations. Can I have my glass back?” He slid it back to me and I downed it with one gulp.
“You could’ve stayed anywhere for pack negotiations, but you came here, to him. Does he know?” He pointed an accusatory finger to Galen.
“I came here because he’s my friend and I missed him.” I didn’t need help convincing Knight of that, because it was the truth.
Knight leaned back in his chair in frustration. “That’s the only reason we’re here? You swear it on your life’s blood?” I mashed my mouth together. “What I thought.” He swore under his breath and downed his glass.
Galen gently took my hand. “Lisbeth, Knight is worried for you. You checked out yesterday from a nightmare of all things, and why? You cannot do something like that without explanation. I wasn’t even there and I’m worried about you too.”
It was going to be like this, then. They were demanding an answer, one that I could not give. I was going to drive both of them away.
“I’m sorry that I’m scaring you,” I said, my eyes just barely looking at Knight’s face. “I regret to say that I cannot explain my real mission, and before you ask, it’s not because I don’t want to. I am sworn to secrecy, a secrecy that is on pain of death, and no, I’m not being dramatic.”
“Are there things you can tell us? Anything?” Knight probed, his voice less angry now.
“Some. They’ll be vague, and confusing, but I can’t help that.”
Galen’s rough thumbs moved over my smooth skin. “You would risk your life for this mission? Why?”
I looked into his eyes, and then Knight’s. “Kitty.”
Knight’s face relaxed, like everything suddenly made sense to him. “Of course.”
“Kitty?” Galen asked, confused. I pulled a photo from my underclothes to show him. His face softened and he smiled, his fingers running over the photo of my tiny daughter. “I see.” He handed it back.
Knight looked ashamed as he met my eyes. “I am sorry I was forceful.”
“No harm done. I’m sorry I can’t explain everything. I really am.”
“What can you tell us?” he asked. I reached into the other side of my underclothes and pulled out the small bundle of cloth James had given me. “What all do you have in there? Is there a kitchen sink?”
I raised an eyebrow at him and unfolded the cloth. “This is blood from the person I need to find.”
“Find why?” Galen asked.
“To find someone else.”
Knight sipped his drink. “So you need to find one person, in order to find a different person. Just to be clear.”
“Correct,” I confirmed. “And you’re the only person on the planet who can help me.” I held the cloth out to him.
He pointed to himself in surprise. “Me? Because I’m super special, right? My awesome fighting crime skills are renowned throughout the lands...” I cut him off by putting the cloth right under his nose.
He sneezed all over it.
“Knight, really? This is the only one I have and it’s over four hundred years old!” His eyes opened wide and the pupils dilated so far I couldn’t see his irises anymore. He gasped for air like he was struggling to breathe, and he knocked the table over, falling off the porch. “Knight! Knight, what’s wrong?” I hovered over him on the ground, his face turning a shade I didn’t like. Everything fell away except for Knight’s face and the slowly fading light in his eyes.
“He can’t breathe,” Galen shouted, trying to shove me aside. “I have to give him CPR.” I hissed at him to back off but he kept shoving me until I moved away. He pumped Knight’s chest in a steady rhythm to try and save him.
No, you can’t be dead. You can’t leave me again.
Please.
I can’t. Not without you.
Galen pumped until his arms hung limply at his sides. He slumped against the porch, defeated. “Lisbeth, I’m so sorry.” He wiped his eyes and forehead.
I crept up to Knight’s body and felt his neck. No pulse. I killed him. That stupid cloth that James had... James. James did this. He planned it from the start. I was going to wring his filthy neck. He would suffer so badly he would beg for death before I was done with him.
I stood up, ready to march back home and extract every ounce of revenge I could think of.
Knight came gasping awake, grabbing my ankle and making me scream. I fell and hit the porch edge hard. Galen jumped back to Knight and felt his pulse.
“He’s alive,” Galen said. I sighed in relief and sagged to the ground. Galen helped Knight sit up. “What happened?”
Knight stared me down, his breath ragged and harsh.
“I saw where Lucas is.”
