Page 9 of Seas the Reckoning

Starla chuckles.

“You had it until those last two words.”

I laugh so hard that I snort.

“She’s right. Excellent attempt, but you lost it at the end there.”

“I’m afraid you’re stuck with the British accent then, love. I hope you don’t mind too much.”

I lean in and whisper into his ear.

“I find it quite sexy.”

“Oh, really?” His eyes flicker, and I swallow as I recall some nights the two of us have spent together over these last couple of months, tangled in my sheets.

“We’re right here, you know. I certainly wouldn’t be behaving so provocatively in public.” This time, Starla’s gone for a posher British dialect, sticking her nose fully in the air. The effect is destroyed when Exos leans down and plants a kiss that the witch returns enthusiastically.

“We’re not technically in public!” I argue.

“Impressionable young eyes and ears over here, you two miscreants,” Ji-hwan says, making a show of placing his hands over Pickles’s sizeable ears. The dog leans in and soon enough has bartered his way not only to an ear-scratching but a full-on belly rub as he flops into the Were’s lap.

We all have a good laugh, and then Jackal clears his throat.

“All right. We find a spot to drop the bags, get something to eat, then scope out the town. Starla, you’ll likely want to contact your father this evening. That way we can get the detailed agenda, and you can assure him that you are in fact in the country and intend to live up to your side of the bargain.”

Starla crosses her arms over her chest with a frown, but after Ji-hwan gives her a pointed look, she drops her arms and puts on a beatific smile.

“Of course. I would love nothing more.”

Ji-hwan gives her a thumbs-up.

“Great practice,” he says.

The train pulls into Windermere station, and we exit along with our duffels. We packed light, planning to buy more clothes for the events we’ll be attending.

Starla’s thrilled at the prospect. I’m missing my jean shorts and flip-flops. Then again, I don’t mind dressing up every now and again, and I would love to see Jackal in a suit.

I grab Pickles’s leash from Ji-hwan, and in exchange he graciously hoists my duffel, along with Starla’s, over his shoulder.

“Oh, you really don’t have to⁠—”

“Were muscles. I’m more than just a pretty face and a set of fantastic legs.”

He winks. The Were would be naturally charming even if his ability wasn’t seduction. But I like that he’s also started letting his guard down around us.

I’m smiling as Jackal sidles up to me and puts an arm around my shoulder.

“Don’t react, but we’re being followed,” he says.

I freeze, for just a moment, but am able to cover it by acting like I’m untangling the leash for Pickles.

“Who?” I whisper, trying to be so quiet even a shifter watching us wouldn’t be able to hear.

“Exos and I noticed a few guys who were overly interested in us when we got off the train. He’s telling her now.”

The gargoyle has an arm around Starla. She does a better job at looking nonchalant than me, but I do see her blue eyes spark once.

She waves us toward a pharmacy that we pass near the train station.