35

Rebecca left the bank at five, and decided to wander the village rather than going home. The increasing tension within Whitethorn wasn't something she really wanted to deal with just now.

Hm, it might be worth it to see what was new at Donovan's shop. She walked the three blocks to Arachne's Loom deep in her own troubled thoughts.

Evaline and Liam were there, Evaline holding up a rather attractive blue and orange dress against her and waiting for Liam's opinion.

“I think you should try...” He broke off, and glanced towards Rebecca. Evaline echoed it, and growled low in her throat.

Rebecca ignored her, and swept past them towards the back of the shop. She stopped to look at a rack of bright-coloured vests, some magesilk, some made by more conventional methods.

Evaline came up behind her.

“We're going to find him. We'll get him home somehow. You aren't going to win.”

“I really don't care,” Rebecca said disdainfully. “Find him, forget him, it makes no difference to me.” She considered telling Evaline how interested the demon plane seemed to be in Jesse, but decided against it. Why should she give them free information?

“Y'know, Sam said something the first time she saw Jess. She said that he's a lot more than a stray out of the city, and anyone who forgets that is going to regret it. I wouldn't blame him if he decided it's his turn for a little revenge once he comes home. And he will. That bond between him and Kevin and Gisela is too strong.”

“I'm sorry, I must not have made this clear.” She spun around, and met Evaline's eyes levelly. “I do not care. At all. I do not need your pathetic attempts at threats. I do not care what Samantha said. And truthfully, given how easily manipulated that black wolf of yours is, I am not especially worried about whether he hates me. Excuse me.” She stepped around Evaline, and stopped at a rack of long skirts.

Evaline made a disgusted sound. “Kevin's right. You are a coward. You've lost face with every wolf in Haven for this.”

Rebecca gritted her teeth, acutely aware of that fact and hating it. Had she challenged Jesse openly, beaten him in a fair fight and driven him away from Haven, that would be acceptable behaviour. Not that it would have endeared her to the other wolves, but she would at least have not lost face. Being implicated as the voice behind Avryl's treachery, however, was another matter, and it damaged her standing with the Haven wolves badly. The opinions of non-wolves didn't matter, but her status with the wolves did.

There seemed, however, to be no way to negate it without making it worse.

“Evaline,” she said. “Surely you have something better to do with your time. Are you really so bored?”

“You're not a wolf,” Evaline spat, turning away. “You're a dog pretending to be a wolf.”

Holding her growing anger firmly in check wasn't easy, but this was neither the time nor the place to fight Evaline. It would only make her look even worse.

Damn this whole mess. She was sorry now she'd ever laid eyes on Kevin Lioren and thought she could have him to herself. Directly and indirectly, he was the ultimate reason why she was now standing in quicksand and had to hunt for a way to escape it. Elves were more trouble than they were worth.

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