Page 97 of Reaper's Quest

Too often, he wondered if he should have asked Valen to check on her, but he wasn’t yet desperate enough to extend that much trust in the guy’s medicine magic…or confidence regarding her existence and status.

“Your change, sire.” The gentle voice yanked Winter free from the snarl of his emotions.

With a slight press of his hand, he motioned for the grocer to keep the change, then he lifted the box of provisions and turned up the street. Filling Camilla’s pantry was the least he could do, considering the burden he’d thrust upon her with Raven’s care.

He’d barely made five steps across the street before a familiar voice bellowed at his back, calling out his name. After the years of their friendship, getting in and out of trouble just for the fun of it all, Winter doubted he could ever forget the tenor of Aoes’s voice or the sense of belonging that came with the sound of him.

Not wanting his friend to see the strain upon his body and dig into him deep with questions, Winter washed the tension from his muscles, both face and shoulders, and turned to meet Aoes’s approach.

“Where have you been?” Aoes jogged to a stop a few feet away. “You’d been coming by every day since our visitors arrived. Have you tired of them already? Or have you finally deemed them unworthy of your time?”

Now that he considered it, the sudden change in his visitation pattern to the pub could be observed as suspicious.

Winter filled his chest with air, released it slowly, and lifted the box higher. “I’ve been a little busy lately.”

Aoes nodded, his attention dropping to the box of groceries. “How are Camilla and the kids?”

Winter forced a smile, but the feel of it, the taste of it, felt off. Almost foreign to him in the moment. “They’re doing all right. Thanks for asking.”

“Of course. Anytime. But you know…” Aoes bumped into his shoulder, an act Winter knew signified something questionable was about to follow. “I was kind of hoping the answer to where you’ve been included another individual. Possibly someone well-endowed in a feminine way.”

Winter frowned. “You realize your description could easily apply to Camilla.”

Aoes jerked. “Well, yeah, um.” He stumbled to regain his mental footing. “You aren’t, are you?”

Winter shook his head and turned away. “I need to get this to Camilla’s, but I’ll come to see you soon. I promise.”

“So…” Aoes continued, tugging Winter’s retreat to a halt. “You’ve been spending your time with Camilla and not with Raven?”

Winter readjusted his hold on the box, and as casually as he could, he turned back to face his long-time friend. “What are you trying to insinuate?”

Aoes took several strides forward, closing the distance between them once more. “It’s just, Raven hasn’t been back to the pub in several days. And neither have you.” He shrugged. “I’m not blind. I saw the way you looked at each other the last time you were both at the pub together.”

Winter didn’t look at her in any particular way that could be discerned as different from how he looked at other beautiful, intriguing females—mostly. Taking in her lips, eyes, hair, hips, breasts…

As for Raven, he’d noticed nothing special in the way she treated him, talked to him, or looked at him. Until the night before her injury, she hadn’t given him much of her time. Of course, he wouldn’t mind if she did look at him in that special kind of way.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Winter said.

“Just keep telling yourself that. I know she’s your spice, the flavor to make life far less bland and distract your mind from…other things.” Aoes sighed. “And I was really hoping she was with you…because the alternative is concerning.”

Winter didn’t know what to say to assure his friend of Raven’s safety. Given her current condition, he wasn’t so sure assurances were in order.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” He hated the taste of the lie on his tongue.

“Hope so. Mr. Aldine asks about her all the time. And since Chace went missing a little over a day ago, I don’t know what to tell him.”

“Chace is missing, too?” Winter couldn’t believe his ears.

He knew Raven’s location, but what could have become of Chace? Winter’s thoughts leaped to the first night he’d laid eyes on all three of them. Life-devouring specters had swarmed them.

“You don’t suppose, after everything that happened to Mr. Aldine, that Chace decided to pack up and head out?” Winter asked.

“No.” Aoes shook his head. “I know they’ve been extra cautious since their experience, and I don’t believe Chace would take off without leaving word.”

Aoes might not believe such behavior fitting of Chace, but what did he really know about the guy? Aoes only met Chace for the first time a week or two ago.

The same was true for Winter with regard to Raven. He didn’t know anything about her, and yet he needed to get back to Camilla’s and check on her healing.