Page 16 of Elven Prince
He’d relented. He’dagreedwith her.
What was going on?
Her energized footsteps echoed around her as she practically skipped down the rear stairwell and mulled it over.
It was because of Rowan, wasn’t it?
The Blackmoon Elf was gone, and because of it, Rebecca had access to the full freedoms afforded to any Roth-Da’al. Including an absence of her Head of Security playing bodyguard because he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else getting in her way.
No, he couldn’t stand the thought ofRowan, and that was no longer presented an issue.
Holy shit.
A startled laugh burst from her lips and echoed unnervingly within the stairwell before she reached the bottom landing.
This was completely new. It felt amazing, despite Maxwell’s surprise at her refusal to let him accompany her. Despite his rather strong insistence that she explain exactly how she and Rowan had saved his life that night.
Despite the shifter’s irritation and Rebecca’s own small regret for having rejected him yet again.
This was so much more comfortable,thistension between them. As long as she could escape when she wanted and Maxwell had no more excuses to draw her back into it.
Because Rebeccastillcouldn’t handle letting anyone close enough to know who and what she truly was.
Even when she wanted it more than anything else…
The answer was simple, swirling around her in a darkening aura as she walked down the halls toward Shade’s common room. Taking the wind right out of her sails and dampening her short-lived excitement.
She couldn’t let anyone close, because so many other people out there wantedRebeccamore than anything. And it sure as hell wasn’t for a special one-on-one connection.
Her pursuers only wanted her for one thing. Their own power.
And for as much as she’d thought she’d known Maxwell Hannigan, one simple truth remained.
Almost anyone could be bought at a certain price.
She just hadn’t foundhisyet.
The rumbling echo of dozens of voices from the common room reached her as she closed in, bringing with them a new idea. A new potential plan of attack.
Maxwell had clearly done his own research on her when she’d joined Shade, far before removing Aldous Corriger from the picture and Rebecca had stepped right into his tacky, oversized shoes. The shifter hadn’t found anything, but he sure had tried.
Maybe Rebecca should just turn the tables on him, start digging into the shifter’s past to see what she could find. He was sure to have left more of a trail to follow than she had. Maxwell was a shifter, meaning he was also Earthborn.
He hadn’t also been in hiding for the last several centuries on this planet.
It seemed like a great idea. The best solution to her current immediate problem—her Head of Security letting his own desires and curiosity distract him from his duties.
But it felt like a two-edged sword. A slippery slope.
With all the resources of a Roth-Da’al at her disposal, digging into Maxwell Hannigan’s past would be remarkably easy.
But would finding those answers she sought actually help her, or would they only make things worse?
Once she thought about it, she couldn’t get the pervading question out of her mind.
What could Maxwell possibly have to hide that was any worse than what Rebecca was keeping secret at all costs?
Her gut would have told her not much, if anything. Compared to her, the shifter was an open book.
