It was odd to feel so alone in the crowded cabin. Maybe it was because she was the only woman, or because she was still struggling with the aftermath of the battle at the park. Add that she wasn’t sure what came next for her, and it was no surprise she was feeling so unsettled. She did know that with all the excitement of the past few days it would be difficult to settle back into her mundane routine.
Lonzo said something to Eli, who then glanced in her direction before nodding. A few seconds later, the Paladin appeared at her side, two beers in hand. “Safara, can I borrow you a minute? Let’s head out to the porch, where it’s a little less crowded. “
“Sure.”
She accepted the beer he offered her and followed him outside. He motioned toward the chairs. When they were seated, he took a long drink and then set it down beside him. “This has been one helluva day.”
“True enough. A few too many surprises. Some good, some not.”
Some awful, but she suspected he knew that.
His next words confirmed that. “I’m sorry about your cousin.”
“Me, too. He was a good man. Or at least used to be.”
Lonzo nodded. “It was easier for us when we thought all Kalith were just a bunch of crazies, but that changed when we met Barak. He nearly got himself killed saving the life of my boss’s wife. Barak is now married to a Paladin’s sister, and his sister is married to a Paladin. They adopted a pair of Kalith kids who’d been orphaned when their parents came down with the light disease.”
Really? How had they not heard about any of that?
“How did my father take that news?”
“Better than expected, which brings me to why I wanted to talk to you.” He shifted in his chair to face her more directly. “How attached are you to being a deputy? I’m asking because I’ve been authorized to offer you a job with our organization.”
She had been taking a drink and almost choked. Lonzo pounded her on the back. “Easy there.”
When she could breathe, she asked, “What kind of job?”
“As I told you earlier, we’ve been planning on reaching out to the enclaves of Kalith living on this side of the barrier. We’ve waited this long because we were pretty sure they would react about like you did earlier, not that we’d blame them.”
Considering their mutual history, she wouldn’t apologize for not blindly trusting the Paladins. “For what it’s worth, I’ve been trying to get my dad to find some way to learn if the old ways still held true or if the Paladins would accept us.”
He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “This would be a pilot program, because the whole situation is problematic for both sides. We’re willing to accept those Kalith already here, but we can’t let that change in policy open the floodgates from your world into this one.”
That made sense, especially from the human perspective. After all, this was their world. If too many Kalith came across the barrier, the existence of another world would get out. God knows what kind of chaos would ensue.
“So you’re looking for someone to tell my people to stay where they belong?”
“Hell no. We want someone to act as our liaison with the Kalith who are already here. You’d make first contact and get the message out that we’re not on the hunt. If you’re interested, I can set up a meeting with my boss to discuss the details.”
This was the second time he’d mentioned his boss without using the man’s name. That could only mean one thing: Lonzo worked for the scariest Paladin of them all. The man was a legend among her people, and not in a good way. She swallowed her fear long enough to say, “You work for Devlin Bane.”
“I do.” Lonzo met her gaze head-on. “And yes, Devlin is every bit as terrifying as you’ve heard he is, but then we all are. Having said that, he’s the one pushing to do this. Besides, if you can handle a man like Eli, you can handle Devlin.”
“What does Eli have to do with it?”
Lonzo looked amused. “Maybe I misread the situation, but I figure you two are a package deal.”
He stood up and stretched. “I’m bushed. I’m going to round up the others and head out. Let me know what you decide. Eli has my number.”
She stayed where she was when he disappeared into the cabin. Her head was reeling from everything that had happened. While part of her grieved over those who had died that day, another part of her celebrated the olive branch the Paladins had extended to her people. She never imagined she could play an important role in helping to open communication between the Paladins and the Kalith already living in this world. Hope tasted sweet, especially when it came to the man who had just joined her on the porch.
Eli tugged her to her feet and wrapped her in his arms. It felt like coming home. After a bit, he asked, “Care to share what Lonzo wanted to talk about?”
She reached a hand up to pat him on the cheek. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
“Damn straight I am. Do I need to have a talk with him?”
His breath tickled her skin. It was tempting to tease him a bit more, but too much was riding on the decision she needed to make. “He offered me a job working for the Regents. I’d be helping them reach out to other Kaliths living in this region.”
