The True One

Chapter 8

I pressed my back against the padded booth. Norvin had kept me away from a lot of the darker aspects of Aurum Venari, supposedly for my own protection. I'd had some preparation, but not at the level of some of the other hunters. "Not sure the training I've received would have been sufficient."

"You're a natural, you'd have done fine."

"Would I have though?"

"I suppose it's a moot point now. She came out of it, and it hasn't happened since?"

"Not that I'm aware of." I'd stayed with her all the way back to LA, but today, Verity's father and Janene were taking her to be examined and she'd insisted I not accompany them. "It could just be stress, you know. Or an unrelated psychological condition."

Norvin snorted again. "Like hell. I do believe in coincidences—they're a fact of existence. But in this case, the facts don't add up to that conclusion."

"Hold on. We don't have all the facts yet. I'm not disagreeing with you, but we still need to rule out all options."

"Fine. Do you have more facts for me to consider?"

This was the moment I'd been waiting for. "I talked to Flora. She's been Verity's friend for a long time. Figured if anyone knew the truth about Verity, it would be her."

"And does she?"

"Possibly. She did mention something I thought you'd want to hear: Verity has a stalker."

"I know that already." He frowned. "That's why, after a year of resisting security detail, she broke down and agreed to hire you."

"She agreed to hire a bodyguard. If she'd known she was getting me specifically, she may have reconsidered."

"She hasn't fired you yet."

"Yet being the operative word. But, returning to the stalker, do you know what he claimed? He said, repeatedly and within range of witnesses, that Verity was his mate."

Norvin perked up at this. "You don't say?"

"He could be a run of the mill loon, but..."

"No, no. I'll have someone interview him."

"That might not be easy. He's in jail."

"Not a problem. We, of the Aurum Venari are everywhere, son."

My fingers froze around my coffee cup. Only two people had the privilege of calling me son, and both were dead. "I hate when you call me that."

A moment of awkward silence followed. We'd had this argument before.

"Jesus, I forgot, okay? You can lay off the dagger eyes." Norvin tried his newly sugared coffee and gave it a nod of approval. "You're wound tight, Alek. This case getting to you?"

I shifted in the booth, a sudden urge to throw the rest of my coffee in Norvin's face building. "Of course, not."

'Good, because if ever there was a situation that could make or break you, this is it. We need Verity to show her true colors soon. She's been in potential status far too long. There's a lot of pressure within the organization to have her dealt with, especially considering how high profile she is. Apparently. I don't know, I've still never heard one of her songs."

"You don't have to go out of your way to prove how old you are, Norvin. It's apparent just by looking at you."

"Smart ass."

"I'll be back on guard duty tonight. I can keep watching her. Try to capture the next episode on video, assuming the psychiatrist doesn't suggest she spend the next month at a treatment center for exhausted celebrities or something."