Free Web NovelChapter 134: Answers Owed I
I would never forget the sight of those purple eyes. In the morning light, they gleaned even brighter than his pale skin and blond hair, shining like amethysts. His eyes widened when he saw me, and he nearly dropped his bag in shock. However, he quickly recollected himself and addressed Doctor Thomas instead.
"Doctor Thomas, may I know who this is? I’ve never seen such a lovely face in our town before."
"Reign in that sweet tongue of yours before you scare her off," Doctor Thomas instructed. "This young woman is Harper. She is―"
"Visiting Everhaven," I interrupted Doctor Thomas smoothly. I had a feeling he might have easily blurted out that I was Blaise’s mate since he might already know Gus was a werewolf. Come to think of it, did Gus know that Doctor Thomas knew about werewolves, or was everything kept a secret?
No matter what, I wasn’t going to be blurting out the truth about everyone’s identities.
"I heard that this town has much to offer," I added. "I must say, I was... surprised by how it looks."
Gus broke out into a guffaw, eyeing me knowingly. "Oh, I guess you could say that. Maybe I’ll show you around later. It’s not so bad, once you get used to it. You might even find it charming, like me."
Doctor Thomas cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes in disapproval at Gus’s attempt at flirtation.
"She has a boyfriend, so watch your behavior, Gus."
I choked in surprise; never would I expect Doctor Thomas to warn men off me on Blaise’s behalf. Meanwhile, Gus raised an eyebrow. I could understand his confusion― the last time I met him, he was stuck in the undergrowth bleeding from his abdomen, while I was a slave on the run from Fangborne. When would I have found a partner in such a short time?
But of course, Gus kept mum about the circumstances of our actual meeting. He only chuckled. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
"Is that so? Well, I’m not surprised that someone so beautiful is already spoken for. Is your boyfriend here too? Perhaps he’s queuing?" He then peered at the breakfast line which showed no signs of shortening anytime soon. "Is he the one with black hair?"
My shoulders tensed. Was this a sign that he knew about Blaise? Or was I simply overthinking it, because nearly everyone queuing for food had black hair?
It was best to assume that Gus didn’t know anything. If he worked all the time in this town, how could he possibly hear news about Fangborne? Surely he would have better things to do with his time than to listen to gossip about a pack he doesn’t even belong to― one that he trespassed the territory off and nearly died in.
"No, he didn’t come with me. I’m here alone," I said, my hand discreetly going to my neck to fiddle with my mother’s necklace, drawing his eyes to it. They widened marginally; Gus realized I was here to collect the favor he owed me months ago when I helped him escape.
"Oh, that’s too bad for him. Anyway, let me go grab a bite first. I have a few jobs to clear today." Gus shrugged his shoulders, now addressing the doctor. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Doctor Thomas," he said, "sorry about the machines. I took another look last night just to make sure the equipment was beyond saving, and sadly they are. We need the necessary parts to fix them. If we tried to use them without fixing the problem, they’d probably explode and kill the patient."
"It’s alright, I understand you tried your best," Doctor Thomas said consolingly. "I’ve already placed the request for parts, and I’m sure they’ll arrive soon."
The conversation then shifted to other topics, and I listened carefully to see if there was any information I could use. It seemed like Gus knew everything about everyone in this town; he had many interesting tidbits to share with the doctor, who eagerly chimed in about his own observations.
Maybe Gus wasn’t bluffing back then when he said he could get me a new job and a place to stay. He seemed to be someone who had many connections.
As we chatted and waited for our food, more and more townspeople entered to grab a quick bite before they went about their day. Some of them gave me strangely hostile looks; I suppose visitors were so uncommon that they stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Don’t worry about them, they’re simply unused to visitors," Gus said reassuringly. "They were like this to me years ago, but look at me now!" He gave those people a wave, and they waved back. "You just need to give them time to get used to you and trust you."
"Maybe you should take Harper around town if you promise to remain on your best behavior," Doctor Thomas said consideringly. "She’ll feel a lot more welcome with you by her side since I’d be too busy with my shift in the hospital to watch out for her. What do you think, Harper?"
"I wouldn’t like to impose," I said, even though I needed to spend time with Gus to get him to cough out whatever he knew about my mother’s necklace. He did say he had jobs to do.
"No, no, it’s not an imposition at all. I could use some company," Gus said cheerfully, a knowing glint in his eyes as he gazed at me over his cup of morning coffee. "I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about."
"Behave," Doctor Thomas warned again before he finally got up to leave for the hospital. Gus and I also stood up to send him off, parting ways in front of the diner. As the old doctor slowly but surely got out of earshot, I turned around to ask him a few questions.
"Did you tell Doctor Thomas you were a werewolf?"
"Are you crazy?" Gus looked around frantically as if expecting someone to eavesdrop on our conversation. "Why would I do that and give him a heart attack? I still want to live in peace."
"More importantly..." Gus sighed. "I’m sorry."
