"Adoet," I explained. "He came in from trapping when she was in the yard."

"Alone," Zasen growled.

"I didn't mean to," Ayla breathed. "I just wanted to see the flowers. I'm sorry. I'll never do it again."

"Uh-huh." Rymar started walking again, heading for the kitchen with a bag slung over his shoulder. "Well, I brought home dinner from the cafe. I got a few selections because I wasn't sure what Ayla would like, but since you said she needs red meat, I went with venison and fish." I heard him set that down, and then he was back. "And Adoet's an asshole."

"Mhm," I agreed.

Zasen just sighed, but in a way that was much too close to a growl.

"I can figure out how many people there are," Ayla offered into the silence that followed. "I just have to remember which halls have rooms filled, and then I could add it up. And there are places to store weapons too, just like your closet, but bigger."

"You know about the weapons in the closet?" I asked.

She grimaced, getting even smaller. "I looked. That first day, I was scared, so I wanted to know where things were. The next morning, I was all alone and hungry, so I looked behind all the doors. I didn't touch them, though. I promise! I didn't want to mess anything up."

"Uh-huh..." Rymar said yet again.

"What?" Zasen snapped at him.

"So, the assassin found your poorly-concealed weapons stash, didn't try to take any of them, and hasn't made an attempt on your life in the middle of the night." He thrust out his lower lip and nodded his head a few times. "I see."

"He said he'll kill me if I can't help," Ayla mumbled. "So I'm trying to help."

Rymar just groaned. "Zasen..."

"That's not what I said," Zasen insisted.

"It kinda is," I countered.

"It's not what I meant!" he insisted.

"So what did you mean?" Rymar asked.

"That if she's a threat, I'll deal with her," Zasen said.

Rymar flung both of his brow ridges up as high as he could and gestured at Ayla. "Her? A threat? Fucking how?"

"I don't know what that word means," Ayla said softly.

"Which?" I asked, turning back to her.

"Fucking."

"Yeah, it's profanity," I explained. "We'll cover that later."

Rymar huffed at that. "She doesn't even know how to curse. She's not a threat, Zasen. She's not going to hurt anyone. She just wants to learn a few things and have men stop hitting her!"

"We get water from a pipe that runs to the surface," Ayla said. "I know where it is. I wasn't supposed to go down that hall, because the lights had been used elsewhere, but I could follow it with my hand in the dark."

"And she's helping," I told Zasen. "She's trying as hard as she can to help you. How about you stop being a dipshit and maybe try to help her back?"

His blue tail snapped once behind him, then stilled. "Yeah. Okay."

"And," Rymar said, "I'm going to tell Jeera about this."

Which made me chuckle, but Zasen turned and headed into the kitchen with a groan. Sadly, Ayla still hadn't stopped crying, but I'd handle that. The odd thing was I didn't even mind.

This girl was sweet. She was trying harder than anyone I'd ever met before. And, even with her sunburned skin starting to peel, I couldn't miss the fact that she might even be beautiful. I simply wouldn't tell my friends that part.

Thirty-SixRymar

The next day, the bustle of my cafe made a comfortable sound. The clank of utensils on plates, the clink of glasses, and the soft murmur of conversation was something I couldn't get enough of. It also meant I was missing out on seeing the girl make progress, but I was actually okay with that.

My own English was pathetic. I could never keep track of which letters were supposed to sound which way. Ayla's Vestrian was slow and a bit tedious, if I was honest. I didn't want to make it harder for her to learn, so I left her lessons to Kanik. He was good at it, after all.

And according to Zasen, the girl had made rather impressive progress. He'd admitted it begrudgingly. Plus, she was still telling him about her life inside the Mole base. Unfortunately, she didn't really know what we needed, and Zasen wasn't exactly helping. If anything, his frustration was terrifying her.

Kanik seemed to make it better. Oh, I'd also seen the way the guy smiled at her just a little too much, or how he'd started sitting closer and closer to her. Last night, Zasen had told me about how Kanik had almost stung Adoet for hurting her. If I was honest, I'd never seen the school teacher that pissed at anything besides the Moles. Or maybe protective was a better word.

Yeah, that would be a complication.

But working kept my mind off all of it. It also kept me out of their way. Yes, my staff could run this place without me, but I preferred to be more of a hands-on boss. That was how I'd risen in my political career, after all. Sharing a beer with a friend was a good way to convince them to vote for me.

I was making my way between the tables, checking on my customers, when the bell on the door tinkled to announce a new visitor.

I spun with a smile on my face that only got bigger as I recognized who had just come in. The woman walking down the stairs to the seating area was such a dark, rich navy color that she stood out almost as much as Zasen. In the middle of her tail, a band of brilliant orange wrapped all the way around. It matched the color and shade of her hair, making her impossible to confuse for anyone else.

"Brielle!" I greeted her. "I see you got my message."

She grinned and opened her arms, clearly expecting a hug. "Rymar! Look at you, trying to act busy."

I huffed at her implication that I didn't work, even as I hugged her back. "And yet you keep coming to my cafe for lunch. How's Jeera doing?"

"Good. In fact, she's supposed to be on her way here too. I mentioned that you wanted to talk to us, and it sounded like a good excuse to have lunch together," Brielle assured me.

So I led her to an open table. At the same time, I waved for Ulris, one of my waiters, to come get her order. Brielle was barely sitting down before the tailless man was beside her with his notebook open, ready to get her anything she wanted. She ordered two iced drinks and an appetizer, then waved for me to join her.

"You're sitting, aren't you, Rymar?" she teased.

Ulris leaned over and patted my shoulder. "Take him off our hands. Please! If you don't, he'll find something else I need to be cleaning." Then he winked at her and headed back to the kitchen.

Dropping into the chair beside her, I chuckled dryly. "I guess he thinks I've been in a mood or something."

"But what has you in a mood?" Brielle asked. "And more importantly, why did you want to see me and Jeera?"

My smile immediately took over, telling on me before I could even reply. "Our refugee is talking. Not only is she telling Zasen what she knows, but she's also doing it in Vestrian."