Wolf Bound

Chapter 31: Grimfur

If someone had told me the very first day I arrived in Calamitous that I'd have the pleasure of witnessing Vincent smile whenever we were alone, I'd laugh in their face, then claim they were pulling my leg. Even now, it was a hard concept to grasp. And if I caught him smiling, he'd wipe it off his face as though it were never there. Ha, jokes on him—the image was clear in my mind.

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped staring at me while I work," Vincent rolled his eyes and grumbled from his office chair behind his desk. I sat cross-legged in the chair beside him so that I had a front-row seat to whatever he was doing.

"Staring?" I gasped dramatically. "Excuse you, but I'm admiring."

"More like you're being a pain in my ass." He shook his head.

"You haven't kicked me out of the room, though. Now have you?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. He grunted, to which I assumed, was his way of calling this argument quits. "Admit it, my company is appealing to you. You don't have to deny it anymore, Vincey-boy. I get it."

"If you call me that God-awful nickname again, I am never speaking to you again."

"Fine, fine. I'll leave you alone." I made a zipping gesture across my lips, tossing the imaginary key away afterwards. Vincent rolled his eyes yet again before cuffing his hand under my chair and yanking me closer to him, earning a small yelp out of me. He hummed what sounded like a noise of content, then his eyes were back on the papers in front of him.

I said nothing, only watched in silence. Even if I wanted to comment on his actions, I didn't think I'd have much to say. The frantic beating in my chest and the obnoxious smile on my face had enough to say for me, and I was sure Vincent heard every word loud and clear.

For the most part, things were the same between us. But we both knew there'd been a change. Every once in a while I could feel a faint pull—something reminding me that our relationship had officially gone in a different direction—between us. To anyone else, Vincent's actions might have seemed normal. Maybe even lackluster, dare I say. After all, we weren't lovey-dovey.

We didn't seem like we had any feelings for each other, other than pure acknowledgement. Possibly in the friendship sense. But to someone like me, who'd been observing him since day one, learning his traits and habits, it was the little things he did that solidified this strange bubble we'd built around ourselves; whereas we were comfortable with how things were without needing to set a label on it just yet. Not at least until we both had a better understanding.

Besides, I didn't expect either of us to dive head-first into this, knowing fully well we had little to no experience in whatever the hell this was going to be. It was a little unnerving, to say the least, I'd admit. Oh boy, I couldn't wait for Amaury to talk to me about this. He was going to have a field day with me and Vincent. Speaking of Amaury, he'd been on my mind a lot lately.

Nearly an entire week had passed since our last encounter; the day Vincent and I spoke with him in the tunnel. Still no sign of that fifth spell book anywhere. And on top of that, Vincent and I were the only two who knew of Amaury's presence. I was hoping to avoid another surprise reveal that wasn't planned. But that meant Vincent and I needed to come clean ourselves. I imagined there were many ways that conversation could go—both good and bad.

We wouldn't know if we didn't risk it though.

"Vincent, I've been thinking. . ."

"What about?"

"Don't you think we should tell Lady Teresa and Amaruq about Amaury? And then, maybe, just maybe, we should tell everyone else? At least those in this little close circle you've got."