The Last Dragon Rider (Book 1 of Rider Series)

Chapter 45

I narrowed my eyes and scowled while I stared at him, and the male before me started to sweat and look nervous.

He didn't meet my gaze while he went to collect the shirt that he needed my mother to fix, and I watched him, staying silent.

"Have you heard anything?" I asked, finally, deciding to change the subject.

"About?" Toran asked. He was still tense, and I had a feeling that he thought I was talking about what he almost called me.

"What happened in the alleyways," I replied and leaned forward, and Toran relaxed before he looked at me, stopping in his task, his interest piqued.

"Oh?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"We have a new guest that is visiting us," I said, and his eyebrow went higher. "Th-"

"I don't think that we should say it out loud. Do you still have that feeling?" Shilan asked, interrupting me. He flicked his tail, and I had a feeling he was a little anxious about me saying something about Silan.

I closed my mouth and mentally nodded, understanding what he meant. I still had that feeling that something was wrong, and I didn't like it and prayed that whoever was out there didn't hear Toran try to refer to me as "princess."

Toran furrowed his brows and cocked his head when I stopped talking mid sentence. Worry filled his eyes, and he looked around before he looked at me, trying to see if we were alone or not. "What is it?" he asked, breaking the silence between us, his voice barely above a whisper. "What were you going to say?"

I smiled sadly and shook my head, not feeling safe, and Toran frowned but decided to leave it be. "Has Silan stopped by?" I asked, changing the subject somewhat. "I know that he likes your bread."

Toran huffed and shook his head, knowing full well that I wouldn't finish what I had said. "He hasn't," he said and went back to collecting the shirt that I needed to take to my mother. "I have an order for him, and he was supposed to pick it up a couple of days ago, but he didn't get it."

I raised an eyebrow in question. "What was the order?" I asked. "And do you want me to deliver it to him? I don't mind going that way or finding out where he is hiding."

Toran stopped looking for the shirt and narrowed his eyes while he looked at me. "Isn't that a little dangerous to do?" he asked. "You know that the Witch-Master loves his privacy and that he doesn't like anyone knowing where he hides."

I shrugged. "I already know where he hides, so I don't think that it would be a problem for me," I said. "He also understands why I would bug him when he doesn't want to be bugged."

Toran narrowed his eyes further before he pressed his lips into a thin line. "Hmph," he said. "I wouldn't agree with that," he said. "He could hurt you."

I snorted and rolled my eyes while I scowled. "I believe that he would be the last person that would try to hurt me," I said. "He would cut off his right arm before he hurts me."

Toran rolled his eyes and scowled before he walked into the back to see if the shirt was there. He didn't say a word, and I stayed silent and waited for him to appear again.

"Found it," he said from somewhere in the back and started to make his way back to the area where I was located. "You know that it is dangerous, right?"

"Which part?" I asked and cocked my head while I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to appear. "My whole job is dangerous, Toran."

"Some parts are more dangerous than others," he reminded me, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. He walked out of the back and shrugged, holding a shirt that was filled with claw marks as if he had gotten into a fight with some sort of beast. "I just want to know if you know that it is dangerous."

I leaned forward, my gaze on his shirt, shocked and nervous because I knew those marks, or at least thought I did.

Werewolf... that name filtered through my mind while I looked at the shirt. How did he get attacked by a Werewolf?

Did he know about the secret passage that my father had mentioned?

Toran caught my look, and a look of fear appeared on his face. He cleared his throat, trying to break me from staring at the shirt, but it didn't work.

I stayed staring at the shirt, trying to figure out how he got it and if it was a werewolf or something else, something that I had faced a long time ago.

"Marini," Toran said in a sharp tone that broke my concentration, and I instantly looked up at him.

He had his lips pressed into a thin line, and there was a look of nervousness in his eyes while I stared at him and not the shirt.

"Wh-"

He shook his head, and I instantly closed my mouth. "It doesn't matter," he said, interrupting me, and I pursed my lips in annoyance. "I just need it fixed. Do you think your mother can fix it?"

I held out my hand for him to give me the shirt, and he hesitantly did so, even though a part of him didn't want to, for some reason.

He stayed silent while I studied the shirt and stuck my hand through the claw marks before I wiggled my fingers. "Well?" he asked when I folded up the shirt so that the claw marks wouldn't be seen and stuffed it into my basket, making sure that it was hidden.

"She should be able to do it," I said and looked at him. "Unfortunately, it might be more than a loaf of bread that is needed for payment. However, I'll let you know what she says when it is done."

Toran pressed his lips into a thin line before he nodded. "Two loaves of bread?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "Or some pastries?"

I shrugged and grimaced because I wasn't sure what she would do. "I'll let you know when I know," I replied and made sure that everything in my basket was secured and the stuff that needed to be hidden was hidden and couldn't be picked through. "When do you need the shirt?" I asked and raised an eyebrow.

Tiran waved it off and started to prepare another bread for someone else. "Tell her to take as long as she needs," he said. "I don't need it back that soon."

I nodded. "And what about Silan's package?" I asked. "Do you want me to give it to him when I see him again?"

Toran shook his head no. "I know that you wouldn't mind, but he wanted me to give it specifically to him." He paused and cocked his head while he stared at me. "However, if you hear anything differently, then let me know, and I will give it to you."

I nodded and stayed silent while I watched him start to make bread again.

"See if he is prepared to give the package to the right Silan," Shilan said. "I don't think it'd be best if the fake one knows his order."

I mentally nodded, understanding what Shilan meant. "You don't happen to have a way to know if it's actually him or someone that is acting like him, do you?"

Toran paused in what he was doing and looked at me through narrowed eyes. "What are you implying?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I am not implying anything," I replied. "All I am wanting to know is if you have a signal or saying you two know that no one else knows."

"Do you?" Toran retaliated. He narrowed his eyes and scowled, trying to see what I was hiding.

I smirked. "That is none of your business," I replied. I picked up my basket, my business here complete.

"Then it is none of your business, but I'll be sure to use it if it comes down to it," Toran said. He dipped his head in thanks before he cleared his throat and started to get back to work again.

"I'll see you later, Toran," I said and started to make my way to the door.

"I will see you soon, Marini," Toran said.

And without another word, I walked out of the bakery and started to go to the place where I had to deliver the bread so that they would have something to eat.

Hopefully one day, they would be able to leave the safety of their house and do this themselves, but until then, I would gladly get their work done no matter what.