Free The Eye of the Wolf by Sadie Vanderveen

watched Mikayla fiddle with the
flower that lay on the table between them. “I think it is unbearably sad when
little girls grow up and cease to believe in Prince Charming and settle for
second best.”
    Mikayla shrugged. “Prince Charming
only exists for those who have to make him exist to make themselves happy.”
    Will frowned as sadness
enveloped him. “I believe in them. There are princes out there. Just as there
are princesses too.” He paused again and wondered where these thoughts of
sadness for her and where the sudden need to prove to her that Prince Charming
really did exist had suddenly arisen from. It was unnatural for him. It was
scary. And, most importantly, it was impossible. He cleared his throat.
    When he spoke again, his voice
was strong, cool, and very academic. He was impressed with himself. “I
disagree. Fairy tales, folk lore, ghost stories, and treasure hunts are all
part of history. They are all based in something that occurred at one time.” He
reached forward and toyed with the hair that veiled her face. “What are you
scared of?”
    “History is not a treasure
hunt. It is more solving a complex one thousand piece puzzle and finding that
you are missing one piece rather than hunting for treasure.” Mikayla
straightened in her chair, just out of reach of Will’s hand.
    Will leaned back in his chair
and propped his feet on the table. He shrugged again and picked up his own
notepad and book. “Perhaps, perhaps not. I do know that the Eye of the Wolf is
part of the history of Amor.” He looked over his book and feet into Mikayla’s
stubborn eyes. “Maybe we should find it to fit the pieces of that puzzle
together.” He winked. “Then history would be a treasure hunt, don’t you think,
Doctor Knight.”
    Mikayla rolled her eyes again.
She pulled the book and notepad back across the table to herself. “I don’t
think so, Mister Chambers. Perhaps instead we should get to work finding out
what happened during that rebellion you mentioned or maybe about why peace came
following King Malachi’s reign.” She raised her eye brows, a flirtatious move
that she was unaware she made, but made Will smirk.
    “Yes, ma’am.” Will turned his
attention back to the book before him. “I’m going to read about the rebellion
now, if you don’t mind.”
    His tone carried a hint of the
royal in it making her grin. “Yes, you do that. I will read more about the Eye
of the Wolf and the arrival of the Crusaders here in Amor.” Mikayla returned
with a snooty tone of her own.
    Why on earth she had agreed to
let this annoying, yet humorous, man help her, she still didn’t know. What she
did know was that she wished for just one moment that she was as light-hearted
and flirtatious as the women she had gone to college with so that she could
enjoy the mindless flirtation she was sure Will could provide if she was game.
However, she knew she was there for a specific job and that she was going to
accomplish that job. It was part of her character. She would never be anything
other than a professional historian; and professional historians were boring.
It was in the make-up of anyone who would spend her life looking as the
remnants of people long gone. It was also very scary to let someone in close
enough to know all of you, to know what passion was inside of you. Once a
person had the chance, then there was power over you. It was best to remain the
cool professor and get the job done, rather than risk the injury that came from
getting too close.
    And that was what she was going
to get to right that moment, looking into the evidence of people long gone and
determining the secrets of those people, and stop thinking about roses and
fairytale princes.
     
     
    Stone skittered down the wall,
making quiet splashing as it hit the water far below. The fingers dug into the
stone, searching for purchase. As feet slid along the loose gravel, the keening
reached its pinnacle. Golden eyes gleamed through the darkness as