Chapter 177

Helen’s POV

“So, Lisa,” I said. “Do you live around here?”

She nodded. “For the past six months or so. I live across town. Thankfully, my house sits on a street that leads straight here to work. So even though the walk is fairly long, it’s a straight shot.” Hot, fragrant tea dribbled into the cup she worked with.

“That’s nice,” I said, fumbling to keep the conversation natural while I fished for information. “Where does your husband work?”

She shook her head. “I’m not married or mated.”

I bit back my grin and tried to tamp down my swelling hope. After all, even if Lisa was single, she might not like Russo. But at least we were getting somewhere hopeful.

“A boyfriend then?” I pressed.

“Not recently,” she said, putting a generous dollop of whipped cream on the top of my chai.

“That’s too bad,” I said without meaning a word of it.”

She shot me a look I couldn’t quite read. “It’s not too bad. He was a jerk.”

“Oh, I see.”

She snapped a lid on my cup and handed it to me.

“Like I said,” I started, “it’s been a year since we lived in town. So I don’t know if maybe you’ve heard of my husband and mate. His name’s Justin, and he’s a lycan.”

Her eyes went wide. “You’re the Lycan King’s Luna?”

I nodded my head, suddenly feeling shy.

“How can I not have heard about the pair of you? What brings you back into town? I thought you guys moved the headquarters for the True Mates Pack and live there now.”

“We do. But Justin and I both grew up in town here. We needed to pick up a few things, so we’re back for a short while. I never got a chance to try this coffee shop when we lived here before, but I always wanted to.”

I pulled out my wallet, and she held out her hands, shaking her head. “No. I couldn’t charge the Luna for a coffee. This one’s on the house.”

“That wouldn’t be right,” I fussed. “Not to mention, I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble with your boss.”

She stuck her hands behind her back and refused to take the money. “I’m sorry, Luna. I can’t do that.”

Another idea occurred to me, and I tried to hold back the sly grin which wanted to spread across my lips. “I understand your desire to treat the Luna, and I don’t want to be rude. So how about I make a different request? As the Luna, it’s utterly inappropriate for me to bring my business in here and get not pay for the service. But if you would like to do me a favor, I have one that would make me far happier than a free chai tea.”

She looked curious. “Can I hear the favor before I agree?”

“Sure,” I said. “I have a friend who happens to be single, and I think you might be just his type.”

A frown crossed her face. “I’m not really looking to be set up. Thank you. Not to mention, while I know who you are because your reputation precedes you, I don’t think we know each other well enough for you to say whether or not I’m anyone’s type.”

I set the bills on the counter and took my drink. “I’m not trying to offend you. My friend isn’t a even werewolf if that’s what’s got you concerned. In fact, he’s a fae.”

I leaned forward, motioning for her to bring her ear close enough for me to whisper. “He spent most of the last few years living among witches and wizards like you,” I murmured quietly. “I think he’s far more comfortable with your kind than mine.”

I stood back up, resuming casualness like what we were talking about meant nothing. “Unfortunately, my friend happens to be the last of his kind, and he’s got no one else to connect with. I simply thought that if I found a companion whom he was comfortable with, he might enjoy life a little bit more. If it turns into something beyond friendship, that would be completely between you two.”

I gave her a pointed look. “Wouldn’t having a friend be better than being all alone?”

She caught my meaning and nodded slowly. “I suppose that might be nice. I don’t know anyone else around here, not closely.”

She let that statement hang, and I knew she meant that there were no other witches or wizards hiding amongst the pack here.

“If being set up alone with him is too awkward, you could come with me tonight,” I suggested. “What time does your shift end?”

“I get off at the top of the hour,” Lisa said. If she still hesitated to meet Russo, I couldn’t see it on her face. She didn’t look particularly excited, either, though.

“That’s perfect,” I gushed. “I’m actually supposed to meet my friend at our hotel in an hour. My husband, my friend, and our beta are staying there while we locate the things in town that we need. You can come by and meet everyone. It would be nice not to be the only lady for a change. And maybe you can even lend us a hand.”

She thought about this for a moment before speaking. “Going with you tonight might be kind of nice. As I said, I don’t really know many people around here. I don’t have any girlfriends to hang out with tonight, even though it’s a Friday night. The only woman my age that I’ve made friends with recently ran across her mate. Needless to say, she’s kind of preoccupied right now. They’re planning a wedding, and it doesn’t leave a lot of room for hanging out, just the girls.”

“Well, obviously, this won’t be just the girls if you come with me,” I warned, “since I’m stuck with three guys. But at least we’d have each other.”

Lisa was still looking not fully convinced by the idea, so I pulled a still over to the counter and sat across from her. “Since there’s no one else in the coffee shop, and I won’t be distracting you from other customers, why don’t I tell you a little bit about myself and my friends?”

She nodded, took out a rag, and started cleaning behind the counter. I rambled off everything that I loved about Russo and a little bit of my story. Since she was right to wonder about who might be listening, I kept the conversation material lightweight, not going into great detail about why we were here or our fight with Justin’s father or the Huntsman. There would be enough time for that at the hotel tonight.

I also wanted to ask Lisa why a witch would take a job in a coffee shop. Was it simply a cover, or was she not particularly proficient at her craft? Not that it really mattered to Russo’s bloodline whether the witch he had children with was good at her craft. But a practical part of me said that if she were to make friends with Russo and she was good at being a witch, we could use her help when we went up against a half-demon like the Huntsman.

By the end of the hour, she had opened up enough that I knew a little about her too. Lisa had grown up with one older sister and her parents, though she didn’t know where any of her family was at the moment. The last time she’d seen them was when she moved to town. They had all been safe at the time, so their health was at least something to hope for. If we managed to get the Huntsman taken care of, she could reunite with her family safely.

I also learned that Lisa loved children and pickled vegetables and that this was her first time living on her own without her family. When she told me that, we spent a good deal of time bonding over what it was like to be independent for the first time. I might have just made my second friend.