Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Six hours later, Ebony was exhausted and ready to go home where she could collapse with a good book, a familiar book. She punched out for the day, trying not to think about what the weird stain on her pant leg might be. This was why new clothes made no sense for her. It would be a waste of money to buy clothing, even if she wished she could slip into something that wouldn't immediately scream halfling, as she walked down the street. More than once, a young mother had pulled a child to the other side of the street to avoid her as she'd made her way to or from work. Having to pass through the nice neighborhood around the hotel was an exercise in humiliation most days.

Since new clothes were useless, giving the money to the orphanage would make her feel better than anything. If she couldn't find another searcher in the next couple of weeks, she was excited to do just that. She would give it a little time before giving up all hope though, she wouldn't give up after the first ‘ no' .

At the end of her shift, Ebony was grabbing her purse out of her locker when she heard a voice in her boss' office that stopped her in her tracks.

It couldn't be, she was just hallucinating.

"She works here, right?" the familiar voice demanded sharply.

"Well, yeah, we have a halfling named Ebony Landry," her boss, Mr. Glick, was saying. "I'm sorry sir, did she not do what was necessary to clean your room? I can assure you that?—"

"When does she work next?" the other man demanded.

Ebony gasped, it was definitely Lark, and he was definitely looking for her. Why the hell was he looking for her? Did she dare hope that he had changed his mind about helping her?

"Ebony!" Mr. Glick called. "Get in here!"

"What the hell is going on?" Taylor asked, coming up to her with a look of concern. No one got called in at the end of a shift unless they were about to be fired.

"I don't know, but don't wait around, I'll catch up or meet you later."

Taylor hesitated, looking unsure.

Mr. Glick stuck his bald head out the doorway and glared at them.

"What do you need? My shift is over," Ebony said, pretending she didn't know who else was in the office.

"Get in here, customer wants to see you," Mr. Glick said with annoyance.

Ebony bit her lip and entered the room with as much grace as she could manage. She shot a look back at Taylor from the doorway that she hoped showed calm, but she was pretty sure by Taylor's worried face that she didn't hit it.

"Isn't your shift over, too?" Mr. Glick snapped at Taylor, making her jump and hurry away. No use in both of them getting fired today.

Ebony entered the room with her head high. Whatever this was, she was not going to show how scared she was. She stopped just inside the doorway of the office, ready to bolt as soon as possible. If this conversation ended in tears, she didn't want either of these men to see them.

Mr. Glick hurried back behind his desk, his round body wobbling slightly as he took the corner too tight. Ebony almost laughed but turned it into a cough as Mr. Glick's glare turned on her, full force and accusing.

Lark was there, just watching the interaction with a cool, calculated look. He sat in a too-small chair in front of the desk. He'd turned it so he could eye both the door and Mr. Glick behind the desk at the same time. Ebony wondered if that was a purposeful move to keep himself safe, he had to find himself in dangerous situations often, and he'd gotten that scar somewhere.

Ebony's cheeks heated as she remembered following it with her eyes last night and how it had led to a very vivid imagining of his taut nipples.

Lark's green eyes narrowed on her, and his lips pressed into a thin line as if he knew what she was thinking and disapproved. His dark hair was slicked back today, she liked it better the way she'd seen it last night, a little shaggy and wild, like she imagined he was.

She quickly looked away from him, hating how her thoughts ran away where he was concerned. She turned to Mr. Glick who was now seated behind his desk.

"What is it? I don't want to miss the bus," Ebony said.

He just motioned to Lark as if it were an utter annoyance that this was happening, and she would undoubtedly be punished for it in some way later on. Mr. Glick was probably already deciding to give her all the worst shifts for the next month.

And it was all Lark's fault. Why was he here? She looked back at him and met his glare with one of her own. "What?" She demanded, grabbing the strap of her old leather purse, and hating that he was seeing her at her worst; worn-out work clothes, hair in a messy ponytail, and zero makeup on. She probably smelled like cleaning solution, sweat, and whatever was on her pant leg.

He smelled woodsy and fresh of course, and all man; it wafted to her because of the air conditioning unit in the office and sent a tingle through her body.

Who the hell smelled that good?

"Leave us, Glick," Lark ordered.

Mr. Glick sputtered and slammed his hands on the top of his desk, but one glare from Lark was enough to send him rushing awkwardly from the room. He didn't leave without a final threatening look at Ebony though. Lark had probably just lost her job for her.

Shit. She would have to keep some of the money she had planned to hire a searcher with, or donate to the orphanage, to live on until she found something new.

When the door closed, Lark stood and towered over Ebony. Even though he didn't touch her, she felt the heat from his body so intensely he may as well have been pressed against her, skin-to-skin. She was alive with response to his presence, and she couldn't hold his gaze. She looked away, stepped back, and fiddled with her purse strap.

"What the hell do you want? I don't have eight, I'll never have eight, and I think you know that," she accused.

"I changed my mind. I'll take you on."

Ebony couldn't believe her luck. She smiled as she looked back up at him, he was still glaring, but she didn't care. He was going to help her. "Really? Why?" she asked cautiously. His quick changes of mind were definitely a red flag.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lark snapped.

Ebony tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, "I guess not." Why was he so angry with her if it was his decision to help her? This man made no sense.

He leaned down until his nose almost touched hers and his breath swept across her face like a soft caress. His gaze bored into her eyes, she felt it straight into her soul and he hissed. "You really don't have a full soul." His voice was tight, dripping with anger.

Ebony gulped. Fear filled her, replacing the sexual desire he had brought to life. She'd heard that disdain before, knew that kind of hate. But coming from him it didn't make sense; he helped halfsouls, didn't he?

"Obviously," she said with a shaky voice. She stepped back but came up against a cabinet and she was completely trapped in this small office with him.

Lark put his hands on the cabinet on either side of her head, blocking her in. She couldn't think straight, he was angry and strong, he could destroy her so easily. Her mind flashed to another time, another situation filled with hate and the blue-eyed man who smelled of alcohol and cigarettes who thought he could take his anger out on her body. That man had gotten a few good hits in before she'd managed to spray him with her pepper spray. His intentions had been to rape her, and she'd never known such fear in her life.

Ebony shoved her hand into her purse, knowing she'd never be able to take more than a single hit from such a large man as Lark. She grasped the pepper spray, ready to pull it out spraying, not caring if she got herself with it too. Surely someone would come in to investigate if they were both screaming with burning eyes.

"We're soulmates," he hissed angrily.

His words couldn't have shocked her more. Her head started to spin, and she dropped the pepper spray on the ground between them.

The sound caught his attention, and he stepped back, grunting when he saw the small black thing roll. "Smart girl," he said with a half-smile that made her heart do a flip.

With the granted space she was able to stumble toward Mr. Glick's desk and take a seat on it so she wouldn't fall down. "S-soulmates," she stammered. "That's not possible, I'm not a fullsoul, I?—"

Lark huffed and stood straight. "I know, that's why I had to make sure you actually weren't a fullsoul. You're not," he said with a hiss. "I can see it clear enough in your eyes. They may be a little brighter than usual for a halfling, but you are not a fullsoul, there's no spark there."

She bristled at his tone, his anger at her halfsoul state. How dare he? She hadn't asked to be his anything, didn't want to be anyone's anything. "Gee, what a smooth talker you are. It's impossible, we both know that, what gave you such a stupid idea?" she snapped.

"Don't tell me you didn't feel the spark when our hands touched last night," he said with exasperation.

Of course she had, she'd have to have been dead not to have felt it, it was amazing and unexpected and… fuck was that a soulmate spark?

"I did," she admitted carefully. "But soulmates? I just thought it was lust." She looked down at the hand in question and shook her head in denial.

"Lust?" he hissed. "That's what you feel between your thighs, woman. A soulmate spark is, well I guess it's what happened last night. It's not like I've felt it before, but I know lust." His mouth quirked up in a smile that told her he was no stranger to lust, and giving in to it too.

She hated the way that knowledge sent a shot of jealousy through her. Her body already claiming this man as hers and hers alone. "I don't understand," she whispered. But what did it matter anyway? She wasn't a fullsoul and she had no interest in finding her soulmate, that's not what she'd been after when she went to meet with him.

It had been the farthest thing from her mind, actually. It ruined everything, it complicated her entire plan. It was… impossible.

"Me either, it shouldn't be able to happen, but it did."

She shook her head. "No."

"No?" he said with a quirked eyebrow and amusement in his voice.

"I don't believe you," she said with force.

Lark crossed the distance between them in one smooth step, pulling her to his body with a firm hand on her back. She gasped at the very real feeling of electricity that pumped over her body even though it wasn't skin-to-skin contact. She looked into his face, her eyes wide, her jaw hanging open and unable to speak as a near orgasmic experience was happening to her and no one had even touched her clit yet. His mouth quirked up as if he knew exactly what she was experiencing and his eyes became heavily-lidded, giving him a sexy look that only amped up the desire she was feeling. His hand on her back remained firm and hot while the other lifted to touch her chin. When he ran a finger over her lower lip, it quivered, wishing for him to kiss her. Ebony moaned, unable to stop herself.

With a very satisfied grunt Lark stepped back, dropping all contact abruptly. Ebony stumbled back against Mr. Glick's desk, her head spinning and her body on fire. It was intense and it was confusing but she refused to believe it was anything more than desire. He watched her carefully as her head cleared and she shook it in denial.

"It is nothing more than desire, and sorry, but I don't do that." Her words weren't as firm as she would have liked, her voice alien to her ears with its soft breathy quality.

Lark crossed his arms over his chest. "Then where did you get the five?"

"Fuck you!" she yelled and threw the first thing her hand hit on Mr. Glick's desk, which happened to be a tray of papers. It wasn't going to do any damage, but it made her feel better, and distracted Lark while she fled out of the office and out the back door.

Her panties were wet but that didn't mean she had to believe a damn word out of that asshole's mouth. Lust and desire weren't reserved for your soulmate, otherwise the suppressants wouldn't be necessary. Any handsome man with a deep voice and chiseled features could have made her feel those same things. Even as Ebony told herself it was nothing more than simple human desire, she knew she was lying to herself. She knew that the electricity she'd felt when Lark touched her wasn't normal. If it was, it certainly would have been described, in great detail, to her by Taylor when regaling Ebony with one of her nights with a lover. Not even when Taylor had been in love had she mentioned anything like that spark.

Ebony might have gotten away from Lark if she had a car to jump into. Unfortunately, she had a three-block walk to the bus station and he caught up to her in half a block with his long legs and determined attitude.

She ignored him as he fell into step beside her. She half expected him to grab her and force her to stop but he didn't touch her, and she was grateful enough that she glanced up at him.

"You're not my type," she said.

He grunted an amused sound. "I thought you said you didn't do that."

"I don't."

"So how do you know what your type is?"

"If I had a type, it wouldn't be moody assholes," she assured him. Her mind went to some of her favorite books that would very clearly speak to the opposite of that statement, but fantasy and reality were two very different things, and she did not like his attitude.

"So let's find your soulsister."

"Why?" Ebony snapped even though she knew why. He wanted a soulwife with a full soul to give him little fullsoul babies. Well fuck that. Tears stung her eyes because it could never be and even though she didn't want it, it didn't mean she couldn't mourn the loss. She glared straight ahead so he couldn't see the glint of moisture in her eyes.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Lark's voice was steady, but she could feel his exasperation under the surface. He wasn't used to people arguing with him, she would bet.

"Yes, but I'm not your soulmate and if you're doing this because you think you can live some kind of fullsoul fantasy family life with me, you're sorely mistaken."

He grabbed her arm then and forced her to stop and face him. His expression was unreadable, and she had to stop herself from reacting like he was threatening her.

Heat built where he touched her and a spark of something she didn't want to think about passed between them. She steeled herself against it and doubled down on her assertion. "If you want a fullsoul soulmate wife to have your little fullsoul babies and all that happy shit, then you're barking up the wrong tree. I can't spark with you, I don't have my whole soul and I am not interested in that crap, even if I did have it."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Let's take it one step at a time. You want to hire me. I'm hired. We start now."

Ebony stuttered and shook her head, trying to grasp what was happening but it was hard to think when he was touching her. "Now? I don't know. How does it even really work? What do you do, what do you need from me?" Her mind swirled and she felt breathless.

This was it, she was going to find her soulsister.

"I buy you dinner," he said softly.

A group of people walked past them and snickered. Ebony caught more than one admonishing glance and she stepped back, forcing Lark to let go of her arm. She didn't want to make a scene, and hated when people were looking at her, judging her. Part of her regretted the loss of contact, but she needed a clear head and his touch messed with her. "What does dinner have to do with anything?"

"We have a lot to discuss before I can start the search," he shrugged. "I'm hungry and you look like you could use a good meal."

Ebony bit her lip, unsure and yet knowing she needed to take this leap. This is why she'd gone to him in the first place. "Okay, dinner." It wouldn't hurt to get a free meal as they discussed the details of the deal.

"I know a great place down the street." He grabbed her arm again and started walking.

"Woah! I can't go anywhere like this," she said, digging in her heels, a little frantic. There was nowhere in this neighborhood that would welcome her, but they might look the other way if she was at least dressed in clean, decent clothes.

"You look fine, and besides, who are you trying to impress?" He turned to her with a sharp angry look, pinning her in place with just those green eyes. "Let's get one thing straight, Ebony, you are mine. I don't know why, and I don't know how, but you are, and I expect you to act like a soulwife, starting now ."

Fear and anger flared in her, but she knew he was her best chance at finding her soulsister, so she swallowed it and took a shaky breath. She hoped there was a reasonable man inside him somewhere. "I look like I worked hard all day, I look like a damn halfling," she snapped. "Is that really what kind of soulwife you want to walk into a restaurant with?" She gained a bit of pleasure from throwing it in his face. He wanted her to be a soulwife, but she would never be anything more than a halfling and he couldn't bully or demand her into anything else.

He froze and dropped her arm, assessing her more closely. "You're right, you look terrible. You can clean up at my place," he finally said, his voice a little gruff.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she couldn't stop herself from hating that he was seeing her like this. She wanted him to see her clean and pretty, wanted him to be happy that she was his soulwife.

No , she chastised herself, she didn't care, she wasn't, wouldn't be, his soulwife for real so what he thought of her didn't matter.

She couldn't be his soulwife and that reality hurt more than she ever imagined it could. She suddenly wanted to go home more than anything, wanted to curl up in bed and hide from everything that he'd told her.

"I can't. I?—"

"It's not up for debate," he snapped and led her back the way they'd come.