Hanna and the Hitman - Honey Phillips Page 0,40
in the doorway, but he still had to force his body to relax. Apparently unconcerned by the threat, his grandfather leaned casually against the doorframe, but Aidon saw his hand clench around the bowl he was carrying. A male in the grip of mating frenzy was always dangerous.
“You’re scaring her,” the old man added.
He looked over his shoulder and saw Hanna crouched behind him, her eyes wide.
“I’m sorry, saachi. I was still having trouble controlling my instincts.”
“I’m fine,” she said immediately. “I wasn’t scared of you—I’ve never been scared of you.”
“Then you are a—” his grandfather started to say, and Aidon growled at him.
“What did you bring her?”
“Nalla porridge.”
The dish consisted of a type of nut, ground and then cooked. It would do.
“Very well,” he muttered.
Hanna frowned at him as she reached for the bowl, then smiled at his grandfather.
“Thank you, Tanor. I appreciate it.”
She took a cautious bite, then smiled happily. “Oh, this is delicious.”
She dove in enthusiastically, and Aidon nodded reluctantly at his grandfather.
“Now eat, boy,” the old man said gruffly.
Knowing that he needed to regain his strength, he obeyed. With each mouthful, he could feel the change in his body, feel his strength returning, feel his skin settling into place. But despite that, he was also conscious of a bone-deep exhaustion. He had been fighting the need to return Pardor for far too long, and he was paying the price. As soon as he finished the meal, he could feel fatigue sweeping over him. He had intended to leave as soon as he’d eaten, but it would be reckless to take Hanna out into the jungle until he was sure that his full capabilities had returned.
He frowned at his grandfather. “We need to stay here tonight,” he said reluctantly, the words clogging his throat. When he had left at eighteen, he had vowed never to return.
“Still your home,” the old man muttered.
Waves of tiredness washed over him, but he forced his eyes to remain open long enough to fix them on his grandfather. “Take care of her.”
“She’ll be safe enough with me.”
“No…more…tricks.”
He heard the old man sigh.
“No. I’ll let you make your own mistakes. Just like I always did.”
Aidon’s lips started to curve, but then darkness overtook him, and he slipped into sleep.
Hanna looked anxiously at Aidon’s grandfather as Aidon’s eyes closed again.
“Are you sure he’s all right?”
“He will be. He just needs to rest and eat lots of fresh fruit.”
That reminded her of how angry Aidon had been that his grandfather had offered fruit to her. “Why can’t I have any?”
Tanor opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. “Ask the boy when he wakes up. I suspect he would rather tell you himself.”
Her stomach chose that moment to rumble again, and he frowned at her. “Are you still hungry?”
“I’m sorry.” She was blushing again. “I really didn’t have much chance to eat on the ship. I was too worried.”
“You don’t need to be worried anymore,” he said gruffly. “Come with me, and I will make you something else to eat.”
Torn, she glanced from him to the bed. Aidon still seemed to be sleeping soundly, but should she leave him?
“Leave the door open if you want,” Tanor snapped before turning and stalking out of the room.
Had she offended him? Even though Aidon didn’t seem to get along with the older male, she didn’t want any bad blood between them because of her. With one last look at Aidon, she followed Tanor into the main room.
She had been too anxious when they’d entered to pay much attention to her surroundings, but now she took an appreciative look around the large main room. Big windows openings were centered in each wall. There was no glass in the openings, and she could see that night had fallen outside. Tanor was closing the shutters across each of them when she entered.
The floor was made from polished wood, and the few comfortable-looking pieces of furniture almost seemed to grow out of the flooring, their frames carved from twisted vines and their pillows in shades that matched the natural hues.
A big kitchen area took up one corner of the room, and once Tanor was through with the shutters, he pulled out a bowl and started chopping ingredients. A little cautiously, she wandered over to join him. He didn’t speak as he worked, but he seemed more relaxed than he had since they’d met.
He ignited a fire in a small metal stove and started sautéing ingredients. A delicious smell filled the