but I still had to take a deep breath before I could face her. “Maybe. I’m Ophelia.”
She didn’t offer to shake hands or anything, but pointed at another chair at the table where she sat. “Why don’t we talk for a second.”
It wasn’t a question or an invitation—it was an order. I started to bristle. Who the hell did she think she was to order me around? She didn’t know anything about me, and if she did… Well. If she knew only a hint of how fucked up my magic was, she wouldn’t risk pissing me off. “I don’t have any pressing engagements, so sure.”
The corner of her eye flickered, like she wanted to scowl at me, but the rest of her impervious façade remained in place. It was impressive, I had to give her that—she maintained an icy bitch face really well. I would have taken notes if my knees weren’t knocking with nerves.
Deirdre spread her hands on the table, studying them instead of me. “There are not many of us in the city, you see, and the people who run this facility wanted to make sure that trouble isn’t going to land on their doorstep. Well, more trouble than usual.”
My heart sank. It must have been Sunny and Sasha, worried about what a crazy witch meant for the rest of the people they needed to help. I would never get over it if I brought harm to the other women and children who legitimately needed the shelter. I swallowed the knot in my throat. “I’m not planning to stay long-term. I just needed—”
“They’re not kicking you out,” she went on, as if I hadn’t spoken. “But there are security and safety protocols that have to be followed. So. What are you running from?”
“A man,” I said finally. I used the breakfast burrito—cold but still edible—as an excuse to pause before answering so I could chew and think a bit more. “Isn’t it always about a man?”
Her head tilted as she studied me, and I figured she had never had man troubles. Deirdre didn’t blink. “What kind of man? Human? Witch? Something else?”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t want to talk about it. I won’t be here long enough for it to affect anyone. I’ll be on my way as soon as I can figure out what’s wrong with my car.”
“I’m not trying to drive you out of here,” she said suddenly, and some of the ice queen façade cracked. “It’s just… We’ve had a bit of trouble the last year with different factions and people up to no good, so the community is sensitive to strangers showing up and apparently stirring up trouble.”
“Stirring up trouble?” I sat back, bracing my hands on the table. “Me getting attacked by wild animals is stirring up trouble?”
She shrugged and gestured somewhere over her shoulder. “They’re fixing that problem, so at least we’ll know why the wild animals decided to track you down. But it would help me a great deal if you could explain how we can help you.”
“Help me?” I didn’t believe her. “You want to help me? Why?”
Deirdre’s head tilted as she studied me, and something softened in her dark eyes. “Because you look like you need help. Where’s your coven?”
“No coven.” I didn’t want her sympathy. I really didn’t want her sympathy. If anyone was too nice to me, I knew I’d start crying and blabber the whole sad story. And it was better if no one else knew the truth. Safer. She wouldn’t want to help me if she knew the truth about what a mess I was, all the people I’d hurt. “I’m on my own.”
She made a thoughtful noise. “No coven? Did you have one before and something happened?”
“Look, I don’t know you.” I glanced over at the reception desk and Kara, who seemed oblivious, and lowered my voice. “I don’t know anyone here, and I’m really not comfortable talking about stuff that shouldn’t be talked about in the open.”
“Kara’s fine,” she said, waving in the other woman’s direction. “She’s a wolf who lives with bears. She deals with more drama than almost anyone else I know.”
Kara snorted a laugh and said, “Preach,” before going back to the book she was reading.
I massaged my temples and struggled to come up with a response. “I seriously don’t know how to deal with this.”
“Then come stay with me,” she said. Her intense dark eyes nearly pinned me to my chair. “I have a very large house.