The next few days at UniPort were a tightrope walk of high-stakes deception. Esther and Samuel adopted a new routine, designed to confuse Fortune and keep her safe.
Esther would move from lecture hall to library, always accompanied by either Samuel or one of his trusted Pack members, like the quiet, watchful Tunde. They maintained the appearance of a blossoming, if highly intense, university romance. Samuel's presence was a palpable shield, a solid wall of pine and kinetic energy that repelled the coldness of the Shadow.
She knew Fortune was watching. She could feel the faint, icy prickle of his distant gaze whenever she lingered too long near an empty window or a shadowed corridor.
One evening, Esther was alone, deliberately, in the art history wing of the library. Tunde was supposedly getting coffee. This was the lure.
Sure enough, Fortune appeared, gliding out from between two rows of canvases, looking like a piece of living, chilling sculpture.
"Playing a dangerous game, little Keeper," Fortune murmured, his voice laced with amusement. "Letting the wolf keep you on his scent. Does his need feel like love, or like desperation?"
Esther faced him, clutching her books a heavy edition of Nigerian Indigenous Architecture like a weapon.
"You offer me freedom from a curse," Esther said, projecting a sense of conflict. "Samuel offers me a fight for my life. I haven't decided which one is the greater gamble, Fortune."
"There is no gamble with me," he countered smoothly, stepping closer. His sharp, minty scent was suffocating. "I offer you knowledge. The knowledge to not only sever the wolf's bond to the Stone, but to harness the silver yourself. You could become the only entity capable of truly balancing this city, free from the wolf's predatory dependence."
He reached out a pale hand, stopping just short of her arm. "Your grandmother did not wish this bondage on you, Esther. She sought the power to break it. Come with me, and I will show you where she hid her notes."
"And if I come with you," Esther challenged, her eyes fixed on his, "what is your price?"
"My price," Fortune smiled, a slow, predatory unveiling of perfect teeth, "is the city. But I would have a capable partner, not a frightened shield. I want a queen, Esther. Not a captive."
Just then, Samuel appeared, walking quickly down the aisle. He didn't look angry; he looked tired, his jaw tight with controlled fury.
"Esther, the lights are going out," Samuel said, his eyes firmly locked on her, ignoring Fortune completely. "Obinna is waiting by the entrance."
Fortune watched the exchange, his amusement flickering into annoyance. He realized Esther was playing him, buying time. He knew the wolf would not risk an outright fight in a public university setting; the shift was too dangerous.
"Run along, little wolf," Fortune dismissed Samuel with a flick of his wrist. "But the silver trail only gets colder for you, and warmer for me."
As Samuel ushered Esther away, his hand hot on her lower back, Esther risked a backward glance. Fortune was gone, but the air still felt like cold, polished marble. The game of trust and deception had just ratcheted up.