Darian debated how to find Jenn before he risked talking to her mentally. As a mind manipulator, she'd have more sensitive mental receptors. He shouldn't draw attention using magic this close to the Black God's hideout.
Go for a walk, he told her. Darian waited. A few minutes later, she emerged from the hideout. West 100 meters. He rose as she approached. Jenn's dark hair was hidden under a knit cap, her lithe frame moving with a cat's grace through the snow and boulders. Large, dark eyes were wary and guarded, and she was openly armed. When she saw him, she put her knife away but didn't lose the wariness. There was something else in her gaze and the firm set of her jaw that bothered him.
"What is it?" he asked when she was close enough.
"Nothing," she replied with a tight smile. "A lot going on. How are you doing? Is everything back home okay?"
"We're all good. I'm on my way to find a new place."
"What happened? Did ikir kick you out?" she demanded.
"No," Darian chuckled. "I'm not a lost boy anymore. I can take care of myself."
She studied him closely, as if looking for signs of the man he'd been the last time she saw him. Or looking for something else. Darian had never felt threatened around her, even with his desire to find some reason to write her off as another Claire. This time, her intense gaze made him uncomfortable.
"What is it?" he asked again.
"I wasn't expecting you."
"Damian sent me."
"At ikira Sofi's suggestion?" Jenn asked, crossing her arms.
"I don't know," he said. "Jenn, what's wrong?"
"Really, it's nothing," she said with a sigh. "I'm a little rattled." Her glance towards the mountain mansion told him things were not going well.
"I can pull you out at any time," he said.
"Damian's agreement was-"
"Believe it or not, I'm a god, too, and I don't need Damian's permission or help to rescue a Guardian in need." His words came out harsher than he intended.
Jenn's troubled gaze flickered up to him again. She didn't seem convinced of his words or happy to see him. He suspected she was in more trouble than she let on, and it irritated him that she didn't trust him enough to tell him. She shifted away from him. Darian wasn't sure what to make of her reaction. They'd been friends since soon after Sofi found him, and Jenn had never acted this way around him before.