Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
I couldn’t. That was the bottom line. I couldn’t continue to do business this way.
Making a decision, I sat up and reached for my phone.
“Hell-o lovely,” Nessa answered, bright and cheery.
“Are you ever grumpy?” I rubbed my eye with my free hand.
“Uh-oh, clearly you are.”
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep well last night. Hey, listen, I’m pulling the plug on this Tristan situation, and I wanted to tell you first. I know you two have history, what with his pitching you off the roof”—she spat out a laugh—“but I don’t feel comfortable with the way things are going. Let the guy be. It’s not his fault his leader dragged him here and forced him into our presence. He shouldn’t be punished for it.”
“What if he’s dangerous?”
“He’s no more dangerous than we are, and if he does know these beyond, or below, or whatever shadow games, he isn’t playing them here. We’re the ones who are being dicks right now, and I don’t want to be that outfit. Maybe we’ll need it in the mage world, but we don’t need to act like this with him. We’re going to leave him be.”
She was quiet for a moment, and then I heard her sigh. “I get what you’re saying. It’s just hard for me to shift out of my other life and come here and be a lot more wholesome.”
“Tell me about it. It’s hard for me to shift out of my other life and be a lot more violent. But I think we should meet in the middle to have the best results, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. You’re right.”
“And if you do find out his secret, because I’m not so naïve as to think you guys will stop poking at him—I don’t think Niamh can help herself—keep it to yourselves. Don’t even tell me. Wherever he came from, he has made a life for himself. He has a future. You shouldn’t jeopardize that because of the strange orange blood he possibly inherited from a taboo sort of creature.”
She sucked in a little breath. “That’s not… I’m not…” After a pause, she started again. “I wasn’t trying to find out because of any animosity between us. I have nothing against the guy. He was right to grab me how he did—I would’ve done worse—and he saved a stranger’s life at the expense of his favorite suit. In the scheme of things, he didn’t act badly. I’m just…curious, I guess. Something about him niggles at me, and I have no idea why. Like he has these…mysterious depths. I can’t decide if he’s dangerous in that come hither sort of way like Broken Sue, or dangerous in that if you come hither, I will kill you way. I guess I’d just kinda like to know where I stand.”
“Maybe just stand a little farther away.”
She laughed into the phone. “Noted, senator. I shall tread lightly and tell no one about my travels.”
“Wise.” I hesitated a moment, tapping my fingers against my knee. “There’s one other thing. Ulric was acting very strangely last night. The way he dressed, how subdued he was… He said something about not wanting to fight his way home, and on the way back, he stuck closely to us. He didn’t find a girl like usual. When I asked him about it, he shrugged it off.”
“He definitely seemed out of sorts.”
“I was wondering… I know I just told you not to spy on people and pry into their lives, but…”
“You’d like to know what’s going on.”
“Yeah. I’d just like to know if he needs help but is afraid to ask for it.”
“Gotcha. No problem. That’s easily within my wheelhouse.”
“Don’t tell his mom.”
She laughed again. “Heard.”
“Okay. Pass all that on to Sebastian. I gotta call Niamh now.”
“Good luck.”
I’d need it.
After a deep breath, I figured maybe a shower and some fresh coffee should come first. That finished, I thought I’d better get around to breakfast. My meal consumed, I thought maybe I should go check on Edgar and the weird statue Naomi had mentioned. Or possibly check in on the basajaunak who were hopefully on the complete opposite side of the wood, something that would take all day to do…
“Good late morning, Jessie,” Naomi said as I stood in the hallway, staring off into space. “Need a shove toward your destination?”
“No, no. I’m good…”
“Fantastic. While you’re standing there doing nothing, you might want to check that skyline.”
She strode quickly and efficiently toward her office at the back of the house.
“The skyline…” In confusion, I climbed the stairs to the second floor and looked out the nearest window. There, in the distance, a couple of approaching specks were evenly spread. I could just barely make out wings. “Oh…”
My heart sped up, and I turned, racing for the next window. Another couple of distant figures coming this way. At the back of the house, way out there, another two.