had to proceed cautiously. Any mention of his feelings for Bella caused a total shutdown, in which Max would storm off and nothing would be resolved. "I know you're having a hard time with her here, but look at us. Three of us against the Oracle? Possibly against the Soul Eater, as well?"
He didn't respond, but the muscle at the corner of his jaw ticked. He didn't like what I was saying, but he knew I was right.
"Bella has an advantage over us," Nathan added. "She can go out in the daytime. We need her for that, at the very least."
It was clear from the way Max shifted his gaze silently between Nathan and me that he didn't want to admit we were right. He groaned and tossed his hands up. "Fine. But you guys are paying for the air fresheners when she's done in there." Nathan laughed. "It's a deal. Now, where can we go to work?"
"In the library. Or the parlor. Or one of the fine guest accommodations, either upstairs or down." Max shrugged. "Do it in the hot tub, I don't care." A warm flush crept up my neck as I caught sight of Nathan's lascivious grin. "That's not a good idea. But thanks," I said. "We'll be in the library."
"Do me a favor and keep her out of it. If it's so 'meager,' she'll have read everything already," Max said petulantly. "I'll be upstairs, trying to get answers out of Bill."
"We could have done it in the hot tub," Nathan groused as I led the way to Marcus's library. "It would have been more fun than this divination business." The look I gave him made it clear "this divination business" was all we were going to be up to.
The library, situated at the front of the building, was by far the most impressive room in the condo. The ceiling reached to the second floor of the apartment. Books lined the walls. Iron spiral staircases led to the balcony that wrapped three sides of the room,
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holding the second tier of literature. I wondered how many personal libraries Bella had seen, and what they must have been like to make this collection seem unimpressive. Nathan whistled in awe. He set the cards down on one of the leather armchairs near the enormous fireplace and scratched his head as he glanced around. "Not too shabby."
"I'd offer to leave you two alone for a minute, but I fear what you would do." I motioned him to the far wall. The huge windows overlooked Grant Park and the shore of Lake Michigan beyond. I pointed out the aquarium at the edge of the view. "Max has connections. He got us in after hours."
"Weren't all the fish sleeping?" Nathan chided. He stood silently, taking in the lights of the city for a minute, then turned to me. "You don't… like him, do you?"
"No, of course not." I suppressed the urge to tack on You idiot . "Not the way you're thinking."
He smiled, probably mentally adding the "you idiot" part himself. "I'm sorry. I know it's stupid to think that. But you know, here he is, nice house in a big city, young guy—"
"You're a young guy," I reminded him. "Young looking, anyway." A faint flush colored his usually pale face. "I know that. But I've been alive a hundred years, and I'm starting to act my age."
Starting to ? "In all fairness, Max is technically in his fifties."
"Max is a teenager, no matter how old he gets." Nathan's cool gray eyes scanned the street below us. "I understand why you came here. You wanted to be around someone you can identify with."
"What I want is someone who can love me." I studied him carefully to gauge his reaction.
"Someone who can love me as much as I love him. But I wasn't looking for that in Max." Nathan lifted a hand as though he would touch me. I brushed it aside and pointed toward the fireplace. "We have things to do."
He taught me how to use the pendulum. First, he showed me how to hold the cord so the crystal hung perfectly still over a book. I asked two questions. The first, "Is this a book?" caused the pendulum to swing in tight, clockwise
He didn't respond, but the muscle at the corner of his jaw ticked. He didn't like what I was saying, but he knew I was right.
"Bella has an advantage over us," Nathan added. "She can go out in the daytime. We need her for that, at the very least."
It was clear from the way Max shifted his gaze silently between Nathan and me that he didn't want to admit we were right. He groaned and tossed his hands up. "Fine. But you guys are paying for the air fresheners when she's done in there." Nathan laughed. "It's a deal. Now, where can we go to work?"
"In the library. Or the parlor. Or one of the fine guest accommodations, either upstairs or down." Max shrugged. "Do it in the hot tub, I don't care." A warm flush crept up my neck as I caught sight of Nathan's lascivious grin. "That's not a good idea. But thanks," I said. "We'll be in the library."
"Do me a favor and keep her out of it. If it's so 'meager,' she'll have read everything already," Max said petulantly. "I'll be upstairs, trying to get answers out of Bill."
"We could have done it in the hot tub," Nathan groused as I led the way to Marcus's library. "It would have been more fun than this divination business." The look I gave him made it clear "this divination business" was all we were going to be up to.
The library, situated at the front of the building, was by far the most impressive room in the condo. The ceiling reached to the second floor of the apartment. Books lined the walls. Iron spiral staircases led to the balcony that wrapped three sides of the room,
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com )
holding the second tier of literature. I wondered how many personal libraries Bella had seen, and what they must have been like to make this collection seem unimpressive. Nathan whistled in awe. He set the cards down on one of the leather armchairs near the enormous fireplace and scratched his head as he glanced around. "Not too shabby."
"I'd offer to leave you two alone for a minute, but I fear what you would do." I motioned him to the far wall. The huge windows overlooked Grant Park and the shore of Lake Michigan beyond. I pointed out the aquarium at the edge of the view. "Max has connections. He got us in after hours."
"Weren't all the fish sleeping?" Nathan chided. He stood silently, taking in the lights of the city for a minute, then turned to me. "You don't… like him, do you?"
"No, of course not." I suppressed the urge to tack on You idiot . "Not the way you're thinking."
He smiled, probably mentally adding the "you idiot" part himself. "I'm sorry. I know it's stupid to think that. But you know, here he is, nice house in a big city, young guy—"
"You're a young guy," I reminded him. "Young looking, anyway." A faint flush colored his usually pale face. "I know that. But I've been alive a hundred years, and I'm starting to act my age."
Starting to ? "In all fairness, Max is technically in his fifties."
"Max is a teenager, no matter how old he gets." Nathan's cool gray eyes scanned the street below us. "I understand why you came here. You wanted to be around someone you can identify with."
"What I want is someone who can love me." I studied him carefully to gauge his reaction.
"Someone who can love me as much as I love him. But I wasn't looking for that in Max." Nathan lifted a hand as though he would touch me. I brushed it aside and pointed toward the fireplace. "We have things to do."
He taught me how to use the pendulum. First, he showed me how to hold the cord so the crystal hung perfectly still over a book. I asked two questions. The first, "Is this a book?" caused the pendulum to swing in tight, clockwise
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