get home? What’s going to stop D’Abo from attempting his revenge? Do you think walls can keep out his kind of magic? Or any magic at all?”
“They can if they’re warded, right?”
That made him blink. It actually made his head jerk back just a little and a look of surprise settle over his features. “Your apartment is warded? How?”
“I don’t know the particulars, because it’s not really my apartment. I’m staying at my sister’s place while she’s out of town, but she mentioned it was warded. That means I’ll be safe there, right?”
His frown returned. “That depends on the wards. And who is your sister that she needs or even knows about that kind of protection? You’re human. I know you’re human.”
“And so is my sister,” Daphanie explained. Now that he actually seemed to be paying attention, she found she had a lot more patience when it came to answering his questions. “But she’s married to a changeling, and she’s friends with half the Council of Others, and most of their wives.”
“What’s her name?”
She hesitated only a second. Surely a man so obsessed with keeping her safe wouldn’t have any reason to harm her sister. And besides, by now Danice and Mac would be halfway to their secret honeymoon destination. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to get to her. Plus, Daphanie had a feeling Mac would tear anyone who tried to harm his new wife into little bloody shreds.
“Danice Carter,” she said. “Well, Carter-Callahan now. She recently got married.”
As recently as eight hours ago.
“And she knows members of the Council?”
“Regina Vidâme is one of her best friends. Wasn’t her husband the head of the Council for a while? And Graham Winters, too. Missy Winters is another of her close friends.”
Asher muttered something under his breath.
Daphanie felt a surge of confidence. “So under those circumstances, can we agree that once I get to the apartment, I’ll be perfectly safe and will no longer require your … Guardianship?”
“You should be safe enough,” he muttered with obvious reluctance. “But—”
“Good. In that case—” She interrupted forcefully and held out her hand for the second time in one night. Maybe this time he wouldn’t turn his nose up at shaking it. “Thanks for everything you’ve done. I know you went out of your way to help me, and I appreciate it, whether I needed it or not.”
Asher took her hand, but he didn’t shake it. Instead, he grasped it firmly in his and used his other to press the button on the pedestrian traffic signal beside them. “Don’t thank me yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because you might be safe in your sister’s apartment, but you aren’t there yet, so I’m not through with my everything.”
Daphanie sighed and shook her head. She should have known he wouldn’t give in easily. “But once I’m inside, you’ll go away and stop acting like my babysitter?”
His gaze remained focused on the orange hand glowing on the opposite corner. “Once you get inside the apartment, you’ll be able to pretend like I don’t even exist.”
She could live with that, Daphanie decided. Right now, the important thing was to get home and get to bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so exhausted.
“Fine,” she said with a sigh, stepping off the curb as the signal changed. “Follow me. We’ll take a cab to midtown. That will get me home that much sooner.”
“You’re that anxious to get rid of me?” he asked, shooting her a sideways glance.
“As anxious as I imagine you are to get rid of me.”
She quickened her step toward the nearest main avenue, practically dragging Asher along behind her. With her gaze focused on her destination, she couldn’t see his face, but she thought she heard him hum something.
Something that sounded almost like …
“Interesting.”
Four
As humans, we occasionally have difficulty understanding the manner in which seemingly old-fashioned
“They can if they’re warded, right?”
That made him blink. It actually made his head jerk back just a little and a look of surprise settle over his features. “Your apartment is warded? How?”
“I don’t know the particulars, because it’s not really my apartment. I’m staying at my sister’s place while she’s out of town, but she mentioned it was warded. That means I’ll be safe there, right?”
His frown returned. “That depends on the wards. And who is your sister that she needs or even knows about that kind of protection? You’re human. I know you’re human.”
“And so is my sister,” Daphanie explained. Now that he actually seemed to be paying attention, she found she had a lot more patience when it came to answering his questions. “But she’s married to a changeling, and she’s friends with half the Council of Others, and most of their wives.”
“What’s her name?”
She hesitated only a second. Surely a man so obsessed with keeping her safe wouldn’t have any reason to harm her sister. And besides, by now Danice and Mac would be halfway to their secret honeymoon destination. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to get to her. Plus, Daphanie had a feeling Mac would tear anyone who tried to harm his new wife into little bloody shreds.
“Danice Carter,” she said. “Well, Carter-Callahan now. She recently got married.”
As recently as eight hours ago.
“And she knows members of the Council?”
“Regina Vidâme is one of her best friends. Wasn’t her husband the head of the Council for a while? And Graham Winters, too. Missy Winters is another of her close friends.”
Asher muttered something under his breath.
Daphanie felt a surge of confidence. “So under those circumstances, can we agree that once I get to the apartment, I’ll be perfectly safe and will no longer require your … Guardianship?”
“You should be safe enough,” he muttered with obvious reluctance. “But—”
“Good. In that case—” She interrupted forcefully and held out her hand for the second time in one night. Maybe this time he wouldn’t turn his nose up at shaking it. “Thanks for everything you’ve done. I know you went out of your way to help me, and I appreciate it, whether I needed it or not.”
Asher took her hand, but he didn’t shake it. Instead, he grasped it firmly in his and used his other to press the button on the pedestrian traffic signal beside them. “Don’t thank me yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because you might be safe in your sister’s apartment, but you aren’t there yet, so I’m not through with my everything.”
Daphanie sighed and shook her head. She should have known he wouldn’t give in easily. “But once I’m inside, you’ll go away and stop acting like my babysitter?”
His gaze remained focused on the orange hand glowing on the opposite corner. “Once you get inside the apartment, you’ll be able to pretend like I don’t even exist.”
She could live with that, Daphanie decided. Right now, the important thing was to get home and get to bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so exhausted.
“Fine,” she said with a sigh, stepping off the curb as the signal changed. “Follow me. We’ll take a cab to midtown. That will get me home that much sooner.”
“You’re that anxious to get rid of me?” he asked, shooting her a sideways glance.
“As anxious as I imagine you are to get rid of me.”
She quickened her step toward the nearest main avenue, practically dragging Asher along behind her. With her gaze focused on her destination, she couldn’t see his face, but she thought she heard him hum something.
Something that sounded almost like …
“Interesting.”
Four
As humans, we occasionally have difficulty understanding the manner in which seemingly old-fashioned
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