mist, and leaving me with the sudden realization I'd said that thought out loud.
Shit.
The eerie abalone glow passed through the Druid's eyes again. I swallowed as he unfolded his arms and stepped off the dais, striding slowly forward. Toward me. My stomach dropped to the bottom of my gut. Hank cleared his throat, and I cast a quick glance to my right to see his hands clamped behind his back, and his attention on the ground in front of him, a small grin tugging the corner of his mouth.
Well, apparently my partner wasn't too worried I was about to be dragon flambe.
Pendaran stopped in front of me, forcing me to crane my neck. The guy was tall. "You seem to understand very little about the Kinfolk, Detective. And even less about etiquette ... off-world or human."
My lips twisted into a cynical smile, and I bit off the smart-ass reply on the edge of my tongue because, quite frankly, I couldn't argue with that assessment. I gave a quick, indifferent shrug. "That may be so. But you're well aware how tense the city is right now. If you go storming into Underground, an Elysian pointing the finger at the entire jinn tribe, that's it ... it's game over. For all of us."
He crossed his large arms over his chest, jaw set and freakish eyes turning hard like cold, polished stone. "One week."
The finality in that imperious tone made my teeth clench hard as I tried to maintain control and prevent another outburst. But, damn, how I wanted to wipe that overbearing superiority off his face. "Then we expect complete and total cooperation. That means no contact with the jinn from you or any of your Kinfolk while we investigate. None. "
"Done."
After Pendaran's ultimatum, Orin led us to Daya's apartment in the Grove, where we found squat. Not a single shred of evidence. With every step back toward the gate, my mood plummeted. I was still riled by Hank's comment earlier, and the Druid's unyielding manner. Then my cell rang. The number on the display only made things worse. "What?"
"Oh, good. Listen, Charlie, I need you to pick up some toothpaste, a can of diced tomatoes, and garlic--not the powder stuff, the whole head. Oh, and can you get a few pounds of meat for Brim?"
"Rex. I am working right now."
"So? What do you think I've been doing all day? Who do you think does the laundry and the cleaning and the cooking? Revenants can't just point a finger and say 'presto' and everything is clean." A loud sigh blew through the phone speaker. "What time will you be home?"
I closed my eyes. Deep breath, Charlie. "I have no clue."
"Well, just an idea. So I can have dinner ready ..."
I rolled my eyes and tossed up an annoyed hand, plucking a time out of thin air. "Six forty-seven."
"Oh, funny. Ha, ha. Just make sure you stop by the store."
"Fine."
Hank was already clearing his throat before I could get my phone back on my hip. As if Rex didn't add enough disorder to my life, my partner seemed to take great pleasure in razzing me about living with a Revenant who thought he was the love child of Laurence Olivier and Julia Child, a Revenant currently occupying the body of my ex-husband. And, to top it all off, I still hadn't found the right way to tell my daughter that Daddy wasn't really Daddy anymore.
Hank's mouth opened, one syllable came out, and I said, " Don't talk to me."
Rex's call hadn't detracted from my absolute fury at Hank. In fact, it just added fuel to the fire. We went a few more strides and then I changed my mind. Screw this, I wanted an explanation. "You mind telling me what the hell that was back there? And for the record, I've seen plenty of naked men in my time, okay, and I can do my goddamn job just fine."
He shoved his hands inside his jacket pockets and let out a tired breath. The drizzle was slowly turning to a soft rain. Fog swirled at our feet. "You wouldn't understand."
A sharp laugh burst from my throat. "Oh, right. What is it?" My stomach was already sinking before the words rolled out of my mouth, but I
Shit.
The eerie abalone glow passed through the Druid's eyes again. I swallowed as he unfolded his arms and stepped off the dais, striding slowly forward. Toward me. My stomach dropped to the bottom of my gut. Hank cleared his throat, and I cast a quick glance to my right to see his hands clamped behind his back, and his attention on the ground in front of him, a small grin tugging the corner of his mouth.
Well, apparently my partner wasn't too worried I was about to be dragon flambe.
Pendaran stopped in front of me, forcing me to crane my neck. The guy was tall. "You seem to understand very little about the Kinfolk, Detective. And even less about etiquette ... off-world or human."
My lips twisted into a cynical smile, and I bit off the smart-ass reply on the edge of my tongue because, quite frankly, I couldn't argue with that assessment. I gave a quick, indifferent shrug. "That may be so. But you're well aware how tense the city is right now. If you go storming into Underground, an Elysian pointing the finger at the entire jinn tribe, that's it ... it's game over. For all of us."
He crossed his large arms over his chest, jaw set and freakish eyes turning hard like cold, polished stone. "One week."
The finality in that imperious tone made my teeth clench hard as I tried to maintain control and prevent another outburst. But, damn, how I wanted to wipe that overbearing superiority off his face. "Then we expect complete and total cooperation. That means no contact with the jinn from you or any of your Kinfolk while we investigate. None. "
"Done."
After Pendaran's ultimatum, Orin led us to Daya's apartment in the Grove, where we found squat. Not a single shred of evidence. With every step back toward the gate, my mood plummeted. I was still riled by Hank's comment earlier, and the Druid's unyielding manner. Then my cell rang. The number on the display only made things worse. "What?"
"Oh, good. Listen, Charlie, I need you to pick up some toothpaste, a can of diced tomatoes, and garlic--not the powder stuff, the whole head. Oh, and can you get a few pounds of meat for Brim?"
"Rex. I am working right now."
"So? What do you think I've been doing all day? Who do you think does the laundry and the cleaning and the cooking? Revenants can't just point a finger and say 'presto' and everything is clean." A loud sigh blew through the phone speaker. "What time will you be home?"
I closed my eyes. Deep breath, Charlie. "I have no clue."
"Well, just an idea. So I can have dinner ready ..."
I rolled my eyes and tossed up an annoyed hand, plucking a time out of thin air. "Six forty-seven."
"Oh, funny. Ha, ha. Just make sure you stop by the store."
"Fine."
Hank was already clearing his throat before I could get my phone back on my hip. As if Rex didn't add enough disorder to my life, my partner seemed to take great pleasure in razzing me about living with a Revenant who thought he was the love child of Laurence Olivier and Julia Child, a Revenant currently occupying the body of my ex-husband. And, to top it all off, I still hadn't found the right way to tell my daughter that Daddy wasn't really Daddy anymore.
Hank's mouth opened, one syllable came out, and I said, " Don't talk to me."
Rex's call hadn't detracted from my absolute fury at Hank. In fact, it just added fuel to the fire. We went a few more strides and then I changed my mind. Screw this, I wanted an explanation. "You mind telling me what the hell that was back there? And for the record, I've seen plenty of naked men in my time, okay, and I can do my goddamn job just fine."
He shoved his hands inside his jacket pockets and let out a tired breath. The drizzle was slowly turning to a soft rain. Fog swirled at our feet. "You wouldn't understand."
A sharp laugh burst from my throat. "Oh, right. What is it?" My stomach was already sinking before the words rolled out of my mouth, but I
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