had vanished, gone into hiding from predators stalking the city. Getting to Storm’s house had been priority one at the time.
A movement off to her right yanked her attention sideways. There he was, hovering in the shadows next to a dumpster, talking to someone in a cloak.
A person Evalle didn’t recognize.
A cloak? The weather hadn’t turned cold yet. Not brisk enough to wear something that appeared to be wool.
She headed for Grady and his suspicious friend, ready to use her VIPER status to inquire as to the stranger’s identity.
Nothing confrontational.
That was the plan until the stranger shoved a hand out to shake with Grady.
Evalle caught a hint of rotten limes and the hair rose on her neck. She called, “What’s going on, Grady?”
The cloaked stranger turned toward Evalle, face hidden inside the dark hood, then backed up and rushed away. Not the reaction of an innocent person. She reached Grady just as he was scowling up a storm.
He crossed his filmy arms that were covered in the same plaid shirt he’d worn since dying as a homeless person. His baggy pants attested to how thin he’d been when he died. Grumbling like an old bear run out of his cave before he was finished hibernating, Grady told her, “You better have somethin’ to make up for that loss.”
“Who was that?” She inhaled again, and the rotten lime smell verified her earlier impression. “Medb? You were going to share intel with a Medb?”
“I ain’t the only one,” he argued.
“That’s my enemy.”
“I know that. That warlock was gonna tell me what’s goin’ down in town.”
This was beyond bizarre.
She grabbed her head and took a second. Getting Grady riled was never helpful. When it came to getting information, he could be tougher than prying a clam open with fingernails, but he had a soft spot for her. Sometimes.
In a calmer voice, she asked, “What’s a Medb doing in Atlanta to begin with when they’ve just attacked Treoir, and what is going down in the city that you think he could tell you about?”
Grady just hovered with his arms crossed and his bottom lip shoved up in stubborn determination.
She dropped a strap off one shoulder and swung the backpack around. When she lifted Old Forrester into view, Grady’s eyes flickered with desire, but he tried to hide his interest.
She shook the bottle at him. “I am not going to apologize for stopping that trade. You know better than to deal with a Medb, Grady.”
“Things have changed in the last few hours.”
That was news, but not enough. “What changed?”
“You cost me a deal. I’m gonna want more than one handshake.”
“What? Are you kidding me? I gave you–” She caught herself and lowered her voice. “–more than two handshakes at one time.” She’d broken the VIPER rule of not shaking hands with a ghoul for more than a minute, because Grady had wanted to be in human form to hear and see his granddaughter’s wedding. So Evalle had hidden with him on the balcony of a church and she’d held his hand almost solid time for twenty minutes.
Finally, he lost the glower and hunched his shoulders. “I just haven’t been able to stay solid on my own for the last two days and you been gone.”
Great. Now she felt guilty. “Then make a deal with me and shake,” she said in more gentle tone.
“What you lookin’ for?”
Hadn’t she just asked him about the Medb and whatever was going on in town? Did ghouls get dementia? “I want to know what is up with the Medb and I need information on a witch doctor.”
“Done.” He stuck his wrinkled hand out and warm eyes peered at her from a coffee-bean-brown face.
When they connected, the power raced down her arm and vibrated around their hands. Grady’s eyes rounded. He said, “What’s happened to you?”
Had evolving into a gryphon changed her power? “A lot and I’ll tell you all about it as soon as I have time, but I’m under a time crunch.”
When Grady let go of her hand he stood
A movement off to her right yanked her attention sideways. There he was, hovering in the shadows next to a dumpster, talking to someone in a cloak.
A person Evalle didn’t recognize.
A cloak? The weather hadn’t turned cold yet. Not brisk enough to wear something that appeared to be wool.
She headed for Grady and his suspicious friend, ready to use her VIPER status to inquire as to the stranger’s identity.
Nothing confrontational.
That was the plan until the stranger shoved a hand out to shake with Grady.
Evalle caught a hint of rotten limes and the hair rose on her neck. She called, “What’s going on, Grady?”
The cloaked stranger turned toward Evalle, face hidden inside the dark hood, then backed up and rushed away. Not the reaction of an innocent person. She reached Grady just as he was scowling up a storm.
He crossed his filmy arms that were covered in the same plaid shirt he’d worn since dying as a homeless person. His baggy pants attested to how thin he’d been when he died. Grumbling like an old bear run out of his cave before he was finished hibernating, Grady told her, “You better have somethin’ to make up for that loss.”
“Who was that?” She inhaled again, and the rotten lime smell verified her earlier impression. “Medb? You were going to share intel with a Medb?”
“I ain’t the only one,” he argued.
“That’s my enemy.”
“I know that. That warlock was gonna tell me what’s goin’ down in town.”
This was beyond bizarre.
She grabbed her head and took a second. Getting Grady riled was never helpful. When it came to getting information, he could be tougher than prying a clam open with fingernails, but he had a soft spot for her. Sometimes.
In a calmer voice, she asked, “What’s a Medb doing in Atlanta to begin with when they’ve just attacked Treoir, and what is going down in the city that you think he could tell you about?”
Grady just hovered with his arms crossed and his bottom lip shoved up in stubborn determination.
She dropped a strap off one shoulder and swung the backpack around. When she lifted Old Forrester into view, Grady’s eyes flickered with desire, but he tried to hide his interest.
She shook the bottle at him. “I am not going to apologize for stopping that trade. You know better than to deal with a Medb, Grady.”
“Things have changed in the last few hours.”
That was news, but not enough. “What changed?”
“You cost me a deal. I’m gonna want more than one handshake.”
“What? Are you kidding me? I gave you–” She caught herself and lowered her voice. “–more than two handshakes at one time.” She’d broken the VIPER rule of not shaking hands with a ghoul for more than a minute, because Grady had wanted to be in human form to hear and see his granddaughter’s wedding. So Evalle had hidden with him on the balcony of a church and she’d held his hand almost solid time for twenty minutes.
Finally, he lost the glower and hunched his shoulders. “I just haven’t been able to stay solid on my own for the last two days and you been gone.”
Great. Now she felt guilty. “Then make a deal with me and shake,” she said in more gentle tone.
“What you lookin’ for?”
Hadn’t she just asked him about the Medb and whatever was going on in town? Did ghouls get dementia? “I want to know what is up with the Medb and I need information on a witch doctor.”
“Done.” He stuck his wrinkled hand out and warm eyes peered at her from a coffee-bean-brown face.
When they connected, the power raced down her arm and vibrated around their hands. Grady’s eyes rounded. He said, “What’s happened to you?”
Had evolving into a gryphon changed her power? “A lot and I’ll tell you all about it as soon as I have time, but I’m under a time crunch.”
When Grady let go of her hand he stood
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