not do anything about it?” I ask Buns, struggling with the new circumstances of this arrangement.
“I’m saying let him handle it. He’ll keep her off of him because he only wants you. Just be cool because if you don’t, Russell is dead,” Buns says, putting it in no uncertain terms.
“Oh,” I say, paling at the thought of losing Russell and Brownie. Buns leads me into her room and hands me a towel. I dry myself off while she walks to her closet. I pull the wet clothes from me and slip on a very sexy little Asian dress Buns hands me. The silk fabric clings to me just like my wet clothes had.
As I look up at her skeptically, Buns shrugs, “I said you can’t kill her, I didn’t say that you can’t be hot while you play it cool.”
“I don’t care how I look right now,” I reply, running my hand down the deep red silk of the dress. “I just have to get back to Phaedrus, so I can send my clone and he can track it.”
“Here,” Buns says as she winds my hair into a bun and shoves two black sticks in it to secure it from unraveling.
“Thanks,” I say, walking towards the door. As I step outside, I see Reed leaning against one of the posts of the porch. He falls in step next to me as I walk past him towards the conference area.
“Buns told you?” he asks, scanning my face with a grim expression.
“Told me what?” I counter, my jaw clenched as I quicken my pace.
“The only reason that Safira is here is to help us fight the Ifrit,” he says in a low tone.
“Does she know that?” I ask him, not slowing down.
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“Does she know that it’s the only reason you asked her here or does she think it’s because you wanted to see her again?” I ask.
“That is not why she attacked you, Evie,” Reed says. “She thought you were evil when she saw you.”
Stopping in my tracks, I bring my hands to my eyes, rubbing them in frustration. “And that’s okay with you?”
“No, it’s not. I had to fight the intense urge I had so I wouldn’t kill her. Believe me, many brutal ways to kill her crossed my mind when I couldn’t break through the ice and get to you. She has no idea just how close she was to being dead,” he says in a quiet tone, pulling my hands away from my eyes so that he can look into them. “But, if I killed her, we would have almost no chance of saving Russell. Do not think for one second that I enjoy having her around. It took me years to convince her to love someone else. Do you have any idea how persistent an Undine can be?” he asks in frustration.
Seeing how miserable he is, makes me feel awful for being jealous about Safira. “If the Undines are anything like the Gancanagh, you have my sympathy,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him.
His hands slide down my sides, caressing me as the silk dress slips beneath his fingers. “There is no one for me but you,” he says as he leans nearer and kisses me.
“I’ll try to keep that in mind the next time she throws herself at you,” I reply, melting against him.
“Please do,” he whispers just before his lips tease mine again.
“Hey, does your persuasion work on Undines?” I ask, pulling back a little to look in his eyes.
“No,” he replies, smiling at my disappointment.
“She can’t make you—I mean her magic can’t…” I trail off, wrinkling my brow as I trace my fingertip over his chest.
“Nothing she has tried has worked on me yet,” Reed says, grinning.
“Good,” I reply with relief at the thought of Safira being unable to make Reed fall in love with her by using magic. I hug him quickly and then pull back out of his embrace. Taking Reed’s hand, I begin walking again towards the conference area. “You should’ve warned her about me, before she came here.”
“They were all told of you, it’s just that seeing you is so…” he trails off.
“Horrifying?” I ask, trying to hide the sinking feeling I have inside at their reaction to
“I’m saying let him handle it. He’ll keep her off of him because he only wants you. Just be cool because if you don’t, Russell is dead,” Buns says, putting it in no uncertain terms.
“Oh,” I say, paling at the thought of losing Russell and Brownie. Buns leads me into her room and hands me a towel. I dry myself off while she walks to her closet. I pull the wet clothes from me and slip on a very sexy little Asian dress Buns hands me. The silk fabric clings to me just like my wet clothes had.
As I look up at her skeptically, Buns shrugs, “I said you can’t kill her, I didn’t say that you can’t be hot while you play it cool.”
“I don’t care how I look right now,” I reply, running my hand down the deep red silk of the dress. “I just have to get back to Phaedrus, so I can send my clone and he can track it.”
“Here,” Buns says as she winds my hair into a bun and shoves two black sticks in it to secure it from unraveling.
“Thanks,” I say, walking towards the door. As I step outside, I see Reed leaning against one of the posts of the porch. He falls in step next to me as I walk past him towards the conference area.
“Buns told you?” he asks, scanning my face with a grim expression.
“Told me what?” I counter, my jaw clenched as I quicken my pace.
“The only reason that Safira is here is to help us fight the Ifrit,” he says in a low tone.
“Does she know that?” I ask him, not slowing down.
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“Does she know that it’s the only reason you asked her here or does she think it’s because you wanted to see her again?” I ask.
“That is not why she attacked you, Evie,” Reed says. “She thought you were evil when she saw you.”
Stopping in my tracks, I bring my hands to my eyes, rubbing them in frustration. “And that’s okay with you?”
“No, it’s not. I had to fight the intense urge I had so I wouldn’t kill her. Believe me, many brutal ways to kill her crossed my mind when I couldn’t break through the ice and get to you. She has no idea just how close she was to being dead,” he says in a quiet tone, pulling my hands away from my eyes so that he can look into them. “But, if I killed her, we would have almost no chance of saving Russell. Do not think for one second that I enjoy having her around. It took me years to convince her to love someone else. Do you have any idea how persistent an Undine can be?” he asks in frustration.
Seeing how miserable he is, makes me feel awful for being jealous about Safira. “If the Undines are anything like the Gancanagh, you have my sympathy,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him.
His hands slide down my sides, caressing me as the silk dress slips beneath his fingers. “There is no one for me but you,” he says as he leans nearer and kisses me.
“I’ll try to keep that in mind the next time she throws herself at you,” I reply, melting against him.
“Please do,” he whispers just before his lips tease mine again.
“Hey, does your persuasion work on Undines?” I ask, pulling back a little to look in his eyes.
“No,” he replies, smiling at my disappointment.
“She can’t make you—I mean her magic can’t…” I trail off, wrinkling my brow as I trace my fingertip over his chest.
“Nothing she has tried has worked on me yet,” Reed says, grinning.
“Good,” I reply with relief at the thought of Safira being unable to make Reed fall in love with her by using magic. I hug him quickly and then pull back out of his embrace. Taking Reed’s hand, I begin walking again towards the conference area. “You should’ve warned her about me, before she came here.”
“They were all told of you, it’s just that seeing you is so…” he trails off.
“Horrifying?” I ask, trying to hide the sinking feeling I have inside at their reaction to
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