“What’s wrong?” he asked now. “Scared of little creepy-crawlies?”
I glanced down at the ground where I’d dropped the spider. “They’re not my favorites,” I muttered. It was right next to the chunky heel of my boot, but I refused to edge out of its way.
Reese bent and scooped it up. She flipped it over and squeezed it. Its back popped open on a miniscule hinge. “It’s electronic,” she said. “It’s not a real bug. It’s a bug .”
“These are your bugs? These are in people’s houses?”
“Yup,” Reese confirmed as the man with the phone approached us.
“Nilsen,” he said, “I just sent you a dispatch. You’ve got one tonight in Georgetown.”
“Send the address.”
“Already did,” said the man, moving back to his station.
“So, Svein Nilsen,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”
“Is it?”
He laughed at me. Not out loud, but I saw his chest contract.
“No, it really isn’t,” I said. “Why don’t you scamper off now and do your googly magic act on a woman who can’t kick the shit out of you?”
“That’s not very ladylike.”
“Take a step closer and you’ll feel me change your definition of a lady.”
I sensed the room had grown very quiet. Key-tapping ceased, the creak of chairs silenced. Everyone was frozen, leaning forward in anticipation.
“People always want to see a fight,” I remarked.
“No,” Reese said quietly. “They don’t. Fae don’t fight. Svein won’t fight you. He can’t.”
Svein cut her a vicious look but she ignored it. “Fae can’t do conflict,” she said.
“My new pal Svein here seemed pretty bent on raising conflict,” I said.
“No,” she said. “He was honest. You were the one who raised the possibility of a fight.”
I twisted my mouth with the realization that she was quite right.
“We’re curious about you, you know?” she said. “We knew Frederica found you a while ago. She didn’t want to bring you here until we identified the threat. And,” she added, her voice chirpy again, “you’re, well, you’re like a miracle to us. You’re the first warrior to come out of our lineage, the collector lineage, so not only are you a fae star, you’re our star.”
She grinned, and I tried to grin back, but I had a feeling my face conveyed nothing but bewilderment—bewilderment that these brilliantly ahead-of-any-human’s-time fae could consider me any kind of hero.
“That’s enough,” Svein said. Apparently I didn’t hold the same appeal to him. “I’ll explain the rest to her. She’s mine now.”
“I beg your pardon,” I told him.
“That’s right. See, sweetheart, I’m your new mentor.”
“My mentor,” I repeated, hoping I’d misheard.
“That’s right.”
“Yeah,” I said, “I don’t think so. Where’s Frederica?”
“In bed, I imagine,” Svein said. “She works nights.”
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t sleep.”
Mr. Enigma. “I’ll stay up tonight,” I said, “and wait for Frederica.”
“Frederica’s a recruiter and a guide,” he said. “Not a trainer. I’m not looking forward to this any more than you are, if it makes you feel any better.”
“It does.”
“Because not only do I have to train you,” he went on, “I have to oversee your transformation.” He turned to the small fae woman I’d quickly come to respect as an ally of mine. “Reese, we’ll need the Butterfly Room,” he said.
“I prepared it this morning,” she said. “Gemma’s all set.”
“Wait a minute,” I cut in. “What transformation?”
“Yours,” Svein said, “so you can become one of us instead of what you are now.”
“Svein,” Reese warned.
“What’s your problem?” I demanded of Svein. “For a mentor, you have a hell of a snarky attitude.”
“And for someone who knows zero about us and what you’ll have to be, you have one hell of a cocky attitude.”
Agreed. But I wouldn’t apologize for it, because it was how I got by. Clearly, this was how Svein got by, but
I glanced down at the ground where I’d dropped the spider. “They’re not my favorites,” I muttered. It was right next to the chunky heel of my boot, but I refused to edge out of its way.
Reese bent and scooped it up. She flipped it over and squeezed it. Its back popped open on a miniscule hinge. “It’s electronic,” she said. “It’s not a real bug. It’s a bug .”
“These are your bugs? These are in people’s houses?”
“Yup,” Reese confirmed as the man with the phone approached us.
“Nilsen,” he said, “I just sent you a dispatch. You’ve got one tonight in Georgetown.”
“Send the address.”
“Already did,” said the man, moving back to his station.
“So, Svein Nilsen,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”
“Is it?”
He laughed at me. Not out loud, but I saw his chest contract.
“No, it really isn’t,” I said. “Why don’t you scamper off now and do your googly magic act on a woman who can’t kick the shit out of you?”
“That’s not very ladylike.”
“Take a step closer and you’ll feel me change your definition of a lady.”
I sensed the room had grown very quiet. Key-tapping ceased, the creak of chairs silenced. Everyone was frozen, leaning forward in anticipation.
“People always want to see a fight,” I remarked.
“No,” Reese said quietly. “They don’t. Fae don’t fight. Svein won’t fight you. He can’t.”
Svein cut her a vicious look but she ignored it. “Fae can’t do conflict,” she said.
“My new pal Svein here seemed pretty bent on raising conflict,” I said.
“No,” she said. “He was honest. You were the one who raised the possibility of a fight.”
I twisted my mouth with the realization that she was quite right.
“We’re curious about you, you know?” she said. “We knew Frederica found you a while ago. She didn’t want to bring you here until we identified the threat. And,” she added, her voice chirpy again, “you’re, well, you’re like a miracle to us. You’re the first warrior to come out of our lineage, the collector lineage, so not only are you a fae star, you’re our star.”
She grinned, and I tried to grin back, but I had a feeling my face conveyed nothing but bewilderment—bewilderment that these brilliantly ahead-of-any-human’s-time fae could consider me any kind of hero.
“That’s enough,” Svein said. Apparently I didn’t hold the same appeal to him. “I’ll explain the rest to her. She’s mine now.”
“I beg your pardon,” I told him.
“That’s right. See, sweetheart, I’m your new mentor.”
“My mentor,” I repeated, hoping I’d misheard.
“That’s right.”
“Yeah,” I said, “I don’t think so. Where’s Frederica?”
“In bed, I imagine,” Svein said. “She works nights.”
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t sleep.”
Mr. Enigma. “I’ll stay up tonight,” I said, “and wait for Frederica.”
“Frederica’s a recruiter and a guide,” he said. “Not a trainer. I’m not looking forward to this any more than you are, if it makes you feel any better.”
“It does.”
“Because not only do I have to train you,” he went on, “I have to oversee your transformation.” He turned to the small fae woman I’d quickly come to respect as an ally of mine. “Reese, we’ll need the Butterfly Room,” he said.
“I prepared it this morning,” she said. “Gemma’s all set.”
“Wait a minute,” I cut in. “What transformation?”
“Yours,” Svein said, “so you can become one of us instead of what you are now.”
“Svein,” Reese warned.
“What’s your problem?” I demanded of Svein. “For a mentor, you have a hell of a snarky attitude.”
“And for someone who knows zero about us and what you’ll have to be, you have one hell of a cocky attitude.”
Agreed. But I wouldn’t apologize for it, because it was how I got by. Clearly, this was how Svein got by, but
Similar Books
