“Don’t even begin telling me I’m wrong. You know that this apartment looks exactly like Edie’s did, except for the mage balls. Fugwat and Graeme aren’t bothering to hide the fact magic was used this time. So don’t try comforting me. I don’t want comfort; I want action.” My voice was starting to rise and I could feel my power pushing to the surface. The air shimmered and prickled with magic as my control wobbled when Anyan interrupted.
“That’s enough, Jane,” the barghest said calmly from the other side of the room. “Get it together so we can work.”
I stood there with my mouth hanging open, blinking in surprise. Worn out and anxious, I briefly considered throwing a good old-fashioned temper tantrum, but Anyan was right. My wigging out didn’t get us any closer to Iris. So I tamped down my anger and my frustration and strode out to sit on the stairs that led up from Iris’s boutique to her apartment. Breathing deeply, I got myself sorted out and then called my house to talk to Nell. I’d been in almost constant contact with the gnome since hearing of Iris’s disappearance—first to tell her what had happened and then to make sure that she was keeping an eye on everybody—but I needed to touch base again and know all was still well.
“True residence, how may I direct your call?” answered a voice dripping with a sugary, Southern coating. It was Miss Carol, Nell’s niece. An immature gnome, Miss Carol had yet to stake out her own territory and bind with the earth. The process would not only wizen her up to Nell’s size, but also give her access to the First Magics, a force not even Alfar would challenge willingly. Until then, however, she lived in Rockabill under the protection of her aunt and posing as an eccentric old Southern lady, resplendent in pastel suits with matching gloves and hats. The only thing that broke character, however, was her obsession with filthy literature and her inability to keep a rein on her sharp tongue. Behind that ladylike drawl lurked verbal razors.
“Hey, Miss Carol, it’s Jane. How’re you?”
“I’m fine, sugar. You in Eastport?”
“Yes, just got in. We’re wrapping up here and will come straight back to Rockabill.”
“Good. Your daddy misses you.”
“How is he?”
“Oh, fine. I think he’s enjoying all the hubbub.”
My house had become ground zero for what I’d dubbed Operation Keep Supes Un-Kidnapped. As soon as Amy had discovered Iris’s kidnapping, she’d gotten everyone moved in under Nell’s watchful eye.
“Good. Is Nell there?”
“No, she’s at Read It and Weep, keeping watch on Grizzie and Tracy. But if anything happens here, she’ll be back, quick as a wink.”
I knew that was, quite literally, the truth. Like Terk the brownie, Nell could apparate herself within the boundaries of her territory using First Magic. Apparently, the two creatures were really very similar, only gnomes bound themselves to large tracts of land, while brownies bound themselves to domiciles and the people who lived there. Within their given territories, they were strong. Outside their territories, however, gnomes were weak as kittens. Brownies, since they were naturally of the First Magics to begin with, had a lot more oomph outside their homes. That said, nothing compared to what they had when safely ensconced on their own turf.
“Did you get Grizzie and Tracy into the house?”
“Yes. They think there’s a gas leak at theirs and that they have to sleep here till it’s fixed. Your dad gave them his room; he’s in the guest bedroom. I’m in your room, and the nahuals, including Amy, are staying in Sarah and Marcus’s trailer, parked in the driveway. It’s like hillbilly heaven here. We’ll have to reshuffle when you come home.”
“We’ll sort it out, but you can stay in my room. I’ll take the couch or something. And thanks for watching out for everybody. I’m sorry I brought this down on you…”
“Oh, fiddlesticks, girl. You haven’t brought anything down on anybody. You’re as much a victim in all of this as anybody else. So don’t start moping or I’ll have to turn you over my knee.”
I smiled despite myself. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Now get yourself home and don’t let those two males bully you. You’re not letting them bully you, are you?”
I thought of all my recent, very un-Jane-like behavior.
“No. I think I might be bullying them, actually.”
There was a short, sharp guffaw from Miss Carol’s end. “Good! That’s how it should be. We’ll see you soon, honey.”
“Bye, Miss Carol.”
“Good-bye, sugar.”
When I got off the phone, I leaned my forehead against the cool wall of the stairwell. I felt entirely useless at that moment. I didn’t know how we’d go about finding Iris, or what we would find if we did locate her. I felt like total deadweight as far as this investigation was concerned. I shut my eyes, trying to quiet my thoughts.
A minute later I smelled lemon wax and cardamom as a big hand wrapped itself around my hair at the nape of my neck. The hand rolled around, gently twisting my hair into a rough queue before giving a gentle tug.
As if conditioned to do so, my body immediately relaxed. The barghest’s gesture sent my fevered thoughts spiraling into calm as my body reacted with a warm flush of sensuality that spread out from my spine, infusing my limbs with a heavy lassitude.
I knew Anyan was crouched behind me. I could feel the heat of his body and hear the rough sound of his be-denimed thighs rubbing against his calves. I would have given anything at that moment to lean back into the embrace of his strong legs, to shape myself into a little ball that the big man could engulf and protect. But I held myself still, my only concession to his touch a small sigh that escaped my lips unbidden.
His fingertips grazed my neck just as we heard the shrill sound of Ryu’s BlackBerry ringing from inside Iris’s apartment.
I heard Anyan stand and I realized my heart was again beating fast, but for an entirely different reason than anger. Before I could stop and consider what had just happened, however, I homed in on Ryu’s voice.
“Yes, my queen… No, my queen… Of course, my queen. I will leave immediately.”
Ryu clattered out onto the stairway, and I turned to face him. I avoided looking at Anyan, unsure of how to interpret what had just occurred between us.
“That was Morrigan. She demands my presence.”
Anyan frowned. “She wants your report on the Borderlands.”
“And I will give it to her, barghest. You knew that was my purpose. This information is important to our people.”
“No, it’s important to the Alfar. There is a difference.”
Anyan and Ryu squared off, staring daggers at each other as the barghest blocked the baobhan sith from leaving.
“Ryu, go do what you have to do,” I said wearily. “Anyan, let him go. He has to do this, you know that.”
My voice was sad. I knew Anyan, and everyone else, had made sure Ryu hadn’t seen anything important in Borealis, but I also knew that anything was too much for a people who had guarded their privacy so assiduously.
Ryu nodded his appreciation at me. “Julian, get ready to go. We’re leaving in five.”
For a second I saw a mutinous look cross over Julian’s face, and I wondered what he would do. But instead of refusing, my fellow halfling only nodded, turning on his heel to go collect his things.
Then Ryu turned to me. “Jane? Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I nodded, sighing as he headed down the stairs and outside. This wasn’t going to be fun.
When we were standing in front of Iris’s shop, Ryu turned to face me.
“Jane, I want you to give me a second chance.”
I frowned, then shook my head. “Ryu, it’s not that simple.”
“Why not? I made one mistake and you’re just giving up on us?”
“It wasn’t just what you did, Ryu…”
“Then what is it, Jane?”
The fact was, it wasn’t one big thing. What had happened surrounding my mother’s murder just represented a bunch of problems we had; it wasn’t the problem. But Ryu obviously thought it was, for when I didn’t respond immediately, he shook his head furiously.
Staring me down, his voice angry, he started in: “If we’re going to talk about mistakes and forgiveness, I’d like to point out that I’m not the only one who kept important information from someone, information they knew would hurt that person. How do you think I felt when I learned that you’d lied to me about Jarl’s attack?”
Caught off guard by the vehemence of Ryu’s tone, I did the one thing I should not have done: I engaged.
“That isn’t the same thing,” I protested, knowing I was making a mistake even as I said those words.
“Isn’t it? You kept a secret from me, and with Anyan of all people. But I forgave you, Jane. Right away. Because I understood that you didn’t mean to hurt me. And yet, I do this one thing, and it’s like we’re strangers.”
“It wasn’t this one thing, Ryu. It was… a bunch of things. It was…”