“I’ll say.” She turned it in her hand. “I love white opal. Black is the most prized, but I’ve never been a huge fan. Someday I’d like to get my hands on a harlequin opal. Stones are magic. They can store and emit all kinds of energy. Did you know that many ancient cultures used them for healing?” She brushed her fingers over the gem. “The energy feels so strong. This is a good one.”
“I thought you’d like it,” I said with a nod.
“The colors are brilliant, but what an odd choice for a letter opener.” She raised the dull blade and studied it. “The handles are usually narrower than this or flat.”
I looked at the cross guard. “I thought the same thing, but what else could it be? The tip and edges are too dull to be a weapon.”
“Thank you so much for this. I can use it to open my boxes and supplies.” She set it on the table. “What’s the occasion?”
“It just looked like you. Plus you helped me paint my armoire.”
“Black is so dreary. I just wish you would have let me paint it blue instead of red, but I guess it goes with your décor.”
I tensed when I saw her coming in for a hug. Gem wrapped her arms around me, pinning my arms to my side. “You’re so thoughtful.”
I lightly patted her back and stepped away. Physical affection sometimes made me uncomfortable. My father loved me, but he wasn’t a demonstrative guy. The only people I’d ever felt comfortable hugging were him and some of his buddies, whom I considered family. And now Christian. But I didn’t go around hugging him for no reason. He’d probably wonder what I was smoking if I did.
Gem whirled around and sat back down. “When Viktor found out the contents of the books I bought today, he wanted me to translateallof them. So I’ve put my other projects to the side for now, and I suppose I’ll be living in this room until the next century.”
I glanced at her ballpoint pen. “You don’t type it out on the computer?”
“I tried that once, and it was an epic fail. I didn’t save the file. I thought I did, but then it restarted and got this blinking cursor. Two weeks of work… wasted. You can’t trust computers. People can steal that data, and the higher authority doesn’t like the idea of digital archives floating around. Paper you can trust. So I translate all the books to English and store them onthatshelf,” she said, pointing to my right.
I snorted. “Sounds daunting.”
She wiggled her fingers. “My hand cramps up sometimes. At least I can’t get carpal tunnel syndrome. The perks of being a Mage,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “If I’d done this kind of work when I was a Relic, I probably would have dropped dead.” After a brief lull in the conversation, Gem tucked her chin in her palm. “Why hasn’t your father come over? Viktor invited him to dinner.”
“Crush isn’t a dinner kind of guy. Viktor’s a little formal, and my dad doesn’t like feeling out of his element. Besides, I think he’s just keeping his distance from my job. Two different worlds. He’s pretty good about giving me my space, even if it’s to a fault.”
“I simply adore him. I still can’t believe he’s been a trusted human all these years and you never knew. And yet… here you are, living in the Breed world.”
I twirled my hair around my finger. “Yep. Here I am.”
When Gem’s phone vibrated, she swiped her finger across the screen and read the message. “Viktor’s asking if you’re with me. Are you?”
I shrugged.
She typed in a message and waited. “He wants you and Christian to meet him in the front study.Pronto.”
“Duty calls.” I pivoted on my heel.
“Thanks again, Raven. I love the gift.”
I waved my hand as I left the room. I was indebted to the team. They’d come to my aid when that loan shark and his lion pride decided to kill my father and me after making off with our money.
Keystone truly cared, and that thought nestled in my heart.
When I reached the study, Christian had beaten me there.
“I have a quick task for you two,” Viktor said as he shut the door. “I am logging today’s inventory of weapons and noticed that we have too many in-house. Shepherd takes what we need, but I cannot store them all here. When we have too many in our possession, I transport them to an arms dealer. He distributes what he can to Enforcers or Regulators.”
I hooked my thumbs in the belt loops of my jean shorts. “Why not just take the boxes directly to him each time we do a run?”
“And risk exposing his identity? Nyet. Everything we confiscate must be logged and reported. I cannot travel to his place each and every time. We would set ourselves up for an ambush.” Viktor scratched his forehead and looked toward a lantern on the table. “Claude and Blue are usually the ones to go, but I think it’s time to test how you and Christian can handle an assignment such as this. Transporting valuable goods is something we do on many levels.”
“You’re asking us to deliver a few boxes?” I folded my arms. “Aren’t Christian and I the killers on staff? Seems like we should be given the dangerous assignments.”
Viktor wagged his finger at us. “No assignment is too small. Everything we do comes with risk. Many would kill to get their hands on these weapons and sell them on the black market. If that happens, every innocent life lost is blood on our hands. Christian, I want you to load the boxes into the van. Do not discuss your mission during your drive. Keep the conversation to a minimum. Talk about wine and travel.”
