I clear my throat. “Yes, this is it. I hope he is in.”
The truck groans in protest as Finnegan drives over one of the five speed bumps that are far too high off the ground. I just can’t wait to get out of the car. It’s been an interesting journey with all of them crammed in this car and no one getting along very well with Hollis. I almost wish they would just argue it out and get it over with. This tension is mind-numbing. Hollis left Franklin with Feyre and Finnegan’s father, along with Severi. They promised to care for him, to be careful, and to never let himout because of the Vian king. Onyx left enough wards around the place that Severi won’t be getting out, anyway.
I look out at the junkyard we’re driving into. “I spent a great summer here once. It’s really interesting stuff you can find in a junkyard, but the owner’s actually a friend of my father’s. He’s hilarious. You’ll like him. I mean, he does make some obscene jokes, but I tend to just ignore those. The important thing is, Dale’s got what we need, and he will do us a favour. My father helped him out once, and he owed him a debt.”
“And what exactly do we need from this man?” Finnegan asks once again. I don’t want to tell any of them yet because they will try to talk me out of it.
I grin at him. “What? Don’t you trust me?”
“No, I do, but trusting you tends to get us into dangerous situations, so I like to ask in advance now, so I’m not so shocked that my heart stops beating,” Finnegan mutters.
“I’ll think about telling you my plans in advance in the future.” I shrug. “But at this point, I’ll just scare you, so I’m staying quiet.”
Aleksander laughs in the back, and Onyx joins in with a low laugh. Hollis is silent, and when I meet his eyes, there is a smirk on his lips. I quickly look away. “That’s not at all concerning,” Hollis mutters.
Alek smiles softly at me as I turn to him. “Life was boring without you, Gwen.”
“I know it was. How did you manage?” I grin before turning back. I want to get Aleksander alone, but we haven’t had a chance yet.
I get Finn to pull up outside a makeshift hut in the centre of the junkyard. Even though it’s full of broken cars, mattresses, rubbish and an odd bathtub, it doesn’t smell bad here. Just the smell of oil and dampness greets me as I look ahead. There’san enormous warehouse behind the hut that stretches down the middle of the junkyard from what I remember.
The man I want comes out immediately, and he looks exactly as he did about five years ago when I last saw him. My father described him as kooky. He’s got several missing teeth, and he is quite short, bald and very round. His clothes are tattered, a mix of different colours and materials all put together to somehow make an outfit. Today he has several shirts thrown over the top of trousers. His belt has a big clasp on it with a kind of gold lion symbol. His blue eyes widen when he sees me get out of the car, bushy grey eyebrows hanging over them, wiry and weathered.
“Gwenieve, my dear, how long has it been?” Dale opens his arms, and he genuinely smiles. “Oh, you have grown! Don’t you look like your mother. Except the hair and that nose.”
“Way too long. You don’t mind an old friend turning up for a favour?” I sweetly ask.
A barrelling laugh escapes him. “Your family is always turning up for a favour, and I’ve never been able to say no. Anytime I get to see you, you should really stop over just to have dinner to charm me first.”
I laugh. “Last time you served me an entire duck on a plate. You didn’t cook it.”
“Well, no one likes to cook these days. Who has a cooker that works?” He waves a hand in the air as he walks over.
“You’re living in a junkyard; I’m sure you can find a cooker that works.” I chuckle. His Nexus feels like warmth, like a warm hug, and I’m sure he shifts into a lion. He only comes up to just under my shoulder. I lean down a bit to hug him. The others get out of the truck, and he looks behind me at each of my mates.
“Certainly a collection you’ve got going on there, Gwenieve.” He whistles. “Don’t tell me these are all your mates.”
“She has two others as well,” Finn adds. Damn Finn, he is making me look like a mate collector system. I’m surprised hestill counts Rhodes as my mate, considering he hates him. Or he did before they spent time alone when I went into the Vian city. Maybe Rhodes has crawled back into his good graces.
“Six? My gosh. How do you get the time?” Dale mutters as he takes a long look at them. “Although I’d climb each of them like a tree, so I do get it. Oh, the memory of my younger years.”
“It’s always good to see you, Dale.” I turn. “This is Finnegan, Hollis, Onyx and Aleksander.”
“Wow. Almost like a boy band. Do they sing?” he asks next. The sky bangs with thunder, and I look up, seeing dark clouds ahead.
Aleksander answers him. “I do, but I haven’t in a long time.”
“Mysterious. I see the charm, big man.” Dale claps my back with his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I have to say I was worried about Gwenieve when her father didn’t send any word for years. I soon guessed he had left to be with the Gods. I’m glad Gwenieve found her bonds. The polite one, that’s you.” He points to Alek and then he looks at Finn. “The grumpy brute.” He looks at Hollis next. “The sly, lying, conniving one.” And finally he looks at Onyx. “And this one’s a loyal, brave and self-sacrificing type.” I’m speechless as Dale looks at me. “Am I right?”
“You always do seem to see straight through people.” I nod.
“Yes, I do. I’m afraid I don’t really have enough food for all of you to come for lunch, but I definitely have drinks.” He scratches his head. “Come in. I recently acquired one of those cola machines that makes cola from scratch. But I can’t understand why it keeps bubbling over.”
“Maybe I can have a look at it,” Onyx suggests.
“Yes, good. Come. Then you and I can talk about what favour you need.” He taps my nose. “Oh, what a day!”
We walk into his apartment, which has seven couches all around in a circle, and each one of the couches are differentto the others, some in vibrant colours, others plain and grey. It pretty much matches the aesthetic of the rest of the room, which is covered in paintings and rugs and tapestries all piled together. I sit down on a sofa and smile at the room, which hasn’t changed much either. He has more sofas this time, though. More crap too.
