“No. We have some gargoyle business to tie up first…”
I let myself out of the suite and, shivering with the cold, quickly wrapped myself in magical warmth before sending out a burst of magic to get people moving. They didn’t hurry. I didn’t blame them, and I didn’t push.
Downstairs, just outside the building’s small sitting area, I found Nessa on a bench with a to-go coffee cup in hand. She wore warm clothes, mittens, and a fuzzy beanie. Her gaze was far away as she looked out over a slice of parking lot and the green beyond.
“Hey,” I said, shoving my hands into my pockets.
She glanced up with a big smile. “Hey.” Her brow scrunched before her lips pulled to the side. “Still tired, huh?”
“Yeah. One of us didn’t get to sleep half a night before being accosted.”
“True.” She grimaced and sipped her coffee. “I know I’m not supposed to apologize again for?—”
“Then don’t. I’m glad you’re back.”
She bobbed her head. “I’m glad to be back. Really glad.”
I squinted at her. “Why do you look so fresh? Did Indigo heal you?”
“No, I just slept really well. Better than I have in alongtime.”
I grunted and looked away. I would really have liked to go back to sleep just then.
Ulric yawned as he joined us, followed by Jasper. Some of the basajaunak drifted over, sticking to the greener areas. Edgar skulked in with Indigo in tow, each clutching a bouquet of what they thought of as the ugly flowers.
“Hello, Shadow.” Edgar sat onto the bench beside Nessa. “It’s great to see the back of you.”
“Missed that one,” Ulric murmured. Jasper grunted.
She smiled at Edgar and patted his knee. “It’s good to be back. I’m excited to see the new developments in your killer flower experiment.”
I pretended not to notice Edgar glancing at me furtively. “More about that later,” he said out of the side of his mouth.
I made a mental note to check into it. It sounded like he was hiding something.
The rest of the crew showed up, moving slowly but showing smiles and giving encouragement to Nessa.
“Oh—is that her?” Fred’s smile had some serious wattage. She came through the doors after Niamh, holding her laptop and wearing a muumuu over a strange sort of skeleton shirt and legging set. “Nessa?”
“Yes?” Nessa pushed to standing.
“Hi.” Fred stuck out her hand, and Nessa took it hesitantly. “I’m Fred. I’ve been cyber-stalking you for Niamh. Let me just say, your instincts are incredible.In-credible! It’s not often I’m stumped, and you made me really think a couple times. I love it! If you had more know-how on the tech side of things, you’d be unstoppable.” She bobbed half her body in that weird nod she did. “I can help you with that, if you want. I mean, it sounds like we’ll be working together, but I can show you a few things right off the bat. You’ll pick ’em up, no problem.”
Nessa laughed. “You definitely fit in here.”
“Thanks!” Fred did that body nod again. “Yeah, I think I’ve found my people!”
“Me too,” Nessa said with glassy eyes.
“Fred, hey.” I put my hand on her shoulder. “I wanted to say thank you on behalf of all of us. If you hadn’t joined our team, we wouldn’t have been able to grab the mages, and we’d ultimately have gone down a dangerous road because of that. You very likely saved all of our lives. I’ll obviously give you a big bonus, but…thank you.”
Fred’s mouth dropped open. She looked around at the others, who were all nodding. “Whoa. That’s heavy.” Her eyes rounded. “This magical stuff is intense. But, you know, I just followed Niamh’s directions. She was the maestro. But thanks, yeah. That’s pretty surreal to hear.”
“Speaking of…whereisNiamh?” I asked, cluing in to her location. Ah—she was in the building’s sitting area, just inside the lobby doors. She probably didn’t want to brave the chill. “And Sebastian?”
“Sebastian is sorting his potions and notes,” Nessa said. “He wanted to pack them a little better for travel.”
Mr. Tom bustled through the door of the building with a deep frown. “That insufferable woman is sitting in there with that god-awful cooler. Could we look any more unprofessional?” He scoffed. “Miss, the alphas are coming down now and expect your line to be pristine. Kingsley’s words. I think that’s some sort of joke, but it’s hard to tell with such bland, straight-faced humor.”
