I sensed movement; Donovan took a step back from me. “We need to do something about her.”
Cress sounded dubious. “You want me to kill her? Now?”
“No, Cress,” he sighed. “She needs to be taught. Eryk, did you find out if the múinteoir is still alive? His people are the only ones with the knowledge on how the Chosen works her magic. Apart from certain monsters, of course, and we do not wantthemteaching her.”
“The múinteoir, Molinere, is not on the death roll. The stars will shut the portal by sundown, your Highness. So, if you wish me to go and look for him, we need to go now, otherwise we won’t be able to go back to the Upper World without a new blood key.”
He let out a grunt. “Both of you go now, and see if you can find him. Come back here before the portal closes.”
Finally, I got my breathing under control and opened my eyes to find Donovan’s face far too close. “Cress and I will come with you today. I will keep you safe.”
It took me a long time to respond. “Fine.”
Chapter
Seven
The offices of Budget Base Insurance were downtown, tucked away out of sight of the main streets and the swankier, more expensive suites, occupying three stories in a skyscraper, sandwiched between an old, crusty law firm, a co-op of financial planners, and a property management agency. I power-walked into the lobby—a stark, gleaming black marble tribute to the late eighties—and nodded to Bert and Luis on the desk as I strode towards the security gates. “Morning, gentlemen!”
“Heya, Susan. How are you doing on this fine day?” Luis was the only guard who ever replied to me; he was a cheerful, soft-spoken man, always happy to shoot the breeze whenever I came in. Bert, his giant craggy-faced security guard partner, was apparently from Yugoslavia, but you wouldn’t know it, because he never said a word. In fact, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him blink.
“I’m great, thanks, Luis. How’s the baby?”
“Mios Dio, that girl, she’s got some lungs on her!” Luis wiped his brow. “We be up all night, trying to get her to calm down.” His eyes widened dramatically. “But she’sloud. I’m thinking she got my mother-in-law’s powers. That woman and her sisters are banshees. Always screamin’ about somethin’.”
I smiled back, trying to force my face to relax. My hallucinations all agreed to weave glamor spells around themselves so they could follow me into the office, unseen. I sold it to them as a security measure, but I was hoping it would be easier to ignore them if I couldn’t see them.
While they were working on their spells, I showered in my new fantasy ensuite bathroom—under a sparkling waterfall in a fairytale cavern, with spongy moss-covered rocks beneath my feet—and went to my dressing room to change. Cecil picked out my outfit, obviously also a hallucination, since it appeared to be a brand-new Lierna Couture pencil skirt and matching double-breasted jacket.
Cress and Donovan spent a good amount of time creating green sparks and knitting them into a fabric-like sheet, then molding them into cloaks that they could drape around themselves. Now, they waited behind me, flanking me on either side. I couldn’t see them, but I could feel them.
Especially Donovan. He was too close, both white-hot and freezing cold at the same time. He leaned down and murmured in my ear. “Who is this man, Chosen? And why does he lie? Humans cannot breed directly with banshees. That is unheard of.”
For a second, I lingered by the security desk, smiling at Luis, my pulse beating fast. Do you see them, Luis? Did you hear him, just then? Donovan’s voice had been loud enough for the sound to carry. Am I really crazy?
But Luis was still grinning, shaking his head. “I don’t think I’ve had more than three hours sleep in the past week and a half, Sue. My daughter is a monster.”
“Of course she is a monster,” Donovan rumbled behind me. “She is a half breed banshee-human abomination.”
I exhaled, and a little tension left my body. I really was nuts. “She’s only a month old, Luis. She’ll get used to this life and settle down. Make sure you let Gloria take her naps, okay?”
“Oh, yes ma’am, I will. I don’t want to poke the beast.”
“What manner of beast is she? If her mother is a banshee?”
Ignoring Donovan, I tapped my card on the reader and walked through the gate, quickly slipping into the bathroom to change my tennis shoes into what appeared to be a brand-new pair of black patent red-bottom kitten heels I’d found in my new closet. Luis didn’t comment on anything weird, so hopefully I was actually wearing my normal business casual white-shirt-and-trouser combo, and not my flannel pajamas.
Before I left the bathroom, I checked myself in the full-length mirror. The pencil skirt was the perfect length to show off my legs without being too provocative; the black raw-silk fabric looked terribly luxurious and expensive, and my blood-red shirt was pressed to perfection. It didn’t matter that I was the only person that could see it. I looked great, and I felt amazing.
Go with it,my father's voice echoed in my ear.
For the first time in two years, I sashayed out of the bathroom with a hint of my former confidence. The twin spots of icy-cold heat drifted behind me again, and together, we walked up to the elevator bank. I pressed a button.
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened.
“Wait,” Donovan rumbled in my ear. “We must inspect the space for enemies.”
I hesitated. It was still early. I was alone. “Be my guest.”
