“If you think that, you are a fool.”
“I said safe. I didn’t say comfortable. I believe there is a very deep, dark hole with your name on it, Eljin. I hope the money was worth it.”
With that, I turned and walked away before the anger got to me again and I did something stupid.
“Bethany, please, you cannot do this,” he called after me.
I kept walking.
“They want you controlled, Bethany.”
I stopped cold and turned, hands clenched against the rage that was once again rising. “And how do you know this if you’re not in direct contact with Carla?”
“An antiquity with new directions arrived this afternoon. It’s why I came here this evening.”
“To kidnap me? Or kill me?”
“I am many things, but a killer? No.”
“Love to believe that, but sadly, I cannot.” Overhead, thunder rumbled, the noise so loud, so close, the building shook with its fury.Myfury.
“Look, I came here to invite you to dinner?—”
“During which I would once again be plied with a drug, one that would this time knock me out, and then handed over to the lovely Carla, who would attempt to make me compliant to her wishes.”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“Luckily for me, then, that I was already aware of your duplicity.”
I turned and started down the stairs.
“They will kill you if they can’t control you, Bethany.”
“They wouldn’t be the first to try, and they probably won’t be the last, given the game is afoot.”
“You can’t do this, Bethany.”
“Watch me.”
I continued down. He kept calling my name, but he didn’t call for help. Perhaps he knew that of his two options, the Myrkálfar were likely the best. I dumped my purse onto the sofa, then walked over to the kitchenette and put on the kettle. Bodhrán and Mathi appeared on the stairs, neither making much sound but their presence echoing heavily through the building’s song.
“Is he still upstairs? Or have you thrown him out through one of the skylights?” Mathi said, the amusement crinkling his eyes belying the seriousness in his tone.
“I was tempted to do the latter, but resisted.” I glanced at Bodhrán. “How do you intend to get him out without attracting attention?”
“What can’t be seen can’t attract,” he said.
“A light shield? How’d you get one of those at such short notice?”
The dark elf grinned. “You’d be surprised at the range of magical implements that are available within a five-minute walk of this tavern.”
“Really?” I paused. “I don’t suppose one of those goodies would be a long-distance type of magical tracker, would it?”
“Most likely—why?”
“Because I have a bad habit of getting kidnapped, and I promised a friend I would get one.”
“If you ask my opinion?—”
