Arabella had borrowed Connor’s medics. In less than an hour, both he and Diana were patched up and on their way to Houston via a MII helicopter. They didn’t speak during the trip. He had misled Diana, and she was angry. He could almost feel the intensity of her indignation radiating outward like heat. Once they landed, her people picked her up, while his people took him to the infirmary, and they parted ways without a single word.
The infirmary was on the twenty-second floor, and from his bed he could see Houston, a multitude of electric lights glowing like coals scattered across dark ashes. They must’ve given him a strong cocktail, because he wasn’t given to poetic nonsense.
A careful knock sounded through the room. He glanced at the doorway and saw Arabella rapping her knuckles on the doorframe. Augustine nodded.
She walked in and set a high-capacity storage drive on the side table. Woodward’s dirty secrets.
“All the animals have been evacuated,” she reported.
“Blake Harrison?”
She nodded. “He just appeared out of nowhere with a pack of wolves and three horse trailers.”
“What’s your opinion of him?”
She frowned. “Unsettling. I’ve met him before, and he is very good at pretending to be human. Tonight, he didn’t bother.”
His original assessment proved correct. House Harrison was full of interesting surprises.
“About that recommendation,” she said.
“Are you sure it’s what you want?” he asked. “It will be a lot of work.”
Her expression became defiant. It was a look he was all too familiar with by now. “I’m not afraid of work.”
“If you do this, you must go all the way. I will be committing a lot of resources to supporting you. Don’t waste my efforts or your own.”
“I won’t,” she promised.
“Stop by Lina’s desk and ask her to give you the green folder.”
Arabella flashed a smile and took off.
She was a troublesome child, but debts had to be paid. All things considered, she would make a powerful ally in the future. Provided she didn’t self-destruct along the way.
Augustine looked out the window again. The sun would rise soon.
Somewhere out there, Diana rested, probably in a bed just like this one.
He missed her.
She told him he was the one. The special one.
The safest course was to pretend it had never happened. Their magic wasn’t compatible, their Houses weren’t on the same footing, and her nature was too unpredictable for a stable partnership. He recognized all that.
Augustine closed his eyes. He needed to take this time to heal while he could. He needed to be in top shape when he went looking for Diana Harrison, and he wasn’t sure how long he could stay away.
