She lowers the phone and looks at it with frustration.
“They cut the call,” she murmurs, and for the first time I notice true anguish in her voice.
Only then does she notice my presence.
“Nell? What are you doing here?” she asks, surprised.
While Sylara tells her what happened, I take advantage to observe her. I remember what she told me that night at the burger joint: Kaelisar has her sister. Now I understand why, even though she hates him, she keeps working for him. It's the same reason I do it: to protect a loved one. And yet, there's something in Sabina's expression that unsettles me. It's not just worry. It's fear. As if she knows something about Desi she hasn't told us.
“Can I spend the night here?” I ask when they finish talking. “I don't think it's safe to take the book to my apartment, and I need to keep studying.”
To my surprise, it's Sabina who responds first, almost before I finish the sentence.
“Of course you can. In fact, you can stay as long as you need and it's better if you do. It's not safe for you to be alone.”
“We can order pizza,” Althea suggests. “After everything you've been through, you must be hungry.”
Sylara nods, opening an app on her cell phone.
“I'll take care of it. What kind do you prefer?”
While we wait for the food, each one settles into the spacious living room. Sylara sits on the floor, by the window, and small flowers sprout while she reads a book. Althea settles in front of the TV, watches a fantasy movie with the volume very low. Sabina goes into the bathroom for a long shower, though at least, this time she hasn't undressed in front of us.
And I, with the book open in my lap, surprise myself by observing them and feeling a strange sensation of belonging. It's almost... as if I were already part of this strange group. As if we were normal roommates, and not a half-Fae thief and three elemental creatures forced to work together for a lunatic who claims to be an exiled king.
For a brief instant, I wonder how it would feel if this were real. If there were no threats, and no Kaelisar either. Just the four of us, sharing this space, learning from each other, living together.
I shake my head, and try to get those thoughts out of my mind. That will never happen. I keep reading, and a sentence from the book manages to freeze my blood:
“The Quad bond is the most powerful and dangerous connection that can form between elementals. It transcends friendship, goes far beyond romantic or familial love. It fuses the essences of the four primordial elements into an inseparable unity...”
My breathing accelerates, but before I can keep reading, the doorbell announces the arrival of the pizzas.
Chapter 17
Nell
The night we're supposed to rob Voronov arrives way before I feel ready.
I adjust the dress Kaelisar sent while I study my reflection in the mirror. The reddish wig transforms my appearance completely, and the elven makeup elaborated by Sylara and carefully applied to my face even more so. I'm no longer Nell, the slippery street thief; I'm Caroline Spencer, heiress to a Texas oil fortune, newly married to Natasha Petrova, daughter of a Russian millionaire.
“I can't believe I have to pretend to be a waitress,” Althea grumbles, adjusting the ridiculous bow tie. “Next time, I'm asking Kaelisar to let me be a diplomat from some small country, and you,” she points her index finger at Sylara, “can carry trays around.”
Sylara, impeccably dressed, simply arches an eyebrow.
“I don't quite see you as a diplomat,” she responds in a measured tone.
“In any case, I liked the original plan of pretending to be these two's bodyguard better. They look like they need protection. And the fact that they're now a newly married couple I like even less,” she replies, pointing at Sabina and me now.
I can't help smiling while I roll my eyes. We've explained to her a ton of times that the party rules explicitly prohibit private security personnel since Voronov considers it an insult that guests don't trust the security he provides at his mansion.
“They'll end up firing you before you even start if you don't calm down,” Sabina jokes. “Relax. At least you don't have to go arm in arm with the half-Fae pretending you're madly in love.”
I roll my eyes and try to ignore the comment. It's not the time to have an argument.
“Well, it's time,” Sylara cuts in, checking her watch. “Althea, you first; enter through the service door. Then you two go,” she adds, pointing at Sabina and me. “Remember, Caroline, flirty but not too much. And Natasha, control your accent when you speak.”
Althea nods, throwing me a last look before disappearing toward the service entrance. When we're alone, Sabina offers me her arm.
