Fast footsteps behind him made Patrick turn, watching as Sage and Gerard hurried closer on the path, dodging around a family with kids and a jogging stroller. The scowl on Sage’s face was tinged with anger. “I couldn’t hear a word you were saying.”
“I didn’t cast a silence ward,” Patrick protested.
“That was all Maat. What did she say?” Gerard asked.
“Nothing new. Pay my soul debt. Kill my family. The usual.”
His words lacked humor, and Gerard reached out to grip his shoulder, giving him a friendly squeeze. “At least you’re free.”
“Feels like I keep owing the gods for everything in my life these days.”
It wasn’t a good feeling.
Sage sidled close and looped her arm through his. Patrick automatically bent his arm at the elbow so she could hold on. “Let’s call Setsuna so we can get that damned book before the Library of Congress closes.”
Patrick conjured up a tiny mageglobe, hiding it in against the palm of his left hand. He cast a silence ward before pulling his phone out of his pocket to call Setsuna without the usual protocol of multiple tries. She picked up after the second ring.
“We’re done. I’m supposed to be thankful the gods interfered, which is fucking stupid, because they’ve been interfering since I was eight,” Patrick said.
“You have your freedom,” Setsuna said.
“I’m not in jail, sure, but I still owe them. That’s not freedom.”
“It’s enough. General Reed tells me Eloise has reached out to the Department of the Preternatural demanding answers about their role in taking you from her family and demanding contact information for you. She’s been doing the same at the SOA since the revelation of your identity hit the news.”
“What are you two telling her?”
“Nothing at this time.” Setsuna paused, the quiet on the line interrupted only by soft breathing for a few seconds. “She left her personal number and asked that we pass it on to you. We did not give her yours.”
“My actual phone is still with the US Attorney’s Office back in New York. I need to figure out when I get it returned to me.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I don’t have time to deal with this. I have other problems I need to worry about.”
“Eloise won’t stop reaching out until she gets in contact with you.”
Patrick couldn’t put into words how much he wasn’t ready for that. “I need to go.”
“Think about it, but if you do choose to contact your family, be careful.”
“What? You think they’re like Ethan?”
“No. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”
It was a confession that cut through Patrick’s anger and emotional uncertainty in a way that left him momentarily at a loss for words. Setsuna was rarely so blunt in her support over the years.
“They can’t be as bad as Ethan,” Patrick said.
Sage snorted beside him. “No one is as bad as Ethan.”
“It’s not their perceived association with Ethan through your mother that I’m worried about. It’s complicated.” Setsuna huffed out a tired sigh. “I’ll run interference as much as I can until you’re ready to speak with them, if that’s what you ultimately want to do. They might head to New York City though, so be aware of that.”
Patrick scowled. “I hate having everyone know where I live.”
Beyond the privacy, it was a safety issue Patrick still had to deal with. Gargoyles were well and good against mediocre burglars, but they’d do nothing against someone of Zachary’s magical strength or Ethan’s deviousness. It had taken Shiva to hold off demons the other night.
“Handle what you need to here in DC and then get back to New York. I’m working on reinstating your position with the SOA.”
