Wade actuallypoutedat him, and Riordan had to steel himself from giving in.
“Riordan?” Ella asked. “You’re still with Wade?”
“Hi, Ella. We have a small update for you and a request.”
“It better not be a bargain.”
“We promised not to bargain with you under the terms of the alliance. I aim to keep that promise.”
“We need to talk with the master vampire of the Boston Night Court, and we need you and those in your god pack you trust to come along as muscle,” Wade said.
“You need me towhat?” Ella exclaimed.
Riordan sighed heavily and scooped up some strawberries to sprinkle them into the pancake batter cooking on the pan, still not letting go of Wade. “We think Niall is targeting all the major leaders of the preternatural and supernatural communities in Boston. We need to see if Abhartach has been targeted yet.”
There was silence on Ella’s side of the line for a few seconds. “Would it be a terrible thing if that bastard was and had been taken out of the picture already?”
“Agreed,” Saoirse muttered.
Riordan ignored his sister. “We won’t know one way or another unless we meet with the Boston Night Court.”
“Abhartach only allows communication through in-person meetings. We’d have to meet with one of his human servants today and hope we get a meeting tonight after they speak with him.”
“Does he even have a phone?” Wade asked.
“If he does, I don’t know anyone who has his phone number.”
“Someone needs to tell him that just because he’s old doesn’t mean he can’t get with the modern times. We’ll meet you at wherever his daylight proxy human servant is and talk with them.”
“The Night Court has an office downtown. Anyone in Boston wanting to set up a meeting has to go through that location. Showing up at his usual haunts without an invitation is a good way to end up dead. We can meet there in two hours.”
“How do the vampires even travel across Boston? Don’t you all have more churches than most cities?”
“You’re thinking of the South.”
She rattled off an address on Franklin Street in Downtown Boston, and Riordan nodded even though she couldn’t see him. He knew that area well. “We’ll see you in two hours.”
Ella ended the call first, and Wade shoved his phone back in his pocket. Riordan realized he was still holding on to Wade’swrist and reluctantly let him go. Wade didn’t move away though, just leaned over to peer at the pan. “Is this one mine?”
“If you let me flip it, then yes.” Wade straightened up and moved away, which Riordan regretted immediately. He focused on the pancakes instead, wondering if the whole box would be enough to make Wade happy. A few moments later, Saoirse draped his jacket over his shoulders, the tingle of his sealskin returned to him making him close his eyes for a second before he slid his arms through the sleeves.
“Thanks,” she said, resting her forehead between his shoulder blades. “I feel better.”
“I’ll make your pancakes next.”
“I’m not hungry.” She moved away, leaving the kitchen. Riordan watched her go, frowning at her back.
“I’ll go check on her,” Donal said, leaving the kitchen.
Riordan sighed, using the spatula to flip Wade’s pancake.
“Is she okay?” Wade asked from his right behind him, nearly making Riordan lose the pancake. “Sorry, I’ll make noise next time.”
“It’s fine.”
“Your sister isn’t.”
Riordan looked at where Wade had posted himself up against the counter beside Riordan. He wasn’t surprised in the least to see at least a quarter of the strawberries were gone, most likely snacked on by Wade when he wasn’t looking. “She has skin hunger, and she misses the ocean. It’s hard.”
