I sighed. So much for answers.
“But regardless, tonight’s our treat, and that’s that,” he insisted. “Sponge away.”
Our waitress came to take our orders, and as no one else seemed to have a problem with spending Lucian’s money, I would enjoy my damn cocktail.
After an annoyingly pleasant evening where everyone seemed to enjoy Cas’s presence except me, I barely slept, my mind running around in circles, full of the mystery at first.
Brace yourself,I heard over and over.
Then I started to dream, which left me just as restless and twice as confused. They felt like memories, though I knew I’d never been to the places I saw, seen the people whose faces haunted me.
I remembered clean air as I flew past trees, running in the forest—never away from anything. Towards my prey.
I dreamed of hunting most nights, now, and I woke up afraid.
Afraid of what it meant for me, Silver, that I could rememberherlife.
Even at the best of times, I slept like shit, but between Cas and Kleos’s lost reserves, I was seriously on edge. I knew there was no way I’d get any rest this weekend if I let the matter lie, so I made my way to the Guard first thing.
I loitered in the hall of the seventh floor, as my office had not yet been assigned, unsure how to proceed, when the answer to my indecision appeared in the form of a muscular, short-haired woman sipping coffee.
“Captain.”
Kleos said she told her aunt, our captain, about her missing energy stones. I was still fairly annoyed with her, given the stunt she pulled, though part of me understood it. They were family. She wanted Kleos and Zenya to speak. Interfering wouldprobably have been the right thing, had Zenya not been a crazy bitch.
Nah, even then. If a child decided to go no-contact with their parents, no one should interfere. There usually was a very good reason.
Still, this was work.
“Silver.” She directed one of her rare, fleeting smiles to me. “I didn’t realize you were working this weekend. A Saturday shift right from the start?”
“Oh no, I’m. err, not technically supposed to be in today.” Gods, I sounded like a such a teacher’s pet. Kleos would have ceaselessly mocked me for it if she knew. “It’s just, Kleos told me about her missingthings,you know, and I wanted to help.”
I knew better than to get into the details in the hallway, even on the protectors’ floor.
“I see.” She tilted her head, beckoning me forward. “Come with me.”
We walked to her office, with a sprawling view of the canal, where two kelpies bathed, throwing water at each other.
“Sit, sit,” Hilda said. “I’d offer you coffee, but there’s a reason why I made mine at home. The stuff we stock here tastes like cat piss.”
I decided not to ask her how she knew what cat piss tasted like as I took a seat in one of her comfortable guest armchairs. “Pass on the piss.”
“Wise.” She took her desk chair and leaned in. “I heard that you had dinner with the newest arrival.”
It took me a second to connect the dots, my mind fixed on Kleos’s magic.
“Oh, yes.” Gideon must have told her that Cas left with us last night.
“And what do you think?” She sipped her coffee, her tone ever so casual.
Something in her eyes told me I could be honest without being laughed out of her office. Up until she unknowingly helped Zenya try to destroy Kleos, I’d always liked Hilda. She was straightforward, and genuinely concerned with keeping the city safe. Yes, her training was considerably harder than any other mentor, but I actually enjoyed it. No one else made me break a sweat.
“He’s full of shit.”
Her chuckle made her snort a little coffee, which I’d call undignified if she weren’t my superior.
“Come on, he remembers everything down to the existence of his bank account, but not his bloody name?”
