Holding up a hand, Obsidian cut him off. “She needs time to get accustomed before I look to her to make a decision that will alter the course of her life.” And ultimately result in her death.
Obsidian could tell Taayin wanted to argue, but for whatever reason, he chose not to.
“Is that all you had for me?” he asked before Taayin could slip out.
“Actually, I wanted to tell you—”
A knock sounded on the door.
Taayin pulled it open and Stygian stuck his head in, a wide grin on his face.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Obsidian shot to his feet, walked over to the male.
“To tell you Stygian’s coming home,” Taayin mumbled, evidently late on delivering the news.
An embrace ensued between Obsidian and his brother, with some powerful back slapping tacked on.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Obsidian asked, peering around him to see who else had arrived.
“Backup.”
“What about youramsouelot?”
Stygian shook his head. “No luck. Not yet, anyway. Søren’s working day and night.”
“And the others?”
“Aphotic’s locked in on his.” The male smirked. “She’s giving him a run for his money.”
“Is that so?” Didn’t surprise him. Aphotic was the youngest, the party boy, one might say. He had a way with the ladies, so it only made sense that the one he would need most would make him earn it.
“Serves him right,” Stygian added. “I talked to Cimmerian a little while ago. He’s in California right now, tracking down a lead. Last I heard, Piceous was in New York, but no luck on that front, either. Shadow’s in Canada. I think he’s closing in.”
“And Eclipse?”
A wide grin formed on Stygian’s mouth. “Believe it or not, his female’s right here.”
Obsidian frowned. “In Darkness?”
“Telluride. But he’s heading home now.” Stygian peered around the room. “And Penelope? When do we get to meet her?”
He peered up at the ceiling. “She should be down any minute.”
“Phillip said the evening meal’s about ready. Perfect timing, huh?”
Yeah. Perfect timing.
“You think maybe you could get a haircut while you’re here?” Obsidian joked, although Stygian’s hairwasgetting long, a few inches past his shoulders.
“I think I’ll grow it out.”
“Great. You’ve got long hair, Eclipse has a mohawk, Aphotic’s sporting mutton chops. What’s next?”
“I’d say you could grow some facial hair,” Stygian teased, “but you’re the only one of us who can’t.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Obsidian grinned, glad to have his brother home.
A ruckus sounded from the kitchen, drawing Obsidian and Stygian out of the office.
