“But you were thinking about him. You’ve grown progressively sadder all week.”
With a tired sigh, Nadia flopped back on the pillows. “I can’t shake the feeling I pissed him off at the party. As if by trying to shove him in the pool, I acted too childish for him.”
“He started it by tossing you in,” Katie reminded her on a trip to the bathroom for her toiletries. “Besides, the man is a business mogul. He probably has more on his mind than the average Joe.”
“Yeah.” But Nadia wasn’t sure she had bought it. For the remainder of that Saturday, he’d been reserved, watchful. Not just of her, but of everyone around them. “He’s a bit odd, isn’t he?”
At the end of the bed, Ariel coughed.
“Have you noticed how often your cat chokes when you bring up Luc?” Katie’s thoughtful frown tugged her perfectly groomed brows together.
Nadia sat up. “Now that you mention it… Should we interrogate her? Put the thumb screws to her?”
Ariel’s eyes narrowed before she gave a hiss and bolted.
“I’m more convinced than ever that she’s a human in a feline body.”
“Maybe you should rehome her,” Katie suggested, looking alarmed. “I mean, her response was so far from normal it’s disturbing. What if she’s possessed?”
With no good argument to the contrary, Nadia shrugged and rolled to her feet. “I’ve got to get to work or get sacked. I can’t believe Sal allowed me a half day off today.”
“Maybe there’s a little good in him after all.”
“You’ve met the man. How can you say that with a straight face?”
“He really is a tool.” Katie laughed and shooed her off. “Go to work.”
“Four-thirty at Fitzpatrick’s pub?”
“The one on the corner?”
Nadia nodded. “Yep. If you get there first, order the beer fries for me.”
“With cheese. Got it. Now go before you get fired and I have to move in to support you.”
“Don’t give me a reason to delay, ho.”
Katie’s laughter followed her out the door.
Three hours later, Nadia was deep in ancient texts, but had a niggling sense she was missing something vital. A possible clue as to the whereabouts of The Liber Inchoatus. Moving on, she checked her codex, then did a double-take.
Triscelene.
It was the first mention of a creature outside of angels, daemons, and nephilims. But what the hell was it?
Thirty minutes and a translated passage later, she fell into frustration.
Was she wrong to assume it was one being? Tri indicated three combined, but the rest of the word stumped her. Scelene wasn’t right. Not exactly.
She idly traced the letters, hoping the answer would click.
What was she missing? In an older hand, the soft c hardened into a k. If she applied the rule, it made “scel” into “skel.”
Skelos.
Limb.
Branch.
