Chapter Nineteen
“The food here is quite good, don’t you think?” Cadmus hated having to make nice with Micah, but as the younger man kept reminding him, with hisHTM thisandHTM thatevery other sentence, he’d be reporting to His Terrible Majesty on what he thought of this location. And Cadmusinthis location.
Cadmus had been grinding his molars down to the root, with the strain of keeping up a “Problems acclimating to the potent energy here? Nosirree, not me!” facade. Not to mention trying to keep up with Micah in general.
Micah had been peppering Cadmus with all sorts of questions about the area, questions to which Cadmus had to figure out a way to answer without opening himself up for criticism in any way.
It was hard to come up with more spins for “I don’t know.” He’d been frustrated that all the parcels of land that had the most potent energy emanating from it seemed to belong to mysterious owners who wanted to be hidden. Company names for which little information existed. The only lead he had was that there was only one realtor he had come across who seemed to know more than the others. Not that he was forthcoming. Like the others, he immediately tried to interest Cadmus in sites that were entirely unsuitable, or were only weak echoes of the properties Cadmus wanted.
But there was enough of Cadmus’s intuition coming through themagickaljet lag to let him know that the man was holding something back. This…Blake Rickert. Perhaps he would be more receptive to….other persuasive techniques.
His phone vibrated, mercifully interrupting whatever Micah was spouting off in answer to Cadmus’s attempt at civility.
“Do excuse me,” Cadmus said to Micah. He normally abhorred the use of phones during a meal, but he would make an exception because it was a meal with Micah.
And wonder of wonders. The name that popped up on the screen was the very one that he had been thinking.Blake Rickert.Maybe hismagickswere rebounding after all.
“Hello, Mr. Rickert?” Cadmus spoke, with a sorry-not-sorry eyebrow raise at the other man. Micah shrugged, pulling out his own phone, which had an obnoxious case on it made out of —knowing Micah’s horrible taste—real diamonds. Cadmus looked away as the realtor’s voice came through.
“Yes, hello. If you’re still interested in those properties you were inquiring about, we can talk about it further, but I’d need for you to come in and sign some non-disclosures and other standard paperwork.”
A thrill went through Cadmus. He was right. This realtor did know more. And was offering the information up.
“How marvelous. Yes, of course I can do that.”
“Could you come in this afternoon?”
He felt Micah’s eyes on him. If he said yes, Micah might insist on coming along. When was the wretch going to leave, anyway?
“Later this week would be better for me.” Cadmus said smoothly.
“Well, I—of course, would you like to set a ti—” Cadmus pressed END, cutting off the realtor. He’d pop in the minute Micah left.
“What was that?” the younger man asked, his eyes narrowed.
“Part of the research I’m doing,” Cadmus said airily. “Getting background information on the property ownership history, things like that. No need to concern yourself with, as your time would be better spend just looking at properties firsthand.”
Micah was silent, and Cadmus held his breath. Would he buy it?
“Yeah, that sort of thing sounds like your bag, Cad-man.” Micah said, dismissively. Cadmus slowly let a breath of relief.
“So if you’re ready, let’s get the bill and venture on to another location?” Cadmus asked. At Micah’s nod, he summoned a waiter.
And readied himself for more of Micah’s odious company.
* * *
Jealousy. The feeling was worse than the worst wound he had ever been afflicted with. It reared its dragon-like head each time she smiled upon one of hisBredhren, which was often. Col wanted to bloody each of them, even hisVixar,who had a visage that Katie Cooper obviously found pleasing. Or Aylwyn, whose wenching ways she seemed to gravitate towards. He wanted to tear into them both, pummeling them into oblivion for the mere audacity of being attractive to her.
Which was the exact opposite of what he should be feeling, doing. He was Tybalt’s Second. He needed to help hisVixarforge these five into a cohesive,War-Packfor the coming battles. And here he was, adding to the very dissension that needed to be healed.
It went against his very core as aWaryeor, of everything he had been shaped and molded through his life to be. The very reason that he had lain in sleep for so long, to be awakened in this strange world, which he felt he would never comprehend.
And yet, this strange world was made so much more bearable, so much more welcoming, because of her existence in it.
He was much like a callow youth, searching out moments to touch her, longing to feel her soft lips underneath his. But instead, he had to settle for the surreptitious brush of his fingertips against the silky skin of her hand, her arm, capturing her beautiful eyes with furtive looks, that could not but reveal his yearning.
Barric seemed all-knowing, a few times giving him a nod when he was caught looking at her. She had even charmed Barric, the most belligerent of them all. Such was her power. What chance did he have?
