Witchling Page 10

Page 10

 

  By the time I opened my eyes, the sunlight was spilling through my curtains, and the smell of bacon and eggs wafted up the stairs. I winced. My neck hurt from being kinked too far to the right, but the ache was nothing in comparison to the sated feel in the pit of my stomach. I luxuriated as I rolled out of bed. I hadn't felt this good in a long, long time.

  The other side of my bed was empty. After our tryst, Trillian had returned to OW to talk to my father. So I was back to dancing with the devil. But the smile on my face was too bright for that thought to quench my good mood as I glanced at the clock. Ten a. m. Oh hell, the store!

  I slid into a plum chiffon skirt that flirted with the tops of my knees and pulled on a pale gray cashmere sweater. Zipping up my knee-high stiletto suede boots, I hurried downstairs as I fumbled with my hair, managing to corral the tumbling curls into a thick ponytail. Delilah was waiting, bright-eyed, with breakfast on the table.

  "I am so hungry. " I slid into my chair and snagged a piece of bacon off the platter. "Thanks. I'm running late. "

  Delilah wrinkled her nose. She was dressed in a pair of flare-legged jeans and a patchwork peasant shirt in shades of blue and ivory. Thick-soled platform ankle boots raised her to soaring heights. "I think you should call Iris today. We have to start looking for Tom Lane. "

  I'd hoped to find some word waiting from OIA when I woke up, but there were no messages from either Chase or Trillian.

  "I guess you're right. We don't have a moment to waste. " I picked up the phone and put in a call on the private shop line to Iris.

  "Hey, can you run the shop today? We have OIA business. "

  Iris jotted down notes as I ran through what she needed to know, then promised to call and leave a status report at the end of the day. She spoke perfect English, even though she'd spent most of her life in Finland, where her kin had bound themselves to a family of humans, coexisting peacefully until the family had died out last generation. With no one left to tend, Iris had signed up with the OIA, and they'd left her Earthside, since she knew the world so well.

  Delilah and I lingered over breakfast, Delilah writing up a to-do list while I applied my makeup. A sweep of soft brown shadow, an outline of liquid black liner around my eyes, several coats of mascara on my already-lengthy eyelashes. Finally, I rouged my lips with a deep merlot color and blinked.

  "That's better," I said, staring in my hand mirror.

  "You're chipper this morning," Delilah said. "Now, what do we need to do?" She held her pencil at the ready.

  "Well, we need to find out more about Tom Lane, but I'm afraid that may be a common name over here. "

  "It is," she said. "I already looked him up while waiting for you. There are several Tom Lanes in Seattle and the surrounding areas. And if he truly lives near the mountain, we have to remember that he might not have a phone. "

  Delilah buttered another piece of toast and bit into it. She had a healthy appetite and worked it off without a problem. "Maybe some of the local Fae have heard of him and know something. "

  I cautiously licked the taste of bacon off of my fingers, taking care not to muss my lipstick. "You're thinking Tom and the seal might have become an urban legend?"

  "Hey, what about Rina? She lives in Seattle, and if I remember right, she was a historian back in OW. " Delilah gave a little purp of excitement. I could tell she was proud of herself.

  "Rina? Who's that?" And then I remembered. A few years back, Rina—a member of the Court and Crown—had slept with the King. That in itself wasn't a crime. The problem was that she'd failed to ask permission from the Queen first, and Lethesanar wasn't known for leniency toward thieves of the royal treasures—be they gemstone or consort. Lethesanar had banished Rina to Earth, forbidding her to return to Otherworld.

  "Oh, I'd forgotten about her," I said, wondering what Rina had been up to since her spectacular—and fiery—departure from the Court. I'd witnessed that blowup, and it taught me a valuable lesson about "borrowing" the property of the royal family. "Do you know where she is?"

  Delilah popped open her laptop and began tapping away, her fingers moving with a speed that made me cringe. She'd learned to type the moment she knew we were headed Earthside, but I'd passed on the opportunity.

  "Here she is—I've got a file on expatriates living Earthside. Hey, she doesn't live far from the store. She runs an antique shop and lives over it. "

  "Is she a member of OIA?" I asked.

  "Nope," Delilah said, shaking her head. "The Queen would chew a cow if Rina was given any sort of official status. Lethesanar's grudges run deep. "

  I gathered my purse and keys. "Should we go visit her?"

  Delilah closed her laptop and slipped it into her shoulder bag. "Why not? Afterward, we can pop in on Louise Jenkins and talk to her. By the time Menolly wakes up tonight, we should have more information to go on. " She followed me to the door, eying me closely. "How are you doing this morning? I notice Trillian wasn't around at breakfast. " It was a question, not a statement.

  I flashed her a dark look. "Don't start in on me, okay? He stayed for awhile, and yes, we had sex. Then he went back to OW. "

  "Oh Camille! You really love him, don't you?" she asked, as we clattered down the steps, the downpour soaking us before we could reach my car. I pointed the keychain, pressed a button, and the locks popped. Modern technology wasn't all that far behind magic, I thought. Sometimes, it surpassed it.

  As we settled into the car and fastened our seat belts, I shook my head. "I love him, yes, but I don't like him. Not all that much. He's a drug, Delilah. He's passionate and exciting and…" I stopped, uncertain of how to explain it.

  "And he takes you places nobody else can," she finished for me quietly.

  I glanced at her. "Yeah, he does. He did last night. I don't know if I want to give that up. "

  As I pulled out onto the road and headed toward the center of the Belles-Faire district, Delilah seemed to be searching for words. After a moment, she said, "Maybe it's not so bad to be dependent on somebody else. He made you happy, Camille. I remember when you were together. I don't like him, but if you love him, then I'll support you. You know that. "

  Raindrops splashed against the windshield, and I flipped the wipers to high speed. The road leading from our house to the middle of the Belles-Faire district led through one suburb after another. Older houses hid behind spacious cedar-lined drives, stately but with that weatherworn look that spoke of genteel poverty, old money running short, families with five or six children who were trying to save a few bucks by getting out of Seattle proper.

  "Trillian is Svartan. After a while, he'll leave, and then you'll have to pick up the pieces. It's not in his nature to stick around. " I kept my eyes on the road. Wildlife abounded here. It wasn't uncommon to see a dog—or even a coyote—race across the street.

  Delilah frowned. "It's not in our nature to remain monogamous either. We are half-Fae, you know. "

  "I didn't say monogamous," I countered. "What I can't handle is the thought that he might leave me after I've given my heart to him. Remember—we're also half-human. "

  "But you're more like Father than Mother. "

  I grinned at her, turning left onto Aurora Boulevard, which would take us into Seattle. "Unfortunately, I seem to have inherited more than Father's looks. I'll walk through fire for a man who can shake my world. I love sex, and the sex with Trillian is better than any drug I've ever had. "

  "Like you've tried many drugs. You always did sneak out of that part of your training when you were a kid. "

  Delilah said. She frowned, her mouth twisting in a particularly endearing way. "You know, to be honest, I don't think I'm really interested in men. Women either. I'm not sure what I'd do with a guy if I had him. Although I am curious. I'd like to have sex at least once… to see what the big deal is about. "

  Startled, I gave her a quick glance. I'd assumed Delilah had her affairs but was j
ust reticent, and I'd never pried. "You mean you're still a virgin?"

  She blushed. "Well, in my human form I am. "

  Wondering at the logistics of her implication, I blinked. Even though I hadn't been with a man since Trillian, I had found plenty of ways to take care of myself. It wasn't enough. Granted, it took the edge off, but in my book, there was nothing that could replace a good, hard man.

  "Don't you ever get horny?"

  Delilah grinned. "I didn't say that I was frigid, but the whole sex-with-somebody-else scene just seems like so much bother. " She stole a sideways glance at me. "So tell me, what's it like with Trillian? What does he do that drives you so crazy?"

  This was the first time anybody had ever asked me—without judgment—what drew me to Trillian. Wondering what she'd think, I threw reticence out the window and began to tell her about my Svartan lover.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 6

  Our first stop was Rina's store. The Bella Gata Boutique was in what at first appearance seemed to be a rundown part of the city, but the surrounding shops, though drab on the outside, actually housed rather pricey goods. On one side of the Bella Gata stood a restaurant—a dark staircase leading down into a steakhouse, and to the other side, a leather furniture store.

  I peeked in the window and saw a lovely hand-worked ottoman in rich burgundy, but when I caught sight of the price tag, I pushed any thought of buying it out of mind. We still had some in savings, but a seven-hundred-dollar footstool was beyond our wish list. And our salary from the OIA didn't translate over Earthside. We'd have to stick to Ikea for awhile, though I preferred Thomasville.

  Bella Gata was open for business. A couple of early shoppers browsed the shelves of chintz and china, but for the most part, the shop looked empty. Delilah hung back, allowing me to approach the counter as a woman peeked around the corner. For a moment I thought she might be human, but then I sensed the glamour she was using to cloak herself. Probably trying to avoid the geeks and freaks that liked to glom on to us, but I couldn't help thinking that business at her shop would triple if she let people know what she was. And a good head for business didn't mean you were the bogeyman. In fact, I'd met the bogeyman, and Bill Gates he wasn't.

  I leaned on the counter. "We're looking for Rina," I said, keeping my gaze leveled. She flinched, and I knew I'd found her.

  "What do you want?" she asked, glancing nervously around.

  "Information. We're with the OIA. "

  At that, she dropped her pretense and her true beauty shimmered forth. As her hair grew blonder, and her eyes darker and more luminous, I began to realize why the Queen had banished her. Rina was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen, and I could see how she might pose a threat to the royal ego.

  "Did Lethesanar send you?" Her shoulders were defiant, and I sensed that she was poised for a fight.

  I snorted. "Do you really mink the Queen would have anything to do with us? We're half-human, if you didn't notice. Chill out, we're not here to cause trouble. We just remembered that you were a lore keeper back in OW and wanted to ask if you know anything about a certain legend. My name's Camille D'Artigo," I added, nodding deeply. "And this is my sister Delilah. "

  Rina blinked. "Now that you mention it, you aren't full-blood, are you? I remember now—you and your sisters were much the topic of conversation back in the Court. There were several there who were bent on dispatching you to the goblin lands. Looks like they did the next best thing. " Her voice held a tinge of the old hostility we'd encountered growing up. So Rina didn't like half-breeds.

  I narrowed my eyes and leaned across the counter. "Listen, friend. Our heritage isn't germane to the discussion. We work for the OIA, and that should be enough for you. Expatriate or not, you owe allegiance to the Court and Crown. Now, we've run across some potentially dangerous news for both Earth and Otherworld. Are you going to help us voluntarily, or do I have to call HQ?" I was bluffing, but she didn't have to know that.

  She paused, and I could tell she was considering all angles. Frankly, she had no reason to love the Queen nor to help out OLA, but if I gave her a little shove, she might just open up.

  "What do you want to know?" she finally said.

  "We need to know what you've heard about a man named Tom Lane who holds one of the spirit seals. We know he's alive, we know he's near Mount Rainier, and we have to find him. "

  Rina glanced over at a small handful of customers who were browsing the shelves. "Go wait in my office. I'll be there in a few moments," she said, pointing us to a door down a short hallway behind the counter.

  Delilah and I strolled down the hall and into the room. It was sparsely furnished, with an ornate love seat against one wall, a bookshelf next to it, and a big walnut desk and leather chair filling the rest of the cubicle. I curled up on the love seat and glanced at Delilah. The beginnings of a headache were creeping around at the back of my mind, but I had a vague sense that it was connected to something other than lack of sleep. There was something out of whack.

  "Do you sense anything strange?" I asked.

  "Strange as in how?"

  "Oh, energy… smell… something's wrong, and I'm not sure what. "

  Delilah paused, sniffing the air. She closed her eyes for a moment and then cocked her head. Her shoulders stiffened, and she rushed to the door, jiggling the knob. "We're locked in," she whispered. "What's going on?"