Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
I gave Vessa a smile of apology that rode a sigh. “If you can handle the oddness of my people, sure, we’d love to stay.”
Vessa nodded and strode away, pausing to exchange a few words with Dan before walking on. According to Tristan, who’d checked in earlier, they had vehicles stashed half a mile up, and their town was a few miles beyond that.
“Tristan,” I called as I folded the blanket.
“How dare you!” Mr. Tom admonished me, wrestling the blanket away. “You are the mistress of Ivy House and the co-leader of an important and prestigious convocation. You do not pick up a dirty blanket and fold it like some sort of washer woman.”
“Yes, Mistress Ivy House?” Tristan said with a devilish smirk as he drew near.
I stared after Mr. Tom. “What does he have against washer women? Also, what decade does he think this is?”
“He’s still looking for his golden ticket to the chocolate factory,” Tristan supplied. “At least he won’t be like Grampa Joe, who is bedridden, letting someone work and cook and clean for him, until he gets a chance to go to a coveted factory. Suddenly then he’s the picture of health.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I feel like you took that movie a little too personally.”
“He cheated Charlie’s mom out of that trip, and that woman was doing all the work! To hell with Grampa Joe,” he groused.
“Agree.” Nessa lifted a fist as she jogged by. “Good for nuthin’…”
“Okay, well, Grampa Joe aside”—I wiped my forehead free of perspiration, the humidity pretty intense— “get in the air and summon the gargoyles and shifters. We’re all invited to spend the night.”
“Aye, aye, mistress.” He stripped off his muumuu and turned.
I shook my head. “Not him, too,” I drew out.
Dan, their lead enforcer, was waiting to lead us to town in his beat-up Bronco, and we fell in line. Exiting the woods, we entered a small, thriving community that was vastly different from the depressing town at the bottom of the mountain. This settlement boasted cute walkways and cobblestone roads that wound through shops and cafes and little eateries.
Outside the main hub, modest houses dotted both sides of the street. Kids ran and played with abandon, and watchful residents slowed as our progression passed.
“They’re wary of strangers,” Austin remarked, earning a grunt of agreement from Broken Sue. “I’m wondering about these secrets of his.”
Roads intersected and spiderwebbed, evidence of the town’s growth and the builders’ planning. About a mile in, we turned into a small cul-de-sac backed by the woods. The houses here, though smaller than some we’d passed, were cute and boasted flowers, porches, and rocking chairs.
“Remind me to tell Niamh that she is not allowed to throw rocks at people,” I said, and then held up a finger. “Or start bar fights, assuming this place has a bar.”
“If it doesn’t, she’ll probably take a trip down to the dive bar in the dead town,” Austin replied.
That was probably true. It wouldn’t take long with wings.
“I don’t want to go,” Sebastian quipped. “If she decides to go bar hoping, let me know so I can hide.”
I grinned. He’d accompanied her on a mage-finding mission near Kingsley’s territory. He’d been badgered and hadn’t forgotten it. She no doubt remembered it, too, and would probably try to bring him along for sport.
Dan stopped and climbed from the SUV.
“Alphas,” he said, striding up to the Jeep. “You have the option of taking a house here with your people, or we have a larger establishment nearer downtown. We don’t have the wealth you’re used to, but the furnishings are in good taste.”
“Here is great, thank you,” Austin said respectfully.
Dan nodded. “You are welcome to dine in any establishment downtown, the alpha’s treat. If you would rather cook something yourself, you can find everything you need in one of the shops downtown. The alpha’s treat, of course. You’ll find the information for tonight in the houses. Please call the number listed with any questions.”
We said goodbye to him and settled into one of the houses, along with Nessa and Sebastian, as we had in Kingsley’s territory. No one here had expressed any animosity toward the mages, but it was better to err on the side of caution.
Mr. Tom was not amused.
“I call bottom!” Nessa shouted, checking out the bedroom. There were only two, and one had a bunkbed.
“You always call bottom, and I always let you, and then I always fall out of the top bunk,” Sebastian groaned, lugging in his suitcase.
“Yes.” Nessa appeared at the end of the hall. “And I always laugh.”
He frowned at her but didn’t complain, dragging his suitcase that way.
“Yes, sir, we all know you like your independence,” Mr. Tom told Austin, who was handling his own luggage and mine, “but you are still healing. You really do need to focus a little more on the important things. Moonlighting as a bellboy is not one of them. This is beyond the pale.”