Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
“No, you shouldn’t have,” she told him. Then she clutched it to her chest. “But thank you for giving it back.”
She should have been furious with him. He clearly thought that she would have been, but she just didn’t have it in herself tonight. Not with Graves having kicked her out. Not with Lorcan taking care of her in a way that it seemed only he had known how to do. Not when it was back.
“Always, songbird.”
She put the necklace over her head and let her original bird rest below the new bird. Her hand went to the necklace as she lay down, letting her head fall against the pillow against Lorcan’s thigh. He hesitated only a moment before running his fingers back through her hair rhythmically. Her eyes fluttered closed around the comforting sensation. The first time she felt she could really sleep since she’d walked out.
…
Kierse awoke in a cloud of white and groaned as her hangover settled into her brain. Still, she realized she was in bed, an unfamiliar bed. The smell of oak trees and sunshine and spring wafted to her. Lorcan.
She massaged her temple before kicking her way out of his bed. Lorcan had slept on the couch last night after insisting she was still too drunk to take the subway back to Brooklyn. With the threat from Amberdash looming, she couldn’t deny that he was right. It didn’t make it any easier waking up in his bed.
She yawned as she left the room to find Lorcan awake, pouring a fresh mug of coffee. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”
“Hungover.”
He pushed a mug of coffee over. “This should help.” He tapped his hand on a pile of clothes next to it. “Your effects were delivered downstairs this morning.”
Her effects. She observed the pile of fresh clothes, which were clearly from her closet at Graves’s brownstone, and found her cell phone and a note. Her stomach dropped. Graves must have come here and delivered her fresh clothes and her cell phone.
“Did you read it?”
“I admit I was very interested,” he said. “But no.”
She took the note with unsteady hands and opened it.
I thought you could use this.
Please give me a call when you wake up.
With love,
Isolde
Kierse’s heart soared and sank at the same time.
Isolde. Not Graves. He may not know she’d stayed the night. He may not assume the worst. But at the same time. Isolde…not Graves. Which meant he didn’t care, either.
She had thought for a minute. Well, hoped, but no. Graves still wouldn’t talk to her.
“Good news?”
“Uncertain.”
“I’ll give you some privacy. I need a shower,” he said, stepping past her.
She waited until he was gone before dialing Isolde’s number.
“Good morning, dear,” Isolde said, all chipper. “How are you feeling?”
“Not my best.”
“I gathered from my conversation with Genesis,” Isolde said. “She said that you had a little too much to drink last night.”
“Yeah.”
“And you ended up at the Flatiron building.”
“Nothing happened,” she said quickly.
“I wouldn’t suggest it. Only that things have been hard here.” Isolde trailed off.
“Is he…okay?”
“No,” Isolde said softly. “He was very hurt.”
Kierse frowned. “Yeah, me, too.”
“And the problem, of course, is that you both had every right to be.” Isolde cleared her throat. “But I’m not calling about what happened in your relationship. I don’t know all the details. Nor do I think it’s my place to know them. But George is missing.”
Kierse stilled. “Missing? Missing how?”
“The limo was impounded after it was abandoned in the West Village the night of the party outside of the Goblin Market.”
Kierse’s stomach sank. “But George wouldn’t go into the market alone.”
“I thought the same thing. Graves has been off his game. He didn’t notice George hadn’t reported in until it was days later.” Kierse ran a hand back through her hair. “I’m just worried. George is family.”
George was family. He traveled with them and made them all laugh in the group chat and wore Team Holly T-shirts under his uniform. He’d threatened Lorcan for her, for God’s sake. How could this have happened?
“I’ll do anything I can to get him back. Does Graves have a theory about why George would go into the Goblin Market?”
Isolde was silent a second before saying, “Jason.”
Kierse’s stomach dropped. “George is bait.”
“Yes,” Isolde said on a sniffle.
Kierse nodded in understanding. “Let me guess, Graves is going to walk into that trap alone.”
“You understand why I reached out.”
“I do,” she said slowly. “He’s going in tonight?”
“As soon as the market opens.”
“I’ll be there.”
Even though her stomach was in knots at the thought of seeing him after their argument, she wasn’t going to let him risk his neck when this was as much her score to settle as his.
Kierse considered sneaking out but waited until Lorcan was done with his shower. He stepped out of his room with dark, wet hair and a half-buttoned white shirt and undone trousers. She stilled, taking him all in, and then hastily turned away.