Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
He’s not my boyfriend, just a nice man helping me with my brother. I really need to stop relying on him so much.
I remind myself of that about ten more times before lifting my chin and facing Daggon with as much confidence as I can muster. “I just wanted to be kept up to date on any information you can get on my brother.”
Daggon frowns. “Listen, we’ve done all we can but from what we’re gathering, he’s not missing, he took a quick break and dove down the rabbit hole of research which tends to happen to a lot of interns around here. They catch the bug fast, right Cyrus?”
Cyrus’s smile is tight. “Right.”
“Well it’s at least nice to know where law enforcement is,” I say.
Daggon raises his hand. “That’s me, all law, all enforcement. Hey, are you hungry? I can take you out, show you a good time.”
Cyrus all but growls, “She’s eaten.”
“Or will be.” Daggon winks down at me.
“Gross, no thank you.” The word comes out before I can stop it. I cover my mouth with my hand.
Daggon’s eyes widen in shock.
Cyrus drops his arm.
All goes silent.
“Sorry.” I hang my head. “I just meant—”
“No apologies necessary.” Daggon suddenly shifts moods; his eyes are keener, and he finally truly looks at me, not through me, almost begging me to look deep into his gaze. A calm heat rests there.
I shake my head and stumble backwards, and a pulsing sensation tightens around my temples briefly before disappearing.
“Hey, are you okay?” Cyrus asks.
Daggon reaches forward like he’s going to touch me then drops his hand at his side, his expression concerned. “She’s probably exhausted, what the hell are you doing taking her around town right now?”
“She was curious, and I wanted to show her the museum,” Cyrus says in a terse voice. “We’ll let you do whatever the hell you think you do here, and don’t be late for dinner next week. It pisses everyone off.”
“Because food tastes sooooo good,” Daggon says in a dry tone. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to bring my appetite.” He looks back at me, eyes narrowing. “Did you feel it, then?”
I blink at him, once, twice. “Feel?”
“Thought so.” He nods slowly. “I wish things were different.” Then he laughs without any true humor “You know, because I’d love to take the cute new guest out to lunch, but my brother’s such a cock block. Wonder why…”
“And we’re going.” Cyrus guides me out. “Sorry he’s a complete waste of time, space, air, take your pick.”
I felt.
I don’t say anything.
But I definitely did feel something. I still feel something in my chest. It’s burning to escape.
What is with this place?
I should be more freaked out. I’m not. I blame Cyrus and how calm he suddenly is.
I take a long, deep breath and walk with Cyrus, slowly, purposefully toward his car and notice that Enki is leaning against one of the crosswalks with an empty plate.
“Ride back?” he asks.
Cyrus curses.
Enki waves at me with two fingers. “What? I need to return your plate.”
“Ah, so it was a good day, yes?”
Enki sobers a bit and nods. “It was, brother. It was. Most were escorted exactly where they needed to be.”
Cyrus swallows and looks down. “And the others?”
Enki shakes his head and then looks over at me; it’s an odd look of sadness and loss.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, curious as to why the mood shifted from tense to teasing to morose.
Cyrus opens the car door for me. “Don’t worry about it.”
Enki draws a breath as if to speak, but Cyrus shakes his head and opens his door too.
We’ve both been silenced, but over what?
The drive back isn’t as tense as the drive in. The mood feels more like everyone has lost hope, and I don’t like or understand it. One minute they’re joking around the next minute they look so depressed they could cry. The tension in the air is thick, palpable.
Even the sea is calm next to us, and I’m oddly unsettled. Since when did I ever prefer the chaos of storms to the light? I’ve always been petrified of them, until I got here. Frowning, I tuck away the alarming thought and fold my arms across my chest.
When we pull up to the bar Enki exits the car without a word and walks down the sidewalk. Cyrus says nothing, just grabs the plate with a sigh and walks into the house.
Frowning, I stroll through the bar and take a seat at the Mahogony bar top, but something tickles my nose. Every hair on my arm starts to rise up, and I try to place the odd smell that seems to linger in the air, warning me that somethings not right.
“Cyrus.’ I whisper his name as understanding dawns on me. He wasn’t going into the kitchen, right? One spark…I gather my wits and stand up from the bar. The stool scrapes along the floor and I wince, no friction, no sparks. There’s a gas leak somewhere I’d bet my life on it.