“I agree. I’ll talk to my superiors and see if I can bring my people into it.” He took a strand of her hair, curling it around his finger and pulling slightly, like he did when she was little. “We’ll figure this out. I’ll pick you up tonight and we’ll see what this Fallon has to say.”
“You’ll pick up me and Terak.”
“Terak? That’s the guy’s name?” Michael’s mouth thinned and turned down. “You sure you still want him if I’m with you?”
I can’t do this without Terak. The response almost leapt from her throat before she tamped it down. Probably best not to go into that minefield with her brother. It was an area she wasn’t sure how to handle yet, so discussion with her brothers – all of whom had less than enthusiastic responses to any male who had ever gotten close to her – was strictly a no-go. “It would feel weird if I didn’t bring him with me, like a betrayal. He’s been through every step with me.”
“When I see this guy again, I’m going to shake his hand and thank him for taking care of you.”
“Aw, Michael, that’s so sweet-”
“And then I’m beating the crap out of him for being naked in your apartment.”
Men were stupid. It was all she could come up with most days. Change of subject. “What time are you going to pick us up?”
“Seven.”
“We’ll be ready.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Love you, baby sister. No matter what else, you have to remember that.”
“I always know that.”
When Michael was gone she went to the balcony and did her patented wave and dance, which had always worked in the past to get Terak’s attention.
No Terak. Not then and not for the next several minutes.
The image of that little silver ball popped up. Yes, thank gods Terak had the foresight to get it. Going into the bedroom and opening the top drawer of her nightstand, the silver ball was where she left it, safely stored in a velvet bag in the corner.
All right, hold it tight and start speaking in your head. Terak. Terak, I need you. Can you hear me? Fallon wants to meet with us tonight, and I need you here.
Thirty minutes later she had a pounding headache and not heard a word from her erstwhile gargoyle.
The next two hours were spent between going to the balcony and trying to use the silver ball, but Terak never arrived at her side.
This couldn’t be about the kiss, could it?
Did he hate himself?
Did he hate her?
Maybe he felt guilt. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t in love with his fiancée. The fact was he was engaged to marry one woman while he kissed another. She wouldn’t like him if he was the type of male who thought so little of his promises and responsibilities.
Whatever the reason, he wasn’t here, and Michael was arriving in five minutes for their meeting with the Guild.
This meeting had to happen. Working with the Guild was her best bet of finding out the information needed. She wasn’t going to let necromancers use her to destroy this world, and she needed to protect her kids and anyone else close to her the necromancers might use to get to her.
Terak would hate that she left without him, but there was no choice.
It was time for her to step up.
Michael arrived at seven sharp. A smile plastered on her face and her hands stuffed into the pockets of her slacks to hide the shaking, she said with all the false confidence she could muster, “Let’s go meet with the Guild.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
‡
Michael drove to the town hall, parking in the back. There were no other cars around, and all the lights had somehow stopped functioning, making the parking lot pitch-black. Nice touch.
“This way,” Michael said, guiding her toward the emergency exit. No alarms went off as they opened the door. He led her to the elevators, and they went up to the fourth floor where the meeting rooms were. They walked three doors down into the only lighted office.
Fallon and Laire were waiting, tonight’s outfit of choice for the mage a lime-green catsuit. Maybe she was colorblind. Or someone who really hated her bought all her outfits.
Fallon nodded. “Thank you for coming. Did your bodyguard decide to take the night off?”
Larissa might want a truce with the Guild, but that didn’t mean she was going to become best buds and tell them everything. “Terak has other duties, as you well know. Besides, considering how tense conversations can become, I thought it might be best to leave him out of it.”
Fallon nodded again. “I hear you. That’s fine by me. In fact, it makes my life lots easier.”
Warning bells went off at Fallon’s words and the smug way she held herself. This was a mistake. Larissa shouldn’t have come here without Terak. “Tell me what you wanted to tell me, and then I need to go.”