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Zen grimaced sympathetically and patted my knee. “That’s horrible. Do you know who kidnapped her?”
I nodded. “Our grandmother.”
Zen’s mouth fell open in shock. “Are you serious?”
Seeing my jaw tense, Adam stepped in. “It’s a long story.” Adam leaned forward, cutting off my retort. “But I’m sure you understand our eagerness to get started tracking them down.”
“Of course. Naturally, you’re welcome to stay here. Brooks and I will do whatever we can to help.”
While Adam filled Zen in on the little we knew about the situation, I eyed the female. Something was off about her. I couldn’t put my finger on it, though. She was perfectly pleasant, in an annoying, gorgeous kind way, but her actions weren’t what gave me pause. I thought back to the lack of tingle when we’d shook hands and decided to perform a test.
I’m not proud of what I did next, but, well, I leaned over and— as subtly as possible, mind you— sniffed her. Instead of sandalwood— a signature mage trait— I got a whiff of dirt. I frowned and scooted closer. Another sniff. Yep, definitely dirt.
But since it’s impossible to be inconspicuous while smelling someone—
“Excuse me?” Zen interrupted Adam and shot me the side-eye. “Did you just smell me?”
Adam gave me an exasperated look. I ignored him and squared off with Zen. “You’re human!”
She squinted at me, as if trying to figure out if I was crazy or just slow. “Right?” She drew the word out like it should have been obvious.
I pointed a finger at her and turned toward Adam. “She’s human!”
Adam lifted his ass off the chair and sniffed the air in front of her. Zen drew back against the far edge of the sofa. “Brooks!”
“I’ll be damned,” Adam said finally. “She is human.”
“Ha! I told you.” We closed in on her, examining the voodoo priestess like an alien life-form.
The door burst open. Despite his petite frame, Brooks was all shoulders and fists when he reached us. “Back the f**k up!”
Giguhl stumbled in after Brooks. He looked to me for direction. I shook my head. I didn’t need a demon to help me handle a pissed-off human and a male faery.
Adam and I raised our hands and backed away slowly. “No harm meant,” Adam said quickly as Brooks advanced. To Zenobia he said, “We just assumed you were a mage.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why would you assume that?”
“Why wouldn’t we assume it?” I shot back. “Rhea said you could help us navigate the dark-races subculture down here. We had zero reason to think you’re human.”
“For your information,” she said, raising her chin, “I’m only three-quarters human. My grandfather was a mage. My grandmother and mother were both voodoo priestesses. Rhea sent you to me because I’m connected to both the humans and dark races in New Orleans.”
“Still,” I said, ignoring her explanation. “I can’t believe Rhea send us to a dirtnapper for help.”
“Oh, I get it.” She crossed her arms. “You’re a darkrace supremacist.”
My mouth dropped open. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Really? How many mortally challenged individuals do you count as friends?”
My chin came up. “Please. I’ve known lots of humans.”
“Sabina, I don’t think it counts if you ripped their throats out,” Giguhl said.
“Hey!” I glared at my disloyal minion.
“Vampires are the worst.” Zenobia screwed up her lips. “Immortalists, the lot of you.”
“Excuse me, but I’m only half vampire. And you have a lot of nerve. Like humans are any better. Last time I checked, you don’t exactly consider cows your equals.”
Her back went up. “Are you calling me a cow?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Moo.”
By this point, Zen and I were nose-to-nose. I was this close to flashing fang when Adam wedged himself between us. “Okay, ladies, let’s simmer down.”
I glared at Zen over his shoulder. “She’s the one calling me an immortalist.”
“Please,” Giguhl said. “You totally are.”
I shot a glare at my demon. “Watch yourself, G.”
“I’m just sayin’. She kind of has a point.”
Zen raised a told-ya-so eyebrow at me. She received double birds in return.
“Giguhl,” Adam snapped. “You’re not helping.” He pushed Zen toward Brooks while he used his body to scoot me back.
I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth together. How dare that bitch call me out like that. And, hello? I wasn’t the only one who thought Zen would be a mage. But did she call Adam names? Of course not.
Adam pulled me into the hallway, slammed the door behind us, and trapped me against a wall. “You need to apologize,” he whispered.
“What! Like hell I do. She’s the one—”
He put a hand over my mouth. “Shut up and listen, okay? We need her help. So you’re going to swallow your pride and apologize. Got it?”
I tried to sear him with my eyes.
“Sabina, please.” The pleading in his tone was what finally got me. I suddenly missed the old days when I didn’t give a shit about the consequences of losing my temper. But he was right. We needed Zen’s help if we wanted to save Maisie. Besides, I respected Rhea too much to be such a bitch to her friend after she’d gone out of her way to offer help.
I sucked in a long, slow breath. The inhalation brought both a measure of calm and the heady sandalwood scent of Adam. Closing my eyes, I nodded my surrender. He removed his hand, and when I opened my eyes again I was rewarded with a trademark Lazarus smile. Suddenly I felt a lot better about agreeing to supplicate myself.
I licked my lips. “Fine, I’ll apologize. But I want the record to reflect that I don’t like her.”
“Taken and noted,” he said. “But I think she’s okay. We just got off to a bad start.”
I didn’t share his optimism about Zenobia’s potential but kept that opinion to myself. See? I was already growing. Never let it be said I can’t learn a lesson.
When we walked back in, bodies scattered like cockroaches in a suddenly illuminated room. Giguhl and Brooks scampered over to the altar, where they tried their damnedest to look like they hadn’t just been eavesdropping.
