Then he heard Luna gasp,“Ward!”
“Did you miss me?” The wardsman’s voice sounded in those deep, reverberating tones which Nigel had come to loathe so thoroughly.
“I . . . I mean, I . . . I didn’t know you were back yet!” Luna sounded very breathless. Which, why wouldn’t she be? After a kiss likethat.
“Just got in last night. Couldn’t wait to come down and see you.”
This statement was followed by a series of quick footsteps, then the creak of the hinged part of the counter opening, followed by the slam of it coming back down again. Had Luna just taken the wardsman back behind the counter? Into the nook? Nigel’s skin crawled at the mere idea. That wastheirspace. Luna’s and his. Ward didn’t belong back there.
“And,” he heard Luna saying, her voice bright but a little strained, “your assignment? Did it go well?”
“Still ongoing, I’m afraid.”
“What do you mean, ongoing?”
“We’ve been hunting this one enclave of rebel sorcerers for months now. Group of fellows who call themselves theBrotherhood.Real cultish types, not your average warm-and-fuzzy sorcerer, you know?”
“I . . . wouldn’t know.” Luna’s voice dropped an octave. “I don’t know anything about sorcery, despite, um . . . things.”
She was referring to the sorcerer’s mark on her wrist. Which, apparently, Ward knew about already.
“Yeah, I get it,” Ward answered easily. “Well, these guys have had a smuggling ring going on for a while now. You remember those enchanted facial creams I was tracking a few months back?”
“Yes?”
“Turns out, that was only one small part of a much larger operation. Do you know what Dire Matter is?”
“I may have heard of it in passing.”
“Basically, it’s the magicstuffsorcerers use to shape their spells. Nasty, but they can’t do anything without it. They’ll distill it down into concentrated forms, and it goes formillionson the black market these days.”
“Goodness.”
“Not the word I’d use!” Ward chuckled warmly. “Anyway, turns out, there’s supposed to be some sort of a big shipment coming in to Bally Harbor sometime in the next few nights. I wouldn’t venture down to the warehouse district if I were you, Luna Talbot.”
“I don’t make a habit of walking around the warehouse district late at night, Officer Ward.”
He snorted. “I didn’t think you did. But since youinsiston not telling me where exactly you live, I figure it’s best to cover my bases. So, in case your bunk happens to be situated somewhere near the warehouse district, stay in, keep your doors and windows locked and your head down. Better yet, find a friend to stay with and keep well away.”
“Noted,” Luna answered. Then added, “Thank you for the warning.”
There was a momentary pause, followed by Ward speaking in an altogether different tone, “So, are you going to come back out from behind that counter now?”
Wait. Nigel frowned. Had Luna fled behind the counter . . .on her own?The desire to peek out from his hiding place and check was strong, but not as strong as the equally powerful desire not to see the two of them together ever again. The resulting conflict kept him rooted in place. This was ungentlemanly behavior, he knew, eavesdropping on a private conversation. But he simply couldn’t summon the will to move.
“I don’t know,” Luna replied in a playful tone, but Nigel recognized a slight edge of tension. “Are you to be trusted?”
“Not even a little bit!” Ward answered, his voice betraying his grin. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot, you know.”
“Have you?”
“Yup. Can’t seem to get you out of my mind. Funny how that works.”
“I’m so sorry to have caused any, um, disturbance to your mental equilibrium.”
“Oh, don’t be sorry. You can disturb my mental equilibrium anytime you like.” There was a pause, followed by a: “And did you miss me?”
“Well, of course I did.”
