A muscle in his jaw twitches dangerously before he stiffly replies, “Be that as it may, it’s not our jurisdiction.” He pulls in a deep breath and rubs his forehead with a hand. “Honestly, Sephtis, what were youthinking?”
“I was helping the people I care about.”
Hellas's orbs soften marginally, dimming some as he leans back in his chair. “I can’t allow this level of insubordination to go unpunished.”
My stomach clenches painfully, and I brace myself for whatever is coming next.
“Suspension from all Reaping duties, including soul harvest, without pay. At least a month. You’re not to set foot on Unseelie grounds. Stay the fuck away from obwoms. And for the love of the sweet Beyond, no more fucking harebrained heroics. Stay at home. Stay out of trouble–completely above board. Do NOT unfurl one shadow out of line. One month.”
Hope clogs my throat like a balloon being inflated inside of my airway—an impossible sort of expanding that leaves me breathless.
“After that, we’ll have a review board to determine whether to reinstate or terminate your position. If any further illegal acts should occur, we will also discuss sentencing.” Hellas’s voice is tight, his words succinct and final.
I gulp in some much-needed air and can’t help the relieved smile that splits my face. “Yes, sir.” He glares at me, clearly unconvinced. “T-thank you, sir.”
His lips thin and he nods once, “Yes, well, don’t make me regret it.”
The smile slips from my face. I hold his penetrating glare, and with all the seriousness I’ve never had before, sputter, “I won’t. I can’t.”
The possibility of letting down the people who care about me makes me feel nauseous. No, they need me, and I need to be around to keep them safe.
I'm slightly terrified how this might affect things with Ryn. We have a really strong connection for such a relatively new relationship, but this is a lot of baggage to drop at her door. I’m about eighty-four point seven percent sure this won’t change anything. I bite my lip and look down at my citations. The word "homicide" might as well be flashing in neon.
Okay, that's not great. Seventy-four point eight percent, then.
13
Sensory Deprivation
Ryn
There’s something inherently calming about being in the lab, although not even my lab can help with the mounting frustration rising alongside my anxiety. These fucking stones are mocking me. There isn’t a soul stashed in any of them, and I’m not sure what to check beyond that. It’s like we took a massive risk just to hit a dead end, but it can’t be a dead end, or a sadistic prick will have my boyfriend arrested. If he hasn’t been already. I groan and dig the palms of my hands into my tightly shut eyes.Think, Ryn. Fucking think!I'm too distracted, and this is useless. I should be out looking for him, not sitting here staring at a bunch of fucking rocks.
I haven’t felt him through the necklace since the meeting with Kier, and that was hours ago. I’m tempted to check my phone again, but I’ve got the damn thing’s volume all the way up, so Iknowhe hasn’t messaged or called.
An indignant puff of air slips out past my lips as I slam one of the blasted stones down a little harder than necessary. My shoulders slump and tears burn the back of my eyes. I don’t know the first thing about magical artifacts or soul gem theories, or really anything that would be useful in trying to reverse-engineer or identify these things. Sam handles most of the heavy science. I’m basically a glorified jumper cable. A scream of frustration threatens to bubble up in my throat, but I swallow it down on a gasp when the door slides open behind me.
Spinning on my heels, I brace myself, fixing my face into an impassive mask in case it’s the Unseelie prick. The shriek from a second ago bubbles up after all, but this time for a very different reason.
“Seth!” Some of the tension leeches out of my frame at the sight of him, until I remember he vanished without a trace and hasn’t bothered to contact me. And seeing as he is very clearlynotdetained, I growl, “What the actual fuck, you asshole! You couldn’t text?”
The warm smile that was spreading over his handsome face at seeing me transforms into a guilty countenance, which only ticks me off more. I fold my arms and jut my hip, waiting for him to give me a damn good excuse. My brow quirks with impatience as I scowl. I don’t want to be angry with him; Iwantto jump his bones, and if I have to postpone those plans to prove a point, that might just be the cherry on top of this terrible godsdamn day.
I watch as Seth lifts a shaky hand behind his head, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Ryn. I—well, it’s just that…” He takes a deep breath, and I bristle when he mumbles, “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”
“Good first,” I breathe in through my nose and roll my shoulders.
“No one died, and I’m not going to jail!” He smiles but then squints and scrunches up his nose, his head shakes a little as if he's mentally arguing with himself, and sighs, “Well, no one important died, andI’m technically on probation.” His orbs sputter before he shrugs, “And we’re invited to dinner at my friend’s place this weekend.”
My face screws up into some mixture of confusion and shock as I bark out a short laugh, “That’s thegoodnews?”
He jerks his head in a stiff nod and shifts his weight on his feet. “Y-yes.”
“And the bad?”
Tension builds in my muscles as Seth purses his lips and sighs, “I sort of accidentally committed a little bit of homicide and got suspended from my job.” His tone is gritty as he adds, “I guess technically the probation part falls in this category too.” Seth stops, and half-smiles timidly before his orbs roll, and he mutters, “And Trissa is a shit cook, so fingers crossed it’s takeout, or we may end up with food poisoning.”
My jaw falls open, and I stare blankly at him. It takes me a minute to recover before I straighten and tilt my head to crack my neck. “Tell me, sugar—how does oneaccidentallycommit a ‘little bit’ of homicide?” My voice barely shakes, and I’m proud momentarily of my stunning display of control.
