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"Yes, I know that." Sharah glanced up at me. "I left someone back in Elqaneve for that very reason. He was . . . too set in his ways. He disapproved of my assignment to come Earthside--he wanted me to stay home and make babies. And I couldn't do that, even though I loved him."
As I sat back and gave her a smile, the pensiveness left her face in a sudden wash, and I saw a woman sitting there who might real y be able to make my detective happy. Sharah was safe enough for him, she was stoic and strong-wil ed, but she wouldn't constantly make him feel like he was running to keep up, like he was compromising himself for his love.
"So," I said after a moment. "Shal we go see how my sister is doing?"
And with that, our discussion was over, and my future with Chase was settled and history.
Before heading back to the medic unit, I dropped in to Dispatch.
"Chase around?" I wasn't about to tel him what I'd discussed with Sharah, but I wanted to bring him up to speed on Van and Jaycee.
"No," Yugi said. "There's been some sort of explosion at one of the magical shops, and he headed out on the cal ."
Suddenly feeling chil ed, I asked, "Which one?"
Yugi consulted his clipboard. "Madame Pompey's Magical Emporium. Looks like somebody total y trashed the place."
Crap--so that's where Smoky had been off to. I decided to keep my mouth shut. No good getting the dragon pissed at me. Especial y when he was defending his wife.
Instead, I asked, "I was wondering if Andy Gambit decided to press charges against me?" Might as wel kil two birds with one stone, I thought.
Yugi shook his head. "Don't worry about him pressing charges--my men had a little talk with him when we hauled his ass away from your house. But, Delilah, you know he's going to make a hash out of this in the Seattle Tattler. That rag's going to mop you up like a sponge."
Grimacing, I nodded. He was right, meaning I'd better double-check when next week's issue hit the mailbox. We subscribed just to keep tabs on what the freak was up to. Usual y he was taking potshots at Camil e, but this time I knew I'd be on the menu.
"Thanks, Yugi. Tel Chase . . . just tel him I said hel o, would you?"
He nodded, and I took off to see how Camil e was doing. By the time I got there, she was sitting up, looking a little worse for wear. Her skin looked like she'd tried to shave and nicked herself in a hundred places.
"Maybe Roz's wonder salve can prevent scarring?" I winced as I saw the pile of shards and slivers sitting in the tray next to the table. "Crap, that's nasty.
Did they get it al ?"
"We think so," Mal en said. "In the end, I resorted to cal ing in one of the healers who could charm some of the fragments out--she was getting too sore to use the tweezers anymore. We've put a special ointment on that should take care of most of the healing and leave no marks, but there are a couple places we had to stitch up. No taking a bath for two days and no picking at scabs!"
As we headed out, Sharah smiled and waved. Her eyes sparkled, and for the first time in weeks, I felt at peace about Chase and me as Camil e and I headed out to the car.
CHAPTER 17
By the time we got home, everybody else was there and gathered in the kitchen. It had become our usual hangout for planning strategy. Nerissa was absent--she'd had to go home after her mini-vacation with Menol y, but everybody else was sitting around, drinking tea, eating cookies and chips and whatever else Iris had managed to find for snack time.
I looked over at Smoky, a faint grin on my face, as Camil e settled in between him and Tril ian. Morio sat to Tril ian's left.
"What?" Smoky cleared his throat, cocking his head to one side. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I just got wind that a certain magical shop was trashed. Thoroughly." I met his stare. "Did you leave evidence?"
He snorted. "Do I look stupid?"
I wasn't going to answer that. A--he didn't look stupid, he was probably one of the hottest dragons around. B--even if he did, you don't tel a dragon you think they look stupid.
Camil e looked from him to me. "What's going on?"
"Your husband took out the magic shop. Van and Jaycee are going to be so pissed. I have the feeling Stacia didn't have them open it just to snag us in.
Looked like a good way to establish a foothold here. Now, there's not much left but one big junk heap of shelves, bottles, and merchandise."
Camil e turned to Smoky. "Cripes, what am I going to do with you? They're going to know we did it--al the more reason for Stacia to up the bounty to dead or alive."
