AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Unfortunately, Rez’s blood rose craving had put him off-kilter and he launched at Oregis. He didn’t make contact, however, because he found a sudden wall of power as Davido simply waved his arm. Rez hit the field of energy and fell to the floor.
“What the hell?”
He leaped to his feet ready to do battle once more, but Holly cried out, “Rez, what are you doing and would you please dial it down? You’re battle energy is burning my face.”
He saw her horror-stricken eyes then glanced at his hands. They were white hot and ready to fire. Only Davido’s enormous power had kept him from killing Oregis.
“Damn.” He kept staring at his hands as though they didn’t even belong to him.
Oregis, secure in Davido’s protection, levitated to sit on the troll’s shoulder. He crossed his booted legs at the knee and grinned like the devil he was.
Davido rose in the air so he could meet Rez eye-to-eye.
Oregis smirked. “A little short-tempered are we, Mastyr? You need to get laid.”
“Why aren’t you at the mine, is what I want to know.”
Holly drew close. “What mine?”
Oregis glanced at Holly. “Lover boy owns a ruby mine and I manage it for him. He’s a catch. You’d do well to nab him right quick.” When Holly turned to stare at Rez, Oregis made a circle with his hand, winked again, then shoved his finger through the hole back and forth several times.
Rez could feel his battle energy warming up again. But Davido intervened.
He slapped a hand on Rez’s shoulder. “Ignore him. We have much more important things to discuss like how you and Holly are going to stay alive for the next two nights.”
Rez scowled. Davido wasn’t fae. He didn’t have abilities to see into the future. Or if he did, he’d never mentioned them.
“Do you know something I don’t? Did Vojalie have a vision?”
Davido had counseled him after the loss of his family. He’d also encouraged him to keep looking for his daughter. His drive to find her had been one of the reasons he hadn’t rejoined the Guard. He needed to be free at a moment’s notice to head to any of the other Nine Realms to search for her, though often in morgues.
The black market had become a family of sorts. At the smallest whiff of a rumor, they’d send word to him about any vampire female seen, dead or alive, in a wraith-pairing. Until the final battle against Margetta, he’d head to a different realm every night.
Davido waved a hand to the couch, gesturing for all of them to sit down. They had details to discuss.
Rez glanced Holly’s direction and saw the tightness of her shoulders and the way she compressed her lips. He was used to battle, but Holly knew none of it. He recalled seeing her weeping at Stone’s house. He had to keep reminding himself she wasn’t just a rookie, she was a fae artist who liked building things and teaching her classes. She wasn’t exactly built for war.
He sat down beside her, slid his arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze. “Listen, Holly. We’re in this together. And you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Like you, not serving in the Guard.”
For the first time, he didn’t hear nearly so much judgment in her voice. “Yes, exactly like that. We all have a part to play. At the same time, we each must do what we believe is right for ourselves. Beyond that, the world can suck it.”
Oregis, now perched on Davido’s shoulder, screwed his lips in Davido’s direction. “This isn’t going very well.”
Davido took his time sitting down to make sure he didn’t unseat Oregis, then smiled. “My friend, I think this is progressing just fine.” The three ridges of his forehead were barely rumpled and his blue eyes glowed. His thick wavy brown hair was combed straight back. He wore expensive Italian loafers, a red silk shirt, and tailored pants. He was ugly as sin, yet his charisma lit up the room.
Rez addressed his foreman. “What did you mean you wanted to see if I was alive?”
“Right. I was sitting in my favorite jump seat at Dinah’s when, a couple tables down, some messed up shifter said, ‘Heard Rez bought it out at Boylbury.’ I choked on my bloody Mary.”
Rez didn’t know what to make of this. How could a rumor like that even get started? It didn’t make sense. “There was a battle on Main Street, but no, I’m not dead.”
Oregis turned to Holly. “Speaking of bloody Mary’s, have you got some tomato juice?”
“I do.”
But when Holly moved to get up, Rez put a hand on her knee. “Forget that for now. This isn’t a social call.”
