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"What, you've never seen a boy made of water before? Yawn. Go down to the pond-it'll really blow your mind. "
One close to the front-a barrel-chested, middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a thick mustache-shook his head as though trying to clear it. "Are you Evelyn Green?"
"Sort of. Mostly. I mean, legally. Again, sort of. "
He tried to look at me, but his eyes kept drifting back to Lend. "You're under-We're here to-Could you please come with us?"
I rolled my eyes. "No, I couldn't. You're last place in a very long line of people who want me right now. Besides, I haven't done anything. "
"Actually," said a painfully tall and thin officer with a voice that struggled between tenor and bass but really sounded like a dog with something caught in its throat, "you're wanted for terrorism. " He shrugged apologetically. "We're supposed to take you into NSA headquarters. "
"I think you have the wrong acronym there," I said. This had Anne-Whatever Whatever written all over it. No doubt she couldn't break the barriers that the Seelie faeries and all the elementals had set up here after IPCA snatched me, so now she was sending human cronies in to do her dirty work.
The vast majority of the officers hadn't even looked up from Lend, their eyes glued as their brains tried to process something they simply couldn't accept as real.
"Look, guys, I know you mean well and you're doing your job, but it'd be better for everyone if you all got back in your cars and drove away. Pretend like this never happened. I promise I'm not going to blow anything up and the most un-American thing I've ever done is root for South Korea in speed skating during the Olympics. This whole thing falls so far out of your jurisdiction it's not even funny. " I pictured the officers cuffing Reth and reading him his rights, then trying to detain Cresseda. "Okay, it's a little funny. But seriously. As far as you're all concerned, I'm just a teen girl who is really far behind on planning for the dance decorating committee. And also dating an invisible boy. "
"Orders are orders," the mustachioed man said gruffly, elbowing the men around him and startling them out of their paranormal-induced stupor. "We're taking you in. " He walked down the steps.
I sighed. "Don't make me call the dragon. "
He laughed, and so did most of the others, but a few looked back at Lend and the blood drained from their faces.
"Look, kid, I'm with you. I think this is all a mistake, maybe even a clerical error. We'll figure it out at the station. "
Arianna swore, stamping her foot. "That's it!" She put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill, earsplitting whistle. A rush of wind engulfed us as the dragon in all its serpentine glory snaked out of the trees, settling onto the ground and rearing up to stare down at all of us.
I thought I'd learn a few new words, but the men were too shocked to even swear this time. The tall, skinny officer raised both hands, the gun in them trembling so badly he could barely hold it up. Arianna set her hand on his arm, making him look her in the eyes.
"Put it down," she said, her voice soft. He did as she said.
"Well, what are we going to do with them now?" I looked to Arianna for help.
"Allow me to handle this, Evie," Raquel said, hurrying out of the trees with David.
"Sorry," Arianna said. "Thought I could take care of it on my own. "
"Don't worry about it. " David smiled kindly at her.
"If I can have all your attention. " Raquel's voice was all business. "You will please come with me, and I will answer your questions and issue new instructions. " I didn't think the officers would listen to her, but I guess when you're staring at a dragon, anyone who sounds like they're calm and collected is the person to follow. "Arianna, care to assist?"
She nodded, slouching off the steps and following Raquel to the group of cars. Not taking their eyes off the dragon, who merely stood regarding them with half-lidded eyes, they all followed, tripping down the stairs and bumping into one another in their eagerness to leave.
I sat on the porch floor, pulling Lend's head into my lap and hoping he wouldn't be bruised from that fall. "Reth!" I shouted. "Reth!" Where was that blasted faerie?
After a few minutes Jack walked over, rubbing at his wrists with a sour look on his face as he casually dodged around the sentinel dragon. "I always forget how little sense of
humor police officers have. Shame, really, considering how much fun they could have with their jobs. "
"I'd kill for a siren and lights. Or, you know, a car and a license. "
Jack sat on the steps, leaning back on his elbows. "That was a little more excitement than I usually like at dawn. " He shifted a few times, all awkward, pent-up nervousness. "Evie?"
"Jack?"
"What are you going to do? I mean, with all this. "
I looked out at the winterscape, absently playing with Lend's clear hair. "I'm going to try to fix it, if I can. I'm going to open a gate and send all the faeries and paranormals back where they came from. "
