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“Mostly. Though I may patrol upstairs from time to time.”
Is it my imagination, or do her cheeks color slightly?
“You won’t get bored?” she asks.
I smile. “My line of work doesn’t tend to be too boring.”
Astrid picks up her wine glass again and takes a sip. “I guess I should be so lucky. If you’re bored, that means no one is trying to abduct me.”
My smile quickly falls. I feel a fierce lash of fury and protectiveness. If anyone tries to harm Astrid, my dragon will part their head from their shoulders and burn the pieces…
The sudden emotion surprises me. I would give my life for any one of my clients. That’s my job, my purpose, after all. But I’ve never gotten feelings mixed up in it. It’s always come with a sense of detachment. I need to get this under control.
And quickly.
“You’ve probably got things you need to be doing,” I say. “I promised earlier to stay out of your hair, so now that you’ve shown me the house, I’ll go stand by the door and let you go about your business.”
Astrid stiffens for the barest of moments but then nods. “Of course. I do have a research project I need to work on.”
I turn and move into the hallway, and after a moment Astrid walks past me into her office and flips on the light. Cold radiates through the front door, and I can hear the wind howling outside, shaking snow down from the trees. It’s really coming down out there. If it keeps up at this pace, my job will be easy because no one will even be able to get to the front door through all the snow.
Usually when I’m on duty I go into a somewhat Zen state, almost a meditation. I go still, all of my senses alert, including my magical senses. I cast my magic outward, feeling for vibrations from other supernaturals in the vicinity. Hours can pass in this state, just me standing, arms crossed over my chest, waiting.
For now, I can feel only Astrid and her daughter Lilli upstairs. There are no other magical creatures in the area. But I don’t obtain the same level of stillness I normally do. My dragon is restless inside me, my blood burning, my heart accelerated. Astrid’s magic burns like a torch on the other side of the wall, a golden pulse that almost seems to be stretching toward me as I’m stretching toward her.
What are the chances of running into a descendant of Kára? It’s so improbable… what does it mean?
I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. I have a job to do, and I’ll do it. I can’t treat this any differently, or I’m risking the safety of my client. Client. That’s what Astrid is. Nothing more.
I’m a professional. I won’t let this witch throw me off my game.
