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“You’re really worried,” I say, stating the obvious.
“I understand that you guys don’t think Herbish is a reliable source in this situation but…” She shakes her head. “You should have heard her, Edmond. She was telling the truth. I’d bet a week’s tips on it. She was telling the truth and she was worried for me and my family.”
I shift to stand beside her, fighting the urge to pull her in for a hug. Resisting the compulsion to touch her is a full-time job, and probably why I’m feeling so run down at this relatively early hour. The sun won’t be up for a long time, and I’m not a vampire in his first decade, for Goddess’ sake.
Calling on my willpower yet again, I settle for resting my hand gently on hers. “I’ll talk to her then. As soon as I can get away from my duties here.”
Relief softens her features. “Really? You don’t mind?”
I shake my head. “Of course not. If there’s even a chance she has knowledge of a credible threat, it’s worth investigating. And I’ve always had a good relationship with the goblins.”
Casey smiles. “Yeah, she seemed to like you. At least more than the other vampires.”
“You talked about me?” I ask, stupidly flattered. I shouldn’t want Casey to talk about me. I should want Casey to focus on anything but the man abandoning her in two short months, but I can’t help it—I like knowing I’m in her thoughts even half as much as she’s in mine.
She rolls her eyes. “Maybe a little. Just girl talk, you know.”
“I didn’t know goblins did girl talk.”
“Of course, they do,” Casey says. “All women girl talk. It’s the one thing you can count on, no matter what the species. It’s how we survive in a world made for men. Gossip isn’t just fun and informative; it’s our weapon against the patriarchy.”
“Noted,” I say. “And wise.”
“I’m not just a pretty face,” she whispers, shifting her hand to thread her fingers through mine.
“No, you aren’t,” I say, refusing to tell her that her face is my favorite face.
There’s a chance my willpower will fail me now that Casey’s going to be living just down the hall, but not on her very first night.
I can hold strong for longer than that…I think.
I hope.
For both our sakes…
Chapter Six
CASEY
By the time I finally tumble into the king-sized bed in one of the guest suites beside Amy, it’s nearly three in the morning. I’m exhausted, but sleep eludes me. I’m plagued by the nagging feeling that we’re all missing something.
Something about Sultan…
Something about the portal…
My thoughts swirl fruitlessly in circles like a toilet that refuses to flush before I finally pass out sometime around five a.m.
Amy is up at seven, as usual, poking me in the cheek with her little finger and whispering, “Mama. Mama, it’s time to get up. Time to get Amy’s sippy cup.”
I crack a lid, glaring at my little angel for a beat before closing my eye again.
She giggles and taps the tip of my nose, “No, mama. Time to get up. No more sweeping.”
“Leave me ‘lone, we don’t want any,” I grumble as I roll onto my side, fighting a smile of my own. No matter how tired I am, I love our morning routine. Like my mother always said, “a little play starts the day off right.”
And yes, Mom played a little too much, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t right every once and a while. I can take the good things I learned from her parenting style and leave the bad. I no longer believe I’m doomed to repeat my mother’s mistakes the way I did when the midwife first placed a helpless baby on my chest and the reality of how little I knew about raising a well-adjusted kid hit like a ton of bricks.
I’m doing a good job with Amy.
