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And maybe, in a way, I still had Chloe. Because despite the danger the situation presented to her…she’d still come.
Chapter Fifteen
Chloe
Iscuttled out of Book Nookery, bracing myself against the wind as I made my way to Joy’s car, where she was waiting for me.
I had to yank hard on the car door to close it against the gusts of wind that made my hair a wild mess and yanked on my coat.
“Wow. October arrives, and autumn is feeling vengeful.” I pushed my hair out of my face then buckled myself in. “Any news from Pat?”
Joy had mostly been picking me up for work since Pat had been working crazy hours because of the sonic-boom incident on main street. We hadn’t seen much of him in the days since the accident, though he made sure he called us to check in on us.
“No.” Joy pinched the bridge of her nose. “I saw he was quoted in an article in the human newspaper today that they’re still investigating, and I got a text from him reminding me to pick you up, but that was it.”
I studied my gorgeous sister with concern. Although her hair and clothes were flawless, I could see little signs of exhaustion—the way her smile wasn’t completely even, the extra perfection of her eye makeup which meant she was wearing concealer to cover her bags, and she was leaving her hair down instead of braiding it or putting it up as she usually liked to do a couple days a week.
“Joy…we have to stop doing this,” I said. “You’re exhausted, Pat is working a very important case, I can drive myself to and from work.”
“The problem has never been if youcould, it’s that crazy psychopath who’s stalking you,” Joy said.
“I can handle—”
“Before you finish that sentence, remember how your last fight with him went,” Joy said, her voice hard.
I snapped my mouth shut, stung at the bitter reminder.
It’s even worse than she knows, because I had to be saved by Noctus.
Joy glanced at me, the purplish morning light dimming the glow of her blond hair, before she immediately looked back at the road and turned on her blinker. “You took that harder than I meant for you to.”
“It’s a valid point,” I said around the lump in my throat.
Joy sighed. “Only partially. Look, you don’t realize it, but I think you could totally take that creepy stalker.”
“Tracker.”
“Whatever. Pat thinks you can take him, too.”
“Neither of you think that, or you wouldn’t be so over the top with the protective measures,” I said.
Joy briefly stopped the car at a four way stop sign. “We have the protective measures, and Pat is acting like an ornery mama bear, because you don’t think you can take him out.”
I hesitated for a moment as I tried to digest what Joy was saying and came up with nothing. “…what?”
“You underestimate your capabilities.” Joy looked up and down the street before making a turn—we always took crazy routes home to avoid making a routine that the tracker could follow. “You took out two fae monarchs while busting Pat and me out of a kidnapping. You can handle one deranged supernatural, even if he exploits your weakness for bystanders.”
I massaged my forehead. “I’ve been training to make sure he can’t attack me.”
“Yes, but that’s not the same as knowing you could take him out,” Joy said. “And when you’re not personally convinced, facing him is a dangerous thing to do. I’m not blaming you—you’ve lived a life in which most of supernatural society was bent on telling you that you were weak, and we, your human family, couldn’t say anything about that part of your life since we’re just humans.”
“You’re notjusthumans,” I said.
“Oh, we are. Even with everything Pat and I have tried, we’re still humans. There’s a lot we don’t get about you that your boss understands better just because she’s a fellow supernatural.” Joy turned into a small parking lot. “But that’s not the point. What I mean is…we believe in you. But your life isn’t something we’re willing to play around with, and if you hesitate in your own abilities, facing the tracker is too dangerous. So, I’m taking you to work tonight,” Joy concluded before she parked the car in a spot and shut it off.
“Okay,” I agreed. “But what are we doing here?” I peered out the window, recognizing the tiny parking lot and the unassuming ‘Queen’s Court Café’ sign posted over the coffee shop.
“I need caffeine.” Joy dropped every sparkle she’d had in her voice and face so she resembled a zombie from the movies. “Or I’m going to die. My coworkers told me this was the place to go for supernaturals, apparently. So I thought we should try it! Let’s go—woah!” Joy struggled out of the car, working hard to slam the door shut.
