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Good question. The first thing that came to mind? “Hanging out with me so I can familiarize myself with your vibe. Then, in a couple of weeks or months or years, boom, a vision will come to me. Suddenly I’ll know the answer to your every dilemma, and you’ll be oh, so glad you waited. All the reviews I’ve written agree. My customer service is matchless.”
“I’ll give you three days.”
“And yet I’ll take as many as I need.”
“Not good enough. I must put her back together quickly.”
“That doesn’t change my timetable.”
“Then we are unable to reach a deal, and annihilation is back on the table.”
“No problem—for me.” She faked nonchalance. Because what else could she do? “Your failure to reanimate your wife costs me nothing.” Or everything? That niggle... “Do you validate parking, or should I pilfer from your coffers on my way out?”
Tick, tick, tick. “What makes you worth such a risk?” he grated.
Got him.Confidence restored, she asked, “Whatdoesn’tmake me worth the risk? In all the planets in all the galaxies, there’s only one other being capable of unearthing anything anywhere, and it’s my mother.” Grenwich the Great, a harpy-Phoenix born with extraordinary tracking abilities. “She won’t charge you as much as I do, but she’ll judge you every minute of every day, and she won’t be shy with her commentary. If that’s your thing, go for it.”
He appeared thoughtful.
Ugh.Maybe I don’t “got him.”Neeka almost stomped her foot. If he fired her and hired her mother...
He slashed a hand through the air. “We’ll revisit the timing issue. Right now, I wish to hear of your dealings with the Astra Planeta.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rathbone was mixed up with the Astra? That was a problem. Taliyah, the harpy General as well as Neeka’s best friend, had recently married the Astra’s smokeshow of a Commander, forever linking their two species. Though Neeka was the world’s best oracle—suck it, Grenwich!—she was a harpy first. Her loyalty belonged to T-bone and the Astra, not some ultrasexy Hellboy who might or might not sport a Prince Albert.
The Astra were gonna owe her so big if she had to walk away from a paycheck like Rathbone’s. Except...
Neeka was supposed to say yes to the king. Her pre-knowledge insisted. She felt it with every fiber of her being. The longer she remained in Rathbone’s presence, the clearer the sensation became.
Whatever proved necessary, she must, must, must help him find his wife’s bones. The survival of the harpies depended on it.
Wait. It did?
Yes! The realization burrowed deep, and there was no arguing. For her, it was Rathbone or bust. But. The fact that the Underworld king had mentioned the warlords after displaying such urgency could mean only one thing...
She swallowed a groan. “The warlords search for your wife’s bones, too.” Most likely they sought the female for their next blessing task. The timing fit.
“I’m not sure—yet,” he replied. “I’ll learn the answer soon enough.”
Neeka refused to lie and say she despised the males. Why complicate an already complicated situation with an outright falsehood? Rather, she offered the truth with misdirection. “You’re going to pay me to screw over those who invaded my home world? Do I sign on the dotted line now or later?”
He looked disappointed in her. “Do you think I failed to do my research while hunting for you? Harpies and Astra are allies.”
Careful.“Most are, yes. Some aren’t.” Also truth. But. Hewassupposed to be an amazing spy. He’d probably discovered the identity of her best friend, the Commander’s wife. Better Neeka switch tracks. “In case you’re wondering, I ain’t no hater. I’m an ally full stop.”
He did another of those double blinks. “Why sign on my dotted line then?”
Here goes another dose of honesty. “I can’t shake the impression that you’re the one I’m supposed to aid.” She rubbed the spot between her breasts, where the knowledge burned. A familiar sensation. “If I override a knowing, bad things will happen.” Maybe not at first but eventually.
The real conundrum: Being unable to explain her choice to the Astra or Taliyah. Whom she wouldnotbe betraying, by the way. Somehow, she’d find a way to help them, too, without alerting Rathbone. In fact, aiding Mr. Red was the only way to stay in the know and benefit her friends. But. Neeka didn’t need mystical foresight to understand her friends would consider her new partnership a huge betrayal. And because she’d have to pretend to side with Rathbone to keep his suspicions under wraps, she’d probably be labeled a traitor. At least until the truth came to light.
Oh, how that would hurt. Just not enough to alter her course. Besides, emotions were fleeting and always subject to change.
“Your assurance does nothing to assuage my misgivings,” Rathbone said without a shift in his expression. “If I agree to hire you, you won’t leave my realm unless we are together, and you will have no contact with the Astra.”
“I’m good with that.” Especially the stay together part. Ahdán would revive in the coming days and recommence his quest. He existed for nothing else. “So.” She spread her arms. “Do we have a deal or not?”
Rathbone stared at her, silent.
