“That you’re not.” He laughed, and warmth rippled through me. I hadn’t realized until this moment how much I’d missed that sound.
“Lukas, would you like something to drink?” Mom asked, reminding me that he and I weren’t the only people in the room.
His gaze shifted to her. “Thank you, but I can’t stay.”
I busied myself with removing his jacket to hide my disappointment. “Thanks for bringing me home and for explaining things to me.”
Lukas smiled as he took the jacket from me. “I need to talk to the Agency and take care of some things. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I replied, embarrassed by how happy I was to hear him say that.
He opened the door and turned back to me. “Don’t go out tomorrow. If any of you need something, call, and one of us will get it for you.”
“We plan to stick close to home for a few days,” Dad said for all of us.
“I’ll do everything I can to help.” Lukas looked at me. “Get some rest, Jesse. I’ll see you soon.”
Chapter 6
My breath came out in steamy puffs that I could barely see in the gloomy cave. The air was cold, but for some reason I wasn’t shivering even though all I was wearing was my T-shirt and sleep pants. Strange.
I tried to peer through the darkness and wished I had a flashlight. Out of nowhere, a glowing crystal appeared, floating in the air before me. I reached for it, and as soon as my fingers closed around it, it grew bright enough to illuminate the cave.
I turned in a full circle. The cave was small with an uneven floor and two branches veering off in opposite directions. I had no idea which way led out, but something tugged toward the one on my left. Deciding to follow my gut, I headed down that tunnel.
After a few minutes of walking, the floor sloped downward, and I knew this was not the way out. But I couldn’t make myself turn around. Something down here was calling to me, and I couldn’t go back until I found it.
I slowed at a section of the tunnel that was so low I had to duck to pass through. On the other side, I straightened and came up short when the crystal’s light revealed a dead end. I checked to be sure, but all I found was a solid wall of rock.
“That’s just great.” I laid my free hand against the wall. “I discovered rock.”
It took me a few seconds to realize the rock, which should be cold, was warm under my hand. Leaning closer, I pressed my cheek against the wall and felt a hum of energy beneath the surface. It was muted by the rock, but I could sense immense power that comforted and terrified me at the same time.
A distant sound had me turning back the way I’d come. I took two steps, and suddenly I was in a different cave, or maybe at the mouth of this cave system. The air was frigid, and wind tossed my hair wildly as I walked to the wide ledge where the view stole my breath away.
I was in the mountains, high above the snow line, and all I could see was blue sky and mountain tops rising above the clouds. Something circled in the distance near one craggy peak, and I squinted at what looked like giant birds.
I was contemplating how the hell I got here and how to get down when the sky turned a sickly green. The air became charged with electricity, and I backed away from the ledge as foreboding washed over me.
A crack resonated through the mountains, and I jumped when a bolt of lightning struck the mountain above me. The cave shook, and I struggled to keep my footing while chunks of rock fell from the ceiling. I braced myself against a wall as the mountain started to topple around me.
I bolted upright in bed and stared wildly at my bedroom walls. My heart thudded against my ribs like I’d run five miles, but I had no idea what I’d dreamed to cause it. I fell back onto the mattress with a groan and closed my eyes, even though I already knew I wasn’t getting back to sleep.
I became aware of voices coming from the living room and easily identified my father and Maurice. They were talking about Maurice’s plans to visit his family in Louisiana next week, and it was a minute before I realized I heard them clearly through my closed bedroom door. My Fae hearing must be kicking in.
Tossing off the covers, I got up, dressed, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. One of the things that never failed to amaze me was how soft and manageable my hair had become. It used to take a stiff brush and a prayer to wrangle my hair after waking up, but apparently, faeries did not get bedhead.
I wrinkled my nose at the smell of burnt dirt that hit me as I walked down the hallway. Entering the living room, I cast a longing glance at the two mugs on the coffee table. I hated even the smell of coffee now, but I still remembered how it used to taste to me. I sighed and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of ghillie juice.
I took a seat on the couch. “Where’s Mom?”
“Still asleep,” Dad said.
“You’re up early,” I said to Maurice. He was a night owl and preferred to sleep late unless he was on a job that required different hours.
He picked up his mug and took a drink. “It’s the only way to beat the reporters to the Plaza. Like bloody gnats they are.”
“Why are there reporters at the Plaza?” It had been three days since the story about my conversion broke, and I’d spent that time holed up in the apartment with my family. We had been avoiding the TV and the internet, so I had no idea what was going on out there.
“Trying to dig up dirt on you.” Maurice’s lips thinned. “Once they found out you were a bounty hunter, they started hanging around, harassing everyone. Didn’t take long to get some of the guys riled up. Yesterday, Ambrose punched out a guy who shoved a camera in his face.”
“Oh, no. Did he get in trouble?” Guilt sliced through me. I knew from personal experience how much bounty hunters disliked outsiders. I could imagine how angry they were to have a bunch of nosy reporters prying into their business.
“Only a fine. The Agency announced that the Plaza is off-limits to reporters and the general public until further notice. That doesn’t stop them from hanging around outside, though.”
A car horn blared. I went to the window and looked down at the dozen or so news vans parked along our street and the throng of reporters blocking a taxi trying to pull up. The back door of the taxi opened, and an elderly woman with flaming red hair got out.
Mrs. Russo turned toward the building and was immediately confronted by the reporters. Someone stuck a microphone in her face, and I put a hand to my mouth when she lost her balance and nearly fell. What was wrong with them, going after an old woman like that?
Steadying herself with more speed than one would expect from a woman her age, Mrs. Russo swung her large handbag at the reporters. A laugh burst from me when several mics went flying and her bag connected with at least two reporters’ faces. She yelled something I couldn’t hear, straightened her shoulders, and marched past them toward the building.
No one followed her. Lukas had put a ward on the building to allow only residents and their invited guests to enter. He and his men could enter too, of course.
“What’s so funny?” Dad asked.
“Mrs. Russo clocked some reporters with that big bag she’s always carrying.” I snickered. “That’ll teach them to mess with her.”
Dad and Maurice laughed. Mrs. Russo used to work on Broadway when she was young, and she was not shy about speaking her mind. She also liked to carry a stun gun. Those reporters were lucky she hadn’t used that on them.