Witching Time (The Wild Hunt #14) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,67

at me as she looked up from her work. In back of her desk, a door led to Herne’s office, and to the right was the waiting area. Jog up a few feet, and a hall ran to the right, ending at a bend where it turned to the left. I strolled up to Angel’s desk. It was circular—well, actually more of a rounded U-shape. She was behind the desk, staring at something on the computer.

“Hey,” I said. Angel and Ember had become good friends of mine since the day I first set foot in the office as a client. Now, we hung out, partied, talked, and occasionally I would join them for a case if they needed my special expertise.

“What’s up?” Angel glanced at me. “Cute dress.”

“Thanks. I was wondering if Herne might have a moment? I wanted to talk to him about last night.”

“Oh right, Akron sent over a report today. Let me buzz him and see if he’s free.” She picked up the phone. A moment later, she hung up. “Go on down to the break room. Herne will meet you there. I’ll buzz Ember and she’ll join you.”

I thanked her, then headed down the hall. The break room was directly at the end of the hallway, on the far wall. To the left were Talia and Yutani’s office, Ember’s office, the storeroom, an armory, and a bathroom. As I entered the break room, Viktor was there. He didn’t have an office of his own. Instead, he pretty much floated around where he was needed and spent most of his time in the armory.

“Raven.” He jumped up, ever polite. The half-ogre was a softie, really, and brilliant, though his brawn fooled people into assuming he was just a stupid jock. Some of the Wild Hunt’s opponents underestimated him, to their dismay.

He pulled out a chair for me. “Can I get you a cup of coffee? Some pastries?”

I hadn’t eaten that much for breakfast, given how upset I had been about my father’s upcoming move. “Yeah, that would be nice, thank you.”

He poured me a cup of coffee and brought over a tray of various pastries, along with a saucer and fork. “Here you go.”

“You’re such a gentleman,” I said, laughing. “I mean it.”

“Well, thank you. I pride myself on not living down to the stereotype.” He returned to his chair, leaning back. “What brings you here today?”

“Waiting for Herne and Ember. I’m in a bind and I need some advice. I also want to know what Akron found out last night.”

“Last night?” Viktor asked.

I nodded, and began to fill him in on what had been happening. “It’s a mess. Marigold is in Shadow Oaks Safe Haven, and we’ve got an autumn wight running around loose. I’ve dealt with regular wights and they’re a handful, but I’ve never had to go up against one like this. I’m not sure what to do at this point.”

“Autumn wight, huh? Well, I’ll keep my ears open. The family sounds like a piece of work, though.”

“Well, the mother is, at least. I’m not sure what her sons grew up to be like, but I’m kind of hoping they moved far away. She’s not exactly the best influence.” I frowned, shaking my head. “What hit me the most was the body of the girl. Aida’s only crime was trying to protect her father. And her mother killed her for it.”

At that moment, Herne and Ember filed in. Ember gave me a quick hug and I returned it. I was feeling rather vulnerable right now, and hugs made me feel stronger.

“You’ve had a rough few days,” Ember said.

“That you have,” Herne added. “Have you consulted Arawn about the matter yet?”

I shook my head. “I only go to him when things are dire, given he’s such a solemn god. And I wouldn’t consider this dire. It might be for Rain and Marigold, but not in the long scheme of things.” Pausing, I took a sip of my coffee, then slowly set down my cup.

“So, Angel mentioned Akron sent over his findings?” I pulled out a notebook, hoping for a yes.

“Yes, he has,” Herne said. “He went over that site with a fine-tooth comb. There’s no way to determine her cause of death. Everything is too badly decayed. What evidence of poison there might have been is long gone. Tox screen was negative.”

“Then we have nothing to go on. I have new information about the mother, and her whereabouts. I was hoping we could nail her