Blood and Blade (Goddess with a Blade #6) - Lauren Dane Page 0,1
discuss.”
“Does Clive know you’re in his car? How did you manage this?” Die Mitte was Vampire central. And it was currently under a threat designation, which meant security was even tighter than usual.
Rowan couldn’t begin to imagine how he was able to jump into the Scion’s car and drive it like he was allowed to. That took some serious spine. Or magic. Sages had their own unique kind of magic. Quite powerful but they had lots and lots of rules about how they were allowed to interact with others when they went about their sage type business.
Really crap rules like they couldn’t just come out and say things clearly to warn you or whatever. Each of them had their own way of delivering information. Some were super old school and threw bones. Some used poetry and songs—Rowan was glad she didn’t get that kind. Carl was a weirdo with a penchant for stuffing all manner of wildlife for display on dashboards, seats and other places. He showed up in some type of public conveyance—taxis, including a water taxi in Venice, usually—and he told her stories she had to piece together like puzzles.
Which according to her husband, she was good at.
Whatever. It would just be peachy if one day someone just told her straight up what the hell was happening.
“Your husband knows what he needs to know,” Carl said with laughter in his tone.
“Well. I mean if there’s a security issue. We’ve had problems with stuff exploding.”
“If someone with my power level wants you blown up, Maggie, you’d be blown up. I just saw the car and took an opportunity. Fate blesses those who keep their eyes open. Are you going to get in or are we going to attract attention and your husband will come down here and stern frown us to death?” Carl asked.
“Goddess.” Rowan got in because there was no arguing with a sage and because she had to admit he amused her and she wanted to know what he had to say.
“The Scion has the cleanest vehicle I’ve ever been in,” Carl said as they pulled away from the valet stand and she wove her way around the knots of people in the drive without indulging her fantasy of simply plowing through everyone dumb enough to just loiter in the middle of a roadway like they were the only people on the planet.
“If I ever tell him about this, I’ll be sure to lead with that. But let’s be honest, I’m not going to tell him unless I have no choice. He’s going to get a permanent line between his eyebrows from all that frowning. He’s got a pretty face. Don’t mess with him, that’s my job.”
Carl wheezed out a laugh that had her smiling. “What do you want, Carl?” Rowan asked. She liked him, despite his weirdness. Maybe even a little bit because of it. For sure she respected him and appreciated whatever he had to tell her though it was often in the form of some long weird story usually featuring wildlife or nature and she had to figure out whatever he was trying to say.
He set his hat, which had gone crooked, back to rights. The mere sight of the soup of neon oranges, yellows and greens swimming all around his head in Clive’s car made her snort laugh.
“Hush now. I’ve a few things to discuss with you. First, I want you to meet someone.”
Something cold and wet touched the side of her neck and she yelped, nearly running off the road.
Carl thought that was hilarious as he wheezed out a laugh.
“There’s a dog in the back seat of Clive’s car.” With sharp claws against that buttery soft leather. Her Scion was going to have a cow. It would have been funny but he was already short tempered due to the investigation they were involved with.
It was still actually funny, but she’d keep that part to herself. There’d be no hiding this if that dog clawed the seats.
“An Australian kelpie, which is fitting, isn’t it?” Carl said, all satisfied with himself.
“Kelpie? Like the magical horse thing that drowns people? How is that fitting? Is that what’s coming next? Drowning by horse shifter?”
“Sally.” Carl shook his head like she was slow. Or that her name was Sally.
“What?” She got back on the road safely and resumed her trip home.
“That’s a dog. Not a horse. Don’t get out much do you?”