Catastrophic Attraction - Eve Langlais Page 0,53
the water.
“Theona?” He couldn’t help the questioning note, especially given the glower on her face.
“Did you miss me?” was her sarcastic retort.
The truth was the opposite, so he said nothing at all.
She halted, looking more savage than usual with her form-fitting pants tucked into boots. Her tight jacket. Her gloves lacked fingers. She jabbed at him. “Is that the girl? Hand her over.”
The girl? “Her name is Charlotte.”
“Doesn’t matter what her name is. It can be changed. Give.” She crooked her fingers, as if expecting Roark to hand Charlie over.
He scooped her closer instead, igniting a protest as he took her away from the water. Charlie didn’t fuss long. She tucked into him and gazed at the woman standing across from them. The one causing a niggling sense of danger to fill him.
“That’s all you have to say?” he demanded.
“What else did you expect?”
“You’ve been gone a year.”
“And?”
“Without word?”
“It’s not as if you’re equipped to exchange messages.” The curl on her lips held the same disdain as before. He saw it clearly now.
“You should leave.”
“I don’t think so.” Theona shook her head. “You owe me.”
“Owe you? For what?”
“For not being the grand prize I’d hoped for. I came here to spy on the Pretender, the one who would call himself king.”
“As a joke.” It happened during a solstice celebration. There might have been a crown. Lots of intoxicants and long drunken speeches were involved.
“Joke or not, the Enclave wanted to know more about this so-called Marsh king, so they sent me.”
“But I found you.”
“On purpose. Someone told me where you’d be.”
“You mean the accident was staged?” He’d suspected it and pushed the thought aside, chalking it up to paranoia.
“I needed something to get your attention.”
It was almost shameful for him to realize how well it worked. “To do what?” he asked stupidly, even as many things began to make sense.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?”
The sudden meow at his feet had him looking down, and without thinking, he bent down to scoop up Sachi. A good thing he did.
The shot missed him. It was then he caught movement at the alley mouths at her back. The clank of metal out of place in the Marshes. Their minds encased in a type of helmet he couldn’t penetrate. Not easily at any rate. However, he could tickle the minds of others. He sent a simple basic thought.
Invaders in Eden.
“Why are you here, Theona?” Because it certainly wasn’t for love of him or their child.
“I’m here for the baby of course. You should see the price I got for her.”
His blood ran cold. “Excuse me?”
“Surely you didn’t think someone of my genetic caliber would have intentionally fornicated with someone like you.” Her nose wrinkled. “I lay with you so I would have something exotic to sell. I was offered a fair bit for the child, but once I realized how eager they were, I delayed the sale, waiting to see if they’d go higher. That’s the only reason I left her with you.”
Sachi squirmed free when he shifted the baby to his shoulder. He looked Theona in the face and realized just how falsely she’d played him. “How did you hide your perfidy?”
“You mean the mind shield?” She let it fall, and her true hatred of him spilled forth, rabid in its disdain. It slammed shut again. “Basic Enclave teachings. Can’t have the family secrets bandied around.”
“You’re…” He shook his head. “You lied to me this entire time.”
“And you fell for it.” Her lips curled. “I still can’t believe you fell for the sham. I’d heard you were supposed to be smart. It’s why there was worry. We kept hearing the rumors of a Marsh king banding people together and building himself a city in the swamp. Exaggerations as it turns out.”
“You want to stop me.”
“No, the Enclave wants to stop you. Me, I wanted the see the man the stories claimed could control the mind and the elements. Did you think no one noticed? You’re a legend in the city. A bogeyman to put the children to bed. Don’t stay up or the Marsh king will take you and grind your bones into dust.”
“A lie you could have rectified.” Because he’d never actually used his powers in front of Theona. He always tried to be sparing with them.
“Why would I refute the lie when your reputation served my purpose? Why do you think the brat is worth so much?”
“Who thinks to buy my daughter?” he asked, not without some curiosity. Did someone