They haven’t tried it again.”
“Poor kid.” Her fingers slid from his. “Tell her I’ll be there.” She shifted onto her back. “For my safety, and the safety of everyone else in attendance, I think I’m going to start her out with pool noodles.”
“Sword Fighting 101 with Hadley Whitaker,” he mused. “BYOPN.”
“Evildoers tremble with fear.” She turned back toward him, scooched a little closer. “I’ll think about it.”
He didn’t have to ask what she meant. He knew she was giving him his answer.
Smile tugging on his lips, he let his eyes close and fell into a healing sleep.
Fifteen
Reece texted me while I was attempting to figure out how to work Linus’s fancy espresso machine. It was the only countertop appliance left, proving how well Bishop knew me, and it was smarter than me. I could tell by the tone it used every time I got the button sequence wrong.
“I will end you.” I slapped the top with my open palm. “Give me my coffee.”
“That model is worth a few grand.” Midas padded into the kitchen, skin light pink in spots but steady on his feet. “You can always sell it and use the cash to buy a machine like the one you had. Or you could use it to pay one of the twins to bring you coffee every morning from the shop around the corner.”
“I thought they only did laundry.”
Simply known as The Twins, sons of one of the pack enforcers, they had absconded with the rolling laundry cart Bishop acquired for us to smuggle Bonnie Diaz, in gwyllgi form, into the Faraday. They used it to launch their own laundry service for single, busy, or just plain lazy gwyllgi in the building.
I wasn’t gwyllgi, but I was plain lazy enough to use them when I got tired of scrubbing out the stains that came with the job and wanted to dump that pleasure into someone else’s lap for a change.
“They’ve expanded to delivering coffee and pastries.”
“I’m impressed, and also hungry.”
Another text reminded me I had been about to read Reece’s update when the lack of caffeine sent my brain into meltdown over the absence of café mocha in this joint.
“Whoa.” I leaned a hip against the counter. “Reece says Doughty has synthesized an antidote.”
“Good news then.” A frown pinched his forehead. “That happened fast.”
“Doughty is very good at what he does, and with magic to speed things up, he delivers results fast.” That’s why he charged a small fortune for consultations, and this went far beyond that. “Abbott elected to stay put, thanks to recent events, but Reece says he’s driving the antidote and their notes to Savannah to consult with Linus and Grier before administering it to a volunteer patient.” I kept reading. “Doughty referenced the formula for creating Atrax robustus antivenom, and it appears to be effective in simulations.” I Googled that real quick. “That would be the Sydney funnel-web spider.”
“How soon do you think he can have it ready for distribution?”
“Within the week.” I set my phone aside. “I’m sorry I don’t have better news.”
“They’re making progress. That’s all we can ask of them. Magic isn’t a cure-all.”
“Sadly not,” I agreed. “What are your plans for the night?”
“I’ve been recalled to the den to brief Mother and the other elders on recent developments.” He waited a beat then prompted me. “How about you?”
“Patrolling the streets, searching for coven members, and hoping not to run into any naked wargs.”
“Bishop going with you?”
“Yes.” I rolled my eyes. “He’s attached at the hip until our heart quota is met. No one else can guarantee they’ll reach the box before they stop beating.”
He’d timed me with a potato enchanted to beat like a heart, which put me off French fries forever, give or take a week. First, I had excised the organ from a dummy, taking care not to damage it. Then I ran like heck or called a Swyft to carry me to HQ. The potato was DOA every time.
“Any new leads on that front?”
While the espresso machine mocked me, I filled him in on the fae at the club, the trail, and the visit from Lizzy. I had been too preoccupied with getting him safely into bed to brief him last night. Then he went and dropped the bomb about wanting to learn more about me, and everything else scattered.
I had worried we would come to this, and I still had no clue what to do about it.
Mortifying as it would be, I might have to ask Linus