Iron Crowned Page 0,65

later, after your errands are done. Or tomorrow if you need a little more time."

A little more time? Maybe I needed a lot more time. I really didn't know. I might have jumped into bed - figuratively speaking - right after my relationship with Dorian had crumbled, but as I'd said, that didn't mean I was ready to establish something committed with Kiyo again. I'd had sex with Kiyo in the throes of my anger; I had more to think about now that I'd cooled down - and seen Dorian's face. My head told me we were through, but my heart already missed him.

"Tomorrow," I said.

Kiyo nodded. "Fair enough. I should probably check in at the clinic anyway."

I honestly didn't understand the terms of Kiyo's employment. With his constant visits to the Otherworld, he didn't seem to have any regular schedule with the emergency vet clinic he worked at. He just seemed to show up whenever he wanted. It was more convenient than my own job for maintaining a dual existence between worlds.

Confused feelings or not, I let him kiss me good-bye before I left. There was a part of me that wished I could just stay with him, hiding out in his bed and avoiding the rest of the world. Worlds, even. But I had too much to do.

The first thing was to get home and change into clean clothes. I arrived to what initially appeared to be an empty house, but the cars in the driveway tipped me off. Sure enough, a minute or so after I walked inside, I heard Tim's bedroom door open. He emerged, wearing only jeans, his black hair standing in all directions.

"Hey, Eug. Didn't expect to see you back."

"Apparently not. I take it Lara's in there?"

He had the grace to look sheepish. "Ah, well - "

"Hi, Eugenie." Lara appeared in the kitchen beside him, her hair as messed up as his. Her clothes - including Tim's "West Coast Powwow 2002" T-shirt - showed signs of hasty assembly. She was blushing, but her embarrassment turned to surprise as she eyed my appearance. She still wasn't used to seeing me in real life. "Rough day?"

"Days," I said.

"Oh ... I don't suppose ... I don't suppose you'd be interested in hearing about some job offers?" It was the first time she'd been hesitant to bring up work. I think she was finally starting to understand the grueling nature of my life and that back-to-back jobs weren't as easy as checking items off a list.

"Not really. Not for a few days."

"A few - " She bit off her protest and meekly nodded.

I walked around them, heading for my room. "I've got things to do," I called back to them. "So you can go back to ... whatever it is you were doing."

Truthfully, I didn't want to do the task hanging before me. I wanted to find whatever baked goods Tim had squirreled away in the kitchen and then take that nap I'd longed for at Kiyo's. But, no. I'd made a promise to Deanna, one I had to honor, no matter how messed up the rest of my life was. So, after cleaning up and changing, I sat on the edge of my bed and picked up my cell phone. I stared at it for a long time, running my fingers along its edges as I procrastinated. Finally, I dialed a memorized number and waited.

There was a good chance that no one would answer. I was calling my mom's cell phone, though, which gave me better odds than if I'd called her house number. I knew Roland had asked her to keep her distance from me, but after seeing me at the hospital, my mom would likely resist any directives like that - if only out of fear that I'd lost a limb or something.

"Hello?"

My breath caught, and I almost couldn't speak. Just that one word ... the sound of her voice. It sent a flood of emotions through me, and I forced myself to remember my mission here.

"Mom?"

"Genie? Are you okay?" she asked promptly. As suspected, she feared limb loss.

"Yeah, yeah, fine. How are you?"

"Fine. Worried about you - like always."

"I'm okay," I said. "Really. But I need ... I, um, need to talk to Roland."

Long silence.

"Eugenie - "

"I know, I know. But I need his help with something. It won't take long. Just one question. Please."

She sighed. "Oh, baby. I wish I could, but he's made it clear ... You know how he feels about