"No." Quite the opposite. I waved a hand—the same hand that had been in that man's chest. "I'm fine. I just need a shower."
"Grab one, but fast. I need you to plate up the desserts ASAP. Everything else is ready to go."
"Be there soon."
I stripped off the remnants of my clothes and tossed them in the trash rather than the laundry chute, simply because there wasn't enough left to wash. It took a good twenty minutes to get rid of the fibers stuck to my skin, but I was betting I'd still be pulling out bits over the next couple of days.
Once dressed, I helped Ilianna with the desserts, then grabbed some tape and wrapping paper from the cupboard we used to store such things and headed into my room to wrap Tao's present. Only to discover two parcels sitting on the dresser rather than the expected one.
I frowned and picked them both up, looking at the postmarks. One was from England, which meant it was the rare cookbook I'd ordered. But the other had no identifying marks, no stamp, and no return address.
"When did this other parcel come in?" I shouted.
"Yesterday," Ilianna replied.
"Did the same rat-faced courier deliver it?"
"No—why?"
"Because I wasn't expecting a second parcel."
"Maybe it's from your Aedh lover."
"Doubtful." Aedh weren't the sentimental type. From everything both Mom and Uncle Quinn had said, they basically just fucked and left. And while Lucian might have been earthbound long enough to have the harsh edges rubbed off, I very much doubted he was the gift-giving type. Highly sexed, maybe, but not sentimental.
I placed the parcel containing Tao's cookbook down on the dresser, then raised the other one. It smelled of cardboard and old leather. Frown deepening, I gave the parcel a quick shake. Nothing rattled. Whatever it was, it was well packed and heavy. I'd have to open it if I wanted to know what it was.
Carefully, I flipped it over and slid my nails under the tape holding it together, tearing it away from the cardboard. The end came apart, revealing bubble wrap and what looked to be the edges of a very old book. Maybe someone overseas had goofed and sent me two copies of the cookbook rather than one.