"And that punches a mighty big hole in their plans." Ilianna thrust a hand through her mane of hair. "Meaning, the bastards want to use you, just like they're using your mom."
"Yeah," I said grimly. "Only this time, the situation they want to drag me into could very well result in the end of the world as we know it."
And that was a pretty scary thought to go to bed with.
After managing only a couple of hours of sleep, I dragged my butt into the office and tried to make sense of the accounts. Thankfully, the system was all but automatic, and I only had to double-check that all the input data was correct—a hard enough task given the overtired state of my brain.
By twelve, I'd double-checked, then rechecked the figures, and had basically had enough for the day. I finished the dregs of my fourth glass of Coke and listened to the rattle of cooking pans and dishes rolling up from the kitchen below. My stomach rumbled a reminder that it hadn't eaten anything since my rather rushed breakfast, and I half reached for the intercom to ask Tina—the chef currently running the afternoon shift—if she could fry me up something.
Then I remembered there was a better option and reached into my purse instead, drawing out the business card Lucian had given me last night.
Call anytime, he'd said. I needed food, and I also needed to ask him some questions. So why not combine the two needs?
And if a third, more basic need was also satisfied over lunch, then that would be a definite bonus.
Grinning in anticipation and suddenly feeling a whole lot more energetic than I had in hours, I touched the vid-phone's screen and read out his number.
He answered on the second ring, his expression distant and somewhat formal. The Aedh, rather than the warm man I'd come to know. "Lucian speaking."
His voice was a low rumble that seemed to vibrate pleasurably through my entire body. "Lucian, it's Risa."
"Risa." The cold distance in his eyes fled, replaced by a lovely warmth. "It's wonderful to hear from you again so soon."
I smiled. I couldn't help it—he had that sort of effect on me. "I was just wondering if you're free for lunch."
"As it happens," he said, his green eyes sparkling with warmth and amusement, "a previous appointment just canceled, so I'm all yours. You can do with me what you will."
"You might regret saying that," I teased. "We half-weres have a very healthy list of wants."