Sorceress, Interrupted - By A. J. Menden Page 0,79

my blood pressure back down to normal levels I said in a cool voice, “You’d be surprised how much sharing went on in olden times.”

“Well, then, I’m not that far back old-fashioned. I’ll just stick with greedy.” He gave me a wink.

Flustered, I continued. “Besides, it’s getting a bit crowded in here.” I motioned to all the tense figures. “You guys are near capacity for drama. I don’t think the building could physically hold any more without spontaneously combusting. I’ll just go home tonight and come back in the morning. It’s a quick commute after all.”

Cyrus shook his head. “The more things change, the more they stay the same. Right, Fantazia?”

I sighed. “Don’t be like that. I just . . . need some space, that’s all. It’s not you, it’s me.”

“Any other trite phrase you want to stick in?”

“Look, I’m sorry, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had any sort of relationship. A long time. Cut me a bit of slack.”

He gave a short, mirthless laugh. “And I don’t suppose you’ve considered being alone might not be a good idea. Not right now.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You want to be alone in your pocket universe? After what happened yesterday?”

I shrugged. “I’ve got the only ‘key’ to the place. That other door is all boarded up, metaphysically speaking. No one’s getting in or out without my say.”

“And if they break in?”

“I’ll give a shout for you to come rescue me,” I laughed, throwing in an eye-roll. “I’m a big girl, remember? I’m a lot older than you. It’s not like I’m walking into a trap, like I was when I went to see London. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, and I can still do it. Alone.”

His face darkened. “Yeah. Don’t I know it. Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned and walked down the hall.

I sighed, not knowing if I should follow or just leave him alone. Finally I decided he could work it out himself.

I straightened my shoulders and gave the tense group a cheerful wave. “Well, if two’s a party and three’s a crowd, this many people is simply chaos waiting to ensue, so I’ll just be off. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Everyone ignored me except Wesley, who stepped out of the group with a frown. “Wait. You’re going? Where?”

“Home.”

“Alone? After what just happened?”

“I feel like I just had this conversation with Cyrus,” I growled. “Yes. I’ll be fine. If not, and if the Dragon gets me, you can do an I-told-you-so dance on my grave.”

Wesley glared. “That’s not funny.”

Too late, I remembered it probably wasn’t. Not considering his son Ben, who’d been killed by the Dragon. Even though he’d been a doctor and an old man by that point, his loss had been hard for my father to process.

“Well, just be careful,” he snapped and turned around, going back to discuss something with Paul.

I sighed and cast the spell to take me home, wondering all the way if I’d really gone and stepped in it the way Mindy thought, and if I could ever handle well my feelings for my father or Cyrus.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I wasn’t magically attacked, so I spent a relatively uneventful night sitting around my strangely silent bar, wondering how badly I was going to keep messing up the burgeoning relationships in my life. In the morning, I transported myself back to the EHJ headquarters building and went up the elevator to check on the troops.

Surprisingly, all was quiet. The doors opened, and I was greeted by absolute hush. No computer monitors with feedback or noises of battle, no alarms blaring. There wasn’t even the sound of a loud television playing hyperactive cartoons. As I stepped out of the elevator, the only sounds were those of my heels clacking down the hall tiles.

“Hello?” I called, starting to feel a bit spooked. Had the Dragon shown up and killed everyone? Was I at any moment going to trip over the bodies of my friends? And, were they my friends? Why, too, did my mind go immediately to morbid places instead of just expecting they were out at breakfast or something?

But, this silence was unnatural. My heart sped up. Something was definitely happening.

“Hello?” I called again, hating how shaky my voice sounded. “Where are you guys? Someone’s here, right? Guys?”

I thought I heard a noise down the hallway. Cautiously I followed it, a tinny something just below comprehension. Every single one of my nerves was on edge; my whole body