Spin the Shadows (Dark and Wicked Fae #1) - Cate Corvin Page 0,61
She snickered, taking pleasure in Numa’s plight. “Nobody wants their ass grabbed.”
I thought about how many times in the last two weeks I’d had my ass grabbed on the job, and how odd it was that it would be so much less bothersome than Numa doing it.
On the other hand, if I knew that letting Numa grope me would end up with Robin arresting him, I’d probably be all for it.
I leaned against the railing as the cat sìth slinked up the stairs towards us. It jumped up and snuggled against my shoulder, purring hard when I scratched behind his ears.
“You know my answer already. If I never see a satyr again, I’ll die happy.” I scratched the cat sìth’s fuzzy throat, well aware that I’d likely be seeing another satyr in the next twenty-four hours. “Numa can go fuck himself, since no one else wants to do it.”
Nadiya gave me a thin, razor-sharp smile. “I told him this would be a waste of time.”
“We didn’t even get to grovel,” Audra sighed. Nadiya rolled her eyes.
“So, what are you doing now, Briallen?” She eyed the Acorn 8 sticking out of my pocket. “I know you sure as hell didn’t buy that off the Fairy Ferry salary, and someone told me they saw you in Myrage a few weeks ago with a Gentry male.”
Audra’s eyes got even bigger, which I hadn’t thought possible. They were already the size of saucers. “Are you whoring for the Gentry? Wait! Is that what your Wild Hunter boyfriend does? Do you have to go to all the other Hunters and… you know… service them?”
She looked like one other favorite gossip columns had come to life right in front of her, practically shivering with excitement.
A prickle of unease ran up my spine, followed by irritation. “I’m not whoring for anyone,” I snapped. “If that was my job, I would’ve stayed with Numa and made him hand over extra. A pervy satyr and the Gentry— pffft. I see no difference.”
Nadiya gripped Audra’s upper arm, squeezing her gently.
“You can keep your secrets,” she said, still wearing that smile that could cut like glass. “We’ll tell Numa we got down on our knees and groveled our shriveled little hearts out, but I would never blame you for leaving that behind.”
Even if I told them the truth, which Robin’s potion prevented me from doing, was that what it would look like to them? Working for Robin, whoring for Gentry… maybe to someone else, it was the same thing.
In the end, he still held all the cards. He could turn my world inside-out for one night, and the next day pretend nothing had ever happened.
I took a deep breath. “Thanks, Nadiya. I’m just figuring things out right now. My visa will be up soon, but I’ll be damned if I stay here for Numa’s sake.”
She nodded and started tugging Audra towards the stairs. “Call us sometime, Bri,” she called. “Don’t become a stranger.”
I raised my hand in farewell, keeping my smile pasted on as the cat sìth headbutted my shoulder for another round of scratches. I let the expression drop when they turned the corner.
A stranger. Was that what I was becoming to everyone?
My phone began vibrating in my pocket, and I almost groaned aloud when I pulled it out and saw the name across the screen. I should’ve been happy that she’d cared enough to call.
I answered the phone and put it to my ear, giving the cat sìth a goodbye scratch down his spine. “Hello, Mom.”
My mother had one of the sternest voices I’d ever heard in my life. Even her greetings made me feel like I was about to get a dressing-down. “Well, hello to you too, Briallen. You haven’t called in months, dear. I was starting to get worried.”
I unlocked the apartment and let myself in, my stomach twisting as I headed to my room. “Oh, come on. You know I’ve been busy.”
The twisting became a feeling of illness as I pushed my door open. Clothes from last night were still scattered on the floor, one pillow had been tossed to the other side of the room, and we’d left the comforter in a twisted mess.
I heard Pomona’s light breathing on the other end of the line as I closed my door and leaned against it. “Dear, I just worry about you.” She sounded strangely gentle. “Avilion is a big, wild place, nothing like Emain Ablach…”