A Vigil in the Mourning (Soulbound #4) - Hailey Turner Page 0,38
go to the office with you. I want my Nutella latte.”
“Then I’ll drop you off at the café.”
It was on the way, so it wasn’t a hardship. Wade fiddled with the SUV’s satellite radio until he found a station he approved of. Patrick didn’t mind the choice of music, nodding along to the beat occasionally as he drove east toward downtown. They were on I-90 for a brief part of the drive before crossing over one of the tributaries of the Chicago River.
Eventually, Patrick turned right onto North Michigan Avenue, heading toward the skyscrapers in the heart of downtown Chicago. As they approached the DuSable Bridge, lightning flashed overhead, followed by the boom of thunder that Patrick swore rattled the SUV’s windows. He peered up at the sky in time to see a sheet of rain fall toward the earth, sending pedestrians without umbrellas running for shelter.
“Uh, pretty sure the weather forecast said windy and cold, not rain for days,” Wade said.
Patrick flicked on the windshield wipers, staring through the downpour at the bridge up ahead. Between one eye blink and the next, two ravens appeared, one perching on either side of the drawbridge pillars. Even from the short distance between them, Patrick could see the aura burning around the larger than normal ravens that no one else seemed to notice.
They spread their wings at the exact same time, launching themselves into the air, inky shadows against the cloudy sky. Follow.
The voices of Huginn and Muninn cracked through his mind, leaving behind a headache Patrick could’ve done without. “God damn it.”
“Any chance we can get food first? Maybe a latte?” Wade asked plaintively, eyeing the ravens winging ahead of them.
“I don’t think we should keep who they’re leading us to waiting.”
Wade crossed his arms over his chest and sulked, staring mournfully out the window as they passed the Nutella Café a few minutes later. “I hate gods.”
“You and me both.”
Driving south, Patrick navigated traffic, relying on Wade to keep an eye on the ravens and what direction they took.
“Oh hey, a restaurant. Maybe we can have lunch after all,” Wade said, pointing at the slim stone overhangs covering the entrance and windows of a building to their right as they drove past.
“I wouldn’t trust whatever they offer,” Patrick said as he eyed the location signs giving directions to the nearest parking garages.
“Aw, come on. If I could eat fae food and be fine, I bet I can eat whatever they have on their menu.”
“Your funeral.”
Patrick circled back until he found the entrance for Grant Park North Garage. Wade stuck close as they left the garage, taking the stairs up to the street. Patrick expanded his personal shields to keep the rain off them both as they hurried down the block to the restaurant Muninn and Huginn were still perched over.
The immortals watched them approach with black, star-speckled eyes. Patrick couldn’t meet their gazes for long without feeling as if he were going to fall into a void and never find his way out.
Inside, the ravens said, their voices echoing in Patrick’s mind. The Allfather is not one to keep waiting.
Well. That answered his question on who they were there to meet.
The restaurant overlooked Millennium Park and beyond it, Lake Michigan. That told Patrick it was the kind of place where prices were never shown on the menu. A doorman pushed open the door to Au Hall, allowing them to enter and get out of the rain. Patrick drew back his shields before they entered but didn’t drop them. Wade looked around curiously at the mahogany wood paneling carved with intricate designs that weren’t as random as they looked after a second glance.
“Your table is ready,” the hostess said with a smile and a vacant look in her eyes. “If you would follow me?”
“Creepy,” Wade said under his breath.
The hours on the discreet sign out front had indicated the restaurant was open for lunch and dinner every day of the week in set blocks of time. Today it was almost entirely empty of a lunch crowd.
The restaurant was two stories tall, with a mezzanine that ran along the front of the restaurant for eye-catching views of Millennium Park and Lake Michigan. The stairs on either end leading up to it were made of wood with gold-leaf banisters. Multiple crystal and gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their light reflecting from the mirrors that lined the rear wall.
All the tables were empty, save one. The circular table in the center of the