Page 44 of Shield of Fire

She rose and swept up the bottle of whiskey with one slightly clawed hand—something else I hadn’t noticed before. “Mind if I keep this?”

“Would you care if I said yes?”

She cackled in response, tucked the bottle under her arm, and headed back out into the storm—the ferocity of which immediately eased.

Note to self—always send her away with a nice bottle of whiskey, especially when there’s a storm raging.

I headed upstairs to pack an overnight bag, then collected my knives and the Eve token. Like many magical tokens, this one was an air-dried clay coin about the same size as a penny. There were multiple tiny symbols etched onto its surface, and I had absolutely no idea what any of them represented, although the one that resembled a snake in a circle was, according to Lugh, the symbol that gave the token its name. Basically, they were designed to render the wearer irresistible to a particular person, but according to the witch I’d asked about it, this particular token also had what amounted to a sound bubble spell woven into it—one specifically designed to keep external sounds out rather than internal sounds in, as was usual.

After tucking the token and the knives safely into my purse—it was a big purse—I picked up my overnight bag and my coat and headed out to the back lane to wait for Eljin.

A rather compact-looking Mercedes SUV pulled up across the lane a few seconds later. Eljin climbed out and ran around to the passenger side to open the door for me.

His gaze swept me and came up amused. “As lovely as you look in jeans and a fluffy white jumper, it is not what I’d call as a sexy outfit.”

“It’s a nearly four-hour journey to Swansea,” I replied dryly. “I’m dressed for comfort. I can change once we get closer. This your new car? Or a hire?”

“Hire, but only because I’m contemplating buying one. Thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test it out.”

“It’s a small SUV—not what I’d call a chick magnet.”

He laughed. “I’m a single male pixie in a city that has a dearth of them. I could drive a Reliant Robin and it wouldn’t matter one jot.”

“What the hell is a Reliant Robin?”

“A three-wheel plastic car made in the seventies that has a habit of tipping over when you turn a corner.”

“And you know this because you actually had one?”

“No, but I’ve a friend whose dad was a miner in the north before they moved to France, and he had one. But only because they could drive it on a motorcycle license.”

“Huh.”

He took my bag, then ushered me into the vehicle. After storing the bag in the trunk, he jumped in, and we headed off.

The various traffic works along the way meant it took us just over four hours to get there. Conversation flowed easily though, and it was lovely to simply spend more time in his company, getting to know him better without the heady draw of sex getting in the way. As we neared Swansea, I shifted in my seat and said, “Once we’ve talked to Loudon Fitzgerald, do you mind if we detour back into Swansea? I need to talk to a witch who made a token I found.”

He shrugged. “That’s absolutely no problem. I gather the token has something to do with the shield quest?”

“It’s more a leftover from the Claws quest.”

He raised his eyebrows and glanced at me. “What sort of token is it?”

“An Eve token. We found it under the bed of a dead man, and its presence still bothers me.”

“Then find this witch we certainly will. I don’t want you distracted when I’ve got a seduction evening planned.”

An anticipatory smile teased my lips. “Do you now?”

He nodded solemnly. “It starts with a candlelit dinner, moves on to a deep spa bath?—”

“I thought you said bathroom facilities were basic?”

“They are, spa aside. After that, we open the roof and make passionate love to the glorious song of the trees and the stars.”

“And if there’s no stars and it rains?”

“The gods wouldn’t dare disrupt my carefully laid plans.”

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