Page 27 of Blood & Ice

“What do you suggest?”

Astrid chewed her bottom lip nervously. “I was thinking I’d go back to Blood Rose with Rook. He’s my adoptive sire, so he’s responsible for me. It won’t look weird if I go back with him. I might be able to find and destroy the knife.”

I wasn’t the only one who said no. Maverick practically shouted it, making Astrid wince. The sound rumbled through his chest and into me. He waspissed.

“Mav,” she started.

He shook his head.“No fucking way,” Maverick raged. “There is no way I am letting you go near that bitch, Astrid. You almost died last time because she couldn’t be assed to do her damn job. If she finds out and decides you need to be dealt with, she’s not going to strike to wound. She’ll do it to kill.”

Astrid looked like she wanted to argue with him. Her lips mashed into a stubborn line when I stepped away from Maverick, hands raised in a pacifying gesture. “We’ll keep the idea in reserve. I’d be more comfortable sending Olga in since she knows the lay of the land. You’re a night class student now. That means there are places you can’t go.”

Some of the hostility in Astrid seeped away, leaving her looking more sullen than angry. I was right, and she knew it. My objections were similar to Mav’s but paired with the fact that I knew how she thought. The mindset of a teenager, paired with the fact that shewaspowerful, might make her arrogant. She’d be convinced she could handle this on her own and it might get her killed. But teen ego would make her charge blindly forward. Only by bringing logic in did I have a chance to change her mind.

“Aurea will know that Olga knows the truth,” Astrid muttered. “It’s hard to keep something like this under wraps. I still think my idea is the best one we’ve come up with so far.”

And wasn’t that just a kick in the teeth? Astrid wasn’t wrong. So far, infiltrating the castle to find and destroy the relic Aurea had stolen from Janara was the least bloody option on the table.

I sighed. “I think we should all sleep on it. I’ll keep my ringtone on, just in case someone comes up with some other idea overnight. I need to get back to my boys. Cain and Darla are babysitting for me while Chloe is out. I don’t want to make them stay longer than they have to.”

I owed the ex-ghost a favor. She’d shown up for me like clockwork in the past week, despite the crazy hours I’d been keeping. Secretly, I thought it was because she wanted a few of her own children, but wisely kept that speculation to myself.

The meeting dispersed after that, but I felt Astrid’s gaze on my back as I walked away, Maverick’s arm slung around one shoulder. Maverick waited until we reached the car before speaking quietly.

“I want to keep an eye on Astrid. She’s going to try something. She’s got an insufferable do-gooder streak.”

I laughed, climbing into the driver’s side. Maverick took the passenger’s seat without complaint, buckling himself in. Isis hooted at us both from the backseat, pleased by our return. Maverick’s expression was soft when he reached through thebars of her cage and stroked her feathers.

“Yeah,” I drawled. “No ideawho she learned that from.”

Chapter Fourteen

Taliyah

Darla met us at the door with a wide smile on her face.

Cain’s class ring looked huge on her comparatively bony fingers. She had to wear it on her thumb to keep it from slipping off and rolling into a gutter somewhere, never to be found again. It made me nervous that the vessel holding my brother’s spirit could be snatched or smashed easily. Still, I shouldn’t have been ungrateful because I’d never expected to talk to my brother ever again. As a medium, Darla could give me even more time with Cain. The day was coming when he’d have to return to the afterlife, so I’d squeeze every ounce of time I could while it was still available.

“Darla,” Maverick acknowledged with a nod of greeting.

Darla let her hand slide up the doorjamb, striking what was supposed to be a provocative pose in the doorway. The sweatpants and t-shirt combo she wore robbed it of most of its effectiveness, though. I knew the clothing choice had been Cain’s. He hated wearing skirts, even vicariously. Darla teased him about it relentlessly. My brother wasn’t the most sexist cop I’d ever met, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a little schadenfreude going on. Now he got to see how life was when the shoe was on the other foot. It was a learning experience for any man.

Darla wiggled her hips at us. It was so outrageous that I almost laughed. Exhaustion and worry quickly doused the urge. I wasn’t going to find much funny until my family was safe.

“How’d you know it was me, handsome? It could have been Mr. Grundy in the ring.”

“The smile,” Maverick answered. “Cain is never cheerful.”

“Ah, true. Come in then.”

She kept her voice pitched low so that the kids wouldn’thear. It was a wasted effort. I could hear the boys snoring on the couch from here. They always snored like chainsaws when they got sick. It answered the only pressing question I had for Darla. They sounded about the same as when I’d left. Not worse, but not better yet. I asked the question anyway. I had to be sure.

“How are the boys?”

“Asleep,” she replied, the teasing expression slipping as we followed her through the front hall and into the living room.

Charlie was sleeping on his back, sprawled like a starfish under his favorite blanket. Sean had curled on his side, head propped by one of the throw pillows Wanda had made for me. She claimed my house didn’t ‘pop’ the way it should. I had a bad feeling that one day she and Fifi would form an evil coalition to completely remake my home in their own image.

“Did they eat supper?” I asked.

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