Page 54 of A Lost Light

“Aahil…” Niamh called him back, but the jinn was gone. “Poor fucker,” she muttered under her breath. “I didn't mean it.”

My curiosity got the better of me and I moved from my hiding space, tucking my ears away. I didn't try to conceal my eavesdropping. The information I needed was more important than my pride. And the currents around me told me no ill luckwas waiting for me. “You feel sorry for him?” I asked as I paced into the kitchen.

The fae huffed and shook her horned head, but didn't look up from the vegetables she was sauteing on the stove. Which somehow worked despite not being connected to any real power source. Oleander’s pocket world spell was truly fascinating. There were so many questions about how she had managed something sofantastical.I was pretty sure no other witch could duplicate it… I yanked my wandering curiosity back to the matter at hand.

Niamh had turned to watch me with narrowed eyes as she no doubt sensed my wandering attention. “You are a strange man,” she decided.

I shrugged, liking the way my flowy blouse rippled along my shoulders and back. The peasant skirt I wore with it today made it easy to lightly leap onto the table and settle into a cross-legged seat as I nibbled on an apple I snagged from the fruit bowl. “Thank you,” I said in response to the compliment.

She frowned. “Where in the world did you find that get-up? Seems a bit too… bright to have belonged to anyone who ever lived here.”

I grinned. “I didn't scavenge it. It's mine. Came with the stuff Bella sent through yesterday.” My suitcases, along with a big ol' white bag of insulin vials for Andy. And suddenly my mind was off on another tangent, wondering about how they created insulin in Magea for the few afflicted humans there, and whether they had magical methods that could benefit the humans in the Planus realm…

“My goddess, you are like a child,” the fae huffed, turning back to the stove and whatever she was making when I apparently missed something she had said.

I straightened my spine and did my best to focus. “I'm much more intelligent than a merechild,” I assured her. “My brain simply works differently than yours. I'm complex.”

She chuckled. “You're something, alright. Are all shifters so nosey and scatterbrained?”

I frowned, seriously pondering her flippant question. “Are all fae the same as you?”

She huffed. “Similar enough.”

“Oh,” I said as I finished my apple. “Then I suppose your question makes sense. No. Most shifters I've met find me absolutely obnoxious. They think hunting and fucking are more important than knowledge and understanding the world around you. As a generality. But I suppose cat shifters are somewhat more curious than the others.”

“Well, good to know you aren't interested in fucking. Because skirt aside, you're not exactly my type.”

I laughed. “Oh, I'm aware. Though I didn't say I don’t enjoy hunting and fucking… I just don't see why those activities should preclude expanding one's mind.”

She gave me a suspicious look. “Well, whatever. Just don't go breaking hearts while you're here, spy. The others might all be far too ready to trust anyone they fuck. But I'm not so easily convinced. Hurt them, and Iwillkill you.”

I nodded. “But you see, that's exactly the sort of thing I'm trying to figure out. Not that I'm here to spy.” I waved a hand dismissively. “But I’m curious to know how this strange clan works when you are all so clearly different. I thought you hated the jinn. But you sounded sorry for him just now. The two of you sounded almost like siblings who don't want to admit that they love each other.”

She turned toward me, and I smiled faintly at how cute her antlers were. Did her whole fae clan have deer-like expressions of animalia? Or was it individual to the person?

“Aahil is a fussy, arrogant, annoying prick,” she said evenly. “But he'sourfussy, arrogant, annoying prick. Someone has to look out for him. And his usual caretakers have been… distracted lately.”

I grinned. “You care for him. And clearly he cares for you, or he wouldn't have come to you searching for companionship. I see.”

She rolled her eyes. “Maybe. But all I managed to do was hurt his poor little feelings. Is that all you wanted?”

I frowned. “I'm not certain. More study is warranted.”

She went to the for-some-reason-operable refrigerator and started rummaging around. “Why don’t you study Aahil, cat. I bet he'dlovethat.”

I could sense the sarcasm. But still… it wasn't a terrible idea. “Okay,” I said, unfolding and jumping down off the table. “Have a nice afternoon, Niamh.”

I felt her eyes on me as I left the room. And heard her mumbled, “weirdo.”

My visit with Aahil went about as I had expected. The jinn was beautiful, as alluring as a jinn of fire and sensuality should be. But he was also deadly, and he really didn't like questions. Particularly personal questions about relationships or feelings. I supposed that in and of itself was valuable information, though. So, I didn't consider my investigation a total loss.

Though Iwouldmiss the skirt he had set on fire. Only my catlike reflexes had kept the second burst of flame from landing on my blouse.

I lifted a lock of my damp hair and sniffed to make sure I'd gotten rid of the smoke smell. Finding the aroma acceptable, I pulled on a pair of trousers and a soft, fitted t-shirt and ventured off to find someone else to interview.

I loved fashion—especially playing with different fabrics and textures, since I was a tactile creature at heart. But this time, I didn't bother with socks or shoes, padding barefoot down thetwo flights of stairs from my third-story room. I had a feeling I'd end up outdoors, and I really wanted to feel the grass beneath my feet.

Sure enough, I found my target in one of the side courtyards. The gargoyle was positivelymassive. Especially with those giant bat wings spread, like they were at the moment. I crept around the courtyard silently, so as not to disturb… whatever he was doing. A faint trickle of magic waxed and waned, and his spade-tipped tail lashed. When I crept around far enough to see his expression, his handsome face was creased in concentration.

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