Page 83 of Deadly Deception
“Well,” Tabitha broke the silence. “That was…interesting.”
I wheezed out a breath and collapsed against the couch. Franklin’s shaking body followed. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Stuck in emotional indecision, I just stood there, leaning against Sara’s couch while wondering how in the hell things had gone to shit that quickly. In the distance, my cell rang again. Pops’s ringtone was loud and unforgiving. I cringed when my phone went to voicemail again.
“I’ll call him back later,” I absently said to no one in particular.
Franklin swallowed hard and said, “Yeah, much later.”
I wheezed and nodded. “Much, much, much later. “
Franklin and I were still leaning against that damn couch when Witkowski came back in, followed by several other officers. I think he asked if we were okay. I doubt Witkowski knew what to do when I began laughing.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Franklin
“Are you okay?” Boone knelt by Navarre. Little Fang was still in his lap, curled up and looking far more content than I’d seen her appear previously.
Navarre was peacefully humming, his fingers a constant scroll across the kitten’s fur. He didn’t answer until Boone placed his hand on the kitten too. Navarre’s head raised and his large, brown eyes blinked as they focused on Boone. “You’re real?”
A soft, sad smile lifted Boone’s lips. “Very much, and thankfully, still alive.” All of us could say the same, and yet I remained silent. Tabitha was somewhere in the house, making a few phone calls. I figured one was to the Magical Usage Council, not that I thought it would do much good.
Having evidently forgotten the question, Navarre simply answered, “She’s very soft. I like her purr.”
“The sound is irritating.”
My gaze snapped to the corner. “Nice to see you, Aurelia.” I hadn’t been sure if she’d taken off or was still around. Considering Little Fang was still within Navarre’s lap, I figured she was still around. Somewhere.
She didn’t comment. Aurelia continued staring at the kitten, her expression unreadable.
“Most humans find a cat’s purr soothing,” Boone said, defending the kitten.
“I am not human.”
Boone refrained from saying,but you once were. At least we assumed that’s what Aurelia’s original form had been.
Standing, Boone swayed. He waved me off before I could lay a hand on him. “I’m fine, Franklin,” Boone lied with a smile. “Well, maybe notfine, but I’ll live. Which is more than I can say for Jay, those guys we met at the door, and probably Sara.”
“Sara will probably wish she were dead by the time Queen Millicent gets done with her,” I said. Despite what she’d done, I took no joy in the statement. Boone’s shiver indicated he agreed.
With a heavy sigh, Boone sat on the bed beside Navarre. His fellow necromancer barely noticed, his mind still fixated on the kitten.
“They’re a good fit,” Boone said. “Remind me to ask Tabitha if Navarre can get a cat, or maybe some other pet where he’ll be staying.”
“He can take Little Fang,” Aurelia said with absolutely no inflection or emotion.
Boone and I stared at her, and I said, “That’s not necessary. There are a lot of cats and kittens in the world in need of a home. You don’t need to—”
“It is fine,” Aurelia assured as she waved off my concern. “I grow tired of the creature. It is unfair to expect her to go against her natural hunting instincts and not consume the sprites in Peaches’s orchard.”
I stuttered, unsure what to say. Boone thankfully spoke up. “That’s very insightful of you, Aurelia.”
She cocked her head to the side and asked, “You believe so?”
“I do.” Boone looked down on the kitten again before asking, “Are you sure you’re okay giving her up?”
“It is for the best,” Aurelia answered. I had no idea what her true feelings were. I’d thought she was growing fond of Little Fang—or maybe tolerant was a more accurate assessment. I’d had enough experience with Aurelia to recognize the signs she would leave soon, that she was essentially done with whatever passed for conversation with her. I think she started to leave, but stopped, her gaze fixed on me and then Boone. She appeared undecided, or perhaps confused. Considering how rare an emotion it was, I wasn’t certain.
