Page 51 of Tested
“Look, I’d rather be home in bed, too, and I don’t appreciate being held hostage by a disembodied god.” Poole’s face pales, as if Great-whatever-Grandmother Ananda Pendragon has given him a private response.
“I said stop it, Ananda Pendragon. I can’t find the princess from the back of this vehicle and these guys need to get home, too.”
“You have three days,meascach.If you don’t find her and bring her to me, the vampire will suffer, and so will that horrid little wolf.”
The words are a hiss and given that neither Poole nor Brodie react, I must be the only one who can hear them. Brodie stops at a red light, and I swing open the door. “I’m sorry, Colonel. I’ll retrieve the Princess as ordered and we can all be rid of my charming relative.”
I’ve got one leg on the pavement when Brodie squawks. “What about me? Aren’t you sorry that my night’s been ruined, too?”
“Nah.” I slam the door and, cutting between cars, make it to the sidewalk before the light changes.
I’m on the corner of Santa Monica and North Las Palmas Avenue, an area that’s a mix of movie studios and strip malls. I could probably hike home, but it’s uphill and I’ve had enough exertion for one night. It’s dark enough that Trajan’s risen, and if I’m going to be facing him for the final time, I don’t want to do it covered in sweat.
The Uber driver covers the distance way too quickly. Maybe I should have walked. Staring at the graceful lines of this place that’s starting to feel like home, I’m a jangle of nerves.
I’m not even at the front door when I hear it. Music. A loud, pompous orchestra and a shrieking soprano.
Wagner.
I am so fucked.
I’m debating whether I should come back after Trajan’s down for the day when the door swings open. David glares at me from the threshold. “Get your ass in here. Now.”
I can’t make my feet move. “You told him.”
His eye roll is one for the ages. “Hell no. I’m going to let you tell him.”
“Then why Wagner?” David doesn’t know Trajan as well as I do, but we’ve talked about his musical moods before.
“Maybe he hates lilies.” He shakes his head, apparently disgusted. “Now get in here before I do tell him.”
I do.
The soprano yields the floor to a brassy baritone, and I follow David into the house. He keeps going until we reach the swimming pool. Someone – probably David – has covered the crater left by the initial explosion with a piece of plywood and the deck is clean and wet. He must have hosed off all the blood, too.
David stands with his back to me, facing the pool. I’m not sure what to say, but after a couple moments he raises a hand, wiggling his fingers as if he’s encouraging me to talk.
So I do. “I’m not working for the Elites.”
He laughs, giving a half-hearted attempt to cover it with a cough. “Then what did Colonel Upchuck and his creeper sidekick want?”
“I’m going to tell you the truth.”
This time he doesn’t even try to cover his laugh.
I begin again, this time letting in some of the power I carry, power that I rarely ever use. “The truth is, several days ago Colonel Poole brought me to meet with a distant relative, my several-times great grandmother, who also happens to be one of the old ones, the Tuatha Dé Danann.”
“Come on, pookie. You can do better than that.”
His nickname for me sparks anger that I’ve done my best to quench. It flares and I raise my voice. “For the last time, I’m not a fucking phouka. My mother is descended from the Morrigan, and Ananda Pendragon has asked me to find a missing elven princess.”
He stands frozen, hand still in the air. I move closer and interlace my fingers with his. “For whatever reason, the Morrigan used Poole as a go-between.”
His fingers are stiff and he hasn’t turned his head. “And you’re going to tell Trajan this when?”
“Look, she’s given me a deadline of three days to find the princess, and I’m hoping to beat that deadline. He’s already having trouble trusting me. If I tell him now…”
He exhales, hard. “You’re putting me in a shitty situation.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want either of you to find out. Please. If I haven’t found her in three days, I’ll tell him then.”
A breeze kicks up driving wavelets across the pool. He doesn’t say anything, but his fingers relax against mine.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”
