Page 70 of By the Horns
“Anyone involved with the guild would recognize a tracking globe,” I point out. “It’s a good idea, though.”
“If you ask me, you should cozy up to the big Taurian in your Five. What’s his name again?” Lark asks.
“Raptor.” My face gets hot just saying his name.
“That’s the one. Don’t let him out of your sight.” Lark reaches out and scratches the chin of the cat in Sparrow’s arms. “Are you two friendly?”
Now I’m really turning red. I clear my throat, determined to change the subject. “Friendly enough. Sparrow, where are all these cats coming from?”
Sparrow presses a kiss to the cat’s head. “These are my cats. Some of them needed homes and I thought, Why not with me?”
“Why are they here and not at the archives?”
“Oh, the cats at the archives are different cats.”
“But why so many?”
Sparrow grins wickedly at me. “Because I’m my own woman, and no one can tell me no. And I love cats. And Hawk loves me. So…cats.”
Fair enough. What would I do if I was married to a big Taurian who doted on me and gave me anything I desired? A mental image flashes to mind, of me atop the counter, Raptor’s hand in my pants.
I guess I’m a far more carnal sort than Sparrow, because if I had a big Taurian in my bed all the time, the last thing I’d be thinking about is cats.
Lark and Meredenand I eat all the snacks that Sparrow puts out for us. We pet all the cats, gossip about nothing and everything, and then share a long, wonderful hug when it’s time to go. Lark and Mereden leave first, as they want to visit the orphanage before heading home. I linger a little longer, listening to the returning students tromping up the stairs.
“Sounds like Hawk and Raptor are back.” Sparrow puts her hand on mine. “I’m still learning what I can about mancers, but I’m trying not to draw attention. Archivist Kestrel has me working on a cataloging project, so it’s taking me away from my research, but I promise I haven’t forgotten.”
“I know you haven’t.” I give her hand a friendly squeeze. “I’m just worried about this upcoming week. We’re going back into the tunnels again. Master Jay wants us to train in the practice tunnels, but every time I go down, I feel all the dead still in the Everbelow. There are so many voices down there….”
I rub my brow just thinking about it.
“You mentioned that the sensation takes you over,” she says. “Is there something you can do to dull it? To push it away so you can focus?”
“I’ve been distracting myself, aye.” That’s one way of putting it.
“And this distracting, it’s been working?” When I nod, she continues. “Keep doing that, then. Whatever it takes, make sure no one else knows your secret. I can’t imagine that whoever is killing people wants a mancer, but it never hurts to be safe.”
Keep distracting myself with Raptor? Now I’m thinking filthy thoughts all over again.
Thirty-Five
Raptor
Rooster to Raptor:Any updates on our situation?
Raptor to Rooster:How many times must we go over this? When there’s an update, you’ll know.
My chat withHawk was unfulfilling. I can’t blame him. It’s hard to have a secretive conversation about the state of the guild’s thief hunt when he’s busy training his students. Nothing else has been stolen from the guild coffers in the last week, though. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, because it doesn’t rule Gwenna out.
And I’m becoming increasingly desperate to rule Gwenna out, because I’m growing obsessed with her.
It’s a problem. A Five is supposed to be friendly and loyal…but fooling around? Not supposed to happen. Yet when Gwenna emerges from Hawk’s dorm with cat hair all over her dress and a sunny smile on her face, I want to grab her and squeeze her tight. I’d much rather see her happy than crying.
“Feel better?” I ask, my voice gruff. She moves to stand beside me, and I put a hand on the small of her back—and this time, she doesn’t push me away. It feels like a victory.
“Some? I just didn’t realize how much I’d missed my friends until now. It was good to be on a team with them. I miss that.”
I feel a stab of jealousy. “You’re on a team with me. And Kipp.”
