Page 35 of Evil Eyed
The door slammed open making everyone jump. Detective Short whirled, his hand dropping down to the gun on his hip.
Jonathan Blake stood in the doorway. Basic, boring businessman with brown hair and eyes, receding hairline, nice suit, shiny black shoes, and a heavy gold watch. “Why hello there, honeybun. Did you miss me?”
20
WARWICK
The instant revulsion that flickered over Riann’s face at my appearance distracted me just enough that I almost dropped the glamor. Worse, I felt a surge of abject terror from her, as if she feared she’d made a terrible mistake and accidentally freed the real man from Fhroig’s lair.
Keeping my face smooth, I tightened my mental focus, willing the repugnant face of her abuser to remain in place. Though I couldn’t resist sending her a quick mental hug.:It’s still me,mo stór.:
:Whew.:She laughed shakily.:I wasn’t sure for a moment. What’s wrong?:
Leprechauns didn’t sweat, but it was all I could do to hold on to the hated glamor. Magic was an innate part of my nature, even on the human plane, but I was breaking enough magical rules right now that my power didn’t want to respond. It was too complicated to explain and maintain the image at the same time, so I simply said,:We need to hurry.:
“They said you were dead.” Riann’s voice raised, higher than normal like a stressed, anxious woman. “You bastard! They thought I killed you!”
Splaying my fingers, I opened up my arms slightly. “Here I am. I was out of town on business, and I lost my phone.”
The two cops spluttered a bit, staring at each other and then Riann. They knew we were lying, but they couldn’t prove it. Not without revealing that they knew all about fae both light and dark. They’d chosen to attack Riann on the human plane, and so must play by human rules.
“But—” Viviana started to rise from her chair, face pale and eyes huge with terror. “Riann, run!”
“It’s okay.” Riann forced out a harsh laugh. “He can’t do anything to me here with witnesses. Are we done here, detectives?”
The older human ran a finger around his collar. By his alarming puce complexion, he was either extremely upset or having an aneurysm. The younger man gripped the gun on his hip, as if weighing his options. Not that I’d allow a regular bullet to harm me.
Though this place… A crushing weight settled on my chest. I gritted my teeth, hoping the expression would still manage to look offended or angry rather than desperate.
“I want to speak to you outside.” Riann gave me a shove toward the door. “You have to take me out of your stupid will. I want no part of your company, do you hear me? Who’s your attorney? Outside, now!”
I made some harsh, wordless sounds and allowed her to shove and push me out the door and down the hallway. Ivarr stepped out of the shadows and followed us, protecting her back. Though the cops didn’t follow. A few people looked up as we passed the front desk, but no one tried to stop us.
As soon as I stepped out of the ward made by the front pillars, the sense of impending doom eased. I kept the glamor in place, though I lifted a hand to my forehead, surprised to see the tremble in my fingers.
“Are you alright?” She whispered fiercely.
“Aye, love, I’ll be right as rain soon enough.”
We kept up the charade until we rounded the SUV. My knees quivered and my heart pounded a slow, heavy throb of agony. I barely made it to the opened passenger door. I didn’t try to climb up into the seat, but simply dropped down to sit on the carpeted floor. Panting, I braced my elbows on my knees and let the glamor drop away.
“You’re glistening like someone threw a glitter bomb at you.” She draped an arm around my shoulders, pressing against my side and knee. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea making that wish would be so hard on you. What happened?”
“The wards.” I grimaced, shaking my head. “That place be warded as heavily as Stonehenge.”
“Evil Eye’s headquarters, then?” Doran suggested.
“Makes sense,” Aidan said. “He loves places of power, and in the mortal realm, there’s few places with more power than a police station.”
“Was he one of the cops?” Her voice quivered and she leaned harder against me.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so, though they be tainted by him. Everybody in that building is touched by his magic. The air was thick with it.”
Gnawing on her lip, she straightened. “But I don’t know anyone who’s associated with the police.”
“We need to get the hell out of this fucking place,” Aidan said. “I have the distinct, unpleasant feeling that you met Evil Eye already.”
Her eyes flared. “What? Who?”
