The Evolution of Fae and Gods (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 3)

“Lucien is a loner,” Carrick explains. “The gods haven’t been good to him through the millennia.”

Frowning, I carefully point out. “You’re all slaves to them, right? I can’t imagine any of you were treated well.”

Carrick shrugs. “I guess it’s all relative. We all do their bidding, but they tend to choose Lucien to do their more brutal work.”

Lifting my coffee cup to take a sip, I ask, “Brutal work?”

“Trust me,” Carrick murmurs with a shake of his head. “You don’t want to know.”

I let it go because I don’t want to know right now. I’ve got way too much on my plate as it is, but maybe later when things are better, I’d like to learn about the mysteriously menacing demi-god.

As we eat breakfast, I listen with one ear to Carrick and Zaid discussing some strategies regarding Dark Fae Fallon. She’s not going to give up on taking me out. But I have a hard time concentrating on that particular problem when I’m still mourning the loss of my business.

It’s not lost on me how I was almost killed but a few hours ago and how incredibly lucky I am to be alive. But somehow, that gratitude has been pushed way into the back of my mind because my career—one I’d come to love and get extreme fulfillment from—is gone for now.

One Bean is a non-entity in my life, although there are still things to do. Carrick says he’ll pay the staff until we rebuild. I’ll need to stop some auto ship inventory and put the remaining vendor accounts on hold. We have a newsletter list, and we’ll have to send out an announcement to our patrons letting them know we’ll be back better than ever.

But after that… I have nothing to do.

Well, except save the world, but is that really a full-time job? Especially when it’s not like I can go out and do anything. At least not without a bodyguard.

“I’ve got to go into the office today,” Carrick says, knocking me out of my thoughts. I turn to face him. “I’m going to wrap some things up so I can work from home for the foreseeable future.”

“You know,” I say with a scowl. “I don’t even know where you work. Or even what you do other than give grants to new business owners and slay Dark Fae.”

Carrick smiles. “I’ll fill you in on it sometime.” His expression then turns deadly serious. “You are not to leave this condo. Zaid will be here with you, and Titus is coming to train.”

“And what about Rainey and Myles?” I query sweetly. They’re returning from Arizona tonight, and I’d really like them to come over tomorrow so I can update them on everything.

I can tell Carrick doesn’t like it, but since he’s basically made me a prisoner, he gives a curt nod. “They’re welcome to visit you here.”

“Can I show them the library?” I ask, excitement bubbling within me. They’re going to spaz out when they see it.

“Of course,” he replies, then stands from his stool. “But given that Fallon is going to be coming hard for you, I think you should urge them to get out of town again. It makes them a bigger target.”

He makes a good point, and it’s actually crossed my mind a time or two since I escaped death at Fallon’s hands. I nod and promise, “I’ll have a serious talk with them.”

Because, once again, my life has changed drastically. It’s become more perilous than ever before, and it could put them in danger, too.

Yes, I will talk to them, but I’m fairly sure I know what they’re going to say… and it’s not going to be what either Carrick or I want to hear.

CHAPTER 3

Finley

I walk back and forth the length of Carrick’s home gym, performing my dynamic stretches before Titus gets here. Currently, I’m doing stretch lunges past the whip practice dummies Carrick had moved here today from the downtown gym we’d been using. He, of course, nixed the idea of us going back there again.

Which I thought was a little odd since Titus would be with me and I would hope between the two of us, we could handle the creature who had taken over my sister’s body if she tracked us down there. But he was adamant, and I frankly didn’t want to argue with him.

Truth be told, Dark Fae Fallon burning down One Bean and trying to kill me—and very nearly succeeding—left me a bit shaken. I didn’t even mind hanging at the condo with Zaid in residence, although he stayed in his office the entire time. Still not sure what he does, but he’s not here to protect me today.

Carrick took care of that by having Maddox hang out in the lobby while he wrapped things up at his office.

Wherever that may be.