He had a point. Ilianna frowned and said, “But why come to you? They’d have to know your dad hasn’t contacted you.”
“I think my father was merely an excuse.” My voice was grim. “No one on the council or in the Directorate can walk the gray fields. If you can’t walk the fields, you can’t see the gates.”
“And that punches a mighty big hole in their plans.” Ilianna thrust a hand through her mane of hair. “Meaning, the bastards want to use you, just like they’re using your mom.”
“Yeah,” I said grimly. “Only this time, the situation they want to drag me into could very well result in the end of the world as we know it.”
And that was a pretty scary thought to go to bed with.
After managing only a couple of hours of sleep, I dragged my butt into the office and tried to make sense of the accounts. Thankfully, the system was all but automatic, an
d I only had to double-check that all the input data was correct—a hard enough task given the overtired state of my brain.
By twelve, I’d double-checked, then rechecked the figures, and had basically had enough for the day. I finished the dregs of my fourth glass of Coke and listened to the rattle of cooking pans and dishes rolling up from the kitchen below. My stomach rumbled a reminder that it hadn’t eaten anything since my rather rushed breakfast, and I half reached for the intercom to ask Tina—the chef currently running the afternoon shift—if she could fry me up something.
Then I remembered there was a better option and reached into my purse instead, drawing out the business card Lucian had given me last night.
Call anytime, he’d said. I needed food, and I also needed to ask him some questions. So why not combine the two needs?
And if a third, more basic need was also satisfied over lunch, then that would be a definite bonus.
Grinning in anticipation and suddenly feeling a whole lot more energetic than I had in hours, I touched the vid-phone’s screen and read out his number.
He answered on the second ring, his expression distant and somewhat formal. The Aedh, rather than the warm man I’d come to know. “Lucian speaking.”
His voice was a low rumble that seemed to vibrate pleasurably through my entire body. “Lucian, it’s Risa.”
“Risa.” The cold distance in his eyes fled, replaced by a lovely warmth. “It’s wonderful to hear from you again so soon.”
I smiled. I couldn’t help it—he had that sort of effect on me. “I was just wondering if you’re free for lunch.”
“As it happens,” he said, his green eyes sparkling with warmth and amusement, “a previous appointment just canceled, so I’m all yours. You can do with me what you will.”
“You might regret saying that,” I teased. “We half-weres have a very healthy list of wants.”
He chuckled softly, the sound whispering across my skin as sensually as a caress. “No healthier than mine, let me assure you.”
Oh yeah, this was going to be a good lunch. “Have you any particular preferences when it comes to food?”
“Not really.” He paused. “Not Italian. The garlic could prove problematic.”
“Not if we both have it,” I countered.
He laughed. “Italian, then. There’s a lovely little place called Alimento in Carlton. We could meet there at”—he paused, glancing down briefly—“one.”
My pulse rate increased. He lived in Carlton. What was the betting Alimento also happened to be very close to his house?
“That sounds perfect.”
“I’ll see you soon then, lovely Risa.”
He signed off. I sighed, and barely resisted the urge to fan myself. Hot and bothered really didn’t go far enough to explain just what I was feeling right now—and yet, he’d done little more than flirt with me. I’d never met anyone who could affect me like this—but I guess I’d never met a full Aedh before now, either.
I glanced at the time and realized I wasn’t going to make it home to Richmond to change and then get back to Carlton before one. I’d have to go dressed as I was. Thankfully, I’d had enough brain cells functioning this morning to pull on decent jeans and a cotton-mesh sweater that was see-through enough to tease the imagination of any hot-blooded male. But just in case his imagination needed a little more teasing, I reached underneath my sweater and unhooked my bra, pulling it off then dumping it into my desk drawer. If there was one good thing about being smaller in the breast department, it was the fact that they didn’t sag a whole lot when unsupported.
Which meant I was ready to go, but I still had a good twenty minutes to kill. I glanced briefly at the accounts, half thought about making a start on next week’s payroll, and decided to ring Mom instead. I pressed the vid-screen again, said her name, and watched the psychedelic colors swirl as the phones connected.
“Risa,” she said, a warm smile touching her lips. Her eyes—the same almost-almond shape as mine, but electric blue rather than violet—showed a touch of surprise. “I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon.”