A Battle of Blood and Stone (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 4)

“I can do that.” Boral cuts his gaze to his son. “Anything you, in particular, want me to do?”

I know if Zaid answered truthfully, he’d tell his father he wishes he was dead, but he’s not going to antagonize our best chance at getting the inside scoop on Kymaris.

Zaid asks a question of his own, however. “How badly does Kymaris want Finley right now?”

“And what does Kymaris know about Finley?” Maddox adds.

I can’t help but smile. My two protectors.

My friends.

Boral shrugs carelessly before giving me a sly smile. “As extraordinary of a human as you are, your name actually doesn’t come up much. My feeling is she’s too busy looking for the last fallen Dark Fae and the Blood Stone, but I do know you’re on her radar merely because you have a demi-god at your side.”

That makes me feel slightly better. Boral has confirmed my take on things, that I was sort of small potatoes for her to worry about just now. But I know that will probably change at some point.

We spend another half hour giving Boral details he thinks to ask for since my overview was pretty generic. Zaid remains typically silent, leaving it up to Maddox and me to relay information.

I’m relieved Boral knows everything, and while I’ll admit it to no one unless Carrick presses me, since I won’t lie to him, I am looking forward to picking Boral’s brain about the Underworld. He’s going to be a huge part of helping me formulate a plan to get Zora out.

CHAPTER 10

Finley

The minute Boral leaves Carrick’s condo, Maddox asks, “Feel like blowing off some steam?”

I had thought he meant a workout in the gym, and I was game for that. So I say, “Sure.”

But rather than heading toward the gym, Maddox pivots in the opposite direction and leads me to the southwest side of the condo. It’s an area I don’t go to a lot as it holds a guest suite identical to mine and another guest bedroom.

Maddox opens a door I had thought was a utility closet, and I gasp when I realize it’s a man-cave.

Dark paneled walls and gleaming hardwood floors, but the decor is distinctly different than the cool blues, light creams, and silvery grays throughout the rest of the condo. Persian rugs in crimson, navy, and beige are scattered under various pieces of furniture. There’s a pool table, a bar to seat eight, a poker table, and even a dartboard. One wall boasts a flat-screen TV so large I can’t even begin to fathom how big it is, and it’s sectioned off with a massive U-shaped couch in cocoa brown, distressed leather with ornate carved clawed feet.

It was the antithesis of the rest of the condo, and not just because it’s designed to serve men and their desires for liquor, football, and cigars. It’s just overly staid in my opinion.

“Holy shit,” I murmur as I follow Maddox in. “I had no clue this was even here.”

He plops down in the middle of the couch, then reaches for a remote control. “I brought over my PS4. I thought you and I could practice our battle skills in a more chilled sort of way.”

I snort as I take in the handheld gaming controls, the only reason that I recognize them is that Myles is a big gamer. He waves one at me provocatively and then nods to the cushion beside him.

“Come on, Finley,” he urges with a gleam in his eye. “Take a load off for a while and come spend just half an hour with me blowing shit up.”

Playing video games just isn’t my thing, but it’s better than sitting around and letting my mind become overwhelmed with planning, contingencies, and what-ifs. It would actually do me good just to take a brain break.

“Okay,” I reply almost giddily, moving to the couch and hopping the back of it to land on the cushion beside Maddox. He hands me a controller and says, “We’ll play Final Fantasy VII. You’ll love it.”

I wait as he boots up the game, studying the controller. I assume he’ll give me a lesson on what the buttons do.

“Does Carrick even come in here?” I ask as I kick my tennis shoes off and cross my legs.

“He used to PF,” Maddox says as the game starts to load.

“PF?”

“Pre-Finley.” He grins at me, then takes the controller I’m holding out of my hand. “But only to have a drink, conduct business, or maybe play some poker with friends.”

“But Carrick doesn’t have friends,” I point out. “And why hasn’t he come in here since I came into his life?”

“You are correct… Carrick doesn’t have friends. Maybe I should have said business acquaintances. And I imagine he doesn’t use this room very much these days as he hasn’t had much downtime since you came into his life wreaking havoc.”