Saiman stretched. His body swelled, twisted, growing larger, gaining breadth and muscle. I made a valiant effort to not vomit.
Saiman’s body snapped. A large, perfectly sculpted male looked at me. Soft brown hair framed a masculine face. He would make any bodybuilder gym proud. Except for the bloated gut.
“Is he preferable to the previous attempt?” Saiman asked.
“There is more of you to guard now. Other than that, it makes no difference to me.”
I headed into the living room. He followed me, swiping a luxurious robe off a chair.
We stepped into the living room. Saiman stopped.
The corpses of endars had melted into puddles of green. Thin stalks of emerald green moss sprouted from the puddles, next to curly green shoots of ferns and tiny young herbs.
“The endars nourish the forest,” I told him.
He indicated the completely green carpet with his hand. “How many were there?”
“A few. I lost count.”
Saiman’s sharp eyes regarded my face. “You’re lying. You know the exact number.”
“Thirty-seven.”
I zeroed in on the fridge. No telling when the next attack would come, and I was starving. You can do without sleep or without food, but not without both and sleep wasn’t an option.
Saiman trailed me, taking the seat on the outer side of the counter. “Do you prefer women?”
“No.”
He frowned, belting the robe. “It’s the stomach, isn’t it?”
I raided the fridge. He had enough deli meat to feed an army. I spread it out on the bar’s counter. “What do you do for a living, Saimain?”
“I collect information and use it to further my interests.”
“It seems to pay well.” I nodded to indicate the apartment.
“It does. I also possess an exhaustive knowledge of various magic phenomena. I consult various parties. My fee varies between thirty-six hundred and thirty-nine hundred dollars, depending on the job and the client.”
“Thirty-six hundred dollars per job?” I bit into my sandwich. Mmm, salami.
“Per hour.”
I choked on my food. He looked at me with obvious amusement.
“The term ‘highway robbery’ comes to mind,” I managed finally.
“Oh, but I’m exceptionally good at what I do. Besides, the victims of highway robbery have no choice in the matter. I assure you, I don’t coerce my clients, Kate.”
“I’m sure. How did we even get to this point? The stratospheric fee ruined my train of thought.”
“You stated that you prefer men to women.”
I nodded. “Suppose you get a particularly sensitive piece of information. Let’s say a business tip. If you act on the tip, you could make some money. If you sell it, you could make more money. If both you and your buyer act on the tip, you both would make money, but the return for each of you would be significantly diminished. Your move?”
“Either sell the information or act on it. Not both.”
“Why?”