Maybe I had been around humans for too long if the first para to cross my path melted my panties.
Asa made no move to enter the store, so I joined him on the sidewalk. “Forget something?”
“Clay called.” He rolled up his shirtsleeves, which struck me as somehow obscene. “He’s in trouble.”
I was too.
Forearms were not an erogenous zone.
“Oh no,” the tiny voice from my hair squeaked. “What happened?”
Never in my life had I been more grateful Colby and I didn’t share a mental bond, as some familiars did with their practitioners. Here I was, mentally shopping for Asa-inspired vibrators, and I forgot about her.
Oh, yeah.
This was bad.
“What she said.” I recovered my mental dignity. “What’s wrong?”
“He was sent to collect a young dryad.” His gaze drifted up to Colby’s perch. “She’s resisting arrest.”
Poor Clay wouldn’t hurt a leaf on her head. “And you’re telling me this…why?”
“The agent he was providing backup for is…” he pursed his lips, “…napping under a tree.”
One thing Black Hat drummed into its agents was to always, always stick with your partner on a call.
“Why doesn’t Clay wake them up?” Colby wanted to know. “He needs someone to watch his back.”
“I agree.” Asa slid his gaze to mine. “I was hoping Rue would go with me to help him.”
This had the smell of a trap all over it, but I couldn’t fault his ploy. Clay was a huge soft spot for me.
“She will,” Colby volunteered me then tiptoed forward to peer down at me. “I like Clay.”
Figuring I could nip this rebellion in the bud, I told him, “I’ll have to drop Colby off at home first.”
“That’s okay.” She tapped my forehead. “I have to meet my friends for a raid anyhow.”
Asa’s eyebrows rose. “A raid?”
“I play a lot of Mystic Realms.” She sighed at his blank expression. “It’s an MMRPG.”
Brackets formed to either side of his lips as he pondered her meaning.
“A massively multiplayer online role-playing game?”
Poor Asa was still drawing a blank, so I intervened before Colby recruited him for her guild.
“A girl’s gotta socialize.” I wiggled my brows to drive Colby back into place. “I can barely keep her avatar, and its adorable pet, straight, but she knows everyone. It sounds like a wild party in my living room every night.”
Understanding darkened his eyes, and he dipped his chin. “Maybe you can show me sometime.”
“Sure.” Her little feet tickled my scalp. “I like helping newbs.”
Asa lifted his eyes to mine, a pleat across his brow, which almost made up for his wrangling an invitation into my house.
“Newbies,” I explained. “People who are new to the game.”