Read Online Children of Poseidon: Rann by Annalisa Carr - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Annalisa Carr
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pizzas for supper, and Jewel drank Italian beer with hers. She hoped it would give her some courage.
As soon as she finished, she rose to her feet. No point in putting it off.
“Can I borrow your phone?” She hadn’t needed one on Rann’s island, and she’d forgotten to buy one on her marathon shopping trip.
Maya handed the phone over without saying anything, and Jewel took it into the kitchen. She needed to concentrate. Maya stuck her head round the door. “Kara’s on speed dial. Under ‘coven leader.’” She closed the door again.
Jewel frowned at the phone. Pulling herself together and telling herself not to be a pussy, she forced herself to make the call. A stranger answered immediately. A woman’s voice, probably a maid. Kara had never been able to keep staff, even though she paid well.
“Vargas residence. How may I help you?”
“I’d like to speak to Kara Vargas, please.”
“Who’s calling?”
“It’s her daughter. Jewel.” Someone on the other end of the phone took an audible breath. Jewel waited.
“Hold on.”
She tapped her foot on the tiles, counted the different types of fruit on the chandelier, and eventually wandered to the window and looked out over the roofs of Hampstead. The stars were drowned out by the city lights; far too much brightness saturated the night skies over the city.
“Jewel?”
“Mother.”
“You’re back in London? That’s Maya’s phone.” Accusation coloured her mother’s voice.
Why shouldn’t I be in London? “Yes.” Jewel moved to the kitchen table and sat down. “I’d like to see you.”
Kara sighed heavily then relapsed into silence for a few seconds. Jewel didn’t believe her mother would refuse to see her. She wasn’t important enough for that.
“I suppose I could fit you in,” she said. “When did you want to come?”
“Tomorrow.” No point in putting it off.
“Tomorrow?” Her mother sounded surprised.
Jewel had been an insecure teenager when she left London, frightened of Kara, and rarely offering an unsolicited opinion. She certainly hadn’t been decisive. She waited.
“Come for tea. Day after tomorrow. Three thirty. You know where to come?”
“I lived there for seventeen years.” Jewel could not refrain from sarcasm.
“Goodbye.” Her mother cut off the call.
Jewel closed her eyes. That hadn’t been as bad as she expected. Of course, neither of them had said much more than a dozen words. She went back into the sitting room.
“Sorted?” Maya carried on reading through some papers.
“I think so.” Jewel handed Maya her phone. “I’m meeting her for tea the day after tomorrow.”
“God.” Maya flung her reading matter onto the coffee table. A single loose sheet slid to the carpet. “I remember those teas. Me, perched on the edge of the sofa, trying not to break the china, feeling like a huge clumsy gorilla, while she questioned me on arcane magical theory. Ugh.”
“You’re making me glad she never wasted her energy on me.” Jewel bent to pick up the paper. “I don’t think I ever had tea with her.” She stared at the meaningless list of figures. “I wish I didn’t have to now.”
Chapter 7
Rann jumped out of the small boat and waded through the shallow opaque water to the shore of his half-brother’s Scottish island. He pulled the boat up the beach and secured it between two rocks. A fine drizzle fell relentlessly from the clouds, landing on rocks as gray as the sky. He shivered. Why on earth does Lykos want to live here?
Rann asked himself the same question every time he visited. The place was usually cold, always damp, and completely isolated. His brother had lived alone except for servants and the occasional lover, until he met his present and final lover, Lila. They’d gone through some sort of marriage ceremony a couple of years ago, but even so, the island was still a place of solitude. How Lykos hadn’t gone into a complete decline defeated Rann’s imagination. How did he ever
As soon as she finished, she rose to her feet. No point in putting it off.
“Can I borrow your phone?” She hadn’t needed one on Rann’s island, and she’d forgotten to buy one on her marathon shopping trip.
Maya handed the phone over without saying anything, and Jewel took it into the kitchen. She needed to concentrate. Maya stuck her head round the door. “Kara’s on speed dial. Under ‘coven leader.’” She closed the door again.
Jewel frowned at the phone. Pulling herself together and telling herself not to be a pussy, she forced herself to make the call. A stranger answered immediately. A woman’s voice, probably a maid. Kara had never been able to keep staff, even though she paid well.
“Vargas residence. How may I help you?”
“I’d like to speak to Kara Vargas, please.”
“Who’s calling?”
“It’s her daughter. Jewel.” Someone on the other end of the phone took an audible breath. Jewel waited.
“Hold on.”
She tapped her foot on the tiles, counted the different types of fruit on the chandelier, and eventually wandered to the window and looked out over the roofs of Hampstead. The stars were drowned out by the city lights; far too much brightness saturated the night skies over the city.
“Jewel?”
“Mother.”
“You’re back in London? That’s Maya’s phone.” Accusation coloured her mother’s voice.
Why shouldn’t I be in London? “Yes.” Jewel moved to the kitchen table and sat down. “I’d like to see you.”
Kara sighed heavily then relapsed into silence for a few seconds. Jewel didn’t believe her mother would refuse to see her. She wasn’t important enough for that.
“I suppose I could fit you in,” she said. “When did you want to come?”
“Tomorrow.” No point in putting it off.
“Tomorrow?” Her mother sounded surprised.
Jewel had been an insecure teenager when she left London, frightened of Kara, and rarely offering an unsolicited opinion. She certainly hadn’t been decisive. She waited.
“Come for tea. Day after tomorrow. Three thirty. You know where to come?”
“I lived there for seventeen years.” Jewel could not refrain from sarcasm.
“Goodbye.” Her mother cut off the call.
Jewel closed her eyes. That hadn’t been as bad as she expected. Of course, neither of them had said much more than a dozen words. She went back into the sitting room.
“Sorted?” Maya carried on reading through some papers.
“I think so.” Jewel handed Maya her phone. “I’m meeting her for tea the day after tomorrow.”
“God.” Maya flung her reading matter onto the coffee table. A single loose sheet slid to the carpet. “I remember those teas. Me, perched on the edge of the sofa, trying not to break the china, feeling like a huge clumsy gorilla, while she questioned me on arcane magical theory. Ugh.”
“You’re making me glad she never wasted her energy on me.” Jewel bent to pick up the paper. “I don’t think I ever had tea with her.” She stared at the meaningless list of figures. “I wish I didn’t have to now.”
Chapter 7
Rann jumped out of the small boat and waded through the shallow opaque water to the shore of his half-brother’s Scottish island. He pulled the boat up the beach and secured it between two rocks. A fine drizzle fell relentlessly from the clouds, landing on rocks as gray as the sky. He shivered. Why on earth does Lykos want to live here?
Rann asked himself the same question every time he visited. The place was usually cold, always damp, and completely isolated. His brother had lived alone except for servants and the occasional lover, until he met his present and final lover, Lila. They’d gone through some sort of marriage ceremony a couple of years ago, but even so, the island was still a place of solitude. How Lykos hadn’t gone into a complete decline defeated Rann’s imagination. How did he ever
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