Read Online Earthbound: An Otherworld Novella by Yasmine Galenorn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Yasmine Galenorn
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of the three of us, this seemed a good way to get her out there, interacting with others. Otherwise, I had the feeling she’d park herself in front of the television and only leave the house when she had to.
She shrugged. “All right. I can do that. Chase, should I come by your office tomorrow? And while I’m there, we can finish going over what I need to know about the PI business. I suppose it’s like being an agent for the OIA, in a sense, but for private clients?”
“That’s probably the best way to look at it. All right. Do you feel safe enough tonight? Do you want me to leave a couple of men to guard the land?”
I knew how stretched thin his personnel resources were. The OIA had managed to engage the FBHs’ help in order to plant a few spies Earthside. They were also using the alliance as a way to conveniently dispatch agents whom they didn’t want to deal with, but couldn’t conveniently fire. Due to our father’s place in the Court and Crown, they couldn’t just kick us out. So they sent us on a special mission , guaranteed to take us out of the picture.
“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. Now that we know something is out there prowling around, we’ll be careful. Maybe we can use the laptop and the internet to find out what the creature was.” The internet fascinated me. That so much knowledge was available at the touch of our fingertips boggled my mind. It seemed one of the greatest inventions, ever.
Chase stood. “All right. Call me if you have anymore problems tonight. Don’t go back out there unless you’re armed. From what you said, the creature’s hungry and is looking for lunch.”
“Aren’t we all?” Menolly said with a slow smile, staring at him.
With a nervous glance at her, he exited the kitchen. I followed him into the foyer.
“Don’t mind her. She knows she makes you nervous and so she’s going to play that up for all its worth. The more you buy into it, the more she’ll tease you.”
Chase lowered his voice. “Why does she do that? Do I remind her of somebody she hates?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly, but…how much were you told about us, Chase?”
“Just what the official documents said. You’re agents with the OIA, on special assignment. You’re sisters, and you are all half human, half-Fae. You’re a witch, Delilah’s a werecat, and Menolly is a vampire.” He looked so confused that I decided to take pity on him.
“Let me walk you out.” I followed him onto the front porch, closing the door behind us. As we paused at the top of the stairs, I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the night. I could hear traffic in the distance, and the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. A few birds echoed in the stillness, and Chase’s men were murmuring as they stood near the patrol cars.
“Chase, I’m going to tell you something so there are no misunderstandings down the road. My sisters and I were sent over here to get rid of us. Let’s just say that…I…” But I couldn’t talk about Lathe. The fact that we had been punished because I hadn’t knuckled under to him ate at me. I was embarrassed that I hadn’t been able to stop him.
“What is it?” Chase’s gaze was warm with concern.
Finally, I said, “We did our best, but our best wasn’t good enough. There are blots on our records. Our father is positioned within the Court and Crown, and it was the YIA’s fault that Menolly ended up a vampire, so they couldn’t just strip our commissions.”
“The YIA?”
“Y’Elestrial Intelligence Agency. The OIA is an offshoot of the branch. Anyway, it’s directly their fault that Menolly was turned. They sent her into a dangerous situation to spy on a nest of vampires. The leader—a vamp named Dredge, also known as the Scourge—is a terror. One of the worst vampires ever to walk Otherworld. He’s far worse than Dracula.”
Chase let out an audible gulp. “Dracula’s real ?”
I gave him a long look, realizing that he
She shrugged. “All right. I can do that. Chase, should I come by your office tomorrow? And while I’m there, we can finish going over what I need to know about the PI business. I suppose it’s like being an agent for the OIA, in a sense, but for private clients?”
“That’s probably the best way to look at it. All right. Do you feel safe enough tonight? Do you want me to leave a couple of men to guard the land?”
I knew how stretched thin his personnel resources were. The OIA had managed to engage the FBHs’ help in order to plant a few spies Earthside. They were also using the alliance as a way to conveniently dispatch agents whom they didn’t want to deal with, but couldn’t conveniently fire. Due to our father’s place in the Court and Crown, they couldn’t just kick us out. So they sent us on a special mission , guaranteed to take us out of the picture.
“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. Now that we know something is out there prowling around, we’ll be careful. Maybe we can use the laptop and the internet to find out what the creature was.” The internet fascinated me. That so much knowledge was available at the touch of our fingertips boggled my mind. It seemed one of the greatest inventions, ever.
Chase stood. “All right. Call me if you have anymore problems tonight. Don’t go back out there unless you’re armed. From what you said, the creature’s hungry and is looking for lunch.”
“Aren’t we all?” Menolly said with a slow smile, staring at him.
With a nervous glance at her, he exited the kitchen. I followed him into the foyer.
“Don’t mind her. She knows she makes you nervous and so she’s going to play that up for all its worth. The more you buy into it, the more she’ll tease you.”
Chase lowered his voice. “Why does she do that? Do I remind her of somebody she hates?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly, but…how much were you told about us, Chase?”
“Just what the official documents said. You’re agents with the OIA, on special assignment. You’re sisters, and you are all half human, half-Fae. You’re a witch, Delilah’s a werecat, and Menolly is a vampire.” He looked so confused that I decided to take pity on him.
“Let me walk you out.” I followed him onto the front porch, closing the door behind us. As we paused at the top of the stairs, I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the night. I could hear traffic in the distance, and the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. A few birds echoed in the stillness, and Chase’s men were murmuring as they stood near the patrol cars.
“Chase, I’m going to tell you something so there are no misunderstandings down the road. My sisters and I were sent over here to get rid of us. Let’s just say that…I…” But I couldn’t talk about Lathe. The fact that we had been punished because I hadn’t knuckled under to him ate at me. I was embarrassed that I hadn’t been able to stop him.
“What is it?” Chase’s gaze was warm with concern.
Finally, I said, “We did our best, but our best wasn’t good enough. There are blots on our records. Our father is positioned within the Court and Crown, and it was the YIA’s fault that Menolly ended up a vampire, so they couldn’t just strip our commissions.”
“The YIA?”
“Y’Elestrial Intelligence Agency. The OIA is an offshoot of the branch. Anyway, it’s directly their fault that Menolly was turned. They sent her into a dangerous situation to spy on a nest of vampires. The leader—a vamp named Dredge, also known as the Scourge—is a terror. One of the worst vampires ever to walk Otherworld. He’s far worse than Dracula.”
Chase let out an audible gulp. “Dracula’s real ?”
I gave him a long look, realizing that he
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