Read Online Jocelynn Drake - [Asylum Tales 02] by Dead Mans Deal - Free Book Online Page B

discuss with him, but I will give you the same warning that he recently gave me.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and leaned back against the table. “Things are getting bad in the Towers. Lot of unrest and anxiety, from what he tells me. I’d keep your head down as much as possible.”
    “What does that mean for you?”
    I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “Nothing good. As it stands, I’ll most likely lose Gideon as my assigned guardian soon unless he hands the council my head on a pike. From there . . . well, I’m sure you can imagine the shit storm that’s going to follow.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    I shrugged helplessly. There wasn’t anything I could do about it. “Thanks. I would appreciate it if you could keep this info to yourself. I don’t want Trixie worrying yet. You know how slow the council can be at times. It may be months before anything happens.”
    “Or days.”
    “Even so, she has her own problems, things that we can do something about. For now, we have to sit with our thumbs up our asses until something is decided in the Towers.”
    “Agreed.”
    I pushed away from the table, stretching my arms above my head. “Thanks, Sof. We better get back upstairs before Trixie comes looking for us.”
    Sofie started to walk beside me then paused. “I thought you had some things you needed to do down here.”
    I stopped with one foot on the bottom step and smiled down at her. “I did. Gideon wanted me to talk to you and I didn’t think you’d want to discuss this in front of Trixie.”
    Sofie purred as she headed up the stairs. “You always were a smart boy.”
    I snorted at her, but kept my mouth shut as I followed her. For such a smart boy, I seemed to be in a hell of a lot a trouble with few ideas on how to get out. As soon as the cat reached the main floor, I waved my right hand at the symbol on the wall and, with a little push of energy, reactivated the protection spell. One thing at a time. First, Trixie and the elves. Then, free Bronx from Reave. And if there was anything left of me after that, I’d find a way to wipe my memory from the Towers.
    Yep. I was in big trouble.

5
    AFTER LAST NIGHT’S clusterfuck, I was relieved to find that tonight was quiet at Asylum. Sofie had settled on the glass counter at the front of the shop, lounging between the cordless-phone charger and the framed article proclaiming Asylum the top tattoo and potion parlor in Low Town for 2012. It was the third year in a row we had won the local award. We didn’t get anything for the title besides a nice certificate and an increase in business. I preferred to display the article rather than the certificate, since it contained a cheesy photo of Bronx, Trixie, and me sitting in the lobby of the shop.
    Business was steady, but far from hectic. Trixie finished up her appointment with a banshee in a matter of minutes. From what I overhead of the conversation, the death wailer had recently gotten a job at a nursing home. Unfortunately, she had been bemoaning the dying so much that she had gotten a sore throat, which was threatening to give way to laryngitis. Instead of a tattoo, Trixie gave her a mixture to be steeped with tea daily and advice to get a job at a day care.
    From there, I tattooed a drake with an antiseasickness potion. Apparently the cannibalistic ogre was going deep-sea fishing with some friends off the coast of Florida in a few weeks but was having problems managing boat trips. I kept my mouth shut for most of the tattoo. Drakes, who are not related to dragons as many people believe, are more likely to take a bite out of you than hit you if you piss them off. Trixie enjoyed lightly teasing this one despite my glares, but then a pretty girl could get away with so much more than a guy.
    Trixie then handled a pair of goblins wanting matching tattoos to express their love for each other. At least they didn’t want to get each other’s name tattooed on their shoulders. But I wasn’t being fair. From what I