Read Online Mine to Spell (Mine #2) by Janeal Falor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Janeal Falor
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gentlemanly of me to mention, your stomach keeps growling.”
I want to cover my stomach. I want to, but I don’t. His mention of the bakery only makes the sounds louder. Still, I keep my arms crossed, not lowering them even an inch. I don’t even give him the satisfaction of a reply.
Though my cheeks are hot, which is reply enough.
“ So we’re agreed your situation could use some, ah, aid,” he says.
“ I implied nothing of the sort.”
He ignores me as if I didn’t say anything. Which I shouldn’t have. Why do inappropriate things keep spewing out of my mouth?
“My friend thinks we may be able to help. He’s actually making his way here to check on another situation close by, and said he’d stop by and help with yours,\ as well.”
Great. Two warlocks shoving their way into my situation. Just what I need.
“I know you probably don’t want to trust me, but Za— my friend really is a good guy. He’ll do what he can.”
“ Zade? Chancellor Zade? Is that who you were going to say is your friend?”
“ Possibly,” he hedges. “What if he is?”
“ That would change things.”
“ And what if he isn’t?”
“ That wouldn’t change things.”
He sighs and pushes the strange window things farther up his nose. “Fine then. It’s Chancellor Zade. You’ve heard of him?”
Heard of Zade? If this wasn't so dangerous, I'd laugh. This has to be some sort of joke or, more likely, a trap. I put on my hard, no-nonsense expression disregarding the worry quivering through me. “What is it you want from me? Do you work with the council? Are you going to drag me somewhere no one will be able to find me? Are you here to punish me? To tarnish me? To kill me?”
“ So you are in trouble?”
How am I giving too much away again? “I’m done speaking with you.” I stride off.
Of course, he follows after. “Please, let me help. We can go to a restaurant and wait for Zade there. It’s a nice, public place. I’ll buy you something to eat while we wait.”
Being in public doesn’t mean safe. Yet his words keep tumbling though my mind. I stop, the boardwalk creaking beneath my feet. Zade, come here? It’s a trick. It has to be. Zade should be with Serena, or doing whatever else it is he’s always disappearing to do when it’s not a council day. But if it is Zade, my problems would be a lot more manageable. If.
Even if it’s not Zade, I’m hungry. This isn’t going to be a chance I’ll have again. I can claim a need to use the water closet and slip out when no one's looking. Because of father, I had a lot of practice with that. I'd even distract them with some sort of spell if I had to.
“ Fine.”
He says, “I really don’t want to pressure you, but I think you should come—wait. Did you just say you’ll come?” This time I’m the one to raise my eyebrows at him. “Right. Let’s go.”
Hopefully, this isn’t as bad of a decision as the rest of the ones I’ve made lately.
I follow him into a restaurant. There are no tarnished eating at this one, unlike the only other restaurant I’ve been to. The tarnished are only servers. Most everyone else is a warlock, and very few women dot the place.
He leads me to a table in the back corner. As we weave past the other tables, I hunch in on myself trying to become small, unnoticeable, with my head down as I remain a step behind. It feels as if everyone’s eyes are on me, boring into me and learning all my secrets. I wish he would have picked a table up front so at least we wouldn’t have been paraded through them all.
Once seated, everything changes. Coat Man sits with his back to one wall, and I’ve got mine to the other. Having my back to the wall already lends a sense of security, even if it’s only a small sense.
We have a good view of the entire room without making ourselves conspicuous, but most of the room has a harder time looking at us without straining their necks. And soon they forget about us anyway, going back to their
I want to cover my stomach. I want to, but I don’t. His mention of the bakery only makes the sounds louder. Still, I keep my arms crossed, not lowering them even an inch. I don’t even give him the satisfaction of a reply.
Though my cheeks are hot, which is reply enough.
“ So we’re agreed your situation could use some, ah, aid,” he says.
“ I implied nothing of the sort.”
He ignores me as if I didn’t say anything. Which I shouldn’t have. Why do inappropriate things keep spewing out of my mouth?
“My friend thinks we may be able to help. He’s actually making his way here to check on another situation close by, and said he’d stop by and help with yours,\ as well.”
Great. Two warlocks shoving their way into my situation. Just what I need.
“I know you probably don’t want to trust me, but Za— my friend really is a good guy. He’ll do what he can.”
“ Zade? Chancellor Zade? Is that who you were going to say is your friend?”
“ Possibly,” he hedges. “What if he is?”
“ That would change things.”
“ And what if he isn’t?”
“ That wouldn’t change things.”
He sighs and pushes the strange window things farther up his nose. “Fine then. It’s Chancellor Zade. You’ve heard of him?”
Heard of Zade? If this wasn't so dangerous, I'd laugh. This has to be some sort of joke or, more likely, a trap. I put on my hard, no-nonsense expression disregarding the worry quivering through me. “What is it you want from me? Do you work with the council? Are you going to drag me somewhere no one will be able to find me? Are you here to punish me? To tarnish me? To kill me?”
“ So you are in trouble?”
How am I giving too much away again? “I’m done speaking with you.” I stride off.
Of course, he follows after. “Please, let me help. We can go to a restaurant and wait for Zade there. It’s a nice, public place. I’ll buy you something to eat while we wait.”
Being in public doesn’t mean safe. Yet his words keep tumbling though my mind. I stop, the boardwalk creaking beneath my feet. Zade, come here? It’s a trick. It has to be. Zade should be with Serena, or doing whatever else it is he’s always disappearing to do when it’s not a council day. But if it is Zade, my problems would be a lot more manageable. If.
Even if it’s not Zade, I’m hungry. This isn’t going to be a chance I’ll have again. I can claim a need to use the water closet and slip out when no one's looking. Because of father, I had a lot of practice with that. I'd even distract them with some sort of spell if I had to.
“ Fine.”
He says, “I really don’t want to pressure you, but I think you should come—wait. Did you just say you’ll come?” This time I’m the one to raise my eyebrows at him. “Right. Let’s go.”
Hopefully, this isn’t as bad of a decision as the rest of the ones I’ve made lately.
I follow him into a restaurant. There are no tarnished eating at this one, unlike the only other restaurant I’ve been to. The tarnished are only servers. Most everyone else is a warlock, and very few women dot the place.
He leads me to a table in the back corner. As we weave past the other tables, I hunch in on myself trying to become small, unnoticeable, with my head down as I remain a step behind. It feels as if everyone’s eyes are on me, boring into me and learning all my secrets. I wish he would have picked a table up front so at least we wouldn’t have been paraded through them all.
Once seated, everything changes. Coat Man sits with his back to one wall, and I’ve got mine to the other. Having my back to the wall already lends a sense of security, even if it’s only a small sense.
We have a good view of the entire room without making ourselves conspicuous, but most of the room has a harder time looking at us without straining their necks. And soon they forget about us anyway, going back to their
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