Read Online Prince of Power by Elisabeth Staab - Free Book Online

sweetheart.”
    He opened his mouth to speak when they left the store but she held up a finger.
    Finally, when they reached the car, she said, “‘Daddy needs dinner and a beer.’ Are you kidding me?”
    She was biting her lip, and her cheeks were flushed. Anton couldn’t hold the laughter in. So much for being pissed off at her. “Hey,” he said, gasping to catch his breath. “I was playing along. What was that about, anyway?”
    She leaned her head back and breathed deeply. He tried not to notice how pretty her cheeks were, stained with red like that, and how her chest rose and fell gracefully under the V-neck of her T-shirt. “You never know who’s listening or watching. The wizards… well, your… the wizards…” She shook her head. “They’re all over the place. And we’re starting to suspect that they hide in plain sight. I’ve never been as good at detecting them—you—them. Maybe because I’m part human.” She shrugged. “Better safe than sorry, I guess.”
    He swallowed. “I guess that makes sense. I don’t honestly know what he’s got them doing these days. I’ve obviously been out of the loop.” He put a hand on the bag of clothing in her lap. “I’m not happy about this, Tyra.”
    She honestly seemed incredulous. “What do you mean?”
    â€œYou said you wanted to buy me a pair of pants. I agreed to one pair of pants. One. For practical reasons and because I have no money right now. But what the hell was the rest of that stuff?”
    If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought she shrank back. “It wasn’t that much.”
    â€œTyra, this is more than I’ve spent on clothes in probably my entire life.”
    She scoffed and rolled her eyes. That move was already getting old. “You can’t be serious.”
    â€œWhy do you think the wizards wear those stupid robes all the time?” Anton clunked his head back against the window glass. “They’re easy to fight in, and they’re cheap. Bolt of fabric, and teach a few of us peons how to sew. No need to buy anybody clothes. Bad enough the Master’s gotta feed us— them— and give everyone a place to sleep.”
    A hand landed on his knee. Reluctantly Anton met Tyra’s gaze, expecting sadness or pity or… he wasn’t sure what. What he hadn’t expected were the teeth sinking into her full lips, the tiny lift to the corners of her mouth, and the sparkle of humor in her brown eyes. “Do you really know how to sew?”
    He jerked. His body was hot again, although Tyra had barely gotten the heat going in the car. Uncomfortable prickles danced over his skin. Her amusing little jab landed squarely in his gut, and suddenly he couldn’t sit still. If he looked down at himself just then, he’d probably have seen a hole straight through him to the seat back.
    â€œYou know what?” The sound of the clothing bag was deafening when he crushed the plastic material to shove it back into her lap. “I managed to get out of having to cut open one of your brethren a time or two by being useful in other ways, so it’s not a fucking joke to me.”
    Anton ignored her cringe and faced forward. He bit hard on his own tongue to keep from saying more. The sharp bite of his nails digging into his palms and the cold leather of the car seat were satisfying against his skin. Familiar. Pain and discomfort he could handle. He might not like it, but it was familiar. “Let’s just get on with the plan, Tyra.”
    â€œI didn’t mean to offend you.”
    He thought his head might explode. And how could he be sweating when it was forty degrees outside? “Tyra, I don’t really think that makes a difference, does it?”
    â€œAnton.”
    He shook his head. No. He didn’t intend to say anything more on the subject. Letting her know that