Read Online Reluctant Adept: Book Three of A Clairvoyant's Complicated Life by Katherine Bayless - Free Book Online
Authors: Katherine Bayless
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worse and survived." Lowering his voice, he muttered, "He's harder to kill than an ill-tempered tonngéar ."
If the situation had been different, I might have been amused by his acerbic aside and asked for a description of what was no doubt an ugly and tenacious Otherworld beast. As it was, I nodded stiffly and dried my eyes with the heels of my gloved hands, feeling numb.
Bit by bit, Tíereachán's words percolated through the knot of despair in my mind.
Someone would call. With news. I latched on to that single thought more doggedly than a toddler clutching at her mom's leg in a crowd of strangers. My phone. Where was my purse? Red was here, so my shoulder bag had to be somewhere in the car, right?
I must have mumbled something because Tíereachán shifted in his seat and then offered me my bag. As soon as the faux suede hit my lap, I ransacked it, coming away with my iPhone in nothing flat. Bluish light illuminated the backseat, thanks to my Cookie Monster wallpaper. I squinted at the brightly lit screen and then sagged in my seat. Damn. No missed calls or texts. I sniffled and fought another wave of useless tears.
It was 10:15, now. We'd arrived at the party around 8:30. If I factored in another twenty minutes of socializing prior to my meltdown, it hadn't been more than ninety minutes since Tíereachán whisked me away. So, perhaps not long enough yet to panic, I reasoned.
I tapped out an urgent text message to both Kim and Kieran, checked the settings to ensure my cell would both ring and vibrate if a call came through, and then maxed out the volume. When I was sure I couldn't miss a call or text, I clutched it to my stomach and stared at nothing through the passenger window as darkness, tinged by the amber glow of the dashboard's control panel, once again claimed the backseat.
Memories of the party weighed on me so heavily I had difficulty drawing breath. "I … I remember smelling smoke," I choked out, bowing my head closer to the window, not wanting to know the details but compelled to ask, "Did … did I … was anyone—?"
I sucked in a shuddering breath, but Tíereachán answered before I finished voicing the question.
"I saw no burning bodies nor did I smell any," he said. "When I pulled you out, a few tables had ignited. Kieran had charged to engage Lorcán. Between the spot fires, my cousin's deft blade, and the hostages, the vampires had plenty to keep them occupied. It helped make our escape somewhat less complicated. While I got you into the car, the alarm sounded. We were hard pressed at that point, so I had little wherewithal to notice more."
"The sprinkler system triggered along with the alarm," Fisk said, shrugging. "Fucking bloodsuckers kept me too busy to see much beyond the tip of my sword."
"Where are we going?" I asked when it seemed Fisk wasn't going to add anything more.
"Another of my mother's gateways. One the king doesn't know about," Tíereachán replied. "Wade is there waiting for us, along with a sizable detachment."
"You may as well stop." I turned to stare at him across the darkened seat. "Everything is off until I know what's going on with my friends and Kieran."
"John and I cannot stand alone against a contingent of sidhe-suckled vampires. We'll not risk stopping for more than refueling until we reach my mother's forces."
"I'm not crossing until I know my friends are safe," I said, but my little voice wondered, What if they're dead?
"I expected nothing less," he replied.
After a moment, he touched my elbow and I jumped at the unexpected contact.
"Lire, tell us what happened," he urged. "What did Lorcán hope to achieve with such a brazen attack? Red told us he'd been listening to music and missed much of what happened."
Dread sliced through me, and I hunched over my knotted stomach.
What was I going to do about Lorcán? If Julie and Steven and the rest were still hostages, did I have a choice but to find a way to give in to his impossible demand?
Covering my face, I
If the situation had been different, I might have been amused by his acerbic aside and asked for a description of what was no doubt an ugly and tenacious Otherworld beast. As it was, I nodded stiffly and dried my eyes with the heels of my gloved hands, feeling numb.
Bit by bit, Tíereachán's words percolated through the knot of despair in my mind.
Someone would call. With news. I latched on to that single thought more doggedly than a toddler clutching at her mom's leg in a crowd of strangers. My phone. Where was my purse? Red was here, so my shoulder bag had to be somewhere in the car, right?
I must have mumbled something because Tíereachán shifted in his seat and then offered me my bag. As soon as the faux suede hit my lap, I ransacked it, coming away with my iPhone in nothing flat. Bluish light illuminated the backseat, thanks to my Cookie Monster wallpaper. I squinted at the brightly lit screen and then sagged in my seat. Damn. No missed calls or texts. I sniffled and fought another wave of useless tears.
It was 10:15, now. We'd arrived at the party around 8:30. If I factored in another twenty minutes of socializing prior to my meltdown, it hadn't been more than ninety minutes since Tíereachán whisked me away. So, perhaps not long enough yet to panic, I reasoned.
I tapped out an urgent text message to both Kim and Kieran, checked the settings to ensure my cell would both ring and vibrate if a call came through, and then maxed out the volume. When I was sure I couldn't miss a call or text, I clutched it to my stomach and stared at nothing through the passenger window as darkness, tinged by the amber glow of the dashboard's control panel, once again claimed the backseat.
Memories of the party weighed on me so heavily I had difficulty drawing breath. "I … I remember smelling smoke," I choked out, bowing my head closer to the window, not wanting to know the details but compelled to ask, "Did … did I … was anyone—?"
I sucked in a shuddering breath, but Tíereachán answered before I finished voicing the question.
"I saw no burning bodies nor did I smell any," he said. "When I pulled you out, a few tables had ignited. Kieran had charged to engage Lorcán. Between the spot fires, my cousin's deft blade, and the hostages, the vampires had plenty to keep them occupied. It helped make our escape somewhat less complicated. While I got you into the car, the alarm sounded. We were hard pressed at that point, so I had little wherewithal to notice more."
"The sprinkler system triggered along with the alarm," Fisk said, shrugging. "Fucking bloodsuckers kept me too busy to see much beyond the tip of my sword."
"Where are we going?" I asked when it seemed Fisk wasn't going to add anything more.
"Another of my mother's gateways. One the king doesn't know about," Tíereachán replied. "Wade is there waiting for us, along with a sizable detachment."
"You may as well stop." I turned to stare at him across the darkened seat. "Everything is off until I know what's going on with my friends and Kieran."
"John and I cannot stand alone against a contingent of sidhe-suckled vampires. We'll not risk stopping for more than refueling until we reach my mother's forces."
"I'm not crossing until I know my friends are safe," I said, but my little voice wondered, What if they're dead?
"I expected nothing less," he replied.
After a moment, he touched my elbow and I jumped at the unexpected contact.
"Lire, tell us what happened," he urged. "What did Lorcán hope to achieve with such a brazen attack? Red told us he'd been listening to music and missed much of what happened."
Dread sliced through me, and I hunched over my knotted stomach.
What was I going to do about Lorcán? If Julie and Steven and the rest were still hostages, did I have a choice but to find a way to give in to his impossible demand?
Covering my face, I
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