Read Online The Cursed (League of the Black Swan) by Alyssa Day - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alyssa Day
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ashamed of the graffiti that adorned it. Every time she’d delivered a package on Pendulum Street, she’d amused herself by reading the new graffiti on Luke’s parking sign. Apparently the taggers weren’t afraid of getting turned into toads.
“‘
Wizards do it with their wands
’?” Rio drawled. “Really, they can’t come up with anything more original?”
“It’s better than ‘
wizard pendulums hang low
,’ which is what they wrote the last time,” he muttered, heading to the driver’s-side door.
The Jeep wasn’t locked, which surprised her until she considered its ancient state and who owned it. Probably not many who would dare to steal Luke’s car.
“To get to West Hyde, it’s faster if you turn right on Poe and then take a left on Rivendell.”
He shot her a look, and her face warmed up.
“Sorry. Curse of the bike messenger.”
He put his cup in the holder and pulled out, his windshield wipers making a dragging sound as they worked. Rio took a long sip of her own coffee.
“It’s just black. I don’t even have cream or sugar, I don’t think,” Luke offered, sounding slightly apologetic.
“It’s fine. Thanks for making it.”
After that, they drove in silence to Brock’s address, while Rio’s thoughts spiraled further and further downward. What kind of man hired Grendels to kidnap bike messengers? Grendels with poisonous claws? In order to keep them in line, what kind of monster must Dalriata be? She figured there was no way he was the man she’d seen take the child because kingpins never did their own dirty work. So who was that guy? And yet, in spite of all the unanswered and unanswerable questions, here she was, driving to meet him, with an unpredictable wizard at her side.
“Watch out for that tree,” she whispered, grinning, as Luke pulled into the office building parking lot.
“What?” Luke turned to face her, raising one dark eyebrow.
“Nothing. I do movie lines when I get nervous,” she said, feeling her face heat up again, which annoyed the crap out of her. She was perpetually blushing around this man. “It’s a long story.”
“I’d like to hear it some time.”
She stared at him, caught in his gaze for just a beat longer than she should have been, then nodded grimly and opened her car door. “If I’m still alive to tell it after this.”
The doorman was a block of a man. His head was oddly formed, making him look like a goat had gotten confused and tried to turn into a donkey. He was shaped like a thick barrel, easily six feet tall, not counting the silver tufts on the top of his deep brown, furred ears.
“Leave,” Donkey Man said.
Luke laughed. “Really? Are you going to be an ass about this?”
Rio rolled her eyes. “You had to go there? Like he hasn’t heard that before?”
“Heard what?” Donkey Man rumbled, looking confused, if that was what the bushy eyebrows drawn low over too-large eyes meant.
“I’d be happy to teach you a lesson in manners, if you don’t get the hell out of my way,” Luke said, smiling almost happily, as if he’d been hoping for a fight.
Testosterone. Stupid men and testosterone.
“We don’t have time for this,” Rio said, fighting hard to ignore her pounding heartbeat and the part of her that wanted to run like a scared human caught in a demon brawl.
She stepped closer to Donkey Man and held out her hand. “Hello. I’m Rio Stephanopoulos, and I’m pleased to meet you. Mr. Dalriata, whom I’m guessing is your boss, invited us here. Will you please check with him?”
The doorman gaped at her like she’d grown an extra body part. Which, she supposed, she kind of had. A backbone. Or at least more of one than she’d thought she possessed when she’d woken up yesterday morning.
Luke started to snarl something next to her, but the doorman carefully held out one huge, gnarled hand to Rio and gently touched her fingers.
“I am Abernathy,” he rumbled. “I am pleased to meet you. Wait here.”
He
“‘
Wizards do it with their wands
’?” Rio drawled. “Really, they can’t come up with anything more original?”
“It’s better than ‘
wizard pendulums hang low
,’ which is what they wrote the last time,” he muttered, heading to the driver’s-side door.
The Jeep wasn’t locked, which surprised her until she considered its ancient state and who owned it. Probably not many who would dare to steal Luke’s car.
“To get to West Hyde, it’s faster if you turn right on Poe and then take a left on Rivendell.”
He shot her a look, and her face warmed up.
“Sorry. Curse of the bike messenger.”
He put his cup in the holder and pulled out, his windshield wipers making a dragging sound as they worked. Rio took a long sip of her own coffee.
“It’s just black. I don’t even have cream or sugar, I don’t think,” Luke offered, sounding slightly apologetic.
“It’s fine. Thanks for making it.”
After that, they drove in silence to Brock’s address, while Rio’s thoughts spiraled further and further downward. What kind of man hired Grendels to kidnap bike messengers? Grendels with poisonous claws? In order to keep them in line, what kind of monster must Dalriata be? She figured there was no way he was the man she’d seen take the child because kingpins never did their own dirty work. So who was that guy? And yet, in spite of all the unanswered and unanswerable questions, here she was, driving to meet him, with an unpredictable wizard at her side.
“Watch out for that tree,” she whispered, grinning, as Luke pulled into the office building parking lot.
“What?” Luke turned to face her, raising one dark eyebrow.
“Nothing. I do movie lines when I get nervous,” she said, feeling her face heat up again, which annoyed the crap out of her. She was perpetually blushing around this man. “It’s a long story.”
“I’d like to hear it some time.”
She stared at him, caught in his gaze for just a beat longer than she should have been, then nodded grimly and opened her car door. “If I’m still alive to tell it after this.”
The doorman was a block of a man. His head was oddly formed, making him look like a goat had gotten confused and tried to turn into a donkey. He was shaped like a thick barrel, easily six feet tall, not counting the silver tufts on the top of his deep brown, furred ears.
“Leave,” Donkey Man said.
Luke laughed. “Really? Are you going to be an ass about this?”
Rio rolled her eyes. “You had to go there? Like he hasn’t heard that before?”
“Heard what?” Donkey Man rumbled, looking confused, if that was what the bushy eyebrows drawn low over too-large eyes meant.
“I’d be happy to teach you a lesson in manners, if you don’t get the hell out of my way,” Luke said, smiling almost happily, as if he’d been hoping for a fight.
Testosterone. Stupid men and testosterone.
“We don’t have time for this,” Rio said, fighting hard to ignore her pounding heartbeat and the part of her that wanted to run like a scared human caught in a demon brawl.
She stepped closer to Donkey Man and held out her hand. “Hello. I’m Rio Stephanopoulos, and I’m pleased to meet you. Mr. Dalriata, whom I’m guessing is your boss, invited us here. Will you please check with him?”
The doorman gaped at her like she’d grown an extra body part. Which, she supposed, she kind of had. A backbone. Or at least more of one than she’d thought she possessed when she’d woken up yesterday morning.
Luke started to snarl something next to her, but the doorman carefully held out one huge, gnarled hand to Rio and gently touched her fingers.
“I am Abernathy,” he rumbled. “I am pleased to meet you. Wait here.”
He
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