Page 44 of Love & Heart Braking

I lifted a shoulder. “No.”

“I see,” Mr. Hucs said softly. “You have chosen the hard route.”

I rolled my eyes. “Save it. A whole heap of people know where I am.”

A tiny lie.

But they only wanted to delay so the Dethnels could look over the contract, and I wasn’t about to let that happen. After Fenton just duped them out of a deal, they would absolutely go over my terms with a magnifying glass.

“I have someone very proficient in contracts,” the earth guardian said. Tiqlig pressed something under the desk. A few terse minutes passed before a man appeared—and his feline features and whiskers gave him away immediately.

Ceres, claim me, it was a sphinx! A generation one of Minerva’s line.

I was on a gen one roll lately with Gug and now him. There weren’t many of the original descendants left.

“Xix.” Tiqlig greeted the sphinx. “I have something for you to look over.”

The sphinx looked at me and inhaled.

I knew very little about the type other than that they were masters of words and hidden meanings. Which seemed like not great news for me.

He looked back at Tiqlig. “I shall look, but shall I tell?”

The earth guardian didn’t answer.

Was the sphinx a prisoner? He didn’t seem afraid of the four people opposite me, but I couldn’t say Tiqlig was quivering in fear either. He treated the sphinx with something just short of respect, though there was a certain tension in the other representatives of the twelve in the sphinx’s presence.

Tiqlig got off his butt and took the documents to the gen one, which was odd enough in itself.

The sphinx inhaled the document, then peered at me.

I waved. “Nice to meet you.”

Couldn’t say I would personally sniff paper and stare at someone for an extended period of time, but for his type that was likely normal behavior, and manners didn’t cost a thing.

He sat at the exact middle seat between the two parties and perused the contract, turning over the first page carefully.

This could take a while.

“Your primary roles under our rule—”

“Employment.” I cut Soleil’s father off. “This isn’t ancient Rome, Billian.”

Acribus smirked, then leaned forward. “While in our employ, you will need to provide samples. Blood, hair, nails, maybe some tissue.”

The tissue part of that was most concerning. And just the potential volumes they could take. That was one of the changes I’d personally made. “Of course, as per the strict amounts outlined in the contract. There’s a list of areas tissue cannot be taken from, including my bones. You lot should have enough bone to assess with all the grave-digging you’ve been doing.”

Li smiled.

And that was enough confirmation that the twelve were behind the grave-digging not long ago. Sick bastards.

“We will need you to work your magic too,” Acribus continued.

I lifted a shoulder. “Sure. Again, that will be per the level and duration outlined. Like most other magic, it needs time to recharge between uses.”

The phoenix sat back, an amusement on her face that left me cold.

They were just playing games with me. Bain was right. They wouldn’t hesitate to break the terms if the contract got in their way. I knew that deep down.

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