Page 22 of Forbidden

“No. I… I’ve left the guild.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean?”

“I mean, I packed my stuff, I left my apartment, and I’m not going back. I left the phone and the laptop and the car and even the ring behind. I can’t go back.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I… I’m one of them. I’m with Alex and Luke and the halflings. I’ve been having visions about?—”

“You’re not supposed to tell me?—”

“No, shut up, you need to hear this. I’ve been having visions about the halflings. Alex and Luke and I, we can all see that the halflings aren’t evil. I know you see it, too. For now, I just wanted you to know that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.” It was vague, but it had to be.

There was a moment of silence, followed by Nathan’sgusty sigh against the microphone. “Okay. You know they’ll come after you. When you don’t show up, they’ll come looking.”

“I know. They won’t find me.”

“What if they come looking near the demon club?”

“It’s not like I’m hanging out and getting drunk.”

Nathan’s snort of laughter filled his ear. “No, I know. But are there demons there who would rat you out?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Good. Will… Will everything work out?”

Ira sighed. Wolf appeared in the doorway, leaning artfully against the frame with his thumbs hooked in his pockets. He gestured for Wolf to come closer, and the demon obeyed, slinking into the room and settling on his knees in front of him.

“I think so?” Ira answered as Wolf’s forearms rested on the mattress on either side of him. “I haven’t seen everything yet, but I can tell things are falling into place like they’re supposed to be. Just do like you said yesterday. Keep your heads down for now. If you need anything, call this number. And if you… If you hear anything about them moving on the club, warn us if you can?”

“Absolutely. Be safe out there, Ira. I… I can’t afford to inform anyone that you’ve left the guild, so they’ll find out in time when they investigate your disappearance.”

“That’s fine. As soon as they send someone to my apartment, they’ll know. They won’t like it, but they won’t be able to find me.”

“Good. I’ll be in touch.”

“Go with God, then.”

“You as well.”

He hung up and tossed the phone aside, noting the way Wolf’s hands had curled possessively around his hips. “Don’t start anything with me right now. I’m physically incapable of coming again after this morning.”

Wolf snorted. “I had no intention.” At Ira’s arch look, he amended, “All right, I considered it, but I have no intentionnow.”

Ira chortled.

“How are you feeling? Was he receptive?”

“He was. Nathan was Alex’s captain. He’s a good man. One of the few who’s taken issue with Sloan’s new orders. He seems to be gathering a few like-minded individuals in the guild. It’s promising, and we’ll need all the allies we can get.”

Wolf looked troubled at that. “What’s going to happen in our future, seidhr?”

Ira pursed his lips. “I haven’t seen it all. But it’ll be… hard. For a while.”

“But we’ll come out the other side? We’ll be okay?”

There was a lot Ira didn’t know, huge gaps in his knowledge of what was to come. But there was one image he’d had months ago that he clung to—one of him and Wolf standing together in a vast library. A familiar library.

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