Page 55 of Soul Sucker

Vadim shook his head and walked away but Alexei kept talking. “So you’re okay to be the one who goes to Otherworld with Liz and Ella then.”

He had to stop. “I don’t go there. You know that.”

“As I said, Vadim. Are you sure you aren’t the problem?”

Vadim started walking again and this time he didn’t stop.

* * *

Liz knocked,then poked her head around the door of Ella’s office.

“Are you okay, hon?”

Ella manufactured a smile. “I just got off the phone with my mom. She’s still going on about my ‘behavior’ at the party yesterday.”

Liz sat on the corner of Ella’s desk. “Did you tell her about Laney?”

“She didn’t give me a chance.” Ella made a face. “And when she does find out she’ll be on at me for not telling her. Maybe I’ll text her later.”

“Your mom isn’t the most observant of people, is she?”

“That’s a nice way of putting it, but at least she still talks to me. I also spoke to Laney’s parents who— guess what?—can’t make the time to come to their own daughter’s funeral. Apparently their other ‘normal’ kid is graduating med school or somethingimportant. They asked me to send a wreath in their name and they’d settle up with me later.”

“I hope you told them to go fuck themselves.”

Ella looked up at Liz’s flushed face. “You don’t usually curse.”

“I don’t usually have to, but the way some human parents deal with their kids just amazes me. In Fae, you’d have to do something far more interesting to get disowned by your family.”

“Like killing or maiming a whole bunch of people at a wedding.”

Liz made an airy gesture. “That was just a one-off. My family is usually pretty well behaved. I’ve arranged for us to go and visit the college and the records office in Merton this afternoon. Are you okay to come with me?”

“If I must.”

“We’ll keep it short.”

Ella groaned. “If they’ll let us.”

Liz slid off the desk. “I’ll be back for you in about an hour.” She got as far as the door before she turned around. “By the way, how was your evening with the gorgeous Mr. Morosov?”

“He cooked me dinner, I drank too much wine and I went to bed.”

“Alone?”

“Of course. What kind of a girl do you think I am?”

Liz sighed. “I know what kind of a girl you are. He didn’t even try and hook up with you?”

Ella hastily repressed her memories of exactly who had been propositioning whom. “You know I don’t date people I have to make eye contact with ever again.”

“But he’s going back to Russia.”

“That’s not far enough and I don’t think he’s really Russian. He’stotallyOtherworld.” Ella lowered her voice. “How much Fae do you think he is?”

“He’s obviously got something going on, but what exactly, I’m not sure. His shields are too good. Do you want me to ask Alexei?”

“No! I’m notthatinterested. I just wondered what you’d picked up.”

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