Page 41 of Smoke & Ashes
Blah.
Fuck.
I reached onto the floor where I’d sensibly hung up my jacket and fished out my phone. Probably it would be a bad idea to call Tara at this time of the evening. She had her own shit going on and it was unfair of me to drag her into my flat-related insecurities. Then again, fuck it, she was a big girl and she could always hang up if it was a problem. I called her.
“You didn’t tell me,” she purred down the line the moment she picked up, “that the blue one would be quite such a handful.”
“Did she try to shag you?”
“She very nearly succeeded. I’ve had a lot going on and would have appreciated the diversion.”
A tiny part of me was sad that it wasn’t just me Flick had tried it on with. It was nice to feel special, after all. “I don’t know who’s worse, you or her.”
“Come now, you’re clearly worse than either of us.”
I’d have protested, but having come within a heartbeat of fucking the magically identical quasi-sister of my effectively dead best friend, I had very few legs to stand on. “Point.”
“So why have you called? Did whoever’s bed you were trying to crawl into think better of it?”
“Actually, I thought better of it. Long story. I’m at home right now.”
She gave a laugh that I only found slightly mocking. “Are you telling me that you’ve not only turned down casual sex two nights in a row but are also going to sleep in your own bed like an ordinary human being? Kate Kane, whathashappened to you?”
“I’ve grown as a person.”
“That, I find very unlikely.” She was quiet for a moment, although I could still hear her breathing. “You know, I could send a car if you wanted?”
Tempting. Very tempting. “I—and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’ll pass.”
“You’re not going off me are you?” Tara didn’t do insecurity, so it sounded more like a come-on than like somebody fishing for compliments.
“No I just—I’ve been distracting myself. And don’t get me wrong you’ve been a fuckingamazingdistraction and I’ll come and get distracted again soon, but things might be about to get chaotic, and I think it’d be good to try and get my shit at least a little bit together before it does.”
“Don’t wait too long, darling. I’m not a patient woman.” Another pointed silence, then. “By the way, your oracle tells me that you went hunting the witch-creature. Did you find her?”
“Sort of. I found out which entrance to the Cold and Dark she seems to be using, so we can probably follow her if we have to.”
“If we have to?” The amusement was gone from Tara’s voice. “She killed one of my own and several more of my pack are still missing. Did you think tracking her down wasoptional.”
Okay, that had been a poor choice of words. “I more meant it felt like a really obvious trap. The door she’s using is over water, which is fine for somebody who doesn’t need to breathe. A lot less fine for you or me. Plus there’s still the Prince of Wands to think about.”
“I sometimes feel that you give that man too much credit. He was powerful at our last confrontation because he had stolen the power of a god. Without that he’s just another vampire.”
Maybe she was right. After all, I’d only ever fought him when he was in full now-you-shall-see-my-true-power mode. Then again. “My long-term girlfriend left me todierather than stand up to him. Say what you like about Julian, but she wasn’t stupid and she wasn’t a coward.” I couldn’t quite believe that Tara was making me defend the ex who’d let Sebastian Douglas bleed me into a bowl, but here I was. “The Prince of Wands is dangerous and I don’t know what he’s up to, and that makes himmoredangerous.”
“Perhaps,” Tara still had her serious voice on, “although if you have a means to find the woman who killed Tabitha, we should pursue it.”
“Sure. I—give me a bit to get sorted out at this end. There’s still stuff I need to do.”
“Such as?”
I kind of wished she hadn’t asked that. “I don’t know. I’ve been seeing things lately. Having dreams. Somebody out there wants something from me and I’m getting the feeling they won’t let me rest until I start confronting it.”
I heard an intake of breath on the other end of the line. I swear I’d never known anybody who breathed as expressively as Tara—it must have been a werewolf perk. “This is starting to sound dangerous. Are you sure you should be alone?”
“Most of my life is dangerous. And unless you can get into my dreams, I think I’ll be alone for the bits that matter anyway. I called you because I—I don’t know. I guess I felt like I needed a pep talk or something.”
“A pep talk?” Her tone was withering.
