Page 31 of Snag
“She’s luring you,” Coda says.
“Zaya specifically?” Rath sounds a little disconcerted. “She can’t know that anyone is tracking her, or that Zaya even … exists.”
“She saw me …” I say quietly. “Through Kris. While possessing Kris. During the confrontation with Chains.”
“Might not be Zaya specifically,” Coda interjects. “She could know that Rought is a hacker, could assume that’s who she’s playing with.” They add snottily, “Unfortunately for her, she’s got me on her tail.”
“You don’t fuck around with a dire mage,” Rath all but snarls, clearly feeling out of the loop. Perhaps Rought is still dealing with the Authority agents or tracking down their other brother, Reck, and hasn’t reported back to Rath yet.
Coda shrugs, snapping the laptop closed and standing. “The dire mage can’t reach me. It’s your asses they’re about to ream.”
“Try,” Rath says. “Try to ream.”
“That mage buggered you hard and fast last night, shifter,” Coda says nastily, heading down the stairs without waiting for another retort.
I’m on the tech’s heels.
“Zaya,” Rath growls behind me.
“Have you eaten, Coda?” I ask, ignoring the presumptuous, controlling shifter.
“All good,” Coda says, which isn’t actually an answer. “Keep your fucking phone on you, Zaya. Better yet, send the shifters after the dire mage and stay on the property with me.”
“You know I’ll be fine.”
Coda spins around at the base of the stairs, the open door at their back. The movement is swift enough to give me pause. “One of these fucking days, it will be your last death, Zaya. I don’t want to be the one desperatelysearching for evidence of it. Of what happened to you. Like you’re doing with fucking Disa.”
I open my mouth to speak, not quite certain what to say.
Shoulders hunched, head bowed, Coda turns their back on me, swiftly heading down the upper hall.
“So I’m not the only one,” Rath says quietly behind me.
When I don’t answer him either, he steps around me, brushing his big body against me because there isn’t enough room on the stairs.
Inexplicably — for someone who pretended they didn’t know me, denying our previous connection, playing some game — he brushes his lips across my temple as he passes, not otherwise touching me.
Essence gently shifts between us, warm and sweet.
It’s hard to lie through pure essence like that.
To me, at least.
FOUR
A most determinedPresh and an equally grumpy DeVille are waiting for us at the top of the second-floor stairs, both glowering at Coda’s back as the tech heads down to the main floor. DeVille is fully clothed, and his splint has been removed, but he’s clearly still favoring his leg. Doc Z must have stopped in to check on the teens at some point during Rath’s and my argument. Or I lost more time to that nothingness that keeps trying to —
Presh waves a phone in her hand, presumably indicating it’s my device. I must have left it in my room at some point. Though as I think about it, I’m pretty sure it was charging downstairs earlier.
I definitely don’t like this forgetful thing I’ve got going on. At what point do I become a liability to those around me?
I’m also not too pleased with the expression on the young awry’s face. She’s geared for an argument. I might have Coda to thank for that.
“I need some pants,” I say, heading it all off. For a moment, at least. The sweater I’m wearing is fine, thoughthe fair isle yoke and drop sleeves are a little restrictive. But the ankle-length gathered silk skirt I’m wearing is really not meant for early March.
I veer into my bedroom, Presh on my heels, then Rath after her. I narrow my eyes in warning at Rath over my shoulder, and he miraculously realizes he doesn’t have my permission to enter my personal space. He steps back to hover in the open doorway instead.
DeVille leans against the hall across from the door, eyes shut, head back, as if he’s going to attempt to nap upright.
