Page 20 of Vicious Little Vows
NINE
Gabriel was waiting on the street when we emerged. I had the rolled potion pouch under one arm, and had just been tapping buttons on my watch to call him. Judging by the little blue goblin riding his shoulder, he’d gone by the apartment and Crispin told him where we were.
“We really don’t have much time,” Sebastian muttered, eyeing the waiting goblins. He’d filled his magic jar in the blink of an eye, turning the gel so black it was like looking straight into the abyss.
“Then don’t pick a fight,” I hissed, leaving him behind to approach Gabriel. I forced a smile, though I was wary of what might come next.
Gabriel smiled back, but his eyes were troubled, and I didn’t think it was annoyance that I’d left the apartment with just Sebastian.
I stopped in front of Gabriel. While I had just stated that I mostly only felt his anger, now I was feeling something else. Fear. “What happened?”
His smile wilted as his eyes drifted toward Sebastian. “We’ll talk about it later.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Does it have to do with… you know what?” There was no good way to hint at the gray meadow, but he knew what I’d mean.
“More of it appeared,” he said vaguely. “Just as I was leaving.”
Seeing Ringo all puffed up and trembling, I lifted a hand for him to crawl from Gabriel’s shoulder to mine. “Then you shouldn’t be here. We have the meeting with Penelope under control.”
“I know.” Despite his agreement, his jaw ticked. “Mistral sent me to fetch Crispin. He’s gathering a few supplies, then we’ll return to the Bogs.”
Oh gods, if Mistral was willing to let Crispin in on things, it must really be bad. Still though, part of me was glad he’d thought of the elven wizard. If anyone could figure out a magical mystery, it was him. “I’m glad you’ll all be together. Just be safe.”
My shoulders tensed as Sebastian stepped closer to join us, but all he said was, “The nymphs agreed to lend us a corner of their park for the meeting with Penelope. We’ll be in no danger.”
My brows shot up at his comforting words, which were even more surprising than the news about the nymphs. “Do you have fun withholding information, or do you just forget to tell me these things?”
His bland look said that it could be either, or both.
Shaking my head, I turned back to Gabriel, standing on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Be safe. I’ll come as soon as I can.”
Nodding, he met my eyes for a long moment, glanced at Sebastian, then turned away.
We watched him go before I said, “Something tells me you weren’t trying to comfort him out of the goodness of your heart.”
“We really are short on time, Eva. How many times must I tell you that?” He tugged on my satchel to get me walking toward the main street where we could hail a cab, and I foundmyself actually looking forward to the meeting, despite the more pressing worry of the Bogs.
Not only had I not been back to the park since the nymphs took full control, but neither had Penelope. The last they’d seen of her, she’d been trying to steal their magic. If they wanted to take a few jabs at her while she was there, I sure as hell wouldn’t be the one to stop them.
“Will there be cookies?” Ringo chittered in my ear, reminding me of his presence.
“Seraphina doesn’t live at the park,” I laughed. But knowing her and how much she cared for her sister, I added, “but maybe there will still be cookies.” A girl could dream, couldn’t she?
There were no cookies.In fact, the nymphs had cleared out from view entirely. I concentrated for a moment to shift across the boundary bordering the open gates to the park, then observed the nearest trees. Nymphs could easily hide in trees, ponds, whatever, making themselves one with nature in the blink of an eye. And now that they had taken over the park after losing their pocket realm, they would be more bonded with the plants and trees than ever.
I resisted the urge to pat my jeans pocket, knowing that Penelope might already be watching, though hopefully Sebastian would sense her. He’d gotten me a similar potion to last time—one that could boost my magic no matter the environment or my proximity to the guys. Upon discovering this, I’d asked if he was worried about Penelope kidnapping me. He’d assured me that it was simply a useful potion to have, and it would keep for months so I could use it at any time. The explosive concoctions he would keep for himself, because hedidn’t trust me to not blow myself up in the process. His words, not mine.
So basically yes, he was worried Penelope would try to kidnap me. It was also surely the reason for the meeting in the park. We were within a boundary filled with nymphs who mostly liked me, and mostly hated Penelope. She would be hard pressed to snatch me away without incident.
My sneakers hissed across the grass, the sun warm on my shoulders. “So where are we supposed to meet her?”
“The pond. She will speak to us through a portal.”
I hurried to keep up with him. “Then why are you worried about her kidnapping me?”
His eyes slid toward me, then rolled back toward the distant pond. “I told you I’m not worried about that.”
“Yeah, uh huh.” Ringo nestled closer to my neck. I hadn’t been sure if he’d be able to pass through the boundary, but we’d had no issues. Now with him nestled safely against me, I wondered if I could bring him across other boundaries too. Maybe my celestial magic was enough to protect him, though I wouldn’t be setting him on the ground to test that theory.
