Page 9 of Vicious Little Vows
I wanted to ask if that meant hewouldn’tattack Sebastian, but then Crispin joined us with Ringo still on his shoulder, looking half asleep. The elf was peering at a piece of paper where he had sketched the celestial symbol from the hidden cave. The little notebook had been in his pants pocket, and he had sketched the symbol from memory while we walked. “I’ll research the symbol as best I can, but I imagine you would rather I not show it to anybody?” His eyes lifted from the paper to question Mistral.
“You would willingly keep information from your people?” Mistral asked, seeming genuinely surprised.
Crispin had the grace to look abashed. “I believe when it comes to dear Eva, secrets are our friends.”
“True.” Mistral nodded as Gabriel returned from the stables with two horses. Apparently I hadn’t needed to worry about making a decision on staying. The choice had been made for me.
With a small smile, Gabriel handed me the reins of one horse. “If you don’t mind waiting, I’ll fetch a fresh change of clothes.”
Crispin took the other set of reins as they were handed to him. He acted casual, but I didn’t miss the small crease of worry in his brow.
I was soon distracted as Mistral’s arm curled around my waist from behind. His lips grazed my cheek. “I would ask that you return tomorrow, if you are able.”
I slid my hand over his where it pressed against my abdomen. “I’ll do my best.”
His cheek brushed mine as he looked at Crispin. “Watch out for her.” Then his presence was gone, no longer a warmth at my back.
I turned to watch him walk in the direction Gabriel had gone.
Once we were alone, Crispin leaned in near my shoulder. “Do they have telepathy, or did I miss them discussing that we would leave this evening, and Gabriel would come with us?”
I absentmindedly stroked the nearest horse’s neck. “At this point in my life, I’ll believe anything.”
Crispin chuckled. “You and I both, dear Eva. You and I both.”
FIVE
Every clang of dishware or bark of laughter in the small dark restaurant made me jump, even with Gabriel sitting to my left, and Crispin sitting to my right. We had stopped for food on the way home, and since it was a weekend, there was a wait. But soon—soon I would have crispy egg rolls and greasy noodles within my grasp. The ultimate comfort food after a long day.
Anxious and hungry, I glanced at my watch. After its last battery had gotten ruined from hiding in a pond from trolls, I had put a little waterproof case around the watch head. I was skeptical whether it would actually work, but the text flashing at me was clear as could be.
Crispin bumped my shoulder, being nosy and peering down at my watch, seeing Dawn’s name listed as the sender. “Has she gone on her date yet?”
“It’s supposed to be tomorrow.” Making a point of turning so he couldn’t see my watch, I opened the text. It simply said,You got me into this, now you’d better help me.
I glared when this time Gabriel peeked at my watch over my shoulder. “I thought shewantedto go on that date.”
Sighing, I faced forward in my seat. “Anyone would be nervous on a first date with ancient elven nobility.” I felt guilty for being surprised that Rian, the elf in question, had agreed to the date with Dawn in the first place. It wasn’t a negative comment on Dawn. It was just that most men had an issue with powerful women towering over them.
I noticed a little blue snout peeking out of my satchel, sniffing the air as one of the servers brought over our to-go bag. Crispin handed the guy a credit card before I could search my bag for cash.
I lowered my voice as the guy walked away to ring us up. “Do you really think King Francis won’t be annoyed with you buying us food all the time?”
Crispin snorted. “If you think he even looks at the statements, you underestimate the amount of wealth King Francis possesses.”
I stood, gently lifting my satchel with Ringo inside. “How? He doesn’t even leave Emerald Heights.”
“He rules a kingdom. A small kingdom, but still a kingdom. People pay taxes.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Doyoupay taxes?”
“Of course not. But I also keep an eye on wily celestials for free.” He straightened, tugging both sides of his coat for emphasis.
“Keep your voice down.” Gabriel handed me the food bag as a pair of goblin-blooded humans walked in.
Instantly thinking of our watchers, I shivered. It could have beenanyone.
The server returned with Crispin’s card, and we all shuffled out into the street. The two goblins hardly spared us a glance, and when they did they were just observing Gabriel.
