Page 44 of Left Hand of the Divine
Lazarra fixed Atticus with a cool stare, her whisky-coloured eyes training on his face as if she were looking for the answers there. She pursed her lips and then turned to Rory to have a private conversation. They spoke for a few minutes, and then Lazarra nodded firmly before facing us. I guess she’d made a decision.
Oh, boy…
“The Guild will release you from the original sentence and the position of Investigator, and the debt will be closed under time served due to death.” Lazarra took the file from Rory and signed some paperwork with a flourish.
“Is anyone else waiting for the other shoe to drop?” Rafe added, earning him a glare from the Head of the Guild.
I slapped his arm, but the ass just chuckled. As did his twin. They did have a point, though. “So, Atticus is free? Just like that?”
Jefferson snorted derisively and peered down his nose at me. “No. His original debt is wiped, but he is still bound to serve the Guild for another eight years.”
“Jefferson is right,” Lazarra added darkly.
“He cannot leave the Underworld without me,” Thane said, casually dropping that little bombshell in front of everyone.
“The fuck?” Atticus snapped. “When were you going to tell me that?”
Thane frowned, and cocked his head to one side to look at Atticus. “You had never asked, and I assumed we would always be together now. Do you want to be without me?”
Fuck me, Thane could be oblivious.
Atticus sputtered. “That’s not the point. You should have told me.”
“I do not see how it would make a difference,” Thane said slowly, clearly not understanding why Atticus was annoyed.
“We’ll discuss this later,” Atticus said as I felt his rising ire through our bond. I didn’t think he’d ever get Thane to really change. He’d been alive for so long—the guy was literally as old as time—and he had spent so much time on his own that I think he’d forgotten what was considered ‘normal’ social interaction.
“Anyway, moving on,” Lazarra drawled “Luckily for you, Atticus, we have an opening in the Liaison department. You will serve the remainder of your eight years as the Guild’s Underworld Liaison. Anyquestions?”
Rayne put his hand up, a pinch of concern pulling his brows together. “What happened to the last Liaison?”
I think my Hounds were more fond of Atticus than they cared to admit.
Lazarra went to answer and then stopped herself. She glanced at Rory, but the guy just shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly, we don’t know.”
“What?” Rafe growled. “How can you not know?”
“He was sent to speak to the Wardens in the Tartarus District and never made it,” Rory said solemnly. “We never found a trace of him.”
“And you want Atticus to fill the spot?” I interjected. “Absolutely not.”
Lazarra hit me with a cold stare, her eyes harsh and narrow. “With all due respect, Roux, this isn’t something you can wish away. Atticus is in debt to the Guild, and he has time to serve.”
I barked a laugh. “For protecting his sister?”
“Yes,” Lazarra said, placing her hands flat on the table and standing to her full height. “For anyone else, they’d have been put on trial and most likely condemned to the Pits. It’s only because I intervened that he’s even walking around as close to being a free man as possible.”
“It’s still not right,” I added, refusing to shrink into my seat under her intimidating gaze.
“No, it’s not,” Lazarra agreed, her voice softening. “I will be the first to admit that the Guild is not perfect, but we strive to keep the peace as well as we can for all supernatural creatures. Like itor not, Atticus still committed a crime. This is the best I can do with the power that I have.”
Dammit, now I liked the woman.
“It’s okay, Roux,” Atticus said, placing a hand on my thigh and squeezing it gently. “I will do as they ask.”
“But it sounds so boring,” Rafe said, as he folded his arms across his broad chest.
Rayne copied his twin’s movement. “We didn’t peg you as boring.”
