Page 83 of A Light in the Dark
“I will require a bag of silk in the morning to release him.”
It took him several minutes to finish laughing at me. “I’ll let the flutter know you’ve taken him as a hostage, but as you’re a benevolent kidnapper, we’ll come back for him on Monday morning with a bag of silk. Just ask him to shift if you want to admire him as a luna moth. He knows he’s pretty, and he’ll absolutely let his vanity get the better of him. Just expect a mess of silk in your bathroom, because he’s a high volume producer of silk.”
“How many times can he shift in a day?”
“He usually limits to no more than four times a week; otherwise, he gets stupidly tired. He’s shifted more than he should have this week, because he can’t resist your roses and wants to posture while the rest of us get our sniffs in. Just tell him to make himself a pair of pajamas with his silk or go home for a bag and come back so he can sleep properly. I’m assuming you have a guest bedroom.”
Technically, I did, but I had a better place to lure the man if I could work up the courage. “I do. I’ll let you go. Email meif you need more information or you want me to review resumes.”
“Will do. Have a good night.”
After he hung up, I pocketed my cell phone and went to check on my guest in the room next door. Joel hummed while he worked, sewing buttons onto his new suit jacket by hand. He’d already done the buttonholes, and as far as I could tell, he was down to buttons and detailing. I waited until he snipped his thread to say, “You weren’t kidding about it only taking a few hours to make a suit.”
Joel grinned and lifted his head from his work. “Do I want to know how much this machine cost? It’s fabulous.”
“Several thousand more than I was expecting to spend, but they had one out doing an embroidery demonstration at the store, and I decided I was taking her home with me. No shattering?”
“No shattering. This suit is exclusively luna moth shifter silk, so the risk of shattering is quite low albeit still present. I’m at the safe point, though. If it was going to shatter, it would have by now. I’ve only shattered one suit out of like fifty I’ve made. And Icried. That was my momma’s silk, Valerie.”
“I think it’s sweet that you wear silk your parents produce. But you’re going to have to either go home and get your pajamas or make your own using my machine, but you’ve been sold out by your flutter. They will return for you on Monday morning, where I will be paid in a bag of silk for your safe return.”
He laughed, grabbed another button, and went to work affixing it to his new suit. “I see it’s your turn to indulge in a kidnapping. Very well. I’ll grab my things, including mycamera, and you can dictate everything we do this weekend. That seems fair after tonight. Also, I’m hugely relieved you have springs loaded into your feet. I checked for wings, Valerie. Youflewover that car like it was child’s play.”
“Well, when you did fairly well at vaulting until eighteen, it is child’s play. I should take some lessons again. Clearly, there are practical applications of gymnastics I had not anticipated before tonight. Tomorrow, we have to wait for my furniture to be delivered, but after that, if you need some more of your parents’ love, we can go visit them. Maybe Yolana will have more of their silk you can buy.”
“I could start doing some of that stitching stuff you do. That would give me an excuse to get their thread. How is the stitching cloth?”
“It’s tiny but fierce, but the weave is good for cross-stitching, and it doesn’t seem prone to shattering, so I’m pretty happy. The thread is a delight to work with. I can teach you if you don’t know how.”
“I’ve done some limited embroidery for suit embellishments, but I haven’t actually done cross-stitch before.”
“You’re going to want a project holder. I highly recommend Shifter Five’s. I don’t think Yolana has made any project holders from your parents.”
“They haven’t; their production hasn’t been high enough.” He pouted at me. “I suppose I could support Shifter Five through the purchase of a project holder. We can at least match in terms of materials used.”
“I won’t remind your parents that Shifter Five’s silk is the best silk,” I promised, grinning at him. “Finish up your suit and then head home for everything you need for a rough weekend of being kidnapped and held hostage. But in goodnews, I have plenty in my freezer, so you won’t starve. I’m even good at cooking. And if you happen to decide to become a luna moth and get high on my roses, I’ll feed you. It’s only polite to provide guests with a snack.”
“The entire flutter is going to visit,” he warned.
“Sure, on Monday, and they’ll be bringing me a bribe to return you. I have it on excellent authority you have been abandoned to your fate.”
“I’ll make sure to thank them for their consideration later, but to properly play the role as your hostage, I must protest and struggle for your enjoyment.”
I liked the idea of him protesting and struggling for my enjoyment a little too much. “Finish making your suit, hostage. Take your time. Then you can run on home and fetch all the things you need to be a happy and healthy hostage for the weekend. But be aware, once you step foot into my home next, you will be at my mercy.”
“Oh, no! I am being kidnapped. Whatever will I do?”
“Suffer horribly.”
He laughed. “For some reason, I think I’ll be safe from suffering, but I will make a good effort to complain over the wicked ways of my captor.”
“That’s a good start.”
TWENTY-FIVE
I can respect your willingness to do evil as long as it’s tasty evil.
I optedfor the long approach for luring Joel into my bed, where I had every intention of removing him from his clothes and having my way with him. I settled him into my guest bedroom, and I hinted at a change of general accommodations if he demonstrated he was capable of being a good hostage and behaving for me. After eight hours of good sleep, I got up, checked on my guest, and determined it might take a literal explosion to get him to wake up without an alarm or direct intervention. I left him to his rest, went downstairs, and hoped Joel could handle eating bacon and eggs, as I hadn’t gone shopping with the intention of having guests.
