Page 11 of Ravenous Prophecy
Mother stood and poured a cup of coffee from the carafe on the sideboard, placing it in front of me and pressing a kiss to my temple.
“Eat, but then we need to talk before you leave, Bradley,” Father said.
For a moment, a quiet tension settled over the table,then Mother cleared her throat and asked Griffin if he’d ever been to Italy, and he started a complicated story involving a secluded magical cult, an ancient gauntlet, and a tornado.
When Father stood, I pushed aside the plate I’d picked at and followed him to his study. He closed the door and gestured for me to sit.
“Bradley, you understand that we’ll always support you,” he started, and I dug my nails into my palm to keep from blurting out what I wanted to say. “We understand that you want to find your independence with your research and preservation. But now you’re involved with the MEA?”
“It was a misunderstanding,” I said. “I’ve hired Griffin to help me resolve it.”
“You’ve hired Griffin?” my father asked, his eyes going slightly distant as he thought. “With what money?”
I wet my lips, straightening my back. “I have some savings…”
“No, no. He seems like a very capable young man.” Father nodded, turning to the bookshelf behind him and tapping on a book with his finger.
A portion of the shelf disappeared, a safe appearing in its place. I sighed. Father’s casual display of magic wasn’t anything new, nor was the pit of inadequacy that opened in my stomach.
“Here. Based on what Lambert said about your current predicament, this should cover his expenses.” Father handed over a stack of cash, and I straightened my chin, about to tell him no, but practicality won out. I accepted the money.
“I’ll pay you back,” I said, tucking it into my jacket pocket.
“Pay me back?” Father waved his hand. “Don’t think of it! Just visit more often. Your mother worries about you.”
With that, he waved his hand again, and the safe disappeared as though it had never been there. He stood, nodding at me and walking out, leaving me alone in his office.
I stared at the books on his shelf. When the door opened and Griffin walked in, I wasn’t even surprised. He offered over a plate of food.
“You didn’t eat much at breakfast,” he said. “Your sister said you’d be here.”
“In the light of day, this all appears rather foolish,” I admitted.
“What does?” he asked. “You still haven’t told me the job.”
“The man who had me authenticate his manuscript, JA Williams, is about to do something very dangerous. He’s trying to summon the Hive—or a specific Hive member. I’d need to see the manuscript again to be sure.” I picked at the food, chewing and swallowing before looking up.
Griffin was staring at me, a quirk on his lips making it clear he thought I was chasing ghosts. It didn’t matter if he believed me.
“Williams vanished with the manuscript just as MEA showed up. I need it back. He’s planning to kill a lot of people with it, and I know that the magical blowback from me justreadingit was enormous. MEA doesn’t seem interested in that,” I said. “So, there’s the item you need to retrieve. Are you up to it?”
“Sure,” Griffin said. “I can do that. Do you have any idea where he’s going to have it stored?”
“I don’t,” I said. “I’m not even entirely sure MEA didn’t take it when they… apprehended me. But I do know where I met him when he interviewed me for the job.”
“Why does that sound so ominous?” Griffin asked, squinting.
“Maybe not ominous,” I replied, “but not someplace I care to go again. And I doubt he’d be hiding the document there.”
By the time I finished telling Griffin the story of my first meeting with Williams, his eyes were bright with an impish amusement that made me squirm uncomfortably.
“Well.” He tilted his head, assessing. “I just don’t know how we’ll get in. Unless… How’s your dancing?”
CHAPTER 5
GRIFFIN
The line finally moved forward,the bouncer lifting the velvet rope and beckoning the worthy to come forward. A small crowd of young women in flashy outfits giggled as they skipped past the rope and into the club. Bachelorette party, probably. Mazel tov. Good for them. But we’d been waiting for what felt like hours.
