Page 78 of Spears and Shadows (Defenders of the Light)
There wasn’t much Nora could say to that, so she reached across the table and took Odelle’s hand in her own.
“So, you really love him?” Odelle asked.
“I really do.”
Odelle’s smile turned wicked.
“Well then, I gotta know, does two thousand years of wisdom pay off between the sheets?”
Nora wished she could say she contained the urge to stick her tongue out at her sister as if she were a child, but she had no such luck.
* * *
Nora battedAdam’s hand away from where he was fiddling with his sling, and he took the opportunity to put his free arm around her shoulders and pull her close.
He had been discharged from the hospital a week earlier, the arm on his injured side still immobilized. He made no secret of how glad he was to be free of the place. Being immune to most diseases kept Adam from consuming much modern healthcare, and it turned out he wasn’t a fan of the institution. Nora could still hear him complaining about how there were too many tubes involved in his treatment. He had tried to convince Thad to take him back to the Sanctuary for treatment. Thad, however, was fascinated by the chest tube that had been inserted to treat Adam’s collapsed lung and insisted that he stay under Drew’s care. It was Thad’s reasoning that Drew would be able to offer superior care, considering that his quick thinking had been what saved Adam in the first place.
Now, Adam and Nora walked together through the crowded streets of the West Loop. It seemed odd to be heading to a bar to meet a band of immortal warriors, but Thad had insisted that it would be good for the group to get out into the world more. Odelle jumped to suggest a place while Thad led a shopping expedition for appropriate clothes.
Nora and Adam were the last to arrive, and Thad made sure that drinks were pressed into their hands as quickly as possible. Once everybody had an adequate libation, Odelle clambered onto a chair, commanding the group’s attention.
“This just in, my sources have alerted me that Nora has, at long last, received her promotion to department head at the museum.”
Nora’s cheeks heated even as she grinned so hard her face hurt. She hadn’t wanted to brag about her own promotion, feeling like it was a small victory after the battle that had just been won, but she couldn’t help laughing as everybody raised their glasses to her and Odelle let out a whoop.
“To Nora, who can carbon date a spear as well as she can gut you with it!”
The group laughed as they drank, eventually dispersing into smaller conversations throughout the room.
As Nora settled herself onto a stool, she looked out at the group and marveled at how well the different facets of her life mixed. As Nora watched, Thad slid into a booth next to Drew and stole a sip of his craft beer. Across from Drew sat Ezra, who was trying to understand Drew’s explanation of American football. He was all about the tackling each other part, but he did not understand why grown men would chase after a ball instead of simply fighting each other with real weapons.
In the corner by the window, Nora spotted Odelle talking to Antony. She was radiant and sporting a new pair of legs the Smith had built for her. Odelle had been dismayed to find that her one prosthetic had been hopelessly damaged by her use of it as a club to keep the Agent at bay. Antony had immediately risen to the occasion and offered to Smith her a new set of legs that would be far more durable, even if she did choose to use them as projectiles from time to time.
What Antony didn’t mention in advance was that he’d managed to fulfill Odelle’s dream of having sparkling prosthetics. At first glance, they looked to be flesh colored, but as she moved, iridescent threads running through them caught the light and sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow.
When Antony had presented Odelle with the legs, she had squealed with glee and promptly thrown her arms around his neck, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. At her reaction, Antony’s eyes had taken on an even dreamier cast than usual.
Nora was drawn from her reverie by Adam, sliding next to her and echoing her earlier thoughts. “Everybody blends together better than they have any right to.”
Nora agreed, pressing an absent kiss to Adam’s cheek.
“You know,” Adam continued, obviously trying to sound offhand and not quite succeeding. “I think our lives would blend together pretty well, too, if we lived together.”
Nora paused with her glass halfway to her lips.
“Are you saying…you want to move in?”
“Only if you want to.”
“Where would we live?” Nora asked. “The Sanctuary? My apartment or yours?”
“Either. Both.” Adam shrugged. “We don’t have to, though, only if you’re ready. I’m determined to do all of this right. Not skip anything.”
“Hmm,” Nora teased. “Well I think I’ll have to make you a set of keys then and take you home to meet Irina this Christmas. Make you wear an ugly holiday sweater for good measure while she stuffs you full of pirozhki.”
“Meeting the parents, huh? Make sure she breaks out the vodka,” Adam teased.
Nora chuckled in response before fishing her phone, which had begun to buzz, out of her pocket.
