Page 20 of The Shade of Things
It gnawed at my soul that I was doing the same thing to Tatiana and Laurent, but forced or not, I’d promised Zev to keep mum, and I wasn’t going to test the limits of Zev’s mercy.
Laurent would never break a confidentiality, especially not to Zev, but everyone in the magic community took promises very seriously. If I broke this one, and even got away with it as far as BatKian finding out, I was convinced there would be karmic retribution that was just as bad. I wasn’t willing to test that and find out.
That said, I was searching for a loophole.
I blew on the glass and drew a circle in the condensation. That secret was one thing, but I was even keeping the raven shifter’s game a secret from Eli. Did it affect him or was it something I’d just brought on myself?
I spent the remainder of the drive watching the circle fade and trying to think this through, but coming up blank, I was happy to arrive home.
Jude and Sadie sat outside on the chairs on my half of our front porch surrounded by my extra-large baking sheets cooling on the railings.
I helped myself to a lemon cookie and perched on the arm of Sadie’s chair, resting against her side. “Three different flavors? I warranted maximum anxiety, huh? You loooove me.”
“Mock me and I take them with me,” Jude said. Her Southern accent always reminded me of magnolias and honey, and hearing her felt like coming home after a long absence.
Eli beeped the fob at his car as he came up the front walk. “Is there peanut butter?” he said hopefully.
Jude pointed at one of the trays. “Right there, sug.”
He took a cookie with a blissful sigh, then kissed the top of Sadie’s head, before squeezing Jude’s shoulder affectionately. “You’d have made a great sister-wife.”
“Bless your heart,” Jude drawled, and they both laughed.
“Let me shower and then I’ll come over with Teresa’s file.” Eli unlocked his door and headed inside.
A neighbor’s car drove slowly to the corner, its red turn signal blinking in the darkness.
“You think you can find her?” Sadie said.
“I hope so.”
“Good.” My daughter bounded up. “I’m going to call Caleb.” She hugged Jude. “Night, Aunt Jude.”
“Good night, pumpkin.”
Jude waited until the door had closed behind Sadie and helped herself to a chocolate chip cookie. “Is finding this girl going to cause your child and me more stress?”
“Depends.” I slid into Sadie’s vacated chair, resettling the cushion at my back. “Do you consider infiltrating a Running Man–style game to save the missing woman and any other Sapiens who’ve survived from vamps and shifters stressful?”
Jude swallowed her mouthful and fixed me with a flat stare. “Little bit, yeah.”
“Fair.” I leaned over and grabbed my own chocolatey goodness off the still-warm tray. “We probably need a few therapy sessions on this topic.”
“You’re not kidding, are you?”
“I wish.” I filled her in on what we’d learned, but Jude had never heard even a rumor of such a game existing.
“You could ask Zev,” she said.
“I could.”
I wouldn’t. If Zev had bothered to send Rodrigo to that party just for my sake, then he wasn’t playing around. Further delays on the Ascendant would not be tolerated.
Eli stepped out of his place in his favorite Canucks shirt and sweatpants, with his feet stuffed into flip-flops, and Teresa’s file under his arm. He locked up his side, grabbed another peanut butter cookie, and then, with a considering look, took the entire tray and went inside my house.
“Leave the door open,” I called.
Jude gathered up her purse. “Don’t let him eat them all.”
