Chapter 14
Nell
The apartment is strangely quiet when I arrive.
I expected to find it empty, but as soon as I enter, I smell the sweet scent of Cherie's perfume. And there she is. Sitting next to Colt on the couch, talking in a low voice. They both shut up abruptly as soon as they see me, and that sudden silence puts me on alert.
“Am I interrupting something?” I ask, dropping my bag to the floor with a thud that echoes in the silence.
“Nell!” Cherie jumps from the couch to hug me. “Where have you been? Colt and I were worried.”
I look at her with suspicion, taking a step back to break contact. I've known Cherie for years, and she's never been the type of person who worries about anyone. She's too focused on herself. Unless, of course, there's money involved.
“I was busy,” I respond vaguely, pulling away from her. “What are you two doing here? Are you done with Sabina already?”
Colt looks at me with that expression I know too well, eyebrows slightly furrowed and jaw tense. It's the same one he used when we were kids and he wanted to protect me from the bullies in the foster care system.
“Cherie came by to pick up her share of the loot,” he explains, but something in his tone tells me there's more. “And we stayed talking.”
“Talking,” I repeat, alternating my gaze between both of them. “About what?”
“About you,” Cherie responds without beating around the bush, sitting back down on the couch. “About how you've changed these last few days. About those new friends of yours. By the way, that Sabina is an asshole; she doesn't even return my calls.”
I feel the air around me stir slightly. I breathe deeply, trying to control it. I try not to let it show that, for some reason I don't know, I got nervous knowing she hasn't even been with Cherie. The last thing I need is for them to see my powers in action.
“I haven't changed,” I lie, forcing a smile. “I'm just busy with a new job.”
“With that supermodel from Estonia and her friends?” Colt asks, arching an eyebrow.
“Cherie told me there are three of them and that you're preparing a big heist or something like that. You know you can tell me anything, right? Where did they come from? In this city all of us who steal know each other and that blonde is new.”
“There's nothing to tell,” I insist, heading toward my room. “I just need to rest a little.”
“Nell,” Cherie's voice stops me. “If you're in trouble, we can help you. We're a team, remember?”
I turn to look at her. Her eyes show a concern that surprises me. For a moment I consider telling them everything: my supposed Fae lineage, the magic, Kaelisar, the mission... But would they believe me? Or would they think I've lost my mind or started doing drugs?
“I'm fine, really,” I repeat. “Just tired.”
Without waiting for a response, I enter my room and close the door behind me. I need to study the book more, there are too many spells I still don't understand well, techniques that...
I stop short.
The book isn't where I left it.
I check the room, search frantically between the sheets, under the bed, in the drawers. Nothing. It's disappeared.
I leave the room and plant myself in front of Colt and Cherie, who exchange a knowing look.
“Have you lost something?”
“My book,” I growl, putting my hands on my hips and trying to keep the air around me still. “A big book, old, with symbols on the cover. Have you seen it?”
Colt and Cherie look at each other again and smile.
“What the fuck have you done?” I yell, though I'm not sure I want to hear the answer.
Colt scratches the back of his neck, a gesture he always makes when he's nervous.
“I sold it, Nell,” he admits. “To a collector downtown.”
“You did what?” The air in the room now stirs violently, making some papers fly. “How the hell did it occur to you to sell it?”
“It was just an old book!” he defends himself, pulling a wad of bills from his pocket. “And they gave us a lot of money for it. I thought you'd be happy. I can't believe they paid so well for a book you weren't going to read.”
I look at the bills as if they were a snake, and a panic attack floods through me. That book was my guide, the only way to understand my powers, to prepare myself for what's coming.
“You're a fucking moron. Who did you sell it to?” I bark, trying to control myself so there's no accident.
“To some guy named Anders Pearshield,” he responds, shrugging and extending the money toward me. “He has an antique bookstore on Washington Street. Damn, you should thank me for all the money I got.”
“I have to go,” I announce without even looking at him.
“You just got here.”
“I know. It's urgent,” I insist, heading toward the door.
“Nell...”
I leave the apartment before they can stop me. Panic accelerates my pulse as I go down the stairs two at a time. Without that book, I'm lost. Without that book, I can't complete my training. Without that book, I could fail the mission and condemn Colt and the others to jail.
But there's something else, something that terrifies me even more than failure. When Kaelisar finds out I've lost a unique book... I prefer not to think about what will happen.