Two girls. Two secrets.
Only one can survive.
Years before Nelle Wychthorn plans her escape, Tabitha Catt may unearth something in a Horned God's lair that is the key to freedom.
Desperate to save her beloved aunt from a dark curse, Tabitha is out t...
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The city flowed by and I dodged in and out of traffic smoothly while Tabitha shimmied her shoulders and sang along with Blondie's Heart of Glass.
She opened up the box of ravioli swimming in a sauce of mushrooms and pine nuts and shavings of truffle. She closed her eyes, inhaled the flavors wafting upward, and made that low sultry moan again and I had to adjust my straining hard-on discreetly.
Taking a bite of ravioli she tilted her head to the side with a thoughtful look. "What's it like being an enforcer? Do you like it?"
Her question startled me and for a moment everything emptied out of my head, including what she'd asked.
In all the years I'd been with Irma she'd barely asked me anything after a day's work. It was always—How are you? Quickly followed up by—Did I remember that I was taking her to whatever-the-fuck to show off to whomever-the-fuck. Then pouting—I'd hoped you'd have worn the gray tux not the black.
Tabitha continued to look at me with an expectant expression, patiently waiting for me to answer.
I did like being an enforcer and I did like working for Upper House Novak. I mean it wasn't all I did. Sometimes there was a whole bunch of paperwork to do, meetings with other Houses, and hunting down mortals or an elusive beast for tithes we owed the Horned Gods.
"Yeah," I began, because though it could be stressful dealing with the leaders of cartels and crime syndicates, there was nothing as thrilling and adrenaline-pumping as going in there scaring the shit out of them. "I do like being an enforcer." And then I just kept talking.
Tabitha listened while eating and feeding me mouthfuls of ravioli that melted across my tongue. She asked further questions, and because of the insightful line her inquiries took within five minutes she'd proven what a shrewd mind she had.
As I slowly spun the steering wheel around to lead us onto the highway and leave the city behind, I continued to talk about my job and the different aspects of what my family did for the Horned Gods. And it eventually led to Sirro.
"He's so charming and so freaking scary at the same time," Tabitha said, twirling linguini onto her fork.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Now was the time to ask her about Sirro. The Horned God had her pinned against a tree, and the faintest trace of whatever was prowling the Deniauds' home—Kinslayer or not—had been present at the exact same time.
"So..." I began, tapping my finger on the steering wheel, wondering how to phrase this. "The morning after Jurgana, what did Sirro want with you?"
She stilled and her wary gaze snapped to mine. "How do you know about that?"
Relief flooded through me that at the very least she wasn't denying it.
Then her eyes flared with a shot of anger. She parted her lips and I was sure she was going to say something like—Were you stalking me again? Before she could, I jumped in with a rush of words. "I came looking for you to say goodbye before I left the Deniauds'."
