Blood_An Affinities Novel by Kirsten Krueger

Author:Kirsten Krueger [Krueger, Kirsten]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-07T05:00:00+00:00

19

The Guilty Assailant

“I really hope it rains,” Ackerly said, gazing up at the thick, dark clouds rising above Periculand’s buildings. The police station was in sight now, and Adara had a decent guess as to who lay behind bars within it.

“Mm, so do I. Maybe the Pixie Princess will use the rain to drown Kiki,” she speculated, her excitement growing with the thought. Lips contorting with contempt, Tray glanced down at his watch and muttered about how this was a waste of time.

“Well, um, I was thinking more about the town’s plants,” Ackerly replied as they passed the massive hospital bathed gray in the shadow of the impending storm. “They’ve been dehydrated with the heat.”

Adara opened her mouth to retort, but then Eliana said, in her mousy voice, “Maybe we should be a little…nicer to Kiki. She’s in a…tough place right now.”

“A tough place she put herself into,” Seth reminded her grudgingly. “If she hadn’t broken up with me, we could be happily holding hands right now.”

Adara made a dramatic gagging noise that, to her delight, brought a scowl to Tray’s face.

“Kiki might not seem so bad right now, but trust us, she’s awful,” he assured Eliana, but she remained as silent as Hastings, who had yet to say a word.

By the time they arrived at the police station, a slight drizzle had begun, causing Ackerly to enter the building with a new spark of enthusiasm. Adara started to tease him for his childlike elation, but as soon as she met eyes with the officer at the front desk, her light mood fizzled.

“Well, look who it is, Stromer,” Tray mused as he approached the desk. The officer had been filling out a report by hand until he heard the boy’s voice, at which he glanced up and frowned. “It’s your little cop boyfriend.”

Ackerly’s eyebrows shot up while Hastings showed a rare sign of amusement. Seth was too busy shaking water out of his hair like a dog to notice their old acquaintance.

“Mitt,” Adara greeted, inclining her head toward the officer. “Have you been assigned to follow me wherever I go, since I’m just such a threat?”

Mitt Telum dropped his pen and rose from his swivel chair, clearly trying to feign formality. It had only been two weeks since Adara had seen him, but he somehow looked much older, his black hair now speckled with peppery gray and his dark brown eyes now holding a metallic sheen. Instead of the blue uniform he’d worn in their old town, he now sported a rusty orange uniform that was only a few shades darker than the cargo pants that Seth and Tray wore on school days. Adara thought, with vindictive glee, that it made him appear more like a prisoner than an officer.

“Adara.” He, too, dipped his chin. “Starks, and…friends.”

“Are you really Adara’s boyfriend?” Ackerly asked. “I wouldn’t think a cop would be her type…no offense…”

“He’s not my boyfriend, Greenie. He’s old, and he arrests me all the time.”

“I don’t know, that sounds like a pretty intriguing romantic comedy to me,” Seth pondered as he stroked his chin.

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