Chronicles of Arcana (The complete collection books 1-4) by Debbie Cassidy

Author:Debbie Cassidy [Cassidy, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4

“What the heck was that?” I brushed off my coat and flexed my knees.

Tay rubbed the back of his head. “He threw me off like I was a rag doll.”

“What? How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know, but I get the impression he could have knocked us both out if he’d wanted to and gotten away.”

But he hadn’t, which meant ... “He didn’t want to hurt us.”

Tay nodded.

“But the pictures ... they were awful.”

“We don’t know if he actually hurt those people.”

“But he’s capable.” God, my head was spinning.

Tay pulled me into his arms. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. The Collective has him, whoever he is, and we have enough on our plate without adding going up against the Arcana to our list.”

He was right, but it didn’t make me feel better, it didn’t stop me from wondering if we’d taken away that boy’s freedom, and what the heck The Collective would do to him.

“Let’s go collect that check and then get you home.” He picked some fluff from out of my hair. “You’re gonna need to clean up before you go mingle with the toffs.”

Stepping over the toppled displays and empty packets of food, we made our way to the exit.

***

The fire was flickering in the grate in the study, and a fresh pot of tea had been laid out. Gilbert had known I’d come visit, and relief flooded me.

“I’m sorry,” he said from behind me.

I slipped into the comfy chair by the fire. “Don’t be. I was reckless. I’m glad you came down to the basement when you did.” But was I? Was I really?

I poured the tea to cover the confusion between the words coming out of my mouth and those trapped in my heart. Lying to myself was a novelty that grated.

“I have better night vision now, though. Can you add that to your list of new abilities?” I was rambling to change the subject, to get onto solid ground.

“I’m worried about you,” Gilbert said. “I’m worried that whatever is down there has gotten a grip on you.”

Great, he wasn’t going to let this slide, was he? I sipped the tea. “I’m fine. There is no grippage going on whatsoever. No gripping, no ... Urgh, you get what I mean, right?”

“Nevertheless, Trevor and I strongly feel that you shouldn’t go down into the basement again. Not until we know for sure what it is we’re dealing with and have a way to get rid of it.”

My heart sank, and a split second later, anger flooded my chest. “What do you mean you discussed it? Since when do you two get to decide what’s best for me?” The tea sloshed over the rim of the cup as I placed it back on the table. “This is my home.” My tone had hardened, deepened, abrasive like gravel.

“I thought this was our home, Wila. The three of us,” he said gently.

The fog of ire brought on by his earlier declaration faded. “Shit, Gil, of course it is.

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