Painter for Hire by D. K. Holmberg

Author:D. K. Holmberg [Holmberg, D. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0135JJOEK
Goodreads: 25941231
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2015-07-20T05:00:00+00:00

10

By the time the flames died down and Devan had pulled me to the side of the shed, Taylor and Nik had taken a survey of the grounds looking for the remaining Nizashi. Nik leaned into Taylor, occasionally resting his hand on her shoulder. His gaze went to the shed, as if curious what we would be after.

“What are you thinking?” Devan asked.

I stared straight ahead. My vision hadn’t quite cleared yet from the surge of light and fire coming over and over again. An edge of raw nerves ached inside me, as well, leaving me with the sense that I needed to shower or sleep or have a drink. None of which would make me feel any better. “Not thinking. Maybe that’s my problem.”

“You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”

I turned so that I could see her. “I thought the Nizashi was going to grab you. All I could think of was how I’d nearly lost you when Adazi took you.”

Devan leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder. “You really can be an idiot sometimes, you know that, Ollie?”

“I know.”

“What happens now?” she asked. There was more to the question than just the Nizashi.

Silence built between us, but it was comfortable rather than awkward. Neither of us really wanted to answer. So we sat there, happy to be alive.

Taylor and Nik reached us, and I looked up. Devan sighed softly. I don’t know if the others heard or not. “This one’s dead,” Nik said. He thumbed toward the body lying near where Taylor had made her circle. It hadn’t moved since the attack.

“Yeah, I figured that.”

“There’s one remaining, but he’ll be a tough sonofabitch to take down. He’s sort of the leader of this group.”

“I had him,” I said. Had I known the guy I’d shoveled was the leader, I might have hit him a few more times.

Nik arched a brow at me. “You out-magicked one of the Nizashi?”

It told me plenty that Nik was surprised that I would manage to do so, but expected to be able to handle the Nizashi himself. “Nope. I out-shoveled.”

Devan shook her head. “Idiot,” she muttered.

Nik seemed to see Devan for the first time. “Hey, Devan. Haven’t seen you in nearly five years. Not since you threw me into prison.”

I glanced over. I hadn’t heard that side of things. “Are we going to have a problem?” I whispered. I wasn’t in any position to get into a magical battle, not after what we’d just been through. Gods, I might need another week just to recover.

“I didn’t throw him into prison,” Devan told me. Looking up at Nik, she gave him her best annoyed face, sneering at him. “And don’t go making shit up, Nik. You know I had nothing to do with what happened to you.”

“You were there,” he said.

“Yeah, and so were ten others. Did we all throw you into prison?”

His face hardened, and I could see some of the man that he’d become in the five years since he’d crossed back over the Threshold.

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