Soul of the Butterfly by Scott Carruba

Author:Scott Carruba [Carruba, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781944732417
Publisher: Optimus Maximus Publishing
Published: 2019-06-19T22:00:00+00:00

*****

Zoe brings the glass of bourbon to her lips, taking a generous swig. She swallows it with no outward sign of any burn. The glass is somewhat large, and there is some ice in there, but the measure of whiskey is generous. She is too young to legally be drinking in the U.S., but she is a regular here. She’s never been asked for I.D. She also usually drinks beer, but this time, she opted for something stronger.

The burly, bearded bartender already had a bottle pulled from the cooler when he saw the shorn-haired girl walk in. She stopped him with a small shake of her head and steely-eyed gaze, uttering her desired drink. The slightest rise of his unkempt eyebrows had been his only reaction.

One might think of this as a biker bar, maybe a metal bar. The clientele and music suggests both of those, but that is not the entirety of their visitors. The bartender has seen Zoe coming in here for a good while. He knows she doesn’t hold any interest in idle chatter. He thinks she’s in the military or possibly a vet, but there isn’t a base that close, and she sometimes comes in on weeknights. He also wonders if maybe she partakes in criminal pursuits, what with her aspect and the thick folds of cash usually pulled from those pockets.

He’s seen some guys hit on her. As far as he knows, none have ever succeeded. There’s never been any trouble, but it’s clear she brushes them off quickly. She’s a pretty girl, even if her hair is so short and she doesn’t wear make-up and dresses kind of masculine. Hell, he’s thought before of trying to get in her shell, but he’s past his prime.

He notices it now, though, and a part of him knew it the first time she walked in. There’s an edge there. She’s seen things. That’s why he thinks she military and part of why he’s never bothered to ask her for I.D. Hell, some local cops came in once, and though one of them gave a bit of a curious look, they didn’t ask about her at all. They didn’t talk to her, either.

Zoe knows she could throw around the Felcraft weight. Her extent of that is to collect a very nice paycheck, really more of a stipend, and use it to live on her own away from most of the central family. It’s not that she doesn’t love them, but she feels like something of a black sheep.

She’s been given a short respite before they head overseas to continue looking for the third and last book. She wonders about that, still worried that all of this is a trap with Lilja at its core. When Skothiam had been talking to the centuries old guardian they’d found, she and David spent the time basically watching and waiting. Lilja, though, had been right up in it, even throwing in some comments from time to time. It chapped Zoe. Skot is the Head, so it was his place to talk to the guardian.

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