Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler

Author:Nicole Peeler [Peeler, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance, Urban
ISBN: 9780316056601
Google: OkdClwEACAAJ
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2011-01-01T13:27:33+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

When I heard the scratching at my door, I was lying on my belly, half under my bed, trying to flush out my deodorant. I’d dropped it and it had rolled away like a captured thing finally offered release.

It was only a few hours since I’d read about Iris’s death in that file folder. Anyan had checked us into a hotel in downtown Providence, where we’d be staying for a few days. There were witnesses to question, and Ryu’s team was meeting us tomorrow. So I’d focused on what we had coming, rather than what had happened. I’d deal with Iris’s death later, when Jarl had been brought down.

In the meantime, to keep busy, I figured I’d do some hand washing. I had a little pile of dirty things that I’d taken out of my duffel, and I felt as if the world would be a slightly better place if I made those soiled clothes clean.

But then my deodorant escaped and I’d had to recapture it. Which brings me back to the scratching…

What the hell? I thought as I froze, still half under the bed. The scratching was repeated, a bit louder this time.

I stood cautiously, then padded over to the hotel door so I could peer out. There was nothing to be seen at eye level, but when I looked down I could see the flashing tip of a wagging tail.

I thought we were past the hiding in plain sight as a dog thing, I thought as I unlocked my door to let Anyan in.

“Jane,” he rumbled, his big doggie face peering up into mine.

“Anyan,” I replied cautiously. What did he want?

“Can we talk?”

I sighed. Anyan had kept trying to engage me in a heart-to-heart earlier, but I was totally not in the mood.

“I was just sort of getting organized,” I explained, pointing at my piles of clean and dirty clothes. “I thought I’d do some hand washing…”

“That’s great. I can keep you company,” the big dog replied, pushing his enormous head through the door and padding past me.

“Great,” I said, my voice sarcastic.

Anyan came in, sniffing around. I looked around for a newspaper or magazine to whack him with if he took a sniff at my laundry. Finally, he jumped up on the king-sized bed, twisting about in a few tight circles until he settled down.

I closed the door and locked it, leaning back against it as I watched the barghest speculatively.

“Go ahead and take care of your stuff; I’ll just hang out.”

I narrowed my eyes at Anyan. “You just want to hang out?”

“Iris was my friend, too, Jane. If you must know, I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

I felt my spine stiffen, and a wave of grief threatened to wash over me.

No time, I reprimanded myself harshly, clenching my fists and heading over to my pile of dirty laundry.

I scrabbled at the pile, realizing my hands were shaking as I kept dropping things. But I persevered, unwilling to let my sadness get the best of me.

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