A House of Cards: Undercity Chronicles, The Beginning by Savannah Skye

Author:Savannah Skye [Skye, Savannah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

I don’t know if Avery or I was more stunned by Cassie’s sudden resurrection, but five minutes later, once we had thrown some clothes on, we were both still gaping blankly at her as she sat on the chair opposite us in the living room.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“No,” I managed, my throat aching with unshed tears.

“Then why the wide eyes, guys?”

I leaned forward. “Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

“I am. And to be honest, I’m a little hurt that you’re not happier to see me alive and kicking. Or at least, as alive as I get. Vampire and all that.”

“You faked your death.” Even in the tone of his voice, it was evident that Avery’s serious reservations about Cassie had not gone away, and in fact, had become more serious still.

He didn’t trust her an inch. And, as I stared at her, still in shock, I was finding it hard to remember why I had.

“No easy feat for a vampire,” nodded Cassie. She seemed unconcerned by Avery’s obvious distrust, but Cassie had a grifter’s skill at hiding her emotions beneath a façade of indifference. “Vampires are always disappearing, so someone’s got to actually see you go ashy for it to carry any weight, and that’s no easy thing to fake. Hashtag Ultimate Con.”

“How did you do it?”

Cassie wagged a finger. “A magician never reveals her secrets. Hana, you’ve got yourself a nosey boyfriend. Cute, though. And from the sounds I could hear while I was waiting politely in the next room, knows his way around the mattress. Good to see you getting down and dirty with a vamp, too. I always thought there was a fang-girl in you trying to get out.”

I couldn’t help grinning. For whatever she had been through recently, this was still the Cassie I knew and had feared I would never see again. Funny, fast-talking, no boundaries, copper-colored hair piled up on her head and green eyes flicking about, taking everything in, looking for something she could use to her advantage.

“Why did you fake your death?” I asked.

Cassie’s face became serious for a moment. “I’m sorry about that, Han. I wouldn’t have hurt you for the world if I could have seen another way, and if I’d known that you’d get dragged into this, I never would have done it.”

“But why did you?” I pressed.

“Police getting close?” suggested Avery, curtly. “Old Guard? Or another gang got the drop on you.”

Cassie jerked a thumb at Avery. “I don’t think your boyfriend likes me, Han. I’m starting to think his head is as hard as his ass. Kudos on that, by the way — what is that? Lunges? Squats? I gotta get back to the gym.”

“Cassie,” I said firmly.

“Oh yeah. You really want to hear this? Silly question. Course you do. If half the city was after me, I’d want to know the reason why. Okay. Long story, so I’ll skip the details. You remember I was in Undercity Milan last year?”

“Yeah.”

“Lovely city. Queen of Spades has done a hell of a job.

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