Ava's Revenge by Teyla Branton

Author:Teyla Branton [Branton, Teyla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romantic Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-939203-54-0
Publisher: White Star Press
Published: 2014-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

I DON’T KNOW WHY I told him my real name, not that it mattered. Only those closest to me knew it now. Everyone else was dead. As this mortal will be, I told myself, before you age another year. Getting attached was never without risks and consequences.

I needed to focus on Frances.

We walked around to the front of the house. Several servants stared at us as we strode up the walk, but Smith winked at them and gave me a heated look that they couldn’t misinterpret. I laughed. At least my new persona gave Smith a reason to be skulking around Cardiff’s house. They would likely assume we had arrived earlier but had taken the opportunity for a little sport before going inside.

At the door, Smith handed the white butler an invitation. So many life forces were already present, glowing in my mind as bright as the oil lanterns placed to enhance the gas lighting installed in the house. We were ushered into a large parlor where no expense had been spared. The evidence of opulence was everywhere, from the handmade lace tablecloths to the rare foods on the banquet table. I could see no life forces blocking my mental searches, and the resulting jumble of emotions and thoughts was insane. So many in this room were angry, ambitious, and eager.

The mental cacophony would have overwhelmed me years ago, but now I cataloged, assessed, and blocked the people who were of no concern. As I’d seen before, only white servants were present in this room. Their master was nowhere to be seen.

“Is that ice cream?” Smith asked.

I sensed he loved the stuff. “So it appears.” I gave him a level stare and he colored slightly. “Are your friends here?”

He nodded. “I’ve given them the signal. They’ll act when Johansson arrives.”

I followed his eyes to the side of the room holding the refreshment table. A man with a sheriff’s badge stood with four other men. Not many against an Unbounded. Unless they were trained by someone like Locke or Ritter.

Where was Cardiff?

I pushed out my thoughts, searching for both Cardiff and Frances. I wished my ability weren’t limited by distance, but I had to work with what I was given. I moved across the room, and Smith went with me. Eyes followed us, a customary occurrence. Mortals saw the undisguised me as far more than beautiful. Striking, perhaps. Compelling. It no longer phased me—except Smith’s sudden reluctance to leave my side, which could get him killed.

“Attend to your friends,” I said. “I have my own agenda.”

He gave me a wink. “I’ll go talk with them, but I’m not finished with you, Miss Ava. Don’t forget that I know where you are staying.”

So much promise and confidence in his voice. He must have enjoyed the benefits of a good education, and I wondered what he did for a profession. Perhaps some kind of law enforcement. If he survived this night, I might find out.

Something in me shifted at that thought. If Smith died, it would be at the hands of Cardiff because I had failed.

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