Infinite Risk (23 page)

“Come in. I just made coffee.”

“That's it? No questions.”

“Sometimes that's the last thing you need,” he said.

“You got that right.”

What I needed, he offered—and that was a warm respite from a cold world. After I drank some coffee and ate a plate of Luisa's tamales, I fetched my cleaning supplies without being asked. It almost looked like he'd saved up chores just to make me feel needed; the floor didn't look like it had seen a thorough mopping since I'd been gone.

“You don't have to,” he said. “That's not why I invited you in.”

“I know. But I could use the company.”

So he stopped protesting and made casual conversation as I worked, nothing too personal or intrusive. It was, frankly, perfect. José tried to give me a sack of groceries once I finished, but I shook my head. “No thanks. I have plenty of food at home.”

“Then why…?”

“You're not the only one who likes doing good deeds.”

“I'm glad you're okay.”

Okay
was a relative word. The discomfort from other day rebounded, filtering a phantom pain throughout my body. Maybe I'd overdone the physical exertion while my body was still healing. Rochelle had said she had done as much as she could and that the rest of my recovery would take time. Whatever the reason, I hurt as I trudged back to the Baltimore. For so many reasons, it bothered me that the only reason I could even get into my shitty room was because of the Harbinger. It was like he was trying to infiltrate my life on an atomic level. When I should be focused on Kian or worrying about my myriad adversaries, my head was full of the Harbinger, to the point that my skull felt like it might explode.

By the time our double date rolled around, crankiness settled its teeth into my neck. I set out for the meeting point without much caring if the Harbinger even showed. I hadn't told him where we were meeting or what time, but if he was coming, he'd find me. He'd tracked me down almost two thousand away after all, and I wished that didn't fill me with such warmth.

Kian had decided we should go the Marquee, probably to impress Tanya with his unexpected coolness. Maybe because I was already in a pissy mood, a wave of resentment swamped me. He'd only gone to this place because of me, and now he wanted to show it off to someone else, the girl he'd secretly liked for years.
Whoa, rein it in. You can't be like this.

Taking a few steadying breaths, I stepped into the lobby bar, where Kian was already waiting, despite the fact that I was ten minutes early. He beamed at me, so sweet and excited that it hurt me to look at him. On him, happiness held an unexpected sheen, lending him this puckish, irresistible charm. Yes, he was still too young, gangly and awkward, but this was how he should've been all along, before his life got twisted up by supernatural gamesmanship.

“You're here.” He took a few steps with bright smile in his eyes; then his gaze diverted to the door, where Tanya stood in a white jacket, a white knit cap on her tawny hair like a princess in a fairy tale. I almost expected to see a diadem of snowflakes when she pulled her hat off, officially proclaiming her the snow queen.

Then she bounced on her toes, turning into a normal teenage girl. “This place is so awesome. Are you sure we can swing this?”

As she said this, a staffer came over. “IDs, please.”

Tanya froze. I whipped mine out, as did Kian. We got a cursory check; then the guy looked at Tanya pointedly. She seemed like she might panic, and Kian stepped in. “She forgot hers. But come on, do I look like a cradle robber? We just want to watch the movie anyway.”

As the dude hesitated, someone dropped a drink tray, and a whole lot of cursing commenced on the other side of the room. A big guy was shaking spilled liquor off his combat boots, looking like he might put the clumsy waiter through a wall. This server dashed off, presumably to mitigate the damage. Tanya exhaled slowly.

“Sorry, I was too nervous, I guess. I almost screwed things up.” She smiled at Kian like he was some kind of super hero.

Wow, this sucks more than expected.

“Will Colin be here soon?” Kian asked, checking his watch.

Before I could answer, a pair of arms slipped around me from behind. “Present. Shall we get a table?”

I shook him off, but that didn't stop him from settling a hand in the small of my back in a distinctly proprietary fashion. Kian didn't even seem to notice, as he was one hundred and ten percent Tanya-focused. He shepherded her through the dark room to the same booth we sat at the last time we came, but he slid in after her, probably hoping for some incidental contact.

Thankfully, the preview reel started, sparing me the need to make small talk. When the Harbinger put an arm around me, I elbowed him. Undeterred, he whispered, “You're not playing your role with much conviction tonight. Why are you so angry?”

The truth spurted out of me like lotion from an over-squeezed tube. “Because you're keeping someone as a pet, and I was enough of an asshole to forget.”

In the faint, shifting light, something like surprise … and relief flickered over his too-handsome features. “Is that all? When I decided to share your story, I set him free.”

“What?” I stared, unable to credit what I was hearing.

“I tweaked his memories and gave him into human hands. It would've been cruel to leave him alone so much while I focus on you, no?”

In my book, keeping someone as a pet at all qualified as cruel, but I couldn't deny the relief flooding me. “Whatever.”

He kissed my temple, more Colin pretense, right? “This pleases me, dearling. I thought … well, that it must hurt you to see this
.
”

Across the table Kian was whispering to Tanya, taking advantage of the setting. She didn't seem opposed to his closeness, either. While she might not be ready to date just yet, I had the feeling that in time, this could turn into something. I waited for the pain, but it was muted, a low thrum of inevitable acceptance edged in longing for what I'd lost.
He is not mine,
I thought, and this time, it carried the unmistakable knell of truth.

When the Harbinger reached for me a second time, I let him pull me in. Settling against him felt disturbingly like coming home.

 

THE POLARITY PRINCIPLE

Tuesday after school, new minions awaited me. A pair of men in sunglasses and black suits stood with arms folded, just beyond school property. The taller one opened the back door to a silver town car and gestured for me to get in. It wouldn't be Wedderburn, so I climbed in and found the interior balmy like a sun-drenched beach. I recognized the god at once, but panic careened along my nerve endings because I had a sword made from Dwyer's heart wrapped around my wrist. Aegis tingled as if in awareness of the paradox.

The car pulled away from the curb, and through the tinted window, I glimpsed Kian, staring after me from the school parking lot.
He'll have questions for sure.
Putting that aside for the moment, I shifted to face Dwyer. His aura stung my eyes, so tears drizzled down my cheeks. Tawny gold like a surfer, he looked a little out of place in a suit. I could easily picture him sprawled in board shorts on a lounge chair.

“You're not what I expected,” he said in greeting.

There was no point in deploying the confused-schoolgirl impression; he clearly knew I was more than I seemed. “Oh?”

“Someone capable of getting the better of Buzzkill, thwarting the winter king, and enchanting the Harbinger.”

“You don't think I did all those things?” I'd probably choose a word other than
enchant
, but otherwise, fair enough.

“No, I have evidence to the contrary, but I'm baffled as to how.”

“Is that important?”

He wore a musing look as he shook his head. “Perhaps not. Would you explain to me how a human girl came to possess a legendary blade forged by Govannon?”

“I'd rather not.” Dwyer reached for my bracelet, like he recognized the base material on some level, and I snatched my hand away. “Bad idea.”

“You pose quite an intriguing riddle, girl. But that's not why I've asked for a moment of your time. Do you know who I am?”

“Wedderburn's opponent, the sun god.” It would do no good to feign ignorance anymore, and it might only serve to piss him off.

Since I was barely surviving as it was, I couldn't deal with two powerful immortals gunning for me. He smiled, and I strangled the urge to throw myself on the floor of the vehicle in helpless obeisance. It actually hurt to keep myself upright, beside him on the seat, as if we were equals.
No wonder people thought these creatures were gods, back in the day.
His smile tightened a little when he realized I had resisted.

So that was an intentional power play.

“How fascinating,” he said.

“Would it be impolite to ask why you wanted to meet? There's someone waiting for me.”

“Yes, I can feel his birds circling. But they can't report back on what happens in the car, for it is
my
domain.” That statement felt like both a promise of privacy and a subtle threat.

Since I was making an excuse, surprised flared like a match in complete darkness. Sometimes I forgot how seriously the Harbinger took his promise to protect me, though I wondered if that encompassed all of his interest. He seemed far too vigilant for someone merely honoring a deal.

“That's good, I guess.” If he asked, I'd tell him what happened later.

“Since you've taken it upon yourself to impede my enemy's progress, I propose an alliance of sorts. I can extend my protection and make Wedderburn think you're one of
my
agents. That should grant you the opportunity to do some damage. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if you managed to complete your offensive against him.”

“What makes you think I have an endgame?”

“Intuition,” he said, smiling.

The car slid smoothly across a bridge, taking us away from downtown. The streets widened, and the houses got a little bigger. If we continued north, they would expand into subdivisions instead of neighborhoods, and beyond that lay a smattering of McMansions, like the one the Jake Overman lived in. Cross Point wasn't a huge city, but it had all the problems and perks of a larger one like Pittsburgh, only in miniature.

“Well, it's true I'm trying to accomplish something, but to be honest, foiling Wedderburn's plans is incidental. If that's fine with you, I could agree to an alliance.” More protection sounded good, as long as it didn't come with restrictions.

“He is not the forgiving sort. Once you cross him, the encounter can end only in one of two ways.”

“You think he'll wipe me out,” I guessed. “But you're hoping I'll do some more damage before he gets me.”

Dwyer shrugged. “Does that seem heartless? But my offer will buy you time, something you mortals always find to be in short supply. Your intervention has ruined multiple plans for Wedderburn, and I would like him to judge me more formidable and unpredictable than he previously estimated.”

“You want me in your deck as the wild card.”

“That is an excellent summation.”

“What are you offering exactly?”

“Primarily, a bodyguard. But I'll also let it be known that you're doing my work. That will drive Wedderburn mad.”

“I don't want someone obtrusively following me around,” I objected.

“Selena knows her business. You won't even know she's around unless you're about to be jumped by the winter king's lackeys.”

Pondering, I tried to see any potential drawbacks, but off the top of my head, I found none. But just to be sure … “What are my obligations in this arrangement?”

“Just keep harrying Wedderburn. Keep him frustrated.”

“Because while he's focused on me, you can make moves that he won't notice, or come up with methods to counter.”

Dwyer smiled. “Now I see it.”

“What?”

“The reason for the Harbinger's interest. You're a clever creature, aren't you?”

It didn't seem right to agree, so I took that as a rhetorical question. “My mission is to save someone he's determined to acquire as an asset.”

“Yes, I've noticed. Since I intended to deploy agents to ensure that asset's destruction, it was a most entertaining development. Your advent had the same effect as my original plan, only you caused Wedderburn considerably more chagrin.”

“Because he didn't know who I was working for or why I appeared?”

“Precisely.”

“If I only need to keep doing what I'm doing and act like it's on your orders, that seems like a fair deal,” I said.

“So we have an agreement?”

“Absolutely.”

His answering smile nearly blinded me. “Excellent. I'll let Selena know at once. She'll find this most promising.”

“Excuse me?”

“She's been waiting for an excuse to tangle with the hag in Wedderburn's employ. With Buzzkill out of commission, he'll send her after you at some point.”

I remembered the nightmare creatures with the metal claws and shivered. “She has a strange idea of fun.”

“So I've said more than once.” Dwyer seemed pleased to have his opinions validated even by someone like me. “Would you like to meet her? If only to avoid misunderstandings.”

“I have time.”

He rapped on the partition between the seats and leaned forward to give instructions to the driver. The car changed course and delivered us to an upscale coffeehouse in the suburbs. With a big, mostly empty parking lot, it was an odd place for a supernatural meeting. We went inside, and Minion A got us both cappuccinos without asking what we wanted. Dwyer chose a seat by the window in a cluster of overstuffed armchairs, and I noticed how everyone in the café perked up, like flowers facing the sun. Since he had his aura dialed down to a minimum, I could only imagine how people would react if he came at full charge. The two guards sat down at a neighboring table. Eventually the patrons went back to their phones, laptops, and quiet conversations, leaving me in awkward silence with Dwyer.