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office. I m glad we have the necromancer matter settled, Sam said, sitting behind his desk. Me too. Bob perched on the corner of Sam s desk. Whatever will we do with all our free time? Bob s eyes gleamed with lust. Sam smiled. I m sure we can think of something. Excuse me. Bob had leaned in for a kiss and groaned over the interruption. Laughing, Sam turned his head to watch the new gargoyle hopping into the room. Can I help you? That creepy cat said you could help me find my master. I can try. Sam couldn t deny the gargoyle, not if Smudge had said he could help. They had an agreement, after all. Good. I help you. You help me. What do you think you can help me with? Sam hoped he hadn t just gained a second gargoyle for his house. The small creature looked around the room thoughtfully then pointed triumphantly at the gargoyle on Sam s desk I can tell you that that isn t a real gargoyle, he said. If he s not a gargoyle, what is he? Bob asked. The gargoyle shrugged, not an easy feat with stone wings. I m not sure, but he doesn t feel like a gargoyle. He is other. What do you mean by other? Sam asked impatiently. He wished people paranormals, whatever would actually speak in a real language, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo. Not of stone, the gargoyle explained patiently. Then he hopped closer and poked a stony finger at the other creature. Other, he added dramatically. Crap. Sam hated it when words like other began to be tossed around. You re right, this isn t good, Bob repeated Sam s thoughts. He leaned in and looked closer and Sam swore the maybe-not-a-gargoyle turned his head. Not before Sam saw the little gargoyle s expression. How was it he had never noticed that his uncle s gargoyle had such a sad look carved into his face? No. Bob was right. Other was never a good thing. Also available from Totally Bound Publishing: End Street Detective Agency: The Case of the Dragon s Dilemma Amber Kell and RJ Scott Excerpt Chapter One And you re sure you are going to be okay looking after our little guest? Bob didn t look convinced even as he asked. I ll be absolutely fine, Mikhail said firmly. It s not like she does or says anything. She just sits there. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked squarely at the small blonde-haired girl curled up on a temporary bed with her thumb in her mouth. He knew absolutely nothing about children, other than that they were shouting, squealing bundles of confusion that he couldn t quite get his head around. But at least this one was quiet. She hadn t said a single word since being rescued from the docks and the cage she had been held in. The fact that she had been one of the children in the cages was another contradiction. He could understand Mal being in a cage the small vampire was a spitfire and constantly back-chatting and by all accounts had made life difficult for her captors. This child, though why would any human think she was threat enough to cage her? We don t know what her species is, Bob reminded him. I could stay here and back you up. There was no trace of sarcasm in Bob s voice, but there was an element of slyness there that Sam picked up instantly. You re not staying here, Sam said firmly. We have two schools to check out with Mal and she needs both her guardians with her. Bob muttered something under his breath but didn t argue his position with any conviction. Mikhail chuckled. Bob was handling having a surrogate daughter in about the same easy way as Mikhail was handling having children around him at all. I don t have anywhere to be, Mikhail confirmed. I don t mind sitting and watching. See if you can get her to talk, Sam suggested. We can t return her to her people if we don t even know what she is. Mal ran into the room and slid to a stop next to Sam. She grabbed at his jacket to stop from falling on the wooden floor. Sam, she said quickly. It s time to go. Mikhail waved them away and shut the front door after they left. He wandered through the house and spent a short while in the file room, but Teddy was lurking and the disapproving looks from the ghost had him leaving to go and check on the girl. For a while he hovered at the door. Sam had tried talking to her. Bob had attempted cajoling her. Smudge had even spent an inordinate amount of time winding in and out of her legs every time she stood up. Still nothing. Maybe he should give it a try. He did have one advantage over Bob in that his friend was a pure vampire. And over Sam, who was a human. Maybe she would react differently if she knew more about Mikhail? That he wasn t pure vampire. Maybe she was a mixed species and had learned not to share that fact with others. A lot of paranormals shunned mixed race beings because they weren t all one or the other. It was worth a try at least. What did he have to lose? He dragged a chair from the side of the room, then straddled it backwards before resting his chin on his hands. Where to start? So, I m Mikhail, he began. She stared right at him and even stopped twirling her hair to listen. I found out that I wasn t who I thought I was. It was hard to come to terms with finding out my entire life had been a lie. People didn t accept me. Even friends I d known for a long time became enemies. Great. If anything, the confused expression on the little girl showed exactly how little of what he was saying made sense. Let me start again. She shuffled a little on the bed but still said nothing. I was about your age& well, ten anyway hell, if you are even ten that is when I found out my dad wasn t my dad. Turns out I wasn t the full-blooded siren, or prince, I was expected to be. In fact, I m half vampire. Before I was ten you couldn t have told I was different from other children my age. Mikhail shook his head. He recalled the teasing and bullying when he couldn t master breathing underwater for long periods of time without using magic, and how he d learned to pretend everything was okay. As the middle son to the siren king, Mikhail hadn t been allowed to fail. Did this child in front of him have the same problems? Mikhail sighed. As I grew up, my vampire nature became dominant and my siren side became quieter and in the background. I know what it s like to be different and to have to keep secrets. Was that enough to communicate what he wanted? Would she see that he understood if she was a half-breed or unusual species type? She uncurled and sat up. Eliza, she said softly. My name is Eliza. Hey, Eliza, Mikhail said. He kept his voice low and friendly. Can you tell me how to get hold of someone who might be missing you? Parents? Family? Becoming mute again, she shook her head, then clambered down off the bed. She walked past Mikhail and into the hallway before going into the bathroom. Well, at least he d got her name. That was a start. She shut the door behind her and Mikhail contemplated what he was going to ask her next. Maybe a location, or a surname, or anything that meant she could get home. The door flew open again and, startled, Mikhail turned to look. What he saw had him on his feet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |