Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“You look like you’re in shock.”
“Kinda.” I was in shock, but not because someone had shot at us. I stole a look at Paul’s shirt. Still no blood. Humans bled. Supernaturals – even the most powerful ones – bled, too.
Immortals, however...
Paul shot me a concerned look. “I think we should have you checked out—-”
I quickly shook my head. “I’m fine. Really.” And I truly was. I just needed more time to...process. I needed more time to accept...
Paul was an immortal.
My fingers fumbled as I clumsily took my phone out, and I tried to distract myself as I made the necessary calls to report the shooting. By the time we made it back to our place, my heartbeat had considerably slowed down, and I was able to think things through more clearly.
Paul was an immortal. Fine. What kind of immortal I could figure out later, but for now it should be enough to know that the detective I was working with might be an immortal. That could only mean good things for our case, and that was all I should care about.
Right?
“Do you want to come in?” I asked Paul when he insisted on walking me to the door.
“Only if you need me to.” His tone was grim. “Do you?”
“Just a little shaken up,” I admitted, “but it’s nothing I can’t get over.”
“If you need me for anything – you promise to call me?”
“I promise.” I bit my lip after, hesitating, and when Paul raised a brow, I said quietly, “I meant what I said earlier. I still want to help with the investigation, and I don’t want this to be a reason for you to sideline me out of concern or anything.”
Paul’s lips tightened, and my heart sank at the sight. I knew it. He was thinking of getting me off the case.
“I can still help,” I insisted. “I could start asking around—-”
“My agents will handle that,” Paul rejected. “Dion’s bars aren’t the kind of place you should venture to, and—-” His lips compressed in a straight line. “If it’s any consolation, both of us will be sitting this one out. It’s a long story, but I can’t show my face in any of his properties.”
I gnawed at my lip. That did change things.
Paul glanced up at the skies, and I asked nervously, “What is it?”
“Zeus’ mood is taking a turn for the worse.”
And did he know that, I wondered, because he was an immortal himself?
When the detective turned back to me, his face was grim. “I’m not giving you a choice this time. The skies will turn into a war zone tonight—-”
“I’m an agent in my own right,” I protested. “I can help—-”
“Not if you’re dead,” he said quietly. “One of the golden rules in this game is knowing how to pick your battles – and tonight isn’t your fight. I mean it, Blair. Stay here and don’t give me a reason to worry about you.”
ZEUS’ SO-CALLED MOOD swing continued to flay the town with whips of rain outside my window. Only an hour had passed since Paul left, and I was already going out of my mind doing nothing. I was CSI, for the love of Gaea. I had to do something. Didn’t I?
“Hey, She-Ra.”
“Good afternoon, Blair. What can I do for you?” She-Ra was the name I chose for the AI assistant I had installed in all of my devices. The app-based assistant was also agency-issued, like my wand, and it could do everything Apple’s Siri did – and more, since it had also been developed to provide the necessary assistance for non-humans.
“Is there any bar owned by Dion that’s within walking distance?”
“Let me search that for you.”
Dion was the name the wine god used these days, and one that humans were very much familiar with. These days, Dionysus had his fingers in just about everything, with his business interests ranging from construction companies to industrial factories and, yes, nightclubs as well. Then again, this wasn’t much of a surprise since unlike the other Olympians Dionysus had always preferred to dwell among mortals. If historic texts were to be believed, Dionysus even felt he had more in common with humans than other gods. They were fallible and prone to excessive emotion...just like him.
I chewed on my lip as She-Ra gave me the location of the bar. Should I call Paul and tell him about my plans? But if I were to do that – wouldn’t that make it seem like I had to ask his permission to do my job?
At the end of the day, we were still strangers, and besides, he could be busy with work right now. I was only going to visit one bar. What trouble could I get into – right?
I switched the radio on and tuned in to Iris’ station while I paced the length of my living room, still undecided.