I told him what had happened.
Kristof shook his head. "That man has serious sword-control problems."
I sputtered a laugh. "You think?"
"If he's not slow getting it out, he's sticking it in where it doesn't belong."
As my laugh died, I pressed my face against his shoulder. After a moment, Kristof stroked the back of my head. "What else happened?"
Until now, I'd said nothing about Trsiel's hints that my quest was really a stepping stone to angel-hood.
When I told Kristof that, I expected him to burst out laughing. I guess I should have known better.
Instead, he listened, then gave a slow nod.
"That makes sense," he said.
"It does?" I smiled. "I swear, Kris, you're the only person in the universe who could hear that I'm a candidate for angel-hood and say, 'That makes sense.'"
"But it does. You may not be the most obvious choice, but if they haven't caught this Nix in over a hundred years, I'd say the obvious choices aren't working out so well." He paused, thoughtful. "I know this may not be the path you had in mind for your afterlife, but you may want to give the offer some serious thought. You've been… well, you've been better than I've seen you in a long time, happier, more… there. First, of course, you'd have to have a very long talk with the Fates, find out exactly what this deal would entail."
"I—I've done that, Kris."
His brows arched.
I managed a twist of a smile. "Surprised at my foresight? Don't be. Trsiel told me the catch. And good thing he did, because…" My throat went tight. "Because I came very close to making a very big mistake.
I'm not going to be an angel, Kris. The price is too high."
"Savannah," he murmured. "You couldn't watch her anymore."
"No, that's not it. If anything, Savannah was the biggest plus to this whole offer." I caught his gaze.
"Becoming an angel would mean I could protect her, that I could have stopped Lily, just like Trsiel did.
And, ever since Trsiel told me I might be a candidate, that's all I've been able to think about, how it would help me with Savannah. But then, after you talked to me in Alaska, I wasn't so sure that was the right path anymore. Then, today, I found out something that clinched it. Become an angel, and they send me off to angel-land. A one-way, one-passenger ticket."
His brow crinkled, then a blink of surprise, quickly stifled. "You'd have to leave the ghost world, you mean, and you like it here—"
I cut him off with a fierce kiss. "You know what I mean, so stop playing dumb. I don't care about the damned ghost world. It's you I won't leave."
A slow smile, then he leaned over and kissed me back. A few minutes of that—too few minutes for my taste—and he pulled away.
"So no halo and wings for Eve." He grinned. "I have to admit, that particular outfit wasn't one I've ever imagined you in."
"One of very few, I'm sure." I shifted closer to him, belly to belly, feeling a fresh wave of heat. "I will find a job. That much I've realized. I need to do something in this life. Maybe we can spend some time thinking about it. I can try on different uniforms, see if any catch your fancy…"
He laughed and slid his hand around to my rear, pulling me against him. "I'm sure most will catch my fancy, at least for a night or two. Perhaps we can start with the nurse…" He closed his eyes, lips moving in a soft oath.
"Kris?"
"Sorry, just the practical part of my brain, reminding me that I'm distracting you from something more important than nurse fantasies." His gaze slid down my body. "I could shut it off, if you like…"
I laughed as I sat up. "You're right, I do have work to do, and we'll have all of eternity to play dress-up when I'm done. Now give me a hand brainstorming my next move. As partners go, Trsiel's a good guy, but when it comes to plotting, our brains operate on completely different wavelengths."
"Won't let you kill anyone, will he?"
"Won't even consider it. No killing, no stealing, no lying. I think I've caught him swearing once or twice, but I can't be sure."
"I'm taller, too."
I sputtered a laugh. "You're what?"
"Taller." He snuck a grin at me. "He's better-looking, thinner, still has all his hair… but I'm taller. By at least an inch."
"Not only do you support me in my moral bankruptcy, but you're taller? What more could any woman want?"
"So she didn't get the amulet," Kris said after I'd recapped my last Nix encounter.
"Right, but she said she had another way. A less satisfactory way."
"Spiritual possession," he said. "And for that she'd need not just any necromancer. What did you say back at the castle? Few necros who are powerful enough to perform it—"
"Would be stupid enough to perform it."
"A powerful necro… who's somewhat lacking in mental agility." His brows arched. "Sound like anyone you've worked with recently?"
"Jaime's not stupid. She doesn't come off as the brightest bulb, but, hey, I know all about the benefits of acting dumber than you are. In her case, there are some emotional issues there, too. Acting like a ditzy celebrity might be her way of dealing with things."
"True, but, as you say, she doesn't come off as the brightest bulb. What's important is what she appears to be. The Nix did make some cryptic comment about her secondary choice having some effect on you, that it'd be 'temporarily' very satisfying, probably meaning something that would hurt you. If she knows that you know Jaime—"
"Shit!" I scrambled up. "I need to warn Jaime."
Kris got to his feet as I conjured fresh clothing. "I'm right beside you. But even if the Nix does get to Jaime before we do, Jaime's not about to volunteer her body for full spirit possession, certainly not to an unknown spirit."
Finding Jaime wouldn't be a problem. Because of her erratic schedule, we'd already worked out a system so I could track her down if I needed help. If she was out, she'd leave me a note on her desk, where I could read it.
Kristof shook his head. "That man has serious sword-control problems."
I sputtered a laugh. "You think?"
"If he's not slow getting it out, he's sticking it in where it doesn't belong."
As my laugh died, I pressed my face against his shoulder. After a moment, Kristof stroked the back of my head. "What else happened?"
Until now, I'd said nothing about Trsiel's hints that my quest was really a stepping stone to angel-hood.
When I told Kristof that, I expected him to burst out laughing. I guess I should have known better.
Instead, he listened, then gave a slow nod.
"That makes sense," he said.
"It does?" I smiled. "I swear, Kris, you're the only person in the universe who could hear that I'm a candidate for angel-hood and say, 'That makes sense.'"
"But it does. You may not be the most obvious choice, but if they haven't caught this Nix in over a hundred years, I'd say the obvious choices aren't working out so well." He paused, thoughtful. "I know this may not be the path you had in mind for your afterlife, but you may want to give the offer some serious thought. You've been… well, you've been better than I've seen you in a long time, happier, more… there. First, of course, you'd have to have a very long talk with the Fates, find out exactly what this deal would entail."
"I—I've done that, Kris."
His brows arched.
I managed a twist of a smile. "Surprised at my foresight? Don't be. Trsiel told me the catch. And good thing he did, because…" My throat went tight. "Because I came very close to making a very big mistake.
I'm not going to be an angel, Kris. The price is too high."
"Savannah," he murmured. "You couldn't watch her anymore."
"No, that's not it. If anything, Savannah was the biggest plus to this whole offer." I caught his gaze.
"Becoming an angel would mean I could protect her, that I could have stopped Lily, just like Trsiel did.
And, ever since Trsiel told me I might be a candidate, that's all I've been able to think about, how it would help me with Savannah. But then, after you talked to me in Alaska, I wasn't so sure that was the right path anymore. Then, today, I found out something that clinched it. Become an angel, and they send me off to angel-land. A one-way, one-passenger ticket."
His brow crinkled, then a blink of surprise, quickly stifled. "You'd have to leave the ghost world, you mean, and you like it here—"
I cut him off with a fierce kiss. "You know what I mean, so stop playing dumb. I don't care about the damned ghost world. It's you I won't leave."
A slow smile, then he leaned over and kissed me back. A few minutes of that—too few minutes for my taste—and he pulled away.
"So no halo and wings for Eve." He grinned. "I have to admit, that particular outfit wasn't one I've ever imagined you in."
"One of very few, I'm sure." I shifted closer to him, belly to belly, feeling a fresh wave of heat. "I will find a job. That much I've realized. I need to do something in this life. Maybe we can spend some time thinking about it. I can try on different uniforms, see if any catch your fancy…"
He laughed and slid his hand around to my rear, pulling me against him. "I'm sure most will catch my fancy, at least for a night or two. Perhaps we can start with the nurse…" He closed his eyes, lips moving in a soft oath.
"Kris?"
"Sorry, just the practical part of my brain, reminding me that I'm distracting you from something more important than nurse fantasies." His gaze slid down my body. "I could shut it off, if you like…"
I laughed as I sat up. "You're right, I do have work to do, and we'll have all of eternity to play dress-up when I'm done. Now give me a hand brainstorming my next move. As partners go, Trsiel's a good guy, but when it comes to plotting, our brains operate on completely different wavelengths."
"Won't let you kill anyone, will he?"
"Won't even consider it. No killing, no stealing, no lying. I think I've caught him swearing once or twice, but I can't be sure."
"I'm taller, too."
I sputtered a laugh. "You're what?"
"Taller." He snuck a grin at me. "He's better-looking, thinner, still has all his hair… but I'm taller. By at least an inch."
"Not only do you support me in my moral bankruptcy, but you're taller? What more could any woman want?"
"So she didn't get the amulet," Kris said after I'd recapped my last Nix encounter.
"Right, but she said she had another way. A less satisfactory way."
"Spiritual possession," he said. "And for that she'd need not just any necromancer. What did you say back at the castle? Few necros who are powerful enough to perform it—"
"Would be stupid enough to perform it."
"A powerful necro… who's somewhat lacking in mental agility." His brows arched. "Sound like anyone you've worked with recently?"
"Jaime's not stupid. She doesn't come off as the brightest bulb, but, hey, I know all about the benefits of acting dumber than you are. In her case, there are some emotional issues there, too. Acting like a ditzy celebrity might be her way of dealing with things."
"True, but, as you say, she doesn't come off as the brightest bulb. What's important is what she appears to be. The Nix did make some cryptic comment about her secondary choice having some effect on you, that it'd be 'temporarily' very satisfying, probably meaning something that would hurt you. If she knows that you know Jaime—"
"Shit!" I scrambled up. "I need to warn Jaime."
Kris got to his feet as I conjured fresh clothing. "I'm right beside you. But even if the Nix does get to Jaime before we do, Jaime's not about to volunteer her body for full spirit possession, certainly not to an unknown spirit."
Finding Jaime wouldn't be a problem. Because of her erratic schedule, we'd already worked out a system so I could track her down if I needed help. If she was out, she'd leave me a note on her desk, where I could read it.
