They continued to watch until it disappeared from sight.
Only then did Valentine feel Lavinia’s eyes on her and she turned her attention back to her friend.
“He’s wealthy, very,” she stated. “Unmarried, obviously. And he gives not only generously of money but also of the expertise of his firm, of which he’s the founding and managing partner, to a local domestic violence shelter. This for reasons I can’t fathom, outside the fact he’s simply a good man, for his mother and father had a long, loving relationship that only ended when his father died in a tragic car accident.”
“Valentine—” Lavinia started.
Valentine didn’t allow her to continue.
“And he moves in circles that are such it’s unlikely he’ll run into the office manager of a towing company.”
Light had already dawned in Lavinia’s eyes, but with that she moved closer to Valentine.
“With our Circe, I’m not sure this is wise,” she declared.
“You would be wrong,” Valentine sniffed.
“My dear—”
“It is, as it can’t have escaped you, the natural order of things,” Valentine reminded her.
Lavinia’s focus wandered to the street where they last saw Dax Lahn’s car.
She then whispered, “The Savage.”
“Perfection,” Valentine decreed.
Lavinia’s attention cut back to her. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Valentine tried not to be offended.
And failed.
“I know precisely what I’m doing,” she said with a slight snap.
“I think you believe that down to our emerald soul, I just hope you’re right.”
“I’m absolutely right.”
Lavinia held her gaze and shook her head.
Really, her friend’s misgivings were quite insulting.
“It’s late in Lunwyn and I have things to see to there,” Valentine announced. “Are you finished with that… fare?” She tipped her head to the remains of Lavinia’s repulsive hot dog.
To that, Lavinia shoved the last bite in her mouth and followed that by chewing at the same time smiling.
Valentine controlled her lip curling in derision.
She then moved them both to an alley close by that was deserted and there were no eyes on them.
And with verdant green smoke mixing with jade, the two witches disappeared.
Chapter Ten
Always but Always
Franka
“Goodness, almost a bull’s-eye.”
I jumped at Cora’s words and looked to her to see I was so engrossed in what I was watching out the window, I hadn’t even sensed her coming close.
And what I was watching out the window was Finnie and Frey, with some of Frey’s men and Lahn looking on, teaching Noc how to go about using a bow and arrow.
I’d been watching for some time, and I’d noticed in this time he not only took very little of it to feel comfortable with the weapon but to start shifting back further and further from the target with his aim, each time quickly coming more and more true.
“You want to get our cloaks and go out with them?” Cora asked, turning her eyes to me.
“Certainly not,” I sniffed and forced myself to move sedately from the window to take a seat on one of the two couches sitting parallel to each other by the fire. The couch I selected was empty. The one across from it had Circe and Brikitta sitting on it, Circe grinning knowingly at me, Brikitta regarding me closely.
I ignored both of them and reached forward to the tea service that had been laid out for us to pour myself some tea.
“She so does,” Circe declared, and I knew she was talking to Cora.
I also knew it was a tease.
But my deep-seated feelings of guilt and shame surfaced, and struggling with them now for some time I was unable to push them back.
Therefore I looked to Circe and snapped, “You do realize that not long ago my lover was tortured to death.”
Circe’s lovely face went stricken, and at the sight of it, my guilt and shame increased.
“I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “I do know that. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No,” I stated, looking away, feeling my embarrassment in the heat in my cheeks and bringing my teacup to my lips but not sipping. “There was no reason for me to be curt when you were simply teasing.”
I sipped and hoped that was where the matter would lie.
My hope was in vain.
“It’s sweet, you and Noc,” Cora said, coming to sit next to me. “And it’s not bad, you and Noc. He’s a good guy, Franka. And he gets it. I don’t know, I’ve never lost what you’ve lost, but he’s that good of a guy, he’s just trying to be there for you, as we all are. And you should take that, babe. People caring. Let him in. Let us in. We might be able to help.”
“He is a…” I hesitated before I tried out the words, “good guy. It’s not like I don’t know this.”
She scooted closer to me.
“What I’m saying is, if you want to get your mind off things, it won’t hurt anything or anyone to put your cloak on and go out and be with people who like being around you and who want to be there for you,” Cora further explained.
“I’ve feelings for him,” I blurted.
Gads!
Now I was blurting my thoughts willy-nilly.
Cora stared at me and as she did I felt the room grow still.
Why I said it I didn’t know, but as was happening quite often of late, I couldn’t stop it and further, I couldn’t stop myself from continuing to share.