The halfling stepped into the house next and nodded toward the living room. “Go ahead. I’m right behind you.”
Durg sucked his teeth around the giant tusks poking up behind his lower lip, but he turned slowly and across the hall. It took everything Cheyenne had not to laugh or make any more smartass remarks when the orc kept glancing over his shoulder as he bumbled toward the couch and his grim-faced niece. She shut the front door and headed after them.
“You’ve got a lot to answer for, Aksu,” the orc muttered when he stopped in front of the couch.
The girl bit her bottom lip and glared at the coffee table.
“She’s been gone for over forty-eight hours, man.”
Durg whipped his head up to stare at the halfling making her way toward him. He shuffled backward along the couch and stopped when she did.
“Were you even a little worried about her?”
The huge orc grunted, his eyes flicking between the half-drow in his living room and his niece on the couch. “Why should I be worried? She’s a smart girl, and she decides to waste her time running around through Peridosh with a bunch of good-for-nothing blood traitors.”
Aksu’s silent laugh was laced with disgust. “You’re such a hypocrite.”
“Watch it.” Durg breathed heavily through his nose and scowled down at his niece. “I put too much on the line to see you waste what you’ve got goin’ for you on this side.”
Fighting back tears, the orc girl kept glaring at the coffee table. “You weren’t even happy to see me.”
“No, I’m pissed that you think you can just stomp out of here and do whatever you want, then lie to me about it.” The last few words growled out of him between clenched teeth.
“She hasn’t even had a chance to tell you what’s going on,” Cheyenne added, watching the guy’s growing anger with a raised eyebrow.
Durg jabbed a meaty green finger at her, but that was as far as he was willing to take it. “She doesn’t need a damn drow in disguise to help her spit out another bullshit story. Why the hell are you even here?”
“Why don’t you sit, and I’ll tell you.”
“Uh-uh. You can’t just come into my house and—”
“Sit down!” Something rattled on a shelf in the living room. Cheyenne glared at the startled orc, who dropped sideways into the couch beside his niece and stared at the drow halfling speaking with magic.
Did I feel it flare up? The halfling’s hand rose halfway to the Heart of Midnight at her throat, then stopped. Or maybe it’s just the commanding Summerlin voice.
With both orcs’ full attention, Cheyenne ignored her surprise. “There’s obviously a good reason I showed up here today, now that you’re finally listening. Aksu didn’t run away, Durg. She was kidnapped Wednesday morning with fifty-nine other magical kids. By the same people wearing that damn thing around their necks.” She pointed at the torn tapestry on the far wall, where Durg had used the bull’s head symbol for knife-throwing practice.
The huge orc hissed.
“Yeah, I feel pretty much the same way about them.” The halfling shook stray pieces of black hair out of her eyes. “I’m back with your niece because I’m one of the people who helped get Aksu and those fifty-nine other kids back. Got it?”
Durg blinked and turned his yellow eyes on his niece. The girl swallowed and lowered her gaze to her lap.
“I should probably clear the air right now and say that the only other person who knows about how your niece got Earthside is me. And that was by necessity, so I could get her back home. No one else is gonna hear about it. You both have my word on that.”
The orc just raised his eyebrows, swimming in a spiral of disbelief.
“Aksu?” Cheyenne smiled when the orc girl looked at her. “Is there anything else we should put out in the open before I get outta here?”
“No.”
“All right.” Cheyenne pointed at Durg and cocked her head. “This isn’t the last time I’ll be stopping by, Durg. You and I are gonna sit down soon and have a chat about those loyalists and the bull’s head. I’m giving you a heads-up now so you can figure out what’s important for me to know, and don’t even bother with whatever might waste my time. Got it?”
The orc grunted, scratching his cheek as he turned his gaze onto his niece.
“That’s good enough for me. I think you guys have some catching up to do.”
While Durg didn’t look back up at the drow halfling hovering in his living room, Aksu slowly lifted her gaze and mouthed to Cheyenne, “Thank you.”
Cheyenne couldn’t quite bring herself to smile at the girl. There was too much relief and fear mixed together in Aksu’s bright yellow eyes. Instead, the half-Drow dipped her head and shot the orc teenager a knowing wink. She’ll get it.
Then Cheyenne turned and stalked out of Durg Br’athol’s house. And I’ll be back. When I have the time.
Chapter Sixty
Cheyenne opened the door to her new apartment and closed her eyes.
Sitting beside the stack of broken-down boxes, Ember laughed. “What are you doing?”
The halfling took a tentative step through the doorway.
“I’m almost afraid to look at what else you’ve crammed in here since I’ve been gone.” Cheyenne opened her eyes and swept a glance across the living room. “Woah. How the hell did you get all this done in, what? Three hours?”
“I told you. There’s a business for everything.” Ember smirked and folded her arms to study her friend’s reaction. “What do you think?”
“I’m…” Cheyenne burst out laughing. “You know, other than when I’m with you, I’m speechless by choice, but you’ve outdone yourself on this one, Em. I’ve been forced into speechlessness.”
“You realize what an oxymoron that is, right? You just gave me a three-sentence response.”
Stepping into the apartment, the halfling closed
