Shay took a deep breath and forced her eyes not to slide off the entrance to Prophecy Gaming. Despite all her visits to the shop, it still took all her concentration not to be misled by the glamour defending it.
She maneuvered through the thick mall crowd separating her from the shop and stepped inside. No one manned the front, so she headed directly toward the back room. The door to the back opened before she completed her trip and Tubal-Cain stepped out with a thin smile on his small face.
Shay couldn’t tell if he was happy, or amusedly contemptuous of her presence. A little poke might help clarify the situation.
She still hadn’t dealt with the gnome enough to get a true feel for his limits, which meant she was still at a disadvantage even before taking into account that the little man was vastly older than her—or maybe even human civilization.
“Got your message.” Shay reached into her pocket to produce the orb. “And thanks for the assist. It was damned helpful there, Rumpelstiltskin.”
The gnome’s expression didn’t change. “I’m not Wrinkledforeskin.”
“I said ‘Rumpelstiltskin,’ you dick.”
“You humans are so strange,” he remarked in an amused tone.
Shay sighed and shook her head, not sure if the gnome had actually misheard her.
“Look, the point is, I owe you, and I always pay my debts—especially when they are to my local gnome, who has hooked me up more than once. I know you don’t give a shit about cash, but I already proved with the adamantine that I can get hard-to-find items.”
A hungry smile appeared on his face. “Hard-to-find items?”
Shay squared her shoulders. “Yep. I’m not going to Oriceran, but if it’s on Earth, I can get it.”
“I have no need of items from you. Not yet.”
Shay narrowed her eyes. “I’m not killing anyone for you.”
The gnome snorted. “I’m the one who left you the note about misuse, remember? I have no need of an assassin.”
“Then what do you want?”
Tubal-Cain’s face softened, and he folded his hands behind his back. “The problem, you see, is that Earth is annoying.”
“Well, I agree. I’m sure Oriceran’s annoying, too. What’s that have to do with anything?”
“You’ve demonstrated the ability to find not only things but also information, Miz Carson. I want to take advantage of that to have you find a missing cousin of mine.”
“Not saying I won’t help, but don’t you have some sort of tracking spell you can use? That seems like that’d be easier than hiring a tomb raider to moonlight as a private detective.”
The gnome shrugged. “Oh, I’ve access to myriad enchantments, spells, and artifacts with such functions.” His face twisted in irritation. “But they have all proven less than useful. With your skills and penchant for running into dangerous situations and managing not to die, I thought you might be helpful in this regard.”
“Is your cousin in trouble?” Shay inquired.
“Not necessarily, but he might be. Maybe not. You never know.”
“Okay then, you need me to locate him?”
“Yes. He used to go by ‘Bosvid,’ but I can’t be sure what name he might be using on Earth now.” Tubal-Cain frowned. “I’ll be honest with you. I’m a recent immigrant, and my connections aren’t always as strong as I’d like.”
Shay blinked, surprised the gnome would confide something like that to her. Trust, or perhaps desperation.
“Okay, this sounds doable. You have any information about your cousin that might be helpful besides his name? Are you sure he’s even on Earth? I’m a badass tomb raider and researcher, but I’ve never been to Oriceran, and I don’t even have a reliable means of getting there.”
“That’s not a problem,” Tubal-Cain replied. “What little I have managed to find points to my cousin having been on Earth as recently as three hundred years ago.”
As recently as three hundred years ago? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Shay sighed. “Anything else?”
“Yes. I can narrow down the search area considerably.”
“Oh? Where was he last seen?”
“Europe.” Tubal-Cain gave a triumphant smile.
Shay resisted a groan, again unsure if the gnome was serious or screwing with her.
“I’ll start poking around,” she offered. “And see what I can turn up.”
“Excellent. Is there anything else you want from me? I do appreciate the difficulty in finding Bosvid, and I think it’s worth more than just a loan of an artifact.”
“Well, if you’re offering, a magical lockpick would come in handy.” Shay shrugged.
"Very well. I may know of something you could use. Come back to me with the information, and I'll see what I can do."
Shay’s eyes fluttered open and she rolled onto her side on the bed, bumping into the solid mass of muscle that was James Brownstone. She watched him for a moment, a soft smile playing on her lips.
When she’d stopped at his newly rebuilt house the night before, she hadn’t been sure about pushing their relationship forward, but now that they’d slept together an unfamiliar sensation filled her: contentment.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this calm.
Before she might have been able to pretend they were not in a relationship, but now they were lovers, and she’d even brought over her favorite crystal skull toothbrush holder. The whole situation was turning dangerously domestic.
Shay ran her fingers through the sleeping man’s hair.
“Guess two fucked-up people like us were bound to end up together, huh, James?” Shay whispered.
A quiet chuckle followed and she smiled, savoring the use of his first name instead of his last.
Their relationship might last a few weeks, or until their deaths. Considering their lifestyles, there was also the distinct possibility that their deaths might only be a few weeks away.
Shay didn’t care. For now, she’d be satisfied to hold onto the small slice of happiness she’d found with James Brownstone.
“Okay, I definitely did not expect that look,” Shay announced as she approached the office.
Peyton sat at his desk, his orange tabby draped over his head like a hat. The researcher turned toward Shay and
