Kara nodded. “Actually, yeah. I mean, I’ve seen those old Indiana Jones films, the Tomb Raider ones, and of course all the Caleb Rodriguez stuff, but I figured that’s just movies. Not that my job is exciting, but you’re exploring all this weird ancient stuff. Even just reading about it is fascinating.”
The other two women nodded.
Just reading about it?
“You have no idea,” Shay offered with a smile. “It does…keep me on my toes.”
Her friends all smiled as they returned to their lunches.
As Shay’s excitement from discussing the past faded, tension suffused her body. She’d been existing in a compartmentalized world: her friends, her parkour group, her tomb raiding, James, and her semi-faux college career. It was easy. It was safe.
Now two parts of her life had collided. Neutral parts that didn’t contradict anything she’d told the relevant people, but it didn’t change the fact that even in a city as large as Los Angeles, she couldn’t depend on obscurity to protect her forever.
Shay kept a smile on her face as she finished her sandwich. The next time it might not be a college student. It might be a Demon General, or someone from the old days.
How can I be careful and still have a life?
As Shay pushed through the throng of people at the mall, her thoughts lingered on the encounter at lunch. There was no question that she was a different person than she had been when she’d started tomb raiding, but she wasn’t sure whether that meant she was losing her edge or even if that was a bad thing.
Could someone sneak up on me in this crowd and take me down? Do I even need to be that paranoid when I’m not on a job anymore?
Shay frowned. Yes, she did. She might be an adjunct professor, but that was a hobby. Her main job was still very dangerous. If she ever forgot that she could get herself killed, and possibly Peyton, James, Alison, or Lily.
A little bit of defensive seating and the addition of a few new team members might not save her life. Her friends didn’t have to worry about things like that, but if she continued as a tomb raider, it’d only become more important.
I can only compartmentalize so much.
Yulia could have killed Shay and Lily in Antarctica. Someone had screwed with her in Switzerland. The government’s lapdog, Durand, knew she was looking into alien artifacts that Project Nephilim and Project Ragnarok sought. Every tomb raid seemed to bring a new potentially lethal enemy.
Not like I ever thought the job would be easy. People don’t pay other people millions of dollars for easy jobs.
Shay shook her head and focused on pushing through the crowd toward Prophecy Gaming. The glamour seemed easier to pierce on some visits than others, but she didn’t know if that was reflective of her mindset or Tubal-Cain’s doing.
She wouldn’t put it past the gnome to screw with her for amusement or as some kind of test. Sometimes when she talked with him he sounded like an ancient being who had been forced to lower himself to deal with a mere mortal, and other times he came off like a petty asshole who was more interested in fucking with her than being clear.
What would I do after centuries to keep things fresh? Wait, what the fuck?
Shay blinked. She had spotted the shop, but the sign had been replaced. Prophecy Gaming was now Prophecy Affiliates.
Shay stepped inside. Several soft leather couches decorated the room, along with soft, dim lighting and low oak tables. Various colored crystals floated above the tables and soft string music played in the background, but the harmonies were off to the tomb raider’s human ear. Oriceran music, she assumed.
A desk sat along the wall, and rather than a gnome, an overweight, frowning pixie wearing cat’s-eye glasses sat there in a tiny chair.
“Do you need something?” the pixie snapped. Her voice was so deep and gravelly that she might be mistaken for James over the phone. The contrast with her tiny size only made her voice stand out more.
Shay looked around, further taking in the startlingly different shop. “Uh, this place is still run by Tubal-Cain, right?”
“Yes. And who are you, and why should I care?”
Shay rolled her eyes. She could punt the pixie across the room, but the gnome would probably have an issue with it. He might be frustrating at times, but he was a good magical contact. She couldn’t risk that even for an annoying little bitch of a pixie.
“Shay Carson. I do jobs for Tubal-Cain. Sometimes he makes things for me in return. It’s all very useful to both of us, just so you know.”
The pixie nodded. “Oh, yeah, you’re the tomb raider. He told me you might stop by.”
“Who are you? And where’s the gnome?”
The pixie arched a brow. “Me? I’m Madge. I’m Tubal-Cain’s new secretary.”
“Madge? Seriously?”
The secretary snorted and floated off her seat, her wings beating furiously. “What, because I’m a pixie I have to have a name like Moonbeam or Star Flower? You humans. You’re all the same. No imagination.” She sniffed disdainfully.
Shay shrugged. “Not saying you have to be Star Flower, but…Madge? Come on. You have to see where I’m coming from.”
The pixie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, then flitted around Shay. The tomb raider didn’t bother to follow her movement with her head or eyes.
“What kind of name is Shay?” the pixie asked from behind her. “Shouldn’t you be Bloody Knives or something?”
Shay’s face twitched. She’d accepted that the gnome probably knew far more about her than she’d like, but that didn’t mean she wanted any random magical being he associated with to know her past.
But he’s the guy with all the leverage in this relationship.
“Why does Tubal-Cain even need a secretary?” Shay snapped. “Is he really that busy? Half the time, the guy’s not even in town.”
“Again, you’re a typical human and assuming the entire universe is centered on you.” The pixie fluttered back
