Catriona plucked a tortilla chip from Broch’s plate. “Okay. If you say so. But what does this have to do with us?”
“The Angeli know about you. You’re like a—” Anne seemed to struggle for the words. “Subspecies.”
“Excuse me?”
Anne waved away her last statement with her hand. “That’s not the right word. Sorry. Michael called you Kairos. Time-traveling Kairos.”
“Kairos...” Catriona mouthed the word several times, unsure whether she liked the term or not. It was certainly better than subspecies.
“We just found out about the time-travel thing. How do you know about it?” Her tone was growing uppity. Clearly, the booze had kicked in. She made a mental note to talk less, knowing that probably wouldn’t happen.
“The Angeli told me.”
“They know everything?”
“Not everything. But a lot.”
“And the three of us are Kairos?”
Anne motioned to Luther. “He’s changed.”
“I’m an Angelus now,” said Luther, beaming.
“You are?” Catriona felt a flash of jealousy, though she had no idea why. Her stomach roiled and she raised her chin, trying to appear settled. She’d forgotten syrupy drinks never sat well with her.
“So, what do you need from us, Anne Bonny the Pirate?” she asked.
Anne sighed. “It seems the Kairos are falling to Perfidia now.”
Catriona felt a strange air of dread settle on her shoulders and then identified the source. “You’re talking about my father, aren’t you?”
Anne nodded. “And maybe your sister, too. Are you aware something is wrong with them?”
Catriona leaned back in her chair and nodded.
“So embarrassing.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Fiona threw her hands toward the television as if she wanted to choke it. “You can’t use a stainless steel pan for salmon.”
“Idiot,” agreed Rune.
Fiona found watching television with her father surprisingly relaxing. She’d decided to stop dreaming of escape and instead settle into her captivity. Not only could she consider it a vacation from her life, but it was the best way to learn more about what Rune was up to and how it might benefit her. He apparently had some powers she was hoping to gain herself and there was no way for her to learn them beyond apprenticeship.
Maybe he’s a genius. Maybe he’s crazy.
Potato, potahto.
The never-ending house and cooking shows had allowed her mind to relax and wander. She’d begun thinking about her career from a different perspective. For one, she realized it was silly of her to refuse roles like the ‘crazy aunt’ in a Hallmark Channel movie. She’d played the vamp in sexy thrillers and reality shows for so long she’d forgotten she had range. Being with Rune was helping her come to terms with aging. She felt as if she were growing up. Maturing. Really, her father had given her a gift, forcing her to spend time away from Hollywood and its oh-so judgmental gaze.
Maybe I could even play the mom of a teenager.
She sucked in a breath at the thought.
Baby steps.
Sure, her ankle itched a little where Rune had attached the cuff. At the end of a long chain, another cuff clamped around an ancient radiator. She’d never seen cuffs like them before, and couldn’t dream what they’d be used for other than keeping someone captive, but on a long leash. It crossed her mind that the same person who’d bought all the weapons mounted to the walls had to be the same person who’d bought the cuffs.
Didn’t anyone ever ask what he was up to? It was like walking into Home Depot and buying rope, duct tape, trash bags, lye and a shovel. Somebody had to do the math.
She had yet to meet the owner of the dismal little hovel she now called home. Luckily, her father was equally disgusted by their accommodations. He assured her that once her assimilation was complete, they would move. In the meantime, he’d suited up in gloves and a homemade trash bag hazmat suit and cleaned the only bathroom until it smelled like a hospital ward. For that, she was forever grateful. He’d also run out and bought clean sheets, which he used to cover the greasy sofa and everything else offensive to their eyes.
Dad was really a nice guy under all the humans-need-to-be-destroyed diatribe.
And really, who could blame him for being a little bitter? There he was, encouraging people to be kind to their fellow man for years, centuries maybe, and there went people, starting wars and killing each other with pollution and greed. Who wouldn’t get a little exasperated?
She’d never really liked people anyway. She’d been warming up to Catriona a little lately, but like Dad said, that was because she was hanging out with the wrong crowd. Catriona and her band of soft-hearted idiots were a bad influence. They were making her soft. Rune was here to clear her mind and, damn, if she didn’t feel clearer.
“You know, I think you’re right about people. They don’t need to be coddled. They need to fight to become stronger,” she said, echoing one of the lines he’d been feeding her during their time on the sofa.
“Exactly.”
“I think you can unclip me from the radiator now.”
Rune patted her knee. “Not quite yet, I think.”
Fiona pouted. “What if I promised to go wreck Catriona’s world?”
Rune looked at her. “Who?”
“Catriona. My sister.” She huffed. “Why do you pretend you don’t know who she is half the time?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Fiona eyed him. “I can’t figure out if you know what I mean or not.”
There was a rattling in the back of the house and a moment later, a squat, tan-skinned man appeared in the hall entrance. He stared at Fiona, a laptop tucked under his arm, his thick features pulled to the center of his expression.
“How’s she doing?” he asked.
Rune smiled. “Very
