“You and that man both follow The True One?”
“Oh yes, Jonathan is one of the elders.”
I made it a point to stare at her wedding ring. “Does your husband also follow The True One?” I asked.
The brightness bled from her face and was replaced with sorrow.
“I found a higher calling, one that my husband couldn’t even begin to understand. He has blinders on and cannot see the light. He’s content living in blissful ignorance and never knowing the greatness of The True One.”
This religious group more than likely accounted for the missing time, which explained her refusal to speak about what she did with her time. She was happier, another thing that her husband attributed to an affair. I mentally sighed. This was going to be a bit dicey. If this was truly the case, then I’d reassure her husband. Leia’s pursuit of this religious path might be a hard pill for him to swallow. It sounded pretty extreme and she’d believed in this religion’s practices and beliefs to an almost obsessive degree.
“You seem open minded,” she said suddenly.
If she knew me at all, open minded was never something anyone would accuse me of. More like death-inducing banshee, vicious warrior, or as stubborn and unmovable as an ox.
“Do you want to attend a meeting? Our next meeting features art as expression. Emma Lynn is amazing at showing you how to open up to the power of The True One.”
It can’t be this easy. Is this the same Emma Lynn? It could be a coincidence, but as I always believe that nothing is merely coincidence?
We made plans to meet up later tonight for the art expression/religious thing.
I ate my sandwich as I walked away from Something Sweet. Leia wasn’t joking, this was one hell of a sandwich. It may even rival my beloved BAM burgers.
Since I had free time, I went to the thrift store to replace my wardrobe. I was beyond tired of alternating between the same two outfits. And, with training, I got much dirtier than normal. And I sorely missed my boots. As much as I’d like something new, our budget didn’t allow for anything except used clothes, which meant boots were definitely out of my budget.
With my clothes purchased, I pulled a resisting Muffin onto the sidewalk. If I wasn’t so amused by my shopping experience, I be pissed by his bratty behavior. It’s amazing how fast I could try on and buy clothes when the majority of the store’s customers ran out at the sight of your pet. I patted Muffin.
“Wearing someone’s cast offs? You are much better than that. Why haven’t you spent the money I left you,” said my father. He stared at me through the shadows.
I froze, but no one else was affected. People parted around my father like he wasn’t there. He wore a cowl and while he wasn’t solid, he wasn’t ghost-like transparent either. The shadows slithered over his body in sync with the odd runes on his arms. Even though I didn’t sense any menace or hostility from him, I didn’t trust him.
“I don’t want anything of yours.”
“But you took the biscuits I left. Did you like them? Did they remind you of our tea parties? Or when you weren’t the good little girl you were supposed to be?”
I puked a little in my mouth.
“I threw them away. I want nothing of yours, not now or ever.”
“Now, now, we had such lovely times.”
“You beat me and tortured me,” I spat out.
A flash of anger crossed his face and was quickly gone.
“That’s no way to talk to your father, come, give me a hug.”
Muffin started growling in earnest, his body shaking from the ferocity of it. His fur was standing on edge like a faux-hawk. He was pulling at his leash and jumped towards my father. I should let him eat Daddy Dearest? I just needed to let go. Spittle flew from Muffin’s mouth.
My father cocked his head to the side, studying Muffin. He showed no concern or any other discernable emotion at the dog’s aggression.
“How precious, you have a pet.”
My father extended a hand towards Muffin. There was sure to be a nasty and probably lethal spell he was about to cast on Muffin.
“You must learn to better control it.”
I didn’t dare wait for him to launch a spell at Muffin. It may very well be a lethal one. I reached for my magic block without a second thought. It happily leaped forward, eager as a puppy to be used to its full destructive potential.
I launched a spell at my father, putting all of my hate and anger into it. It hit him full on in the chest and he staggered back. He disappeared, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think I’d killed him or done him any real harm. Amazing how the right motivation could help me control my magic.
Someone on the sidewalk bumped into me and another person grumbled about dumb women standing in everyone’s way. I tugged on Muffin’s leash and we headed back to the office.
15
The walk back to the Wolf Agency was a blur. I walked through the door and hurried by the receptionist. Before I could get past her, she stopped me.
“Why are you stopping me? I was just here?”
“Can I see your badge?” she asked.
“Seriously?”
“Your badge, or no entry.”
I flashed her my Croft and Sterling Agency badge, but she frowned.
“That’s not our badge.”
“No, it’s not. Listen, we’re renting your office space. Lochlan brought me and my coworkers here. You probably saw me leave. Can you let me through?”
“I’m afraid I can’t. It’s protocol, so I’ll need to call someone for authorization.”
“For f*** sake. This is ridiculous.”
I marched past her desk and stomped my way into the hallway. I’m being childish, but I don’t care. On the threshold of the main office area, I bounced off a shield. I landed heavily on the ground. That freaking hurt. Muffin whined and circled me protectively. No wonder the receptionist didn’t bother stopping me, the
