Neon Blue E Frost (speld decodable readers .TXT) 📖

They made Caroline miserable. She’s like a new woman. She doesn’t much like the taste of what you’ve got her on, mind, but she says she feels so much better. She’s even eating normally again.”

What is it with the taste? “I’ll work on the taste.”

“No, no, no problem. She’d drink turpentine if she had to.”

It doesn’t taste that bad, does it? “Well, I’m pleased to hear you’re seeing such an improvement.”

“We’re even going to try—“ He leans into me conspiratorially. “One of your special sessions.”

“Oh.” I glance at Lin, who nods. Since she charges triple for the conception sessions, it’ll be a really good month. “That’s great. I hope it goes well for you. Don’t forget the flowers.”

“I won’t!” He pumps my hand again before he lets go. Lin and I wave him out the front door.

“Wow,” I say after the door closes behind him.

“Wow,” Lin echoes. “Turpentine, huh?”

I bump her with my elbow. “Shut up. It doesn’t taste that bad.”

She holds her hands up. “Horse’s mouth.”

Damn. I’d better work on the taste. But first, coffee. “You ready for that coffee now?”

“Hell, yeah.”

Starting so early leaves me yawning by mid-afternoon. Something is definitely up with my body clock. I never nap in the middle of the day, but am wondering if anyone would care if I put my head down on my desk just for a few minutes when my phone rings.

I pick it up blearily, expecting Evonne.

“Though you were comin’ back to bed,” the demon says.

I prop my head on my hand and close my eyes while I speak into the phone. “I should have. Why are you calling me when you can talk into my mind?”

“You asked me to stay out for a day. This is me stayin’ out.”

I’m pretty sure I said “a night,” and that night is over. But I’m not going to argue with him. Although it bothers me a little that I didn’t notice he wasn’t in my mind last night when we were going at it. But, then, he was chatty last night and what he was saying distracted me. A lot.

“Okay, I appreciate that. What’s up?”

“You’ve been doin’ your greenwitch thing again, I can smell it.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You need to go shoppin’ tonight?”

“Mmm, could do.” I can always use fresh dock, and finding more smokeberry to replace what Wizard rolled in would be a bonus.

“How ‘bout I pick you up in an hour? I’ll make a picnic and you can shop.”

I open my mouth to protest and then shut it. Am I really about to object to a picnic? Of his food?

“Okay, let me just check my calendar.”

“I already did. Evonne says your afternoon is clear. See you in an hour, sweetness.”

“See you.” The last word dissolves in a yawn.

“Fuck, take a nap before I get there.” He hangs up and I open one eye to look at the phone before I drop the handset into the cradle. I really am so sleepy I can barely think. I cross my arms on my desk and let my head droop down between them.

I wake with a crick in my neck. Golden late afternoon light fills my office, and gleams on the constellation of papers, pens, files and stapler that are making lazy circles in the air above my head. I stare at them for a moment, open-mouthed, then cover my head with my hands as they fall unceremoniously on me.

Lin opens the door as I’m picking up the scattered papers. “Are you okay? I heard something.”

Probably the stapler. It hit the desk with a bang.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little spontaneous levitation.”

Lin cocks an eyebrow at me.

I shrug. “It happens.”

“Really, when?”

Okay, it’s never happened before, but, hey, there’s a first time for everything. “I was dreaming. About flying.” Not in an airplane, and not with wings. Floating free, buoyed up on skein after skein of Air.

Lin glances at the clock on my office wall. “You were dreaming,” she says flatly. “At three-twenty in the afternoon.”

“I was up really early!” I protest.

Lin rolls her eyes. “Anyway, I think the SexyBeast is here for you. He’s busy seducing Evonne.”

Damn. Jou probably is doing exactly that. I toss the papers onto my desk, pull off my work smock and run my fingers through my hair. I bet I look like a zombie, and not from a good zombie movie, either. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a crew neck shirt that were on the floor of my closet this morning. They’re both blue. Which matches. Kinda. I bet the demon won’t see it that way. My eyes are always bloodshot when I first wake up, and my hair is in knots. Great.

I follow Lin out to the reception area, where Jou has both Evonne and our nurse, Ruth, enthralled. Ruth’s pulled one of the client chairs up to the edge of the reception desk so she can perch practically on Jou’s hip. Any closer and she’ll be straddling him.

“Hey.” It comes out sharper than I intend, even without any power behind it.

Ruth straightens, and Evonne flashes me her lighthouse smile, but there’s just a touch of guilt behind it.

“Jou was just telling us about Japan,” Ruth gushes. “He’s so well-travelled.”

Because warlocks all over the world have summoned him. “Is he? That’s great. Jou, you ready?” I ask tightly.

The demon turns to me with his shark-leer. “Whenever you are. Here, I brought you somethin’.” He hands me a jute carrier bag. A peek inside reveals folds of white cable-knit and plum velvet. Neither of which I own. “You’ll get cold outside wearin’ . . . whatever it is you’re wearin’.” The dark glance he gives my shirt leaves me in no doubt as to what he thinks about my ensemble.

“I’ll change on the way,” I offer, wanting to get him away from my staff. “Let’s go.”

Lin joins Evonne and Ruth in saying such heart-felt good-byes to Jou that I wonder if he’s worked his spell on her, too. Fuming, I let him escort me to the car he’s double-parked in