Robin pinned the girl against the wall.
She struggled and kicked ineffectively, but it was all to no avail. He had her outpowered. He lowered his mouth to her neck. Only then did he notice her scent was just perfume.
He raised his head. “You ain’t got a scent.”
She smiled a little too brightly. “Took you long enough to notice.” She pulled a hypodermic needle out of her sleeve and stabbed him in the chest. She pushed the plunger.
A heady scent of eucalyptus oil, rosemary, and clover flooded his senses.
His pupils shrank to the size of a pinprick and his field of vision shrank with it.
The last thing he saw was the woman turn into a male fey. He looked at Robin with blatant curiosity.
Then, darkness fell.
***
Robin woke up and rubbed his good eye.
Isellta.
Olessa’s minion.
Olessa’s dog.
Olessa’s fey.
He brought me to her.
He knew what she’d do to me. He had to have known.
But he still did it.
Why do I let him stay with me?
Why don’t I tell him to take a flyin’ leap?
Why don’t I let him leave?
I don’t know.
Why did I panic when I couldn’t find him? That’s easy. I was worried that he was gonna betray me to Mark Caten.
I know all of the horror stories about that man and his “entertainment” venues.
I guess the question is: Do I trust Isellta? Yeah, he seems like an affable little puppy. But even puppies have teeth. And they can bite. So, when is he gonna turn around and snap? When is he goin’ to bite me?
What will I do when that happens?
His stomach growled, interrupting his inner monologue.
Robin got out of bed.
“I’ll worry about all that later. Now is the time for the hunt.”
***
Isellta dreamed of straight lines.
Clean, perfectly aligned, straight lines.
Each line served a purpose.
Each line had a reason for being.
Each line made perfect sense.
***
The sound of footsteps in the hall startled Isellta into waking up. He sat up on Raven’s bed and listened.
Sounds like Robin.
What is he up to?
Isellta hopped off the bed. He gave the comforter a smoothing touch and the well-made bed a smile of vast approval.
He teleported into the hallway.
Just in time to hear the front door close.
Isellta’s wings flittered with irritation. “And, just like that, he’s leaving me behind. Fine. Be that way, Robin. I’m going to look for Raven.”
He teleported out into the street.
“Which way to go?”
He looked left.
He looked right.
He looked straight.
Neither Robin nor Raven were anywhere in sight.
Isellta flittered his wings again and chose a random direction.
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