Chapter Thirty

"This house wreaks of sex!" Slate calls out when he enters, slamming the front door behind him. I wasn't sure he'd come back at all, but here he is, bright and early the next afternoon. "And I thought I told you to lock that." He jabs a finger toward the door.

I roll my eyes and stab a piece of sausage.

"Do you not care about your safety? Her safety?" he asks, walking over to the table, glaring at Lumen.

"A locked door won't stop the people who are after us," Lumen says dryly.

Slate narrows his eyes. "Hmm… Fair point."

"Do you have news?" I ask.

"I do," he says, sitting down and snatching a sausage from my plate.

Lumen shakes his head, gets up from the table and returns a few moments later with another plate full of food for Slate.

"It's amazing how you all love our food so much, when all we do is complain about it," I mutter.

"Humans complain about a lot of things," Slate says, stabbing a potato.

"He's not wrong," Lumen agrees, sitting back down and reaching for his coffee cup. I give him a look of approval for being nice.

He and I are both exhausted. He wasn't wrong when he said I'd be in for a long night. Neither of us got much sleep. Ves is used to being up all night, so he's perfectly fine. I think after I finish breakfast, I'll beg one of them to nap with me and sleep the day away.

"Where is the shadow man?" Slate asks as he looks around, chewing a large mouthful of food.

"His name is Vesperon, and he's showering," I say.

"Because you had sex?" Slate grins.

"Why in all the realms would he want to wash off sex with her?" Lumen says, raising a brow.

Slate looks at me, his eyes going from my face to my boobs. He licks his lips, and a shiver races up my spine. "Another fair point." He blinks, then sucks in a breath.

"He's showering because he likes to," I add. "He, unlike you heathens, isn't a glutton for food." I take the last bite of my sausage, then wash it down with my coffee.

"Glutton, huh? Should I be insulted?" Slate asks, but I don't give him an answer.

Lumen takes my plate and brings it to the sink to wash.

"Anyway, I'll wait to share the news until the shadow is down here, so I don't have to repeat myself. I hate repeating myself," Slate explains.

Yep… all those things said about greys seem pretty accurate so far. With a shake of my head, I go back to my coffee. Ves comes down a few moments later and takes a seat at the table.

"Does the grey come with information?" he asks.

"The name is Slate," he says.

"And his name is Vesperon," I add. Slate grins at me knowingly, and I keep sipping my coffee.

These creatures aren't meant to interact with one another, how will they ever get along?

"He does have news," I say, pushing up from my seat. Lumen holds his hand out, gets up quicker, and takes my empty cup.

He kisses me on the cheek and whispers, "Sit, darling," he whispers.

I blush but sit back down. Slate stares at me with another knowing look, the tiniest smirk on his lips. That will get real uncomfortable, real fast.

"Well, get on with it," I bark at him, because yep… that look is already making me feel awkward.

His smile grows before he pulls his gaze away.

"Finding the grey who shared the prophecy with me all those years ago was easier to hunt down than I thought. I spoke with him while the three of you were… frolicking."

"Someone sounds jealous," Lumen mutters as he washes the dishes.

"I've nothing to be jealous of," Slate defends. "I want for nothing."

"Okay, we get it. Get on with the info," I say with a huff. I'm already tired of their bickering and Slate hasn't been here more than fifteen minutes.

… or has he? I stare at him suspiciously. He stares at me right back. Nothing gives away that he's been lingering around, but how would we really know?

"Uhm, hello?" Lumen calls over his shoulder, and I pull my gaze from Slate. "You were saying?"

Slate shifts in his seat and continues talking as if he never stopped. "The grey I speak of wishes to speak with us together. He, too, doesn't like repeating things." Slate holds his hand up to his mouth, then loudly whispers, "it's a grey thing." He drops his hand, and back at normal volume, says, "And he figured we would have questions."

"When do we meet with him?" Lumen asks.

Slate holds up his wrist like he is looking at his watch but there isn't one there.

"Four this evening." He smiles brightly, looking at Lumen.

"Where?" I ask.

"Seattle."

"Seattle?" Lumen barks. "Why there?"

Slate shrugs as he picks up another sausage link from his plate.

"I do not know why. It's what he requested. What does it matter?"

"Have you seen him?" Lumen points to Ves.

Slate glances at Ves and frowns.

"What is wrong with me?" Vesperon asks, sounding offended.

"Nothing," I tell him with a shake of my head.

"Except that he's made of shadows and can't walk around Seattle," Lumen argues.

Slate waves his hand at Lumen dismissively, then stuffs more food into his mouth. "I will make him nothing. All will be well."

"You can make other people invisible?" I ask excitedly.

"Nothing," he corrects dryly. "But yes."

"Wow…"

Lumen glares are me, crossing his arms over his chest. "And I get nothing for popping you across the country in a matter of seconds?"

"Someone sounds jealous," Slate singsongs with a smirk.

I cover my face with my hands, then get to my feet. "I'm going for a nap. Don't kill each other while I'm gone. Wake me up when we need to leave."

Seattle is bustling. I've never been to a city this big before. At least, not that I can remember. Apparently, my father enjoyed the cities and would take my mother and me on trips to New York and Boston when I was little. The convenient thing about living in Pennsylvania was the close proximity to so many major cities.

"Where exactly are we going?" I ask as I dodge a man on his cell phone who is staring directly ahead as he walks. I don't even think he saw me because he was so tall. How doesn't he crush people as he goes? He should probably pay attention to what he's doing. But as I look around the crowded street, I realize half the people are doing this. It must be a secret talent of living in the city.

Lumen pulls me to him, tucking me under his arm. "Stay with me," he says softly.

"We're meeting him at the library," Slate announces, taking the lead by walking a few feet ahead of the rest of us. "It's just a few more blocks."

Something cold hits the tip of my nose and I look up. The clouds are dark grey and full. I guess it wouldn't be a visit to Seattle unless we were rained on, right?

Thankfully, we make it to the library before the skies open up. We miss it by seconds, and as soon as we're inside, I turn to watch people still walking up and down the streets with their umbrellas, in no more of a rush than they were before. I guess if you're used to the rain, it isn't a big deal. I hate that it's raining because this building is gorgeous, and I'd love to have stood outside to get a better look. But even from in here… it's breathtaking.

It's all windows. Every inch of wall is covered in paned glass windows, and the sound of the rain hitting it could lull me to sleep.

"Is everyone here?" I ask softly, brushing the hair away from my face.

"Yes," Slate says as he walks deeper into the building.

Lumen and I share a questioning look, but it's the little tickle I feel on my hand that tells me Slate is telling the truth, and Vesperon is beside me. I smile and turn to where I think he is so he knows I can feel him.

It seems even though my mates can turn to nothing, I can still feel them. We tested it with Slate again before we left, and then with Vesperon too—just to see. Slate seems equally annoyed and intrigued by it.

Lumen takes my hand, and we hurry after Slate, who is disappearing through some stacks of old books. He weaves through them, seemingly on the hunt for something, and ends up going down a short hallway that leads to small, dim rooms, each with a table and a few chairs. Study spaces for people who need fewer distractions. He turns into one on the end, and we hurry after him.

I turn into the small room, stopping at Slate's back. He's talking to someone in a quiet voice. A man who is sitting in the chair at the table, if his voice is any indication.

"And she's with you?" the unfamiliar voice asks.

"Yes. As you asked," Slate says as he steps to the side.

My gaze moves from him to the man sitting, and my entire world spins. The room grows darker, and my chest gets tight. I suck in air, but I'm not getting any. I'm suffocating. I vaguely hear someone calling my name. Barely feel someone's arms around me. I press my hand to my forehead and feel it's damp—sweaty. The light scent of smoke envelopes me as the arms hold me tighter.

I close my eyes, take a breath, then look up, meeting the man's bright blue eyes. I blink a few times, needing to make sure I'm seeing who I am seeing. Finally, when I get my mouth to work, it's only one word that comes out.

"Dad?"

Hmmm… I thought her father was dead?