The Veil
Page 46
There was clomping on the stairs. I uncovered my head, pushed the hair from my eyes. Gunnar walked in, perfectly groomed in the gray fatigues the Commandant preferred of his civilian employees. For a man who’d probably gotten as little sleep as I did, he looked pretty amazing. No swollen eyes, no slightly nauseated post-Drink tint to his skin.
“Do you know what day it is?” I grumbled.
“It’s Sunday.”
“Yeah. So I should be sleeping late. Why are you here so early? And why do you look so good?”
“Beauty sleep. And I need to get some things done at the office today.” No one had told Gunnar the pace of life had slowed in the Zone after the war. If there was work to be done, he’d by God do it early.
“You’re crazy.”
“I’m busy. And in case you weren’t aware, there’s a line of eligible bachelors outside your front door with luxurious bubble bath and scented candles.”
I groaned, considered burrowing into the blankets again. “Your cruel, cruel lies won’t get me out of bed.”
“Yeah, that was mean,” he said, and sat down on the edge of the daybed. “You got home okay?”
I hadn’t had time to decide what to tell Tadji and Gunnar about last night. I couldn’t tell them I’d been in Devil’s Isle without telling them about the magic. And I didn’t want to tell them about the wraiths, because they’d freak out. I loved Gunnar like a brother. But he could be a smidge on the overprotective side.
On the other hand, Containment had interviewed me. I was in the official record, and it was probably better that he hear it from me.
I sat up, pushed my hair behind my ears. “You have to promise not to freak out.”
“Your saying something like that guarantees I’m going to freak out.”
“Two wraiths attacked a girl near the Supreme Court building. I chased them off, and Containment came to the store to talk to me and a bounty hunter named Liam Quinn.”
Gunnar blinked. “Slow down, and give that to me again from start to finish.”
I ran him through it again, from War Night to wraiths. And when I was done, he did not look impressed.
“What in God’s name convinced you to hit a wraith? You should have run. God, I should never have let you walk home alone.” He looked stricken.
“The girl needed help. I wasn’t about to leave her there helpless. And it was War Night. Containment wasn’t exactly in a hurry.” Which worked out just fine for me.
“They probably thought it was a false alarm,” Gunnar said. “Someone in costume, or too drunk to tell fact from fiction.” He sighed, looked at me. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“So am I.”
“Unfortunately, the wraith situation clearly hasn’t improved.”
I managed not to grimace. “Does Containment think it’s getting worse?”
Gunnar frowned. “I haven’t seen any official numbers, but it does seem like we’re hearing about them more often. Two wraiths together are definitely rare. Maybe I’ll take a look at the investigation report.”
I nodded. “I’d like to know if they found the wraiths. I’d feel safer.” That, at least, was absolutely true. “Maybe let’s talk about something more pleasant. How’s Burke?”
Gunnar shrugged. “I’m not really sure. He and Tadj got along, but you know she’s guarded. I’m not really sure what she’s feeling, and she certainly didn’t confess anything to me. He seems like good people, though. Very old-school gentleman vibe. Corny sense of humor. I don’t think she’s sold on him yet. But I don’t know.”
“Do you know what day it is?” I grumbled.
“It’s Sunday.”
“Yeah. So I should be sleeping late. Why are you here so early? And why do you look so good?”
“Beauty sleep. And I need to get some things done at the office today.” No one had told Gunnar the pace of life had slowed in the Zone after the war. If there was work to be done, he’d by God do it early.
“You’re crazy.”
“I’m busy. And in case you weren’t aware, there’s a line of eligible bachelors outside your front door with luxurious bubble bath and scented candles.”
I groaned, considered burrowing into the blankets again. “Your cruel, cruel lies won’t get me out of bed.”
“Yeah, that was mean,” he said, and sat down on the edge of the daybed. “You got home okay?”
I hadn’t had time to decide what to tell Tadji and Gunnar about last night. I couldn’t tell them I’d been in Devil’s Isle without telling them about the magic. And I didn’t want to tell them about the wraiths, because they’d freak out. I loved Gunnar like a brother. But he could be a smidge on the overprotective side.
On the other hand, Containment had interviewed me. I was in the official record, and it was probably better that he hear it from me.
I sat up, pushed my hair behind my ears. “You have to promise not to freak out.”
“Your saying something like that guarantees I’m going to freak out.”
“Two wraiths attacked a girl near the Supreme Court building. I chased them off, and Containment came to the store to talk to me and a bounty hunter named Liam Quinn.”
Gunnar blinked. “Slow down, and give that to me again from start to finish.”
I ran him through it again, from War Night to wraiths. And when I was done, he did not look impressed.
“What in God’s name convinced you to hit a wraith? You should have run. God, I should never have let you walk home alone.” He looked stricken.
“The girl needed help. I wasn’t about to leave her there helpless. And it was War Night. Containment wasn’t exactly in a hurry.” Which worked out just fine for me.
“They probably thought it was a false alarm,” Gunnar said. “Someone in costume, or too drunk to tell fact from fiction.” He sighed, looked at me. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“So am I.”
“Unfortunately, the wraith situation clearly hasn’t improved.”
I managed not to grimace. “Does Containment think it’s getting worse?”
Gunnar frowned. “I haven’t seen any official numbers, but it does seem like we’re hearing about them more often. Two wraiths together are definitely rare. Maybe I’ll take a look at the investigation report.”
I nodded. “I’d like to know if they found the wraiths. I’d feel safer.” That, at least, was absolutely true. “Maybe let’s talk about something more pleasant. How’s Burke?”
Gunnar shrugged. “I’m not really sure. He and Tadj got along, but you know she’s guarded. I’m not really sure what she’s feeling, and she certainly didn’t confess anything to me. He seems like good people, though. Very old-school gentleman vibe. Corny sense of humor. I don’t think she’s sold on him yet. But I don’t know.”
