Blood Politics (Blood Destiny 4) Read Online Free Page B

themselves,” I said reassuringly.  “There’s no point in escalating the situation further.”  Or getting the human police wrapped up in affairs of the Otherworld at least.
    I continued to watch the pair of them, wondering whether I should intervene and nip their posturing in the bud.  Before I could make a decision either way, however, Lucy reappeared next to them.  She gesticulated irritably in my direction.  I guessed that my scent had finally given me away, and wondered if it would be worth my while getting in touch with Julia to see if she could make me up some masking lotion in case of future encounters.  I discarded the idea as pointless almost immediately.  Corrigan could contact me whenever he wanted through the Voice, the mages just needed to set up a simple Divination spell if they wanted to find me and, if I allowed a single drop of blood to fall, the Fae – well, Solus anyway - would know exactly where I was.  It highlighted how ridiculous the whole notion of them all following me around really was.
    Beltran and the mage turned towards me, frowning.
    “You know them?” The man beside me asked, with a curious note in his voice.
    “Not exactly,” I answered, smiling at him politely and hoping he’d continue on his way.  Fortunately, he seemed to get the message as he smiled back and nodded, then made to cross the road himself.
    Lucy, Beltran and the mage were all staring at me so I gave them a grin and a little wave.  None of them looked particularly happy.  I shrugged.  That was hardly my concern.  My stomach rumbled, reminding me why I was outside in the first place.  My original curiosity satisfied, I headed back down the street to finally pick up some lunch.

 
    Chapter Three
     
    When I eventually made it back to Clava Books, the bell on the door signalling my return, Mrs. Alcoon and Slim were in the midst of a full throated discussion.
    “Dear, the alchemy collection needs to go at the front. “
    “Don’t fecking call me dear.  And you can’t put it at the front.”  Slim put his hands on his flower wrapped hips.  “It’s not for human consumption.  It needs to be kept at the back for the real readers.”
    Mrs. Alcoon raised her eyebrows.  “So humans aren’t real readers?”
    “You know what I fecking mean,” he grumbled loudly.  “Those books are dangerous.  You can’t just let anyone get their hands on them.”
    “And why not?  The number of people, human or otherwise, who genuinely possess the ability to make any kind of use out of these books is miniscule.  Anyone who purchases them is doing so out of curiosity, not out of some bizarre need to turn objects into gold.”
    “Are you fecking mad, woman?” Slim screeched.  “Alchemy is not about turning things into gold.  It’s much more complex than that.” His wings flapped, indicating his annoyance.  “We should have kept you in fecking stasis when we had the chance.”
    I cleared my throat before things got out of hand.  They both turned and glared at me.
    “Mackenzie, dear, you’ve been gone a terribly long time.”
    “Sorry,” I said with a trace of guilt, realising belatedly that leaving these two on their own really hadn’t been the best idea in the world.  “I had a couple of things to sort out.”
    “Well, you should fecking take care of things later, shouldn’t you?” snapped Slim.
    “Don’t talk to her like that.”
    Slim’s wings flapped harder.  “I’ll talk to her any fecking way I please.  I’m doing you two a favour by being here.”
    “Well, Mr. Slim,” said Mrs. Alcoon calmly, “you are free to leave if you wish.”
    The little gargoyle muttered something under his breath.
    “Sorry, dear?  I didn’t quite catch that.”
    “Oh, I’ll stay,” he muttered again. “But only because you’ll upset the delicate balance of the Otherworld all on your own if I don’t.”  He rose heavily up into the air from his perch on the counter, and flew through to the