The Judah Black Novels: Boxed Set of books 1-3
Page 95
He drew his lips into a smirk. It wasn’t a good look for him. “I suspect you will find out soon enough. You tend to draw the attention of your betters.”
“And you’re a shoddy puppet master. You should hire better assassins.”
“I admit that Cynthia was a bit uninspired. It’s unfortunate.” He sighed listlessly. “Though the plan was foolproof. It was the execution that lacked. I will not make that same mistake twice.”
Mia squirmed in my arms and then lifted her thumb to her mouth to suck on it before falling back asleep quickly. “How’s Crux?” I asked, trying to ignore the howling in the distance.
“Not dead, much to your master’s displeasure, I am certain. I do not kill that which can be useful to me alive.”
“Marcus isn’t my master.”
“Time and need will change that.” Seamus sighed again. “I know you will decline my offer, but I must make it a third time. Give me your oath of fealty, mortal, and you and yours shall be safe beyond this night.”
I shook my head. “Sorry. No can do. That’d make me a sellout.”
“Very well.” I flinched when he shifted the sword to lean on it. Seamus saw and made no effort to hide his amusement. “I shall give you a year and a day, as is the customary mourning time. When the sun rises on that three hundred and sixty-seventh morning, you and I shall be enemies. My enemies do not know peace.”
“And you should know I’ve got a pretty good record of killing my enemies.” Threatening Seamus was stupid and I knew it. But he’d already promised not to hurt me, at least not yet. I might as well shoot my mouth off while I could.
He bowed to me, pressing the hilt of his sword to his chest. “I wish you luck, Agent Judah Black, and I look forward to the challenge you will bring.”
Just like that, Seamus was gone.
I sighed and shifted Mia again to pull my phone out of my pocket. A lot could happen in a year and a day. Hell, in the last twenty-four hours alone, I’d been dead twice. It seemed just as likely to me that I wouldn’t make it a year and a day, given my luck. Just in case, I needed to be ready.
I scrolled through the list of numbers, considering my options and choosing the one most likely to work rather than the most pleasant one. To my surprise, the call went through and someone picked up on the second ring.
“Judah Black,” purred Marcus Kelly on the other end. Heavy bass from Aisling’s state of the art sound system pounded like a pulse in the background. “Miss me already?”
“I need your help, Marcus,” I said. “The game is afoot.”
About The Author
E.A. Copen is the author of the Judah Black novels and the Fairchild Chronicles. She’s an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy and other genre fiction. When she’s not chained to her keyboard, she may be found time traveling on the weekends with her SCA friends. She lives in beautiful southeast Ohio with her husband and two kids, at least until she saves up enough to leave the shire and become a Jedi.