Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

plain gray tee. Socks but no shoes. His hair
     was longish and streaky, with a dozen shades of brown and blond all mixed up. Dark
     eyes were framed by crow’s-feet; deeper creases bracketed his mouth.
    She knew him. Knew who he was, anyway. “Sean Friar.”
    His eyebrows lifted. “Right the first time. And you’re Lily. Beth’s sister. Is your
     head hurting?”
    “Yes.” She pushed the blanket back and saw that she was barefoot, too. She wore the
     clothes she’d had on before, but without shoes. Also without her weapon, shoulder
     harness, watch, and phone…and the ring with the
toltoi
charm. They’d taken the
toltoi
, but not her engagement ring.
    The loss of the
toltoi
infuriated her. Anger made her head pound. “You have some ibuprofen?”
    “No, but she left something for you.” He unwound his legs and stood. “I’ll get it.”
    “She?”
    “Our captor. Alycithin. I’m probably not saying it correctly, but that’s close.” He
     went to one of the doors and opened it. She saw a sink in an ordinary vanity. He vanished
     briefly from her line of sight, then emerged with a clear plastic cup in one hand.
     The cup held about two inches of a dark liquid. “It’s supposed to be a painkiller
     that works for humans.”
    “Do you honestly expect me to drink that?”
    He shrugged. “They haven’t poisoned me yet. Haven’t hurt me at all, save for the little
     detail of taking me prisoner. Harming us would be against the rules, a violation of
     honor. She’s big on honor.”
    “Is Alycithin about my height and covered in fur?”
    His eyebrows shot up. “You know who she is?”
    “We met briefly. Then someone shot me with a dart.” Lily remembered the feather sticking
     out of her cheek and reached up and found a small scab.
    “She used a sleep spell on me. That wouldn’t work on you, I guess.”
    “You know about my Gift.”
    “Beth talks about you. Alycithin told me you’d be waking up with a sore head because
     of whatever they used to knock you out. Want to give this a try?” He held out the
     cup. “She gave her word it would help with the pain and wouldn’t harm you.”
    Lily’s head hurt enough that she was tempted. Tempted, but not stupid. “No, thanks.”
    He looked at her a moment, then turned and set the cup on the floor near the wall.
     “You may be right.”
    No tables. That’s what was missing. No bedside table, no table by the two chairs—which
     were heavy upholstered things, not the sort you could smash to make a club from one
     of the legs. No chest of drawers. Also no television or radio or anything electronic.
     “Where is the music coming from?”
    “The walls. They seem to be stuck on a classical station.”
    Lily looked at the wall next to her bed. It was painted white, like the ceiling. It
     looked like any other wall. She leaned closer and laid her palm flat on it.
    Magic. Lots of it, and it vibrated. She’d never touched magic that vibrated before.
     She pulled her hand back. “I saw Alycithin, but I didn’t see your brother.”
    “He’s not here. He’s the reason I’m here, but I’m a mistake. If you don’t want to
     drink her whatever-it-is, would you like some water? It’s from the tap, and it hasn’t
     poisoned me yet.”
    “Not yet.” Though she was thirsty. She also needed to use the bathroom, and with an
     urgency that suggested a fair amount of time had passed. “Do you know how long I was
     out?”
    “Not really. I’m pretty sure it’s morning, and they brought you here sometime last
     night, so you were out several hours, but I can’t say how many.”
    Still, it helped to know it was morning. It oriented her some. Lily swung her legs
     off the bed and stood. And shut her eyes for a moment at what the motion did to her
     head.
    “Are you okay?” Sean Friar’s voice was closer.
    She opened her eyes and stepped back. “It’s just a headache.”
    He’d stretched out one hand as if about to steady her. He let it fall to his side.
     “You don’t trust me. No reason you should, I suppose.”
    “I’m a cop. I don’t trust anyone right away.” The door that didn’t lead to the bathroom
     was the obvious first thing to check out. She headed there. Her head didn’t like the
     motion, but it was settling into a steady ache. Annoying, but not incapacitating.
    “Especially people with the last name
Friar
.”
    He didn’t sound upset. More like resigned with a whiff of wry. “That’s a factor,”
     she agreed, and