Tricked

will expect. Now that your bones are set, you’ll be better in a few days rather than a few weeks, and that pain is going to be all gone .
    › Is that vampire all gone? ‹
    Yes, he is. Thanks to you, I was able to unbind him and then the ghouls ate what was left. But, look, Leif is no longer our friend. He set that vampire on me and put both you and Granuaile in danger .
    › Leif did that? ‹
    Yep. He betrayed us and went to the dark side. So if you smell him or any other vampire coming, you let me know, okay?
    › Okay. ‹
    I picked up the bag and pulled out an andouille sausage for him, and he whined softly.
    › There was seriously only one in there? ‹
    You have to take it easy right now , I explained as I fed it to him. The doctor probably has you pumped full of pharmaceuticals and you really shouldn’t have anything .
    › So this means you’re spoiling me, right? ‹
    Can’t help it. You’re the best hound ever .
    Oberon’s tail thumped a few times and his mouth partially opened, seeming to smile at me.

Chapter 22
    I didn’t want to leave Oberon, but there was nothing more I could do for him for a few days; he simply needed time to heal. In the interim, there was plenty for me to do in Kayenta, and I’d promised I’d be back today. The last thing I needed was to give Coyote an excuse to mess with me because I wasn’t holding up my end of the deal.
    Before we got out of range of the cell phone towers in Flagstaff, I put in a call to Magnusson and Hauk as we drove north on Highway 89. Hal didn’t want to believe that Leif had set Zdenik on me. His growly voice crackled on the phone, but his skepticism came through clearly.
    » That doesn’t sound consistent with his character, « he said.
    » He doesn’t have the same character anymore, Hal. Not since he came back from Asgard. Or maybe he’s been playing us all for fools the whole time. That’s possible too. «
    » So now he thinks he can retake the state for his own again? «
    » That’s what he told Granuaile. But he charmed her first to make sure she’d tell me. «
    » Unbelievable. «
    » Believe it. Has he been in to the offices? «
    » No, he’s been away on leave since he left for Asgard. «
    » Well, I tenderly suggest you turn that into permanent leave, and when it comes to my records, he’s no longer my attorney, okay? I don’t want him to have access to my files at all, and I’m telling you right now that if I see him again he’s going to die for real. You can tell him I said so. I’m sorry I ever put him back together in the first place! «
    » You know, I have excellent hearing, Atticus. «
    » I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you, Hal. I’m just angry. «
    » You’re not hunting him now, are you? «
    » No, I have other pressing business, but Leif needs to stay out of my way forever. «
    » All right, send me a signed letter firing him to make it legal in case he makes a fuss, but I’ll close your files now. Thanks for letting me know; I’ll alert the Pack to watch out for him. «
    Granuaile drove in silence for a few minutes after I hung up, letting me have a good sulk as I stared out the passenger side window, but eventually she spoke up.
    » I’ve never seen you like this, so you’re going to have to coach me a bit, « she said. » Do you want me to let you brood in silence, or would it help for you to talk about it? «
    » Huh. You know, I haven’t had anyone to talk to in so long, it didn’t occur to me. Sorry. «
    » It’s kind of scary to think of what you consider to be a long time. How long are we talking about? «
    » I’ve been drifting around for centuries since my wife died. «
    Granuaile took her eyes off the road briefly to study my face. » I was wondering about that. I thought you must have tied the knot at some point. «
    » I’ve tied the knot many times, in one way or another, « I explained. » Aenghus Óg chased me away from many of my relationships—I came to believe that it was his punishment for me; he’d let me stay somewhere long enough to love someone and then he’d bring the pain. Maybe my falling in love was a way for him to find me, since that particular emotion was his demesne. Just when I thought I’d lost him for a while, he’d find me again, and then my choice was to stay, fight, and possibly lose everything, or run and abandon the people I’d come to love. I always ran, always lived in the present, because my future was never guaranteed. That made me a