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I checked my messages while Addison put two slices of pizza on a plate. It seemed that everybody I knew in Fairhaven had heard about my dip in the Falls. There were multiple messages from Gun, Cam, and West. No Brody. I replied to all three of them to let them know I was safe and sound. Then I wolfed down the pizza and washed it down with a tall glass of water.
“When Matilda wakes up, please tell her I’m in my room.”
I took my time in the shower, letting the warm water wash away my internal strife. I needed to shift mental gears, to focus on the onslaught of hunters, but it was hard to stop ruminating on the day’s events.
I changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants and opened the weapons trunk. No time like the present to sharpen my blades. There was no doubt I’d be using them by sundown tomorrow.
There was a knock on the door and Addison poked her head inside. “Whatcha doing?”
“Prepping.”
“What happened to you? You look like you’ve seen many ghosts, and I know that wouldn’t bother you.”
“There’s something you should know.” I told her what I’d learned from the Morrigan.
Addison’s jaw unhinged. “That’s wild.”
“Tell me about it.” I sighed. “And The Corporation knows. I’m sure of it.”
“A problem for another day,” Addison assured me. “You’ve got the Wild Hunt to worry about first.”
I swapped a dagger for a knife and continued sharpening. “How long until The Corporation makes a move?”
“They’re a bureaucratic machine. First, they’ll convene an emergency meeting where they’ll decide which department should handle it. Then they’ll argue about it. Then they’ll formulate a plan. Could take weeks, honestly.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. From the frying pan into the fire. “Is Matilda awake?”
“Not yet. She snores like a chainsaw. Is that a Night Mallt thing? I don’t know how you can’t hear it from in here.”
“I’m too distracted to notice.”
She perched on the edge of my bed. “Any word from your pal Brody?”
“Not yet.” I returned to sharpening my blades on the whetstone.
“I could help, you know. I’m an asset. You should use me.”
“I don’t want to use you.”
She folded her arms. “Why not? Because you think it’ll put you in the same category as The Corporation? Trust me, it won’t. You’re not in the same league.”
My sharpening slowed to a halt. “This isn’t your fight, Addison.”
“And Mathis isn’t your fight, but you took him on anyway.”
“That was for selfish reasons.”
“Keep telling yourself that, snookums. Seriously, though. Who convinced you that you’re the rotten apple that ruins the bunch?”
My head jerked up. “What do you mean?”
“Do I really need to explain it to you? Look at you.” She waved a hand at my weapons collection. “You’re busy prepping for a fight that has nothing to do with you. You act like you owe this place something.”
“I’m the liminal deity of the crossroads. By definition, I owe this place my protection.”
“And who assigned you that cushy gig, huh? A higher god than you? Who do you work for?”
“There was a vacancy. I took it.”
