Part 9
Her tail was still throbbing in pain. ^Idiot^, she thought angrily. If she had been in human form, she'd have kicked his ass for treading on her so carelessly like that.
Well at least the hired hand had actually made an appearance and seemed to be doing his job. She had slinked back into the room to see how Cash would handle his task, and seemed to be doing a reasonable job of it. Oh, wait. She perched on top of the couch, watching as he knocked her over. Listening to the brief, angry words from him it didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened when their bare hands had touched.
She hoped off the couch and padded out the room, leaving Cash staring at the unconscious form of Saffron lying on the floor. If she had been in human form, she would have laughed at him.
* * *
Cash stared at Saffron in disbelief. Why now? Why of all times did this have to happen to him now? It just wasn't fair. He hadn't asked for it to show up. He'd been quite happy going from girl to girl, taking the ones who appealed and discarding them when he was done. It was a pretty easy way of life.
"You'd have thought for a species of dragon the girl would have put up more of a fight." Deva Harman herself appeared in the doorway, wrapped in her traditional dark robes, though this time, her face was actually showing. Her nose was sharp and straight, her eyes almond shaped, a dark green, her lips full, a dusky rose colour. Her cheekbones were slanted, slightly angular giving her entire face a sort of pointed look, pretty in a mysterious way.
Cash shrugged, sticking the amulet in the back pocket of his jeans. "Well, she didn't. Let's just get her locked up, shall we?"
Deva laughed, dry and grating, reminding him of sandpaper. "You're giving *me* orders?" She shook her head, bemused. "Well yes that is what we were intending to do with her. Since things have gone a bit faster than I planned, we might be able to do the ritual tomorrow night rather than Sunday. The sooner the better."
Another girl came into the room, waist length chestnut hair, dressed in black jeans and a black shirt. She looked at the still figure on the living room floor. "I take it everything's going according to plan so far." She looked up at Cash. "Who the hell is he?"
Cash forced his expression to remain blank. He couldn't afford to show any emotion at the moment. "I could ask you the same thing," he said reasonably.
"He's Cash Redfern, she's Nienna Harman, it's her house." Deva was smiling faintly.
Cash vaguely recalled seeing Nienna leaving the house before he had come in. Though it was probably not much of an observation. "You're both Harman." That surprised him. "From what I knew Harman females were supposed to be extremely rare." The last he knew there were only four Harman females around, one of them being something to do with this end of the world Wild Power prophecy that had never come around yet.
Deva shrugged. "I am a relation of Emmeth Harman, one of the twins sent away to England during the war. Nienna is a relation of Elspeth, the sister. More of their descendents are being found and as with the usual population of witches, most of us just happen to be female." She smiled. "You're saying that's a bad thing?"
Cash forced a laugh that came out with a strange sound, more like a hiccup. "Not really. So. Our dragon, then? Where'd Claire get herself to?" He was kind of curious to actually meet the girl who'd recruited him for the mission. Not that it had been much of a mission. He didn't know why they couldn't have used some of their own members.
"Claire's around somewhere," Deva said dismissively. She glanced over at Nienna. "Do me a favour and go ask Lucius to come and help us move her."
Nienna grumbled under her breath, but left the room. As long as someone else handled carting her off to lock her up, Cash would be all right. He didn't want to have to touch her again. It had been a fluke. Some sort of weird dragon magic to try and distract him. Yes, that was all that flash of lightning had been. "Lucius?" he asked with a slight frown.
"The only male in our group," Deva said, sighing reproachfully.
A tall thin boy came into the room. There didn't seem to be anything remarkable about him. Small grey eyes were narrowed at Cash, a thin mouth was twisted in a scowl. His skin was almost unnaturally pale. He picked up Saffron's shoulders. "Get her feet."
Cash didn't feel like arguing. And just did.
"Take her to the basement, there are some restraints set up I need her in." Deva followed them while Cash and Lucius carted off their load.
Cash shivered as he entered the basement, a feeling of coldness struck him almost with a physical force as he went down the steps. He looked quickly at the others, but neither Lucius or Deva showed any signs of feeling it.
Deva led them to the centre of the room where two chains with wrist restrains hung from the ceilings. With a bit of difficulty, they shifted Saffron to get her wrists fasted in. Two more chains went around her ankles. Cash moved away from her as quickly as he could. To his alarm he felt a trickle of sweat running down his forehead. He wiped it away quickly, though luckily again neither of the others had noticed anything - off - about him.
"We'll take turns guarding her," Deva was saying, looking around the basement. There was a strange expression on her face. She was reaching out, almost as if she were trying to touch something that only she could see.
"Fine, I got her for you, someone else can do guard duty first." Cash walked out of the basement as quickly as he could without actually running. Even out of Saffron's presence, he didn't feel any better.
He left the mansion, hoping the fresh air would calm him down. It didn't. His mind was in an uproar. Hadn't he said that thing he thought might be a soulmate connection was a fluke? Something she had been trying to use to persuade him not to hurt her.
^Who the hell are you trying to kid?^ his inner voice sneered at him.
Cash sighed miserably. So much for what should have been a quick, easy assignment.
* * *
Her tail was still throbbing in pain. ^Idiot^, she thought angrily. If she had been in human form, she'd have kicked his ass for treading on her so carelessly like that.
Well at least the hired hand had actually made an appearance and seemed to be doing his job. She had slinked back into the room to see how Cash would handle his task, and seemed to be doing a reasonable job of it. Oh, wait. She perched on top of the couch, watching as he knocked her over. Listening to the brief, angry words from him it didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened when their bare hands had touched.
She hoped off the couch and padded out the room, leaving Cash staring at the unconscious form of Saffron lying on the floor. If she had been in human form, she would have laughed at him.
* * *
Cash stared at Saffron in disbelief. Why now? Why of all times did this have to happen to him now? It just wasn't fair. He hadn't asked for it to show up. He'd been quite happy going from girl to girl, taking the ones who appealed and discarding them when he was done. It was a pretty easy way of life.
"You'd have thought for a species of dragon the girl would have put up more of a fight." Deva Harman herself appeared in the doorway, wrapped in her traditional dark robes, though this time, her face was actually showing. Her nose was sharp and straight, her eyes almond shaped, a dark green, her lips full, a dusky rose colour. Her cheekbones were slanted, slightly angular giving her entire face a sort of pointed look, pretty in a mysterious way.
Cash shrugged, sticking the amulet in the back pocket of his jeans. "Well, she didn't. Let's just get her locked up, shall we?"
Deva laughed, dry and grating, reminding him of sandpaper. "You're giving *me* orders?" She shook her head, bemused. "Well yes that is what we were intending to do with her. Since things have gone a bit faster than I planned, we might be able to do the ritual tomorrow night rather than Sunday. The sooner the better."
Another girl came into the room, waist length chestnut hair, dressed in black jeans and a black shirt. She looked at the still figure on the living room floor. "I take it everything's going according to plan so far." She looked up at Cash. "Who the hell is he?"
Cash forced his expression to remain blank. He couldn't afford to show any emotion at the moment. "I could ask you the same thing," he said reasonably.
"He's Cash Redfern, she's Nienna Harman, it's her house." Deva was smiling faintly.
Cash vaguely recalled seeing Nienna leaving the house before he had come in. Though it was probably not much of an observation. "You're both Harman." That surprised him. "From what I knew Harman females were supposed to be extremely rare." The last he knew there were only four Harman females around, one of them being something to do with this end of the world Wild Power prophecy that had never come around yet.
Deva shrugged. "I am a relation of Emmeth Harman, one of the twins sent away to England during the war. Nienna is a relation of Elspeth, the sister. More of their descendents are being found and as with the usual population of witches, most of us just happen to be female." She smiled. "You're saying that's a bad thing?"
Cash forced a laugh that came out with a strange sound, more like a hiccup. "Not really. So. Our dragon, then? Where'd Claire get herself to?" He was kind of curious to actually meet the girl who'd recruited him for the mission. Not that it had been much of a mission. He didn't know why they couldn't have used some of their own members.
"Claire's around somewhere," Deva said dismissively. She glanced over at Nienna. "Do me a favour and go ask Lucius to come and help us move her."
Nienna grumbled under her breath, but left the room. As long as someone else handled carting her off to lock her up, Cash would be all right. He didn't want to have to touch her again. It had been a fluke. Some sort of weird dragon magic to try and distract him. Yes, that was all that flash of lightning had been. "Lucius?" he asked with a slight frown.
"The only male in our group," Deva said, sighing reproachfully.
A tall thin boy came into the room. There didn't seem to be anything remarkable about him. Small grey eyes were narrowed at Cash, a thin mouth was twisted in a scowl. His skin was almost unnaturally pale. He picked up Saffron's shoulders. "Get her feet."
Cash didn't feel like arguing. And just did.
"Take her to the basement, there are some restraints set up I need her in." Deva followed them while Cash and Lucius carted off their load.
Cash shivered as he entered the basement, a feeling of coldness struck him almost with a physical force as he went down the steps. He looked quickly at the others, but neither Lucius or Deva showed any signs of feeling it.
Deva led them to the centre of the room where two chains with wrist restrains hung from the ceilings. With a bit of difficulty, they shifted Saffron to get her wrists fasted in. Two more chains went around her ankles. Cash moved away from her as quickly as he could. To his alarm he felt a trickle of sweat running down his forehead. He wiped it away quickly, though luckily again neither of the others had noticed anything - off - about him.
"We'll take turns guarding her," Deva was saying, looking around the basement. There was a strange expression on her face. She was reaching out, almost as if she were trying to touch something that only she could see.
"Fine, I got her for you, someone else can do guard duty first." Cash walked out of the basement as quickly as he could without actually running. Even out of Saffron's presence, he didn't feel any better.
He left the mansion, hoping the fresh air would calm him down. It didn't. His mind was in an uproar. Hadn't he said that thing he thought might be a soulmate connection was a fluke? Something she had been trying to use to persuade him not to hurt her.
^Who the hell are you trying to kid?^ his inner voice sneered at him.
Cash sighed miserably. So much for what should have been a quick, easy assignment.
* * *