Ethereal Entanglements Read Free Page B

the Vancouver PD,” Avery said with a sigh. “We need to talk. It’s important.”
    “I’ll be a few minutes,” Justin told Marie. He grabbed his emerald green cloak from the mud room to ward off the chill in the late November air.
    Avery led him halfway up the path to the clearing for chopping firewood. Another thirty feet along this path, on the same property, lay Marie’s parents’ house. “I was able to smooth things over last time, Justin. Hell, it was mostly my fault you trashed the downtown police station. I know that. I took care of it. Wrongful arrest can clear up a lot of messes.” He crossed his arms and gave Justin a stern glare. “But this crap you pulled yesterday? There’s an animal services guy in critical condition at Providence, a cop who needed surgery, and another cop who had to stay overnight for observation. What the hell happened?”
    Justin sat heavily on the stump in the center of the clearing and rubbed his eyes. He should’ve expected this, but it somehow came as a surprise. If anyone would understand, it would be Avery. He’d been a tainted Knight for a few years.
    “Kurt died a few weeks ago. I ran into his Phasm.”
    Avery narrowed his eyes, then he swore. “You were tainted. How long?”
    “About a day and a half.”
    “You caused a lot of damage in that short a time.”
    “Thanks.” Justin scratched the back of his head. The subject made him want to curl up and hide in a hole. Knights didn’t do that, though. “Claire killed the Phasm.”
    “That’s a blessing, I suppose.” Avery blew out a breath, the tension in his shoulders draining with it. “Where is she?”
    “At the Palace, sleeping yesterday off.”
    Avery nodded and picked up a rock. He tossed it into the woods and listened while it crashed and tumbled through damp leaves. “Tell anyone else about this?”
    “No, I came straight home and slept like the dead.”
    “I haven’t been back to the Palace yet.” Avery picked up another rock and tossed it. “But more importantly, you’re wanted for assault on a police officer. Because you’ve done a good job branding yourself publicly as a harmless lunatic, and because the officer in question is a friend of mine, I can fix that if you come down and admit to being drunk. A personal apology to the cop would help a great deal. In writing. On nice paper.
    “The horse, though, is a problem. You’re her owner and she almost killed someone. Not my area of expertise, but you’ll at least have to hand her over. Odds are good they’ll want to destroy her. If you claim she’s run off, they’ll slap you with a negligence charge and hang aggravated assault around your neck. If they’re feeling tetchy, they’ll root around here to dig up whatever they can.”
    Justin swore. Once again, the news came as no shock, but it still surprised him. Soft thumps on the damp earth made him turn to see Tariel stepping into view. Her white coat and mane seemed dingy and gray today, and her silvery hooves had lost their sheen.
    “I never would have done that in my right mind,” she mumbled, her head hanging low.
    Justin rubbed his face. If Tariel died, so did he, though he could sever their bond to avoid that fate. For six years, she’d been his friend, confidant, and partner. Between her and Marie, they kept him sane and grounded. Of course, the methods they used to put animals down wouldn’t work on a sprite, so he had no idea how this would actually play out. The uncertainty bothered him almost as much as the problem.
    He looked up at Avery, hoping the detective had a brilliant plan. “There has to be something we can do.”
    “If I had ideas, I’d tell you.” Avery picked up another rock and hurled it. “There’s no apology or probation options with a horse. Animals that attack people almost always get put down. Since you rode away on her, they won’t buy anything about a different mount.”
    Justin sighed and nodded. “I need to sleep on this.”
    Avery raised an