The Hour of Dust and Ashes Read Free Page B

it?”
    “Where’s what?” I asked innocently, even though I knew exactly what he referred to.
    “The sarcophagus. Where is it?”
    “We destroyed it,” I answered.
    “You lie!”
    “Why would I? Do you really think we’d risk keeping it? Gee, let’s see … destroying an object for the greater good of mankind or keeping it around. I don’t know … seems like a no-brainer to me.” The lie flowed easily from my lips, but my heart raced. Destroying the sarcophagus hadn’t been an option, so we hid it the best we could. The fact that these guys were here now meant that Tennin and his crazy-ass cult hadn’t bought into the rumor of its destruction. “What did he promise you? Money? Power?” I asked, knowing these guys were just hired hands; they had no clue what was inside of the sarcophagus.
    Footsteps shuffled to my right. Alessandra’s jinn bodyguard Tuni appeared next to me as another one of her enforcers took up position on the other side of Rex.
    “Madigan,” Tuni’s deep voice echoed in the lofty space. “Should’ve known.”
    I leaned toward him. “For the record, I did not start it. If they back off, I’ll walk out of here without another word in their direction.”
    “Enough of this talk! Where is it?” the Pig-Pen shouted at me. The others behind him shifted, eager to pounce. Their energy intensified, building, getting ready …
    Three sidhé fae appeared behind them. Straightout of thin air and practically glowing in their silvery chain mail tunics and pearly skin. Each one had a crisscross of sword hilts peeking from behind his shoulders. Two blades that I knew were curved, thin, and razor sharp. What I didn’t know was what the hell they were doing here. And where they’d come from, because these guys looked old-school; I’d only ever seen armor like that in books.
    The tallest one in the middle took a step forward, assessing the situation with a quick, perceptive eye. The guy was at least six and a half feet, long, lean, and agile-looking. He had a noble face, ruthless and hard as granite. Light hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, accentuating his widow’s peak and giving him a sharp visage. He wore black leather pants and boots and a leather belt over the silver chain mail, arm guards, and thigh guards.
    The familiar, light pink irises typical of the sidhé fae fixed on me. “You are the one they call Charlie Madigan, aye?”
    Half of the Pig-Pens turned in surprise at his voice. The air went thick with hostility and an underlying confusion. This new development threw everyone off balance, including me.
    I glanced around, wishing there was another Charlie Madigan in the club, and wondering what the hell I’d done this time. I returned my attention to the sidhé. “That depends on why you’re asking, and if you’re here for the same reasons as these guys.” I gestured to the Pig-Pens.
    A haughty eyebrow lifted as if to say breathing the same air as them was appalling.
    “Stay out of this,” one of the Pig-Pens growled at the fae. “She’s ours.”
    As they exchanged heated words, I glanced over at Tuni even as goose bumps spread over my arms. “I’m apologizing in advance. Make sure you tell Alessandra I was only defending myself.” He crossed his thick arms over his chest and grunted. “So … you just gonna watch or help me clear the dance floor?”
    The jinn were a warrior culture. I wasn’t surprised to see the corner of Tuni’s mouth twitch into a grin. His big fists clenched, his rings flashing in the light. He nodded. “Just this once. Since they
are
disturbing the peace.”
    A welcome spike of adrenaline surged through me.
    Rex let out a huff and his arms dropped limply to his sides as he glared at Tuni and me. “You guys are like two little old ladies over there talking. Shut up already and let’s kick some oinker ass.”
    “Rex,” I warned, as the argument between the Pig-Pen and the fae continued, “stay behind me. I don’t want anything