Free Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang Page B

I thought you were getting better.”
    “Happens. I’m tired. Or maybe drained is a better way of describing it. But I get them more when I’m tired.”
And when you take your meds haphazardly,
a snide voice reminded me. “I just need to get more sleep.”
    “That could be,” she agreed, “but being a TouchStone expends energy. And you’re not just a normal TouchStone, Abby—you’re the TouchStone of the Protectorate, which is a lot more intense. Most mortals can only handle short-term Contracts, and certainly not more than one.”
    “If you say so.” I rubbed at my head, ignoring her eye roll.
    “Ever wonder why so many brilliant musicians and artists seem to die at such a young age?”
    I blinked stupidly at her, my muddled thoughts tripping over themselves. “Too many Contracts?”
    “Absolutely. OtherFolk are drawn to anyone with major talent, particularly the Fae. Sometimes they’re not overlycareful about how much energy they take.”
    Brystion’s words echoed in my mind for a moment, something suddenly becoming uncomfortably clear.
    You’re a Dreamer, Abby. I could drink your dreams like milk.
    “Yeah, yeah, I get it. The whole rainbow connection thing—the poets, the dreamers, and me. Moot point since I’m not any of those things. Not anymore. And I’m certainly not interesting enough for anyone else to want to Contract with me. Except Fuckfang.” I struggled to sit, letting Charlie pull me upright. The world tilted sideways for a moment and then straightened as I leaned against one of the stacks. I tipped my head back. “And he only thought . . . well, never mind what he thought.” I frowned. “Doesn’t matter anyway.”
    I met her liquid eyes with a sour smile. “So where does this leave me? Moira’s missing. A succubus has disappeared and her horny incubus brother seems bent on trying to invade my mind.”
And a unicorn is upstairs getting busy in my underwear drawer,
I added silently, wondering if I should tell her I’d TouchStoned to him. I glanced at her worried face. I’d shelve it for now.
    “You’re going to have to talk to Robert about this,” Charlie pointed out.
    My heart tripped over itself trying to launch its way out of my throat. Robert was Moira’s personal bodyguard and her first lieutenant. Charlie was his TouchStone, but how they had come to that particular Contract I didn’t know. What I
did
know was that Robert swore like a sailor, drank like a fish, and still dropped his
r
s with a good dose of Boston pride. He had a wicked temper and guarded Moira’s interests like a hawk. For being the living embodiment of such a bundle of clichés, he also seemed to intensely dislike me, though damned if I’d ever figured out why.
    “Are you sure? I didn’t think it was worth getting him involved.”
    “Are you kidding me?” Her eyes grew wild for a moment. “Robert’s been in a foul mood lately, and I didn’t know why. I mean, I knew he was worried when she didn’t answer his calls, but he didn’t want to make a fuss because . . . well . . . she’s Fae, and they’re just weird. Besides, you’ve been sitting here acting as though everything was fine. He thought you’d let him know if there was something wrong.” She turned toward me, shaking her head. “Abby, why didn’t you come to us?”
    I gave the other woman a helpless shrug. “She left a note. I mean, she said she’d be back. How was I supposed to know? Christ, for all the contact Robert’s had with me, they could have both taken off and I wouldn’t have known.”
    “I’ve forgotten how new you are to all this,” she said. “All kidding aside, you’re in a bad position, Abby. What do you think the rest of the OtherFolk are going to do when they realize Moira isn’t here?”
    “Nothing good, I’m guessing,” I said grimly.
    She patted my hand thoughtfully. “I think you should take the rest of the day off. Go on upstairs and rest, but come to the Hallows tonight. I’ll make sure