Free Bad Blood (Cora's Choice #3) by V. M. Black Page A

own comb, my own toothbrush. My own shampoo.
    Dorian and Clarissa exchanged another look. I was beyond sick of it.
    “Look, why don’t you two just tell me what the hell is going on?” I snapped. “Why do you think I might get attacked in empty rooms, and why is Clarissa staring at that what-ever-it-is for?”
    There was a ringing silence for a long moment, and finally, Dorian said. “Djinn can be slippery. They fool human eyes more easily than agnatic senses, but a good measure of caution is always wise when we deal with them. Clarissa’s tool helps us detect if there is one about, even if we don’t see it.”
    “They’re not normally social creatures—unlike agnates,” Clarissa said, and I couldn’t tell whether she was being sarcastic about the last bit. “But one of them could very well take offense at the, uh, neutralization of the other djinn the night before. And when someone hires one assassin, there’s good reason to believe that he might hire more.”
    “So is it safe for me to go to my apartment?” I asked. “Or not? Just tell me. I’m not going to pitch a fit if I can’t get my way.”
    “It should be safe,” Clarissa said. “It should be as safe as it ever is for any cognate, now.”
    “And how safe is that?” I pressed.
    “Untouchable,” she said simply. “No one should dare to harm a hair of your head. Follow you, yes. Spy on you? Absolutely, especially after Dorian’s invitation yesterday. But if you should step out in front of a speeding truck, it’s their duty to try to save you, even if they’re Dorian’s sworn enemies.”
    “So what’s all this about , then?” I made a motion to include her and the other cars that were following discreetly behind.
    “Paranoia,” Dorian broke in. “But I would not have survived as long as I have without it.”
    “They shouldn’t have attacked you the first time,” Clarissa said to me. “But that was merely…bad form. Not practically unheard of, like it is now.”
    “Bad form,” I repeated. I didn’t consider killing people to be bad form.
    “Once you are properly introduced, I will pull the escort,” Dorian said.
    “Until then, you’ll have a bigger entourage than Michael Jackson,” Clarissa added brightly. “But he’s dead, isn’t he? Well, someone else famous, then.”
    “So my apartment?” I pressed.
    “Should be fine,” Clarissa said. “Really, Dorian, you think scaring her like this is worth it?”
    I just looked at Dorian.
    Finally, he nodded. “It should be fine.”
    “Okay, then,” I said. “Let’s get my things.”
    Dorian gave the order to the driver , and we drove to campus in silence.
    As the Escalade approached the entrance to my apartment building, I spotted my Gramma’s Ford Focus in the parking lot. I craned my neck around, looking for signs of damage, but it appeared to be in perfect repair. As if nothing had happened at all. And there was the SUV behind it in the almost-empty lot, its bumper in perfect condition even though I had slammed a djinn’s body against it the day before.
    “ My people work quickly,” Dorian said, catching the direction of my gaze.
    “ No kidding.”
    Clarissa was frowning at her screen. “Looks like we have company.”
    “Where?” Dorian’s attention snapped to her instantly.
    But Clarissa had already unbuckled, and her hand was on the door handle. “Oh, I’ve been waiting for the chance to play with my little toys! See you in a moment.”
    She flashed a bright, perfect smile as she sli d the sunglasses over her eyes. Then, far faster than any human could move, she was gone out of the still-moving Escalade.
    I watched out of the window as she sprinted toward the corner of the apartment building, closing the distance in the time that it took me to draw a breath. She pulled an ugly-looking object out of her belt as she ran, holding it in front of her like a weapon as she slapped something at her waist.
    Suddenly, she seemed to flicker, as if she were only half