Free Bad Blood (Book 4 of The Warden series) by Felicia Jedlicka

little. Or a lot.
    “With your gun of course. I mean that was the point of getting them wasn’t it. So I don’t have to babysit you all the time.”
    “Babysit? I resent that.”
    “You know the risks of this don’t you?” Danato peeked over the rim of his glasses. “If a wizard gets the drop on you that gun isn’t going to do you any good.”
    Cori glanced at Belus again searching for the reason for such animosity. Danato had always been a stern man when it came to safety, but he usually wasn’t so forceful with her. Belus lifted his cup to his mouth. As he did, he brought his other hand under his chin and tapped it. Chin up.
    If she expected Danato to approve of this pursuit of hers, he needed her to have the discipline and responsibility to complete it. She took in a breath and brought her chin up physically in preparation of doing it internally. “I’ll be very vigilant. Do you have any preference as to the location of the garden?”
    “I assumed you had a spot in mind,” Danato said.
    Cori bit her cheek so she didn’t smile. “Yes, sir, I have an ideal location picked out. Moist, fertile, and rich with sun.”
    “Well, have at it, you’re the botanist. I wouldn’t presume to know your job.”
    She couldn’t help, but grin. “Thank you, sir.” She knew Danato was trying to maintain his stern face for the sake of professional separation, but she could see the pleasure he derived from making her happy.
    “Get on with it then.” He waved her off. She jumped up prepared to undertake her day. “You’ll need to if you’re going to get the paperwork done for it by the end of the day.” She stopped short of the door and groaned.
    “No, paperwork,” she turned back, “paperwork for vegetables?”
    “Paperwork for everything,” he practically chanted the words.
    Cori threw her head back and resisted the urge to stomp her feet like a child. “Yes, sir.” She saw a new pleasure on Danato’s face. The pleasure all superiors held for their underlings as they undertook the duties they had once endured and hated just the same.
    Before the door shut behind her on her way out, two voices simultaneously hollered, “Gun!” She growled and grabbed the gun that she would have otherwise forgotten.
     
     
     
     
     
     
    13
    Once situated with her supplies, it only took Cori an hour to plant her seeds in excess of forty plants. She wasn’t sure how well the plants would do, but even if half of them came up, they were still saving months of time waiting for them to grow in the greenhouse. Not to mention she had far more space in real ground.
    After a quick overview of the surrounding trees for wizards, she looked out on to the clear crisp fresh water lake. She remembered her first time here with Ethan. She remembered how harsh it seemed to be stuck there, and yet the moment she was taken away from it, she would have killed for more time.
    With another hour at least before she was removed, she decided to make the best of it. She stripped down to her bare essentials and dove into the water for a swim. There was nothing as refreshing as a swim in natural un-chlorinated water.
    When the time was up, she wrung out her hair and slipped back into her clothes, lest she be drawn back into the real world half-naked. It didn’t take long for the swirling images of a canvas in the rain to signal her ascent from the bubble.
    The guard who pulled her out was already prepared with her designated tuning fork, which released the cotton from her ears. She thanked him, and he returned to the pseudo watchtower that overlooked the bubble. The plethora of buttons, lights, and switches inside the small enclosure provided readouts of anything and everything bubble related. It was the one area of the prison, save the infirmary, that was staffed 24/7.
    She pulled her wet hair back into a loose bun in preparation for the most boring day ever.
    She heard a grunt and thump. She turned toward the guard station and saw the guard hunched