Free Mixed Feelings (Empathy in the PPNW Book 1) by Olivia R. Burton

going to just figure her a fairy unless she told me otherwise. Hell, I
decided then and there that Madeline was a fairy, too. No one ever got hurt by
generalizations, am I right?
    “ She ’s very kind,” Merrin finished after a few moments.
    I had nothing to say to that
that wouldn’ t probably get the beautiful
fairy mad at me, so I cleared my throat, stepping around to put myself between Merrin and Evadne to ensure she was looking at me
again.
    “Sweetie, you were telling me
about a child being taken tonight. Do you remember?”
    “Eight tonight.” She looked
distracted, like she was listening to something disturbing. “I see flowers. Oh.”
Her face fell and she turned to me. “ I ’ m so sorry. I ’ll bring you something to help with that.”
    Despite the fact that I
didn’t know what she was talking about, I took a step back to let her get up and pass. She didn’t move,
just continued to watch me with pity and worry, as if I were detailing my
injuries from a bad accident. After a second, Chloe dropped Merrin’s hand to
close in and elbow me. I caught up, realizing that Merrin had no intention of
getting me anything at the moment. Swallowing, I nodded.
    “I would appreciate that,
thank you. Can you tell me more about where to find this child? How I can save
him?”
    “You haven’ t yet? ” Merrin looked perplexed, her eyes widening as she
tipped her head. “ I ’ll find out for you.”
    This time she did stand,
drifting toward the bedroom on bare feet. I frowned,
lifting my hands to my hips. When she didn’t reappear for over a minute, I
turned to Chloe.
    “What now?”
    “Now you go,” Evadne said,
startling me. She sauntered toward us and held out a hand. “I understand you provide payment for services
rendered?”
    “ Uh. ” I nodded, turning to Chloe. She’d been the one to get cash. Without
hesitation, Chloe slid a small stack of twenties out of her bag, handing them to Evadne.
    “I will contact you when she
has what you’re requesting.” Still watching Chloe intently, she flicked her
gaze to me almost faster than I could see before tipping her head ever so
slightly toward Chloe.
    “Pleasure.”
    Nervous energy slithered like
an electric eel through Chloe and I jerked. I was definitely ready to get the
hell out of there.
    Chapter Six

 
    We discussed the oddity of
Merrin having a spectacularly gorgeous otherworldly roommate on the way back to
the office, pausing occasionally to try to decipher all the things Merrin had
said to us. We failed miserably but decided that if Evadne did in fact contact
us with the location of the next kidnapping attempt, it hadn’t been a wasted trip
at all.
    The rest of the day passed
quickly; my last two Monday clients are nothing compared to the agony of
spending an hour with Mrs. Q. Four-thirty rolled around and I was only too
happy to shut down my computer and start getting ready to head home.
    We chatted as I locked up,
bantered as we rode the elevator down to street level, and said our goodbyes.
The snow that had been tickling my office window glittered in my hair as I
unlocked my car and tossed my bag into the back seat. My eyes flitted to my steering wheel as I
slid into my seat and I sighed.
    “Again?”
    There was a pink sticky note
in the center of the steering wheel. It said, “ Put up your shields !”
    I stared at it grumpily as I
turned the car on and blasted the heater. Just as I was about to crumple the
note and toss it in my little garbage bag, the passenger door opened and Mel
slid his finely sculpted ass into my car. I was briefly stunned into silence as
I did what the note had suggested and fortified my psychic wall. As at The
Internets, it only helped so much. My muscles twinged, my skin protested and
insisted I was pressing a hot iron against each and every nerve. Luckily, I
wasn’t the only one in pain, at least for a few seconds.
    Mel grunted in discomfort as
he realized what a mistake it had been to cram himself in without