Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)(50)
Author: Richelle Mead

Tessa soon discovered Poppy had no sense of personal boundaries. She peppered Tessa with questions about Panama, but it seemed to be out of friendly curiosity and not some sort of perverse condescension. Poppy’s reactions ran the gamut of emotions as the many rumors she’d heard were either confirmed or denied. She seemed legitimately disappointed to hear particularly savage stereotypes dismissed—but that was matched by supreme delight at other revelations.

“Really?” she asked. “No gun laws?”

“No. I don’t even know how they’d enforce one. You can get guns anywhere.”

“Not here.” Poppy sounded wistful. “They’re hard to smuggle in, and production is pretty closely watched. I wouldn’t mind learning to use one.”

“Join the military,” suggested Tessa.

“Nah. I could never follow all those rules. This is where you live?”

Tessa had come to a stop in front of her house. “Yup.”

Poppy gave a nod of approval. “Wow, nice. Your parents must have made out pretty good back in the provinces.”

“I live here with friends.”

“Cool.” Poppy brightened. “Are you like some orphan rescued from the wild streets?”

It was hard keeping up with her sometimes. “Not exactly. My parents are still back there.”

“Okay, that’s cool too,” said Poppy. “You want to get some coffee before school tomorrow?”

Did she? Tessa wasn’t sure at first, but then she decided she might as well. Poppy was the only person who’d treated her like a human being today, and besides, she seemed like she might be a good person to have around if Melissa did come after her. Tessa accepted, and Poppy told her she’d be back at six thirty.

As she approached the house, Tessa was greeted by the astonishing sight of a man sitting on the front step. She hadn’t noticed him from the street. Seeing her, he flashed her a grin and leapt to his feet. Tessa came to a halt on the walkway, too nervous to proceed. She guessed he was Justin’s age and possessed the same powerful presence, albeit in a different sort of way. He was tall and broad chested, wearing a gray T-shirt that showed off his extraordinarily muscled arms. His features were plebeian, tan skin and brown eyes, though his long hair had been dyed blond.

“Finally,” he said. He had a rich voice, one that urged her to relax. It only made her more uneasy. “I was about to give up. Is my good friend Dr. March here?”

“Y-you’re friends with Justin?”

“Yes, of course. He’s my favorite servitor, you know. I’ve missed seeing him. I’d gotten used to his yearly visits, and then poof! Off he goes without a trace. I was hurt. His replacement was a huge disappointment.”

Tessa really had no idea what the correct response to that was. “Who are you?”

He extended a polite hand, one she paused before taking. “You, sweet child, can call me Geraki.”

“Oh. I’m Tessa.”

“They told me he had a protégée, but I didn’t expect someone like you. It’s very charming. And intriguing.” Behind that amiable face, Tessa caught a glimpse of something shrewd and dangerous.

“He’s not here,” she said. She pulled her hand back from his strong grip and looked around nervously. One of their neighbors was outside working in her garden, which made Tessa feel a little more secure. She could also see a couple of kids walking home from school, which meant Quentin would be back soon. Cynthia had said she’d be home around the same time. “He probably won’t be back for a while. He’s out of town.”

“Shame. I’d really hoped to catch up with him.”

“He’s got a prætorian with him.” She didn’t entirely know what made her blurt that out or why it ended up sounding like a challenge.

Geraki chuckled. “I heard that too. Amazing how he pulled that off.”

“He didn’t request it.” Tessa knew that much at least about Justin and Mae’s odd relationship. “I think it just happened to him.”

“Things ‘just happen’ to him a lot, and he doesn’t even realize it. Or, if he does, he thinks it’s all due to his cleverness.” Geraki sighed and shook his head. “I tell you, the ravens are wasted on him, but who am I to dictate to higher powers?”

Tessa was growing increasingly panicked. “Look, Mr. Geraki—”

“Just Geraki, please.”

“Geraki, I have to go.” She prayed he wouldn’t try to stop her. Surely the neighbor would do something if she screamed. “Maybe you can call him.”

Geraki’s lips twisted into a half smile. “I’m not sure he’d take my calls. Still, I’ll leave you to your affairs. Tell him I said hello. And ask him why his employers have gone on a hiring spree.” He swept her a gallant bow. “It was lovely meeting you. I’m sure our paths will cross again.”

And with that, he stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets and strolled away, whistling as he walked. Tessa watched him for a few moments and then hurried inside, locking the door.

Cynthia and Quentin arrived within the hour, making Tessa feel a lot safer. She hesitated to tell Cynthia about Geraki without first speaking to Justin. Besides, Cynthia wanted to hear all about Tessa’s experience at school. When Tessa finished her generously edited report, she found Cynthia had had her own academic experience.

“I had my first class.” She didn’t seem entirely pleased about that. “I’ve been trying to make this work for four years, and then my big bad brother waves his hand and gets me in within four days.”

Tessa had heard pieces of this story before but never understood the full thing. “At…the university?”

“Yup.” Cynthia opened up the pantry and began adding up dinner options.

With the way Cynthia oscillated between kind and prickly, Tessa always hesitated to solicit personal information. Curiosity won out this time. “Don’t people usually go to college earlier?” She’d nearly said “younger” but thought that would be rude.

Cynthia snorted and dumped a bag of vegetables onto a cutting board. “They do.” She glanced briefly toward the living room, where Quentin was watching a show. “And they usually put their kids in national day care while getting an education. But I had an unusual husband who wanted me to stay home until Quentin went to primary school.”

Tessa forgot about Geraki. She’d never heard the story of Cynthia’s husband, only that he had died when Quentin was very young.