Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)(51)
Author: Richelle Mead

“In retrospect, it wasn’t a bad thing.” Cynthia’s expression softened a little. “I liked being home with him. But it meant I missed my window. Do you know how it works? Higher education is covered up to a certain age. Peter told me it was okay, that when he finished law school and Quentin started primaries, we’d have enough to pay out of pocket for my degree.” She paused. “But then Peter died.”

“I…I’m sorry.”

Cynthia’s face was very still as she spoke. “It was a car accident. Now, don’t freak out—they’re pretty rare. But they happen. And when everything was settled, it turned out Peter hadn’t actually been saving the money he said. He’d spent a lot of time gambling after his classes. I just can’t seem to escape that.” She chopped a carrot with particular force. “Anyway, it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to do anything but mourn, and Justin told me not to worry, you know—in that way of his. He said he’d support us and send me to school when I was ready. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

That was a surprise. Tessa couldn’t imagine him backing out of a promise like that. “Why not?” she asked.

“Because he suddenly dropped off the face of the earth—and all the money dried up. And so, I was left waitressing and petitioning for a special grant.” She looked up at Tessa and waved her knife, using it to punctuate her words. “You want my advice? Don’t listen to the promises of men, even ones who mean well. Take care of yourself.”

Tessa decided then that it was a good time to do homework.

Justin came back late again. Quentin had gone to bed, but Cynthia was still up, watching a movie with Tessa. He had the same worn-out look he had each night and repeated his usual ritual, flouncing back into the armchair with a bottle of beer. Cynthia looked over at him with disapproval.

“Why do you drink that stuff? It’s overpriced and doesn’t even taste that good. You’re such a label whore.”

“Nice to see you too,” he said. He turned to Tessa. “Let’s hear from you. Tell me something that’s not going to stress me out. How was your first day?”

Tessa hesitated, not sure how to start. Justin had been regarding her with a lazy smile but suddenly snapped to attention. “What happened?”

“Someone came by today. Someone…” She frowned, thinking back to the bizarre encounter outside. “Someone who says he’s a friend of yours.”

Justin’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah? Someone from the university?”

“I don’t think so. His name’s Geraki.”

Justin sat up suddenly. “He was here? In our house?”

She cringed a little. That wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. “No…he talked to me outside. He was waiting there when I got home.”

“Were you here?” Justin demanded of Cynthia.

“No,” she said. “This is the first I’m hearing about this.”

“He said he was glad you’re back and that he wanted to see you,” Tessa explained. “He also said you were his favorite servitor.”

“That’s fitting, since he’s my favorite megalomaniac,” he muttered. His gaze focused back on Tessa. “Did he threaten you? Hurt you?”

Tessa shook her head.

Cynthia regarded her brother warily. “What are you involved in?”

He stayed silent a few moments, but his eyes were troubled. At last, he smiled at Cynthia, but Tessa could still see tension all over him. “Nothing. Just someone I owe money to. Card game gone bad.”

“I knew it.” Cynthia stood up in disgust. To Tessa, she said, “See? I can’t get away from it. I’m going to bed. You should too—it’s late.”

Tessa hesitated but couldn’t fight against Cynthia’s logic or stern look. It was only after Tessa was in bed that she remembered that Justin never played cards.

CHAPTER 15

HE’S TALLER

He’d had the video for over a week, but Leo hadn’t been able to crack it in “five minutes,” as Justin had assured Cornelia. Leo still swore he’d have the secret of the shadowy figure any day now and finally agreed to go to one of the murder sites to check out the technical and forensic side of things. Of course, it came with a little complaining about missing his ridiculous day job.

Justin went out the night before the trip and had the good fortune of running into a former student from his days of teaching university religion classes. Aurelia had grown up over the years and was quite taken with the idea of her former professor leading a glamorous servitor’s life. She was the first woman he’d slept with since coming home, and the experience was sublime. He supposed, as far as the mechanics went, she was no different from any of the many Panamanian women he’d passed time with in exile, but there was an allure to the idea of finally being in the arms of a Gemman woman again. It had amped up the excitement of it all.

Finally? asked Horatio.

Mae doesn’t count, Justin told him.

Justin slinked back to his house the next morning, certain he was there too early for anyone else to be up. He was wrong, of course. Cynthia was in the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee. Guessing what had happened, she sighed in that angst-ridden way she’d perfected.

“Really? Thank goodness Quentin’s still in bed. What am I supposed to tell him when you come home like this?”

Justin kissed her on the cheek. “That I’ll have some excellent tips for him in ten years.” He reconsidered. The boy was a March, after all. “Eight years.”

He headed for his room, unable to keep the spring out of his step.

Mae was there when he got out of the shower. She always claimed she showed up at the house to save them travel time, but he suspected she actually came to get in on Cynthia’s ample breakfasts. Today, he was met with the astonishing site of Mae, Tessa, and Quentin all out in the backyard. Cynthia stood at the glass door, shaking her head in disapproval at what was apparently a tree-climbing lesson. Mae deftly grabbed the lower limb of a large maple tree and effortlessly swung her body up. Quentin and Tessa stared up at her. His face was rapt, hers uncertain. Neither would have had any experience with tree climbing, Justin realized. Tessa’s mother would have had a seizure at the thought, and Quentin had grown up in far too urban a setting.

“He’ll break his arm,” fretted Cynthia. Mae held out her hand to help Quentin up. He took it eagerly. “He can’t do the same things she can.”