Right Hand Magic Read Online Free PDF Page A

all the while muttering under his breath in a language I’d never heard before. He paused only to glance up in Hexe’s direction.
    “Which floor?”
    “Second,” Hexe replied. “The front room that overlooks the street.”
    “Gotcha.” A couple of seconds later, the GPS made a beeping noise, and Faro nodded his head in approval. “Okay. Everything’s taken care of.” With that he returned the GPS to its hiding place.
    I glanced around, unsure of what had just happened. “When can I expect your guys to show up?”
    “What ‘guys’?” the Kymeran snorted. “I’m the proprietor and sole employee of Faro Moving.”
    “But—what about my stuff—?”
    “It’s already been delivered.”
    “How’s that even possible? You haven’t left my sight!”
    “All the same, your belongings are waiting for you.”
    Hexe stepped up and took my arm, squiring me out the door. “Thanks for the help, Faro!”
    “Always a pleasure, dude,” Faro called after us. “And give my best to Lady Syra.”
    The moment we were out of the cubicle, I yanked my arm free of his grasp. “What the hell just happened in there—? Did you bring me here just to get ripped off again?”
    “Of course not,” he replied indignantly. “Look, things are done differently in Golgotham—a lot differently. Faro’s one of the most respected movers in not just this city, but the entire world. If he says it’s taken care of, it’s taken care of.”
    I was suddenly aware that I was staring deep into Hexe’s golden, catlike eyes, which seemed to shine with an inner light. They were unlike anything I had ever seen before. I quickly looked away, fearful that I had offended him yet again.
    “I’m sorry if I sounded angry. But after everything I’ve gone through today, I’m kind of leery of movers, human or otherwise,” I explained.
    “It’s okay,” Hexe assured me as we headed back through the Rookery. “You have every right to be skeptical.”
    I heaved a sigh of relief. So I hadn’t screwed things up—at least not yet, anyway. “So, why did Faro ask you to say hello to Lady Syra?”
    “Because she’s my mother,” he said matter-of-factly, as if talking about the weather.
    “No way!” I grinned, my surprise momentarily overcoming my need to seem cool. “Lady Syra, ‘Witch to the Stars,’ is your mom?”
    “Could you say that a little louder?” Hexe winced. “I think there’s a deaf granny in Hoboken who didn’t hear you.”
    My face flushed bright red and my ears started to burn. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, you know, get all fan-girl on you.”
    “That’s okay.” He sighed. “I’m used to it.”
    As we exited the Rookery, Hexe waved down one of the neighborhood’s trademark cabs. A blue roan centaur, dressed from the waist up in a black cutaway coat, stopped at the curb, tipping his top hat in greeting.
    “Evening, Hexe.”
    “Good evening, Kidron. Here’s that salve for your hooves.” Hexe took a jar from his coat pocket and handed it to the cabbie. “Use it first thing in the morning and again before bedding down, and it should keep the tenderness at bay.”
    “Thank you.” Kidron smiled. “Where to? The ride’s on me.”
    Hexe turned to face me. “Look, I have some personal errands I need to run. Why don’t you go back to the house and see things with your own eyes? That should put your mind at ease. Kidron, could you give my friend here a lift to my place?”
    “No prob,” the centaur replied, bobbing his head in assent. “Hop in, ma’am.” He gestured to the open door of the hansom cab he was harnessed to.
    “Thanks, man, uh, dude, uh . . . ”
    “The word you’re looking for is ‘stud,’ ” Hexe whispered helpfully into my ear, the warmth of his breath raising goose bumps along my neck.
    “Yeah, thanks, uh, stud,” I said, involuntarily blushing as I spoke.
    “Don’t mention it, ma’am,” Kidron replied with a toss of his plaited dorsal mane. “Any friend of Hexe’s is a