The Torn Wing Read Online Free PDF

couldn’t seem to piece together. Her middle-class upbringing, before becoming a pickpocket to survive, was a far cry from the privileged world of London’s upper class in which Rieker had been raised. Tiki feared the day was coming that Rieker would reach the same conclusion. Lately, she’d been thinking it was time to find another home for her family of orphans.
    “Hello William.” A silky voice purred from the doorway.
    Tiki turned with a gasp. She would recognize Larkin’s voice anywhere.

Chapter Five

    I sabelle Cavendish stood in the doorway, a coy smile twisting her lips. She was clad in an elegant midnight blue dress with matching jacket, her brown hair pulled away from her face to cascade down her back. Her features were the same chiseled perfection Tiki remembered, but the enigmatic blue-green eyes that stared back were unmistakably Larkin’s. It only took Tiki a second to realize Larkin was wearing a glamour to look like Isabelle Cavendish.
    “Larkin,” Tiki said in a shocked tone, fear beating a rapid tattoo inside her chest. “Why are you here?”
    A frown flickered across the girl’s face as she glanced at Tiki. “Just who I was hoping to find—the thief.” Her glamoured features tightened in distaste.
    Rieker stared from one to the other in obvious confusion. “Larkin?” he echoed, swiveling to look at Tiki. “Are you sure?”
    “Yes, William, she’s right.” Larkin sniffed as though a bad smell wafted beneath her nostrils. “Don’t tell me she lives with you now—and no doubt, the rest of her little band of pickpockets.” The faerie’s words rang with a bitterness that was palpable. “Such a disgustingly sweet little family.”
    Rieker shifted his position to stand between Tiki and Larkin. “That’s no concern of yours.”
    Larkin’s eyes narrowed with a calculating look. “Though I do miss the little girl at times. What was her name? Clara? Tell me, does she ask after me?”
    Red-hot anger surged through Tiki, replacing her fear. “No, she doesn’t,” she snapped. She glared at the faerie. “Thankfully, the nightmares of when you stole her have stopped.” It was a lie, Clara had never had nightmares that Tiki knew of, but she couldn’t stand the idea Larkin might have some twisted idea she mattered to the child. “Why would you come back to London? I heard you were wounded when you escaped—that you had to tear your own wing off to get away.”
    Larkin’s poisonous laugh filled the room. “Do you pity me now?” She spat the words out as though she couldn’t bear the taste of them on her tongue. “Guttersnipe, you can’t pity what you don’t understand.”
    “I don’t pity you.” Tiki’s voice was raw with emotion. “You deserve every ounce of what you’ve got.”
    “ Isabelle ,” Rieker spoke up, interrupting their conversation. “Why are you here?”
    “William, where are your manners? Aren’t you going to invite me in to sit down?” A small bag swung from Isabelle’s wrist and she carried a fan in one hand that she snapped open with an irritated flick of her wrist. She moved slowly though, as if she were in pain.
    “No, because you’re not staying,” Rieker replied, the muscles in his jaw flexing.
    Larkin frowned. “Considering what we’ve been through together, it seems you could be a bit more charitable.” Her eyes raked over Tiki. “Perhaps it’s the unsavory influences in your life.”
    “You would have a clear understanding of unsavory, wouldn’t you?” Tiki shot back, her anger bubbling to the surface again. Something flickered in Larkin’s eyes and for a second, Tiki got the impression the faerie was laughing at her, as if she enjoyed Tiki’s irritation.
    “Larkin.” Rieker held his hand up. “Not another insult.” He was a head taller than the faerie and took a threatening step toward the other girl. Larkin, rather than retreating, leaned closer and ran a finger down his lapel, a teasing smile on her lips.
    “Oh William,