Liam Takes Manhattan (Elder Races #9.5)(10)

They are?

Yes, they are.

For the first time in a week, he didn’t feel the compulsion to fly away. Things had started to feel right again, and that allowed tiredness to take over. A huge yawn cracked his face.

Nearby, chair springs creaked as Dragos stood. He said, “I have to get back to work. Don’t hold dinner for me. I think it’s going to be a late night.”

Pia nodded and said, “Okay. I’ll have something waiting for you in the fridge.”

Dragos stepped forward to bend over Liam and kiss his forehead. Liam looked up into his father’s fierce gold gaze.

Dragos said, “You are unexpectedly stubborn and resourceful. You’re also a good boy, and I’m sorry I lost my temper. And I’m sorry you had to push to get us to recognize what you needed and wanted from us.”

“It’s all good,” Liam said. “I mean, it’s not like you guys were experts on what to do with a magically growing kid.”

“Well, we’re the only experts there are,” Dragos told him wryly.

Liam grinned up at him, so happy not to be arguing with his dad anymore. Just plain stinking happy. “And I’m going to college!”

“Yes,” his father said, returning his smile. “It appears that you are.”





Chapter Four





When exhaustion set in, it was sudden and fierce. Liam went to bed early and slept in late. The only reason he woke up at all was because Pia knocked on his door and then walked into his room.

“Get up, sleepyhead!” she said.

“Mmph,” he grunted, and pulled his pillow over his head.

She dragged the bedcovers off his body. “I mean it—get up!”

“Mooooom, it’s too early,” he complained. “You sound disgustingly cheerful, and I don’t need those covers anyway.”

“It’s not early—it’s almost ten o’clock, Liam. Here, I brought you a cup of coffee.”

He could smell the coffee from underneath his pillow, dark, rich and alluring. “Get thee behind me, Satan,” he said experimentally.

She burst out laughing. “Where on earth did you hear that?”

“Some woman muttered it yesterday when she was looking at the pastries at Starbucks.” Light fingers tickled his bare feet, and he jackknifed to a sitting position. “Hey! You cheated!”

“There’s your beautiful face,” she said cheerfully. She had set the coffee mug on his bedside table. “If you get up and shower right now, you’ll have enough time to eat breakfast before we go to the West River Animal Shelter to meet with the executive director, Eileen Riley.”

“What?” He stared at her then grabbed up the coffee cup. “But it’s Christmas Eve!”

She opened her eyes wide. “I know, right? I emailed them a basic inquiry yesterday afternoon, but I wasn’t expecting to hear back from them until after the holidays. Eileen just called me, and she would love to talk. Apparently they’re having some serious financial difficulties, and she’s willing to consider almost anything to keep the doors open. She said my email was the Christmas miracle they’d been hoping for.” Pia paused and tilted her head. “You didn’t by any chance know anything about that somehow, did you?”

“No,” he said. He gulped coffee and stood up. “I just did some quick searches on Yelp and a reference librarian helped me compile a list of shelters. Then I checked addresses, and West River was close enough that I could stop by from time to time to see how things are going.”

“Well, hurry up,” she told him. “We leave in forty-five minutes. And we have to get you a haircut sometime today. You’re starting to look like a sulky rock star.”

“Well, I am a rock star,” he said, deadpan.

She laughed. “That you are.”

Galvanized into action, he showered in record time and dressed in jeans, lumberjack-style boots and a navy blue, ribbed pullover sweater. When he strode into the kitchen Pia had another cup of coffee waiting for him, along with a huge sandwich. He leaned back against the counter, took a large bite and said around his mouthful, “Where’s Dad?”

“Working.” A shadow fell over Pia’s face.

He paused with the sandwich halfway to his mouth. “Is it stuff about Con?”

“Probably,” she said. The shadow passed, and she smiled at him. “He said if he can get away for an hour, he would join us in a bit. Not to look at the animals, of course. The poor things would be terrified of him.”

“I won’t go look at them either,” he muttered, as he finished his breakfast in record time. “They’ll be terrified of me too.”

Pia dumped his dishes into the sink. “You never know, they might have some puppies and kittens that you can visit with. Let’s go.”

He grabbed his leather jacket, she slipped into her coat, and together, they went downstairs where Pia’s guard and friend Eva waited with a warm car. Pia climbed into the front passenger seat while Liam took the backseat. He watched the snowy city streets scroll past while the two women chatted.

Hopefully soon, someone from Glenhaven would read his application and get in touch with him. The college had three terms a year, and the next term started directly after New Year’s. His stomach knotted with equal parts fear and excitement.