The line rang several times then picked up with a friendly male voice saying, “Thank you for calling the North American Designate Temple of Ardra, Goddess of Many Names, how may I assist you?”
“I need Cade Melpomene’s direct number, please.”
A pause. “I’m sorry?”
“Cade. Melpomene. Ardra’s current Luckless One. Are you new?”
The man huffed irritably. “I can’t give out personal information like that.”
“Sure you can. You know his number. I bet it’s laminated around there somewhere. He’s kind of important.”
“Ma’am, we have security protocols in place to keep fans away from our priests.”
Please, like this guy would be the one to drive a wedge between Cade and me? If anyone was going to do that, it would be me.
“Do you have a boss?”
“This isn’t Saks Fifth Avenue. We don’t have managers.” I couldn’t see the guys face, but I bet he was sneering in disgust. “I’m going to hang up now.”
“No, wait.” Shit, I knew I should have used the fake-sweetness routine, but I was so damned tired and sick of this that I defaulted directly to my normal, snippy, bitch mode. My bad. “Look, I’m sorry, this hasn’t been the best night. I’m Tallulah Corentine.” I paused, wondering if the name might ring a bell.
“The Rain Chaser?”
Ding ding ding. Looks like all my past work with Cade meant his temple knew who I was. It made sense. “Yes. And right now Cade is assisting me with something, at Ardra’s request. But I’ve…I’ve been misplaced. Without my phone. And it’s very important I get in touch with him.”
“You’ve misplaced your phone?”
“No, I know exactly where my phone—” Oh. My. God. Dumbass alert. “Actually, you know what, I’m good, thanks.”
I hung up the phone, and though Leo looked like he was about to ask me a question, I lifted a finger to silence him and dialed my own phone number.
The line rang twice, and then picked up. “Who is this?”
I tried to think of something clever or cute, but the full weight of my night was suddenly pushing down on me, and I felt like I was being crushed under the sheer force of my exhaustion. “It’s me.”
Cade’s breath hitched, then came out in a rushed, shaky sigh. “I thought… I don’t know what I thought. Hecate never came back, and you were just gone.”
“It’s a long, weird story.”
“Do you know any other kind?” He laughed, but it sounded forced. I wasn’t expecting real levity from him. The situation was more than a little fraught. “Where are you?”
“New Orleans.”
Another pause. “How on Earth did you get to New Orleans?”
“Not on Earth, that’s how.”
“I’m not even going to ask. Are you okay?”
“As good as can be expected.”
“Are you safe?”
I eyed Leo with an unimpressed look. Verbal threats and physical menace aside, I wasn’t worried about him. My threat of shoving a lightning bolt up his ass might have been vulgar, but it also wasn’t entirely idle. Demigod or not, he couldn’t hurt me.
“I’m safe, and so is the kid.”
Leo made a face at me like I’d said something vastly more offensive. “Kid?”