Page 66 of Oracles Always Win

I’donly found out about the tunnel after the inn was robbed.Ashhad been shot in the basement while stopping others from coming in from that tunnel.Vanand the others had told me they sealed it, butIsuspected they just sealed both ends.Whichmeant if anyone wanted to use the tunnel to say… plant bombs close to the inn or whatever… all they’d have to do was tap into it in the middle somewhere.

Butthe tunnel wasn’t whatIcared about.Andit was definitely collapsed now.Noone would be using it to get close to the inn again.

NowthatIknew everyone was safe, allIcared about was finding out ifHaydenandIsaacwere right.Ifthe bulk of the repair work involved replacing windows and fixing the siding, that wouldn’t be so bad.

Didinsurance cover bomb damage?Ihoped so.

“Ithought you said it was blocked,”Gagesaid.Hepunctuated his words with a heady and ominous pulse ofsomethingthat vibrated against my back.Magic.Itwas the only explanation.

“Ithought it was.”Vanscowled.Smokecurled from his nostrils.Whenhad he taken up smoking?Andwhere was his cigarette?Hiseyes flickered strangely, like they were reflecting flames, except nothing was burning now.

“Whencan we get inside?”Iasked.

“Notfor a while,”Vansaid. “They’llneed to make sure there are no more bombs, gather evidence, check the structural stability of the place...”

“Iguess two of my goals are getting put on hold…”Imuttered asIslumped againstGage’schest.

“Youcan stay with me,”Gagesaid, rubbing his hand over my arm.

Histeam members all raised their eyebrows at that.Jeremygrinned and winked at me.DidGagenot invite people over very often?Ihoped that was true, even ifIcouldn’t figure out why he’d want to spend more time with me.Afterall, since we’d met,I’dmolested him in the hallway,I’dpuked on him, andI’dalmost gotten him blown up.

WhoknewIcould be so high maintenance?

“Inyour motorhome?”Vanasked.Nowhe was doing the eyebrow thing too.

Gage’sarms tightened around me. “Yes.”

Vanheld my gaze for a moment.Hiseyes were still doing that strange fire thing. “Youhave options,Jake.Wewon’t let this investigation take any longer than necessary, butIagree you’ll need a place for a few days.TheTarbeckMotelhas some vacancies, orI’msureSallyorAlicehas an extra room.”

Gage’sarms tightened even more. “Didyou find out who gave the information to the wolves?”

Vangritted his teeth. “DaphneRiversposted a picture of it on social media.Shemeant well, but she made our task a lot more difficult.Apparently, it got shared by a lot of people.”

“Soyou don’t know anything useful and you don’t know if someone else will be coming for him.”

Van’smouth flattened but he didn’t denyGage’saccusations.

“Thenhe’s staying with me, where he’ll be safe,”Gagesaid.

Thehellhound’s lips flattened even more, althoughIwasn’t sure how that was even possible.Firedanced in his eyes.

“It’sokay,”Isaid, eager to smooth over the tension. “Iwant to go withGage.”

WhatcouldIsay?Ifelt safe withGage, demon or not.

Andhorny.

Ifelt that too.

ButI’dnever tellVanthat.

Ididn’t want to be away fromGage.Fromthe momentI’dseen him,I’dbeen attracted to him.I’dwanted him in my bed, even whenIthought he was a hallucination.And, if he was still willing to share his bed with me after everything that had happened, allIcould think washell, yes!

Somethinggood had to come from all this, right?

Iwished my inn didn’t have to blow up for that to happen, but maybe this was all supposed to happen the way it did, because now thatIthought about it…Iremembered some of those black-and-white paintingsIhad stashed away in my room.TheyshowedGageand me doing fun naked things inside what appeared to be anRV.

IfIreally was an oracle, that was one monumentally big green light for spending the night with him, right?WhowasIto turn my back on this whole supernatural business?