Heavy Metal (A Goddesses Rising Novel) (Entangled Select) by Natalie J. Damschroder Read Free Book Online Page B

warm, mellow scent, now spiced with laundry soap and aftershave. It took a few seconds to tune back in to his words.
    “They have free WiFi. I can use my laptop to look up these numbers and the company Vern works for. Then we’ll drive up to Boston.”
    He closed the door before Riley registered what he’d said. He wasn’t sending her up there by herself. He was going with her.
    …
    Sam was glad they had to drive to the library in separate cars. Once he’d tuned into Riley as a woman rather than someone who needed his help, he couldn’t shut it off. He wouldn’t have advised confronting Sharla and Vern like that, but her fierce determination had been pretty hot.
    He needed a distraction.
    The drive would be long enough for him to call the Society again. He knew Riley didn’t want him talking to them behind her back, but he could speak more freely if she wasn’t listening. He stuck the earbud in his ear, connected it to the phone, and speed-dialed the main number. While it rang, he checked the rearview mirror. Riley was directly behind him.
    A familiar voice came on the line. “S-G-E-P.”
    “Alana. I thought you got a new receptionist?”
    “Hi, Sam!” The Society’s executive director went from professional to pleased in two words. “Haven’t heard from you in a while. The receptionist is out this morning. What can I do for you?”
    If she hadn’t sounded so welcoming when she’d heard his voice, the lack of small talk would have felt like punishment. He heard voices in the background and assumed she was busy.
    “I need to talk to Kirsten, if she’s available.” She was the new head of the education department and would help register Riley and set her up for programs and training.
    “Oh, didn’t you hear? Kirsten is on maternity leave!”
    “No. I didn’t even know she was pregnant.” He felt bad for not sending a gift. It was weird to be so out of touch, but he had no one to blame but himself for his sense of detachment.
    “Marley took over again—temporary duty,” Alana said. “I’ll put you through.”
    Sam tapped his fingers impatiently while he waited for the call to transfer.
    “Sam!”
    Marley’s greeting was several notches more enthused than Alana’s. “Hi, Marley. How are you?”
    “Excellent. It feels really good to be back here. How about you? I’d love to have you help out with a few classes.”
    He liked teaching, but that was the opposite of not getting sucked in. Saying no wouldn’t be easy, though, if he went up to Boston with Riley. “We’ll see. What do you have going on right now for newly empowered goddesses?”
    “Why? Do you have one?” He heard shuffling papers followed by mouse clicks. “I didn’t think anyone was turning twenty-one right now, and we haven’t had anyone off the radar since we got the new database up and running.”
    Over time, the Society had gotten complacent about tracking births and empowerment, only recording them once reported by members. But when they’d set up the database, they’d found more pending goddesses than they’d known about through existing membership.
    “I met a young woman, Riley Kordek, whose mother might have been dormant. She died right before Riley’s powers manifested a couple of years ago. Can you check to see if she was ever registered?” He gave her the name Riley had provided earlier, both her maiden and married names.
    Marley tapped on her keyboard, then said, “Nope. No record. No one by the name of Kordek at all, but there wouldn’t be if that’s her father’s name.”
    “What about ancestors? They may have gone dormant a couple of generations back.”
    “I’ll look. I might have to dig. A lot of the older stuff isn’t in the database.”
    “I appreciate it.” Sam changed lanes, making sure there was enough space for Riley to follow. “There was apparently some kind of rift between the family and the Society. Riley was raised not to trust you guys but doesn’t really know why.”
    “I’ll