by SA Magnusson
“Well what?”
“Your shift is over. You don’t have to work tomorrow. Do you want to go out?”
“Like a date?”
“You don’t have to make it awkward.”
“Brad—"
“Yes. Like a date. Damn, Stone. You’ve been taking care of me since my injury. I figured I owed you.”
I looked at Brad for a moment. “I’d like to stop at home and shower and then we can go somewhere. Did you have someplace in mind?”
“There are a couple of restaurants I was hoping to try.”
“I don’t know if I’m hungry enough for a couple of restaurants.”
“We can start with one.”
“Give me an hour,” I said.
“I might need a little bit longer than that, but I’ll do my best,” Brad said.
“You need so long to get yourself looking pretty?”
“You don’t get to look like this by rushing it.” He motioned to himself, wincing again.
I shook my head, heading out through the main entrance of the ER. There were more than a dozen people in the waiting room, and it was miserably hot already. It had only been a few hours since the air conditioning had gone off. I didn’t want to think about how bad it would be in a few more. If they didn’t manage to get it fixed, it was going to be disgusting in the ER. I still didn’t have any word on what had happened, nothing more than that the power was still out and there was no ETA. That was about the only update the incident command center they’d opened was able to provide.
Outside the hospital wasn’t any better. It was late enough in the day that the sun was setting, but it was still brutally hot. For all the people I’d warned about watching for dehydration, I had to be just as concerned for myself. I should have been more careful and focused on drinking water throughout the day. And before I went anywhere with Brad and had drinks, I would need to make sure I was as hydrated as I could be.
It didn’t take long for me to reach the condo. I was expecting to find it as miserable as the hospital, with the power out, but was pleasantly surprised to find the aircon was still working. It was comfortable, and I hurried up the stairs. I pressed my bracelet against the door, ready to open it and step inside, when I paused.
Barden’s warning triggered in my mind. He always wanted me to be careful when entering the condo, even though there were protections on it to ensure no one could enter who wasn’t given permission. Barden worried that someone might be able to find a way past those protections. I had only experienced it one time, but once was enough to instill in me a similar concern.
Drawing on my magic, however weak it might be, I pushed it out from me.
Using it like this was unfocused, and while it might cause damage to someone in the condo if they had items which were not dangerous to me, at the same time, using it like this ensured I wouldn’t be surprised by someone like Matt Gillespie—or someone within his organization.
I didn’t detect anything.
It was unnecessary for me to take that precaution anyway. Ever since we had thwarted John Adams, there had been no sign of anyone, other than the fact that I had spent some time working training to try to better understand my particular brand of magic.
Removing the protections around the condo, I stepped inside, hurriedly closing the door and pressing the bracelet back against it, letting the protections reform. I breathed out, pulling out my shirt and airing myself off. I suspected that I stank, and it was a wonder Brad would still want to go out with me after a day like we’d had. But it was nothing a shower wouldn’t fix.
I started peeling my top off, when the sound of someone clearing their throat caught my attention. I dropped my shirt, pulling quickly on my magic, dragging my foot around me hurriedly and pushing it outward in a barrier.
Matt Gillespie sat on my sofa.
Standing with my arms crossed, keeping the barrier held in place, I glared at Matt. He was dressed the same way he had been the last time I’d seen him. Jeans and a tight T-shirt accented his muscular physique. His hair was shorter, and he had a hint of scruff growing on his cheeks. He sat up, a playful smile twisting his mouth.
“What are you doing here, Matt?”
“I guess now isn’t a good time?”
“You know, I don’t usually have people just break into my condo.”
“Do you always start to strip down the moment you walk in?”
“I do when the ER has no power for most of the day.”
“None?”
I shook my head. “Probably nothing more than a transformer, but it left us with only the essentials for the better part of the day.”
“As hot as it is, I can imagine how unpleasant that was.”
“Can you?” I asked, cocking a brow.
“Fine. Maybe I can’t. Anyway, I came here to see if you wanted to train.”
“You know, you could have called.”
“And I would have, but I knew you were working today, and I knew you didn’t have to work tomorrow, so I figured the timing was good for you to take a day to properly focus. Some of these spells we have been focusing on are close for you.”
I knew they were close, and I wanted to get them right. I felt as if I needed to. One of the things different about my type of magic compared to Barden and the Dark Council mages was that mine was somewhat specialized. I was still struggling to get a sense of what specialty I might have with my magic, and unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to fully uncover what it might be. I knew only that there was something there for me. I was determined to get a better sense of how to use my powers more effectively. John Adams was still out there, and though he hadn’t come after me yet, I suspected he would, if only to get revenge for how I’d impeded him.
That was part of the reason Matt was so determined to continue working with me. He thought I needed to continue to master my powers, and if I couldn’t, I’d be exposed.
“Now is not the best time, Matt.”
“Why? Do you have some sort of date?”
“Yes.”
Matt’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh. Hey. Don’t let me keep you.”
“You know how to let yourself out, I suppose.” I suspected he’d somehow figured out how to reproduce the protections worked into the bracelet I wore, and in doing so, he had uncovered a way to use that knowledge to break into the condo. I didn’t know why he would feel the need to break in, but maybe that wasn’t for me to question Matt about.
As I started past him, I hesitated. “Why are you here tonight?”
“I told you.”
“Right. You told me, but when we have worked together in the past, you acted like a normal person and texted me.”
“Like a normal person?”
“Fine. Like a normal person who is part of some secretive paramilitary organization who texted me. Did I get that right?”
Matt spread his hands apart in a slow shrug. “I guess so.”
“So, what is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
The way he said it caught my attention. Knowing Matt—and I couldn’t claim I knew him all that well, but certainly well enough to recognize the hesitation he showed—I felt there was something more than what he was letting on. It was similar to how I’d felt with Mr. Johnson. It was a feeling, but I had enough experience in the emergency room to trust those instincts. It was honed over time, out of necessity, and it was that sense which allowed me to determine there was something more taking place.
Turning my attention back to Matt, I crossed my arms over my chest. Lucy, the fluffy white Siamese mix, joined us from the kitchen and came to wind around my ankles, rubbing up against me. I leaned down, lifting her and scratching her behind the ear. She didn’t seem to mind Matt having come here, but then, I didn’t expect her to. As long as someone fed her, she was pretty content.
“Get it out. What is it?”
Matt sat up, crossing his hands in his lap. “We’ve had word of movement from John Adams.”
“Wher
e?”
“I suspect you know where.”
“I do, but I want you to say it.”
“In the Twin Cities area. Unfortunately, I don’t know more than that, but the fact we’ve detected him suggests to me he wants us to detect him.”
“Why would he want you to be alerted to his presence?”
“Because John plays a different game to most of us. He’s strategic, and it’s exactly what I suspect he’d use to his advantage. He’s alerting us to his presence for whatever reason, then intends to use that for his endgame.”
“Endgame?”
Matt nodded, meeting my eyes. “Unfortunately, I think you might be his endgame.”
“I thought your people were helping to ensure he was neutralized.” It was still strange to talk about it in such terms, almost as if we were players in some spy movie, but that was the world Matt worked in. That was his world, and mine was… Well, it was as if mine was his world, too. As strange as it all was, I had been drawn into it, and because of it, I was now something of a spy, too.
“John’s been a part of the organization for a long time, Jen. Long enough that he knows how to counter anything we might throw his way. The fact that we intended to neutralize him doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily be able to do so.”
Great. And here I had thought I was as safe as I could be in Minneapolis, but then, why should I be? John Adams would be angry with me for what had happened to him. I had been a part of the power that had prevented him from being able to gain the vampire token.
“Let me guess. You want me to call on Jean-Pierre again.”
“No. I’d really like to avoid drawing him back into this.”
“Good. I’m not sure I want to draw the vampire elder back into whatever it is that’s happening, anyway.” I didn’t doubt that Jean-Pierre would answer if I asked for his help. I was now his familiar, whatever that meant for me. As far as I knew, it meant I was granted a means of contacting him directly, and it bound me to the vampires in a way I hadn’t been before. Not only to the vampires, but to one of the vampire elders—one of the oldest, perhaps the oldest, vampire alive.
“I just wanted you to be aware of that John might be back. And if he is, I want to make sure you aren’t in any danger.”
“That’s nice of you, but…” I shook my head. I wasn’t sure quite what to make of it, anyway. If John came after me, I wasn’t powerful enough to stop him myself. I could call upon others who were more powerful, and I knew that those within the Dark Council—Barden particularly—would come for me if I needed his help, but I hated the idea that I’d have to ask.
“I just thought we could train a little bit, but if you’ve got plans, then we can work on that tomorrow.”
“Let me shower, and then you can work with me until I need to leave. Does that work?”
He glanced to the door, before nodding. “I suppose there’s no choice in the matter.”
“And when Roberts gets here, I’d like you to hide rather than roofie him again.”
“You and Roberts?”
“Yeah. Why?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I just thought…”
“You thought what? I wouldn’t want to be around someone like him?”
“That’s not it,” he said.
“Then what is it?”
“I just thought he wasn’t your type.”
“Yeah? Why is that?”
“The things he would say.”
“Really? Because around you, Brad has proven he’s willing to not only stand up for me, but that he actually treats me with a certain amount of respect.”
Matt hesitated, and I watched him for a moment. “Are you going to be able to promise you won’t roofie him?”
Matt nodded. “I won’t roofie him.”
“Good. Then I need to get out of these stinking clothes.”
3
After showering, I felt better. I threw on jeans and a nice shirt, and hurriedly applied makeup. My hair would have to dry on its own, but thankfully, with straight hair, I could run a brush through it and pull it back. I wouldn’t look as nice as I’d normally try for on a date, but again, this was Roberts, and he had seen me more haggard before.
Matt waited for me at the kitchen table. A stack of what appeared to be coins was set on the table in front of him, and he flipped through them while waiting. There seemed to be an edge to him, and with the bracelet Kate had given me, I could feel how he held onto magic, just enough that I could feel it from him. He was coiled, a spring ready to explode, which left me worried. What did Matt fear?
It was what I should fear too, as whatever it was meant the threat of John Adams was far more acute than he was letting on.
“Are you just going to sit here in silence?” I asked.
“How else should I sit here?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d have the TV on.”
“I’m not a TV watcher.”
“No? Not at all?”
“There are some shows I enjoy, but in my line of work, I haven’t always had the opportunity to do so.”
Taking a seat at the table, I leaned back, watching him. Matt had short blond hair, brown eyes, and a lean build which suggested a functional type of athleticism. I’d seen him in action, and had witnessed the kinds of things he could do, and I had also seen just how far he’d go to ensure he succeeded. “What was it like?” I asked.
“What was what like? Not having a TV?”
“I can imagine what that’s like. Wait. No I can’t. I don’t know I would want to imagine not having a TV. There’s too much on that’s interesting.”
“I seem to have overheard you talking about the kinds of interesting things you watch.”
“Hey. You don’t get to judge if you don’t watch the shows.” Matt smiled slightly, and I leaned back. “I’ve got about half an hour. Are you going to work with me or do you intend to just watch me?”
“I could think of worse ways to spend my time.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure if Matt flirting with me was a way of trying to disarm me, or whether he was actually interested. He was hard for me to read. Ever since I’d first met him, there’d been an attraction between us. But after feeling he’d betrayed me, and learning he wasn’t a part of the residency, I’d found it difficult to trust him a great deal. Well, at all, really. And then when he had drawn me into John Adams and his plot, regardless of whether or not I would’ve naturally been drawn in anyway, I found it even more difficult. While I didn’t think he would harm me, at least not anymore, I still didn’t know whether I could count on him. That was despite the fact he’d continued to work with me, trying to train me as best as he could.
“Don’t,” I said.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t try to be charming with me.”
“But it’s okay if Roberts does it?”
“Is that what this is about?”
“I don’t know,” Matt said. He glanced down, still rearranging the stack of coins. They were his spells, and it surprised me I hadn’t triggered them when I had entered the condo. But it was possible he’d placed protections around them to ensure I wouldn’t. I had only managed to trigger spells previously, because others weren’t aware of that ability of mine. Now they were starting to realize what I could do, I doubted it would be as effective as it had at first.
“Why don’t you just train me?”
“I don’t understand what you see in him.”
“I see a man who needed my help. He’s someone I’ve known for a long time.”
“Then you know what kind of person he is.”
“Brad is a lot of bluster, but there’s a kind heart beneath it all.” It was strange I was defending Brad, but I felt as if I needed to. Brad had a similar reputation to me, though I didn’t think I was like Brad when it came down to it. Then again, maybe I was more like Brad than I realized.
“That’s what you want?”
“Do we have to do this?”
&
nbsp; “I suppose not.” Matt stacked the spells in front of him, and then slid them across the table to me. “You’re going to need these.”
“Why?”
“In case John comes for you. I don’t want you to be in any danger.”
“Matt, I don’t even know how to use these.”
“Well, that is what I was hoping to go through with you, but seeing as how you have plans…”
I could tell he was hoping I’d cancel those plans, but I had no intention of doing so. Why should I? John Adams might have returned to the city, and because of that, there might be some danger to me, but I also had the ability to pick up the phone and call for help if it came down to it. Barden and his people would jump at the need, and now the Mage Council was activated and involved in what had taken place, I suspected I had more protections than I even saw.
“We’ve got less than 30 minutes now.”
Matt nodded. “Fine. The key is knowing what each of these spells is, more so than activating them. They are a weapon to a hedge mage, and the more you understand the weapon, the better equipped you’ll be to utilize the right spell. When it comes to John Adams, he will be surprised by the fact you have anything like it.”
“Do you really think so?”
“You don’t?” Matt asked.
I shrugged, looking down at the stack of coins. The symbols marked on them represented various ways of holding magic into the coin, but they also represented the spell. I didn’t know the nature of the spells very well, other than how they were utilized in order to draw power. “I mean, he was surprised by me the last time, but that had more to do with the fact I was able to trigger the protections he’d placed around himself.” That, and the fact that I had somehow triggered the strange little sculptures which had begun to attack him. I wished I’d had an opportunity to learn more about them, but we’d been forced away before I had a chance to do so. Jean-Pierre had transported me back to Barden and his warehouse where I was able to see just how many of his people had been injured in the attack. John Pierre hadn’t remained there long, disappearing to rejoin the vampire family where he thought he’d be safe. I wasn’t sure if that was true or not.