“Couldn’t tell you, except to say I’ve been around a long time, and sometimes you sense things. I know you’re young and have to figure it out on your own, but you asked.”
Why had I asked? I took my tea, about to go back to my desk, when it occurred to me that I might not agree on Gregor, but Musso was right. He had been around a long time.
I glanced toward the door, making sure no one was about to wander in. “Musso, is there a way to find out information about past citizens of Xest?”
“Why? Who are you curious about? Xest isn’t that large. I’ve probably talked to most of the people here at some point.”
“I was wondering about my mother. I’m pretty sure she came from here, or at least visited.”
“Your last name is Tudor, right? I don’t recall anyone with that name.” He took a seat on the couch, leaning back as if it helped him think.
“That name might’ve been made up, but her first name was Jossi.”
He folded his arms behind his head and rocked back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. “Hmm. That doesn’t ring a bell. What level was she?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I’d guess a Whimsy at most.” As diligently as she’d tried to hide my magic, she’d never worn a necklace or marred her own skin. Had she left Xest because she’d run out of magic? It was possible, although it seemed that most of them didn’t make it out in time.
“A lot of Whimsy witches don’t make it far from the factory. I might not have met her then. Why are you asking now?” he asked.
“No reason.”
Whatever that thing was in the Unsettled Lands, it hated me. It hated me before the wall, even. It felt personal, and I couldn’t understand why.
29
“Tippi!”
I turned, realizing Gregor was behind me. “How long have you been back there?” I waited for him to catch up with me.
He was breathing heavily by the time he got to me. “I’ve been calling you for the last ten minutes or so. You didn’t seem to hear me. Where you heading? You want some company?”
I glanced in the direction of the wall, where I’d been heading. It wasn’t like that huge thing was a secret. Everyone in Xest knew about the wall, as evidenced by the great divide it caused, but I still hesitated. What if he came and saw all the black goop, then asked me about the black goop? What was it? Where did it come from? People around here already disliked me. I couldn’t imagine that information would add to my fan base.
Gregor was still staring at me, waiting for an answer.
“Yeah, sure.” In spite of having no gloves, I rubbed sweaty hands on the backs of my legs.
“Do you come up this way a lot?” he asked, climbing beside me.
“Just when I want to get some exercise.” I walked a little faster so he couldn’t see my face as I lied. I’d gotten better at it, but I wasn’t going to win an award anytime soon.
“Do you go check the wall?” he asked. “I’ve heard there were some problems with it.”
I hesitated a second and then continued. The cracks were probably common knowledge as well, even though I hadn’t heard most people talk about them. Gregor was on the same side, though, and he worked at Zark’s. He probably heard everything.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I just wanted you to know that I’d help with it if I could. If you wanted to tell me what you were thinking of doing, you know. I didn’t think it was a secret.”
“No, it’s definitely not. I don’t know, I guess I just don’t like talking about it.” Now that was the truth if anyone ever spoke it.
Instead of heading to the places with the recent repairs, I stopped at the first clearing, a ways shy of the wall.
“Want me to start a fire? Hang out for a little bit?” Gregor asked, already piling up a couple twigs and lighting them.
They were getting to me. I was letting Hawk, and now Musso, turn me against Gregor for no reason. Hawk had probably recruited Musso, and here I was, getting all weird with Gregor. Either way, I didn’t really have time to hang out, but now I didn’t want to tell him that. Hawk would not dictate my life.
“You know, I’ve got to get going. I’ve got some appointments, but maybe we can hang out tomorrow?”
“Yeah, definitely. I’ll walk you back.”
“My meeting isn’t in town, but I’ll catch up with you tomorrow,” I said, giving him a wave and heading off before he tried to follow me.
It was true, I did have an appointment, and it wasn’t something that would be Gregor-compatible.
I took several deep breaths and focused, letting the cool air wash over me. Feeling centered, head clear, I shook out my hands and prepared myself. Bautere didn’t typically give me warning. I’d need to sense him before he struck.
“You look like you’re waiting to be attacked,” Hawk said.
“Did you follow me?” Was everyone following me today? Or had he been following Gregor, who’d been following me? Either way, I was going to have to find a different place to practice.
“You’re extremely easy to find. You might as well draw big arrows pointing in the direction you went.”
It didn’t escape me that he hadn’t denied or admitted following me.
“Who have you been practicing with up here? That’s what you’re getting ready to do, isn’t it? You know, I would help you with that little problem.” He leaned against a nearby tree and casually crossed his arms, his jacket flapping in the cold air, not that it ever seemed to get to him.
“Thank you, but no. I’m doing quite well on my own.”
“Excited to see the progress.”
“I’m not performing today, so you can be on your way.”
Even as I spoke, it was already clear he wouldn’t leave. When did Hawk do anything I’d asked? Never.
“Show me. What’s the problem?” he asked, walking closer and then circling me.
“I do this the way I want. Not the way you tell me.”
“Then make me go away,” he said, walking in front of me, his toes brushing mine.
The hard look in his eyes started to switch to something else with a lot more heat. He moved his hand to my cheek, touching my face.
My heart began to pound, and I turned my face away.
“Stop touching me. All you do lately is touch me. People from Xest don’t touch. I shouldn’t have to be the one to tell you that.”
“Some people do,” he said.
Only people who were intimate, and we wouldn’t be that. He’d taken a bunch of boulders and blocked off that road completely.
I stepped back before I could stop myself, before I could convince myself that I didn’t do that anymore. That I didn’t retreat. That wasn’t who I was going to be, ever again. It was the first time I’d relinquished my space to him in a while, but it had to be done for my own sanity. He’d used me up every which way before I left, and I had nothing left to give. He’d take it all if he had his way. He’d lost Belinda, and now he wanted me to take her place in and out of bed, and that couldn’t happen.
“We aren’t those people,” I said, trying to hold firm to my spot, refusing to retreat again, even in the face of his onslaught.
“What if we were?” he asked. As if he were sorting this out himself.
He didn’t even know what he wanted. There was that same confused look in his face, the one I’d seen after he kissed me the first time, like he couldn’t figure out why he wanted me.
It was the very thing I needed to shore up my resolve.
“I’m done for the day,” I said, my tone making it clear I was done in more ways than one.
“Pretend I’m your enemy and do your worst,” he said, leaning in closer.
“You kicked me out of Xest, you stopped me from getting a job and took my apartment. I don’t have to pretend anything.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I don’t want to practice with you.”
“Then don’t hold back.”
It was too good of an
offer to turn down.
I nodded and took a couple of steps back. Without warning, I leapt at him, trying to get a good angle on him and land a blow to his side. He caught me in midair, dragging us both to the ground. It was one of my worst showings yet. No matter how angry I was, it wouldn’t translate into action.
He landed underneath me and then quickly rolled on top, the length of him pressing into me. My hands were pressed to his chest in between us as he reached down, cupping my face.
I’d touched enough people with magic at this point to realize a couple of things. The first was that Hawk was stronger than I’d initially realized. Much stronger. Second, something about our magic was compatible in a way that didn’t make me comfortable. Even now, as he was touching me, I could feel mine forming some sort of bond with his, like it wanted to be woven together.
Logically, everything screamed to stay away from him. But physically? It was like we gravitated to each other and nothing could stop the draw.
“Let me up,” I said, hoping he’d take the fluster on my skin and the huskiness of my voice for exertion and not the want I felt for him on the most basic level.
“When you insisted on staying in Xest, I let it go. I didn’t force the issue when I could’ve dragged you back to Salem. When you took a job at Zark’s, I let it go even though I detested the spectacle.”
He paused, dropping his head, but I could see his jaw shift. He seemed to realign himself and looked at me again.
“I’ve let many things go. But if you’re going to show up with fresh bruises every day and think I’m not going to get involved, you’re wrong.”
Stuck in the snow with Hawk leaning over me, pinning me to the ground. Our flesh tingling where it connected, and other parts warming when they shouldn’t.
My motto had been to never back down, never run. Considering I was literally stuck with my back on the ground, today was going to have to be considered a throw-out, or at least an exception to the rule. New mottos or not, I’d lost.
And how easily he’d beaten me riled me up like nothing else. Using my magic to try to dislodge him was a joke when all it wanted to do was wrap itself around him and purr like a kitten. If I tried to show him my teeth, with my luck, I’d probably give him a love bite.
“Well? What will it be?” he asked.
He was waiting for me to answer as his gaze shifted from my eyes to my lips, his body molded slightly closer to mine, and the heat growing in me alone might make a puddle right where I lay in the snow.
If he didn’t move soon, there was only one place this was heading, and there was no guarantee I’d push him off, even if I should be.
“Fine. You want to see how I’m practicing? Be my guest.” This would be even better, because he was going to hate it.
His gaze moved from my lips to my eyes. “Chicken.”
Chicken? This from the man who looked at me as if I’d committed some capital crime after he’d kissed me? I didn’t know what his game was, but I wanted no part of it. It was bad enough that our lives were so entangled again.
He got up and offered me a hand. I nearly jumped to my feet unaided. I was light as a feather without him weighing me down.
He watched as I got back to my feet. “Since you clearly aren’t any better at defending yourself against me, what have you been doing to earn those bruises?”
“She typically does very well, Hawk—not that you could tell from that performance,” Bautere said as he stepped out of the woods.
“Bautere.” Hawk’s jaw clenched before he turned his full attention to Bautere. In that moment, I saw the fury of hell shining through. It looked like he was the first of the four horsemen coming to scorch the earth.
“You’ve been training her?” Hawk asked, closing the gap between them.
“She was eager and I saw promise,” Bautere said, holding his ground.
Hawk glanced at me for just a second, but something in Bautere’s words seemed to appease him slightly. “You cause any permanent damage and you answer to me.”
Bautere raised his chin. “I’m not looking to maim the person who might be our only hope.”
“Just so we’re on the same page.”
“I believe we are.” Bautere nodded toward me. “Perhaps we should skip today.”
I nodded. Going into full-blown combat training in front of Hawk did not seem like a good idea when there was steam nearly coming out of his ears.
Bautere nodded at Hawk and then turned, leaving us alone.
With nothing else to do, I headed back to the broker’s office. Hawk followed. Neither of us spoke much on the way.
It wasn’t until we got inside, and I was headed toward the back stairs, that he said, “Did you just stroll up and ask him for help? Do you know that his kind eat humans like you?”
No, actually, I didn’t know that, and wouldn’t admit it now. “I brought him an offering.” His words sank a little deeper into my head. “And what do you mean, humans like me? Do you think you’re above us somehow?”
“Do you have any idea how many he’s killed?”
“I seem to be quite healthy. I did what I had to, and I learned. You have no right to criticize the way I handle my business.”
“You could’ve gotten yourself killed. You’re so focused on why you shouldn’t trust me that you’re blind to everything else.”
I headed toward the back stairs again. He could go wherever he pleased, which was probably straight to hell, where he’d be with his own kind. Actually, that was an idea. He should hook up with Mertie if he was in the market.
“Tippi.”
I took another step before I stopped, pausing to hear what he wanted, because I couldn’t bring myself to completely stop caring.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” he said, sounding almost as tired as I was.
It was something, an olive branch of sorts, even if it was a little late.
“Neither do I, but you don’t give me a choice.”
I opened the door, giving him a nod of acknowledgment before I went upstairs.
30
I was sitting at my desk when Hawk walked out of the back room, Oscar following behind. Hawk kept walking as Oscar stopped in front of my desk.
“You might want to come along for this,” Oscar said.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Hawk was already out the door as I got to my feet.
“You’ll see when you get there,” Oscar said. He followed Hawk out as I ran and grabbed my jacket, hurrying to catch up.
Oscar was squinting, scanning the area as I caught up to him. Hawk was far ahead, and there was an air about him that instinctively said he wanted his space. People on the street noticed too, stopping and watching our procession.
“Where are we going?” I asked Oscar.
“Zark’s.”
“Why?”
Oscar shook his head, his devil-may-care attitude replaced by an expression that made me wonder if there were a demon about to hunt us down. “It’s best if you hear for yourself.”
I swallowed that as well as I would a few stones with a chaser of bad milk, and it all fell into a sour lump in my belly. It wasn’t the fight that I feared we were walking into that rattled me. I’d had enough brawls with enough magical creatures that a few bruises meant nothing. With Oscar and Hawk beside me, I’d probably live. Not to toot our own horn, but the three of us combined were a formidable trio. My fear, the gurgling in my gut, was about why Hawk was heading into a fight.
He didn’t get mad and stalk others down like this. He was more of a kill-them-in-cold-blood type, and nothing about him was cold right now. I could feel the steam coming off him from way back here.
I didn’t beg Oscar for more information, though. He wasn’t going to talk, and I’d know soon enough anyway. With Zark’s already in sight, I needed the next few minutes to gather myself for whatever was about to come.
Hawk disappeared into Zark’s. He was already at the bar, speaking to Zark, when we followed.
Zar
k glanced at us as we walked in.
“I’m not here about Tippi—or not her job, anyway,” Hawk said, looking my way. He was giving me a feeling like someone had tied cement blocks to my ankles and tried to dump me overboard. What had gone down that was going to screw me so bad that I didn’t know about? I might’ve missed the cinder blocks, but the stones in my stomach were growing in size.
“What is it, then?” Zark asked.
Hawk turned back to Zark. Oscar moved a little closer to my side. He wasn’t touching me, but he seemed to think I might need support.
“I need to talk to your son,” Hawk said.
That was all I needed to hear. Hawk had never liked Gregor, and I was not going to be a party to some witch hunt. Sort of fitting, since I was in Xest, a place filled with witches.
The old man straightened up and lost all of his soft edges. “Why? What business do you have with Gregor?”
Yeah, that was what I’d like to know as well.
“He’s working with the other side,” Hawk said.
“Bull. Not my son.” Zark’s chest puffed up as he turned his head, yelling to the back, “Gregor, get out here.”
Hawk might like to stick it to me out of amusement, but even he wouldn’t go this far to give me a bad day. Hawk wanted to think the worst of Gregor, had since the moment we’d become friends. He might know something, but that didn’t mean it was correct.
No, this was ending now. I wouldn’t let him string up my buddy because he didn’t like others to play with his toys. I stepped away from Oscar and placed myself in between Hawk and the door that led to the back. If Hawk wanted Gregor, he’d have to go through me. I might not be as good at protecting myself, but I could protect others pretty damned well, maybe even from Hawk.
“Step out of the way,” Hawk said.
I didn’t budge. “I know you don’t like him, but you need to leave Gregor alone. He’s done nothing to you, and whatever you might have imagined, it’s not true.”
“I said, step out of the way.”
“No.” Magic was boiling up in me, fizzing though my body like I was going to blow.
The Nowhere Witch (Tales of Xest Book 2) Page 18