by Shona Husk
“You have no idea.” And it wasn’t worth the risk. She didn’t want to know if her throat would close up if she kept on trying it to see if she still reacted. Two attempts had been plenty.
The prices were reasonable, so she wasn’t going to have to stick with salad or just an appetizer and pretend to be dainty. “Have you been here before?”
“Not for years. Before I got on TV. I’m hoping it’s still as good.”
It smelled good. She wanted to try one of everything, but in the end, they went for the shared appetizer of dips and bread. He went for some giant three-meat combo while she went for beef enchiladas. As plates arrived at tables around them, she wondered if she should’ve gotten an appetizer-sized meal. Everything came with rice and beans and a pile of vegetables.
She wasn’t training, so she shouldn’t be shoveling everything into her mouth. Tomorrow she would start doing some exercise, a walk or something easy she could enjoy. Her coach would put together something if she asked, but she wasn’t going to ask. She was having time off, and time away. “So how did you get the role?”
“They wanted a stunt driver. I went for that, then someone asked me to read a few lines and I was given a small part as one of the team drivers. My part grew. I guess people liked my character.”
She smiled. Yeah, she didn’t think it was his character the women watching were liking. More like the way he looked when he took his shirt off. He was attractive, but not in that perfectly sculpted way. If he’d had his ears fixed or had perfectly styled his shoulder-length hair he’d have lost the bits that made him stand out. Or maybe it was simply that when he smiled at her all she wanted to do was melt because it felt as though he really wanted to be with her. “Is it fun?”
“Considering a career change?”
“I have been for a while. It’s just hard. My mother is my manager.” Had she ever been just her mother? As long as Alina could remember, her mother had been running her life, not as a mother, but as a manager, arranging her schedule, taking her places, and making sure everything was just right. But when it came to play dates or friends or parties, her mother had failed to deliver. She’d missed out on so much and she wasn’t sure it was worth it. Would it have been worth it if she’d gotten gold instead of silver?
“And you didn’t want to let her down?”
She nodded. “She’s all the family I have.” That was the other part of the problem. They only had each other. “What about you?”
“My family is a mess. My mother is a wildlife photographer so I never saw her much growing up. I was raised by my dad and stepmum until she was killed in a car accident.”
Alina drew in a breath. “Your father must have had a heart attack when he saw yours.”
Finley looked at her as though she’d just said something revolutionary. “I guess he did. We don’t speak much. He lives in Australia with my half brothers.”
She’d have traded all her medals to have been part of a family. To have brothers and sisters. A father. Anyone. “You have brothers? What’s that like?”
The appetizer arrived, steam rising off the bread. If she didn’t eat, her stomach was going to start eating itself.
“And half sisters,” he said, his attention firmly on the food.
“Who you don’t speak to either?” He had everything and didn’t realize. It was family that was missing from her life.
He shook his head, making strands of blond hair dance over his collar. “Like I said, my family is a mess.”
But he had family. All she had was her mother, there was no one else for her to turn to and she wasn’t sure she could do it on her own. She considered pressing, but if he’d wanted to talk about them he’d have offered up information. Instead he’d repeated what he’d already said.
“I guess every family is messed up.” She gave a shrug as though it was nothing.
“I have friends who have perfect families.”
“Really? Those people actually exist or are you talking TV families?”
By the time the main course arrived, they were on to TV shows and movies. He’d done stunt work in several of the ones she’d seen. “You actually enjoy jumping out of a plane?”
“Free fall is the best feeling.” His eyes bright, almost gleaming, he grinned in a way that made it impossible not to smile back. “I’ll take you.”
“No way.” She liked having her feet on the ground. Around Finley she wasn’t sure they were.
* * * *
When she picked up her glass, the water bubbled. It wasn’t the first time it had happened during dinner, but she didn’t seem to notice. Finley had every time. The silver was bright in her eyes, she was laughing, and the water seemed to be reacting to her mood. Someone who could control their magic would never be letting that happen.
Yet neither of them had mentioned the silver elephant at the table.
She was Albah. She had to be. No other magic users existed, except Albanex, and they got their magic from drinking blood. She had a pulse and his silver ring hadn’t burned her skin when he’d held her hand. Alina wasn’t undead. But she wasn’t human either.
He wanted to ask, but couldn’t. She was hiding what she was, and given the Guardian situation that was the smart thing to do. But her ears, they were so human.
Her eyebrows lifted and she watched him as though expecting an answer. She’d asked him something and he hadn’t been paying attention.
She smiled. “I said, do you want to go somewhere after?”
He quickly ran through a list of clubs that he could take her to that wouldn’t attract too much attention. They’d be safer from prying eyes at the kind with better security where names had to be given at the door. “Let me make a couple of calls, and I’ll see if I can get us in somewhere.”
“You don’t just walk up to a nightclub and pay the entrance fee, do you?”
He paused. “Not anymore.”
She leaned forward, elbows on the table, chin resting on her hands. “So tell me, how much of your reputation is carefully crafted myth and how much it truth?”
“That depends on what you’ve read.”
Her eyelids lowered and she watched him. She wasn’t asking about his reputation at all.
He tried to ignore the way his heart beat faster. “Which parts do you want to be true?”
She didn’t even touch her glass and bubbles formed like glass beads.
He knew exactly which parts she was hoping were true. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t hopeful tonight would lead somewhere. “Do you want to skip the nightclub and find out?”
He didn’t want to skip the club and rush to the end of the date. He was having fun with her. He’d forgotten what it was like to date someone because there was a connection, a desire that went deeper than skin and the hunger for fame. He’d never wanted the fame, but it had come with the job.
Her eyes widened and she swallowed before answering. “No, I want to see what your world is like.”
Ah, she was interested in the fame. That stung, but not as much as it should. He’d been curious too when he’d started. Getting invited to parties and accidentally meeting people he’d idolized had been exciting.
“Before finding out what your house is like.” She winked at him. She was more forward than most of the women he’d dated. That was something he could get used to. The endless dance got tiring.
She also didn’t know that he didn’t have a house. Any thoughts that he’d had about her being the overly keen fan had melted away over dinner. Their meeting had been completely random, not a setup. No one got a cast just to meet a soap star.
Or maybe they were being drawn together by a greater force. The Albah were in trouble, and as much as he’d brushed aside a lot of who he was, some of it had stuck. His stepmum had always believed in a greater power. A place where the magic of their people came from. It was that same p
ower that had destroyed them all those centuries ago.
He needed help and had been refusing to ask and now Alina had appeared like a red-haired goddess.
He finished his glass of wine. “I can guarantee you will get to see my apartment.”
She grinned then knocked over her glass of water with a careless sweep of her hand. The glass rolled across the table, she quickly picked it up. Not a drop of water had spilled out. She exhaled then glanced at him as though hoping that he hadn’t noticed.
Oh, he’d noticed. He knew magic when it was right in front of him.
“Lucky save,” she said.
“Yeah.” No one was that lucky. The water should’ve gotten everywhere, but it hadn’t even left the glass. “Are you always that lucky?”
One of them had to start talking about magic. This avoidance was getting silly. He’d dropped hints that his element was air when he’d been talking about skydiving—he loved skydiving and while he’d never tried he was sure that he didn’t need a parachute. He’d be able to stop himself with the air. It wasn’t flying in the strictest sense, only manipulation of air currents. While he’d been able to soften landings when doing stunt work and he had been working on drifting down from the second story, he wouldn’t want to try it now as he hadn’t practiced it for years. It was the kind of thing one practiced alone as it would draw far too much attention.
She shrugged. “I guess.” Alina glanced away. “Shall we get the bill?”
“I’ll get it,” he said, more than happy to pay for this date.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded and signaled to the waiter. Was he seeing magic where there was none?
No, he’d seen the glass roll and nothing come out and the glass had been three-quarters full. He checked the bill and paid. Maybe he should’ve taken her somewhere more expensive. Next time. He hoped there would be a next time.
* * * *
How could she have been so stupid? She should’ve just let the water spill. It was a mistake that could attract attention. She didn’t want to be singled out for being weird. Her mother had always told her off for things like that. Normal people couldn’t make water boil when angry. She’d done it more than once.
It didn’t matter how hard she tried to be normal, somehow, she always slipped up.
This time Finley had noticed. He probably thought her a freak.
She didn’t know what to say, so the car ride to the club was quiet. The easy rapport was gone, all because she couldn’t spill her water like everyone else.
He parked and the valet took the car. She had no idea where they were, but no clubs she’d ever been to had valet parking. From the outside, it appeared to be an ordinary office building.
“This is it?”
“Yep. I used to come here a lot.”
“Why did you stop?”
He glanced at the building. “I got tired of the scene. It was the same thing every weekend.”
“But with a different person every time?”
Metal flashed in his eyes as his gaze sharpened. He had that silver like she did. Like her mother did. She’d never really noticed it in his eyes before now.
“It’s mostly talk, Alina. My life isn’t half as exciting as it’s made out to be.” He extended his hand and she took it even though there was a chill between them that hadn’t existed before. Why did she keep screwing this up?
“If I really thought you were that slutty, I wouldn’t be here.” He was interesting and so different from all the other guys she’d dated. She didn’t want to be just another random hookup to him. Maybe she was and he was just really good at playing her.
“You just want me a little bit slutty?”
Heat bloomed on her cheeks. “Just a little. I want to have some fun.”
“So do I.” He stepped closer.
She held her breath. He was going to kiss her. She hoped he was going to kiss her. A warm breeze swept around her bare legs. Then his lips brushed hers. She’d expected it to be hungry and hard. But it was a gentle first kiss that promised so much more.
She didn’t want more. She wanted a fling that was all. Instead she was falling.
He wasn’t the kind of man one fell for because he’d walk off and leave her lying on the ground. She drew back first. Maybe this was a horrible mistake. If she went home with him, then she’d never be able to walk away.
It had to be lust, that was all.
It had been a while since she’d gone out and gotten laid. That and she was dazzled by his fame. Yeah. That was all it could be. Then she made the mistake of looking in his eyes and saw the heat and molten silver in what should’ve been clear blue.
Her hand had ended up on his chest and they were standing outside the club like a couple of idiots. People were on the sidewalk, moving past them. It might be dark, but the city was still alive and no one was sleeping.
“You still want to dance?” he murmured.
It took a moment for his words to make sense. “Yeah.” She stepped right up close so her body was against his. “You can dance?”
“I didn’t come here for the cheap drinks.” His hand slid over her hip. “Come on, then.”
Had he wanted to leave right then, even though his car had only just been taken?
It didn’t matter now as they were heading up the steps and into the club.
Someone grabbed her handbag and yanked her backward.
Chapter 9
Will had followed and watched them for most of the night. He’d gotten a few photos, but nothing that would get a good price, nothing salacious or scandalous and that’s what sold these days. Fifty dollars was a bargain to get the bum to snatch Alina’s bag. The man would probably spend the money on drugs and forget all of this by morning. Will didn’t care. All he wanted was to see if Finley would use magic to help Alina.
He’d done something to survive that car accident. No one should’ve walked away from that, but no magic had showed up on the footage. He’d watched it many times. If his grandfather was still alive, he’d be doing some tests. He wished he’d had the presence of mind to record his grandfather’s tricks on camera before he’d died from stepping on a rusty nail, and without telling Will the secret to his magic. And Will had asked him repeatedly.
Will had learned a few useful things from his grandfather’s death. His fear of rust was well founded, and while he was dying, he couldn’t do magic. He hadn’t expected his grandfather to die, and that he did regret. Though if the old man had shared his secrets, Will wouldn’t have gotten desperate.
The other thing he’d learned was that people with the curve in their ears had magic. His own ears were painfully straight. Finley’s weren’t. The moment he’d first seen him he’d known that Finley was the same as his grandfather. And he was, right down to the superior attitude and the use of magic to get what he wanted. That should be illegal.
The bum grabbed Alina’s bag and tugged.
She stumbled and turned, the bag sliding off her broken arm.
Will focused the video on Finley. Alina was nothing special, just a washed-up skater.
The bum started running away with the bag. Fifty bucks plus whatever was in the bag, a sweet deal really. The thief yelped, and Will looked up from the screen. The thief was rolling down the street like some overgrown tumbleweed. The handbag had ended up on the ground, contents scattered all over the sidewalk.
Will checked his phone. He’d gotten it all, the camera focused tight on Finley who appeared to have done nothing. That was impossible. He’d watch the footage more carefully when he was well away from here. There had to be something that gave Finley’s magic use away. The bouncers had gone after the man he’d paid and it wouldn’t be long until the man started blabbing. He took a few more photos of Alina, stunned and shaken.
She didn’t deserve to be with such a monster. Elves lured people in w
ith their looks, promised them the world and gave them nothing. He was slowly amassing pictures of them. He’d put a call out online for pictures of people who matched Finley and his grandfather’s description. He hadn’t mentioned magic, he wanted to be the first to film them and out them.
He’d be famous.
He hadn’t expected to find teenagers putting up videos of things that appeared to be tricks but that he knew were real magic. In one, a woman cupped fire in her bare hands. They were doing it in the open and hoping no one would believe.
When he had his proof, he’d make the Web site go live and everyone would know exactly what elves could do. Finley’s world would crumble. He’d end up with nothing. Maybe Finley would even be dissected for science.
Will smiled. He’d save Alina, then she’d be so grateful she’d look at him the way she looked at Finley. The whole world would thank him for exposing the elves and the way they used their magic for their own gain. His grandfather was wrong about him. He wasn’t greedy or selfish. He was helping everyone see the truth.
* * * *
Finley kept his hand around Alina’s. She was all right. Shaken but okay. The man who’d taken her bag was also fine, except for some bruising from his tumble. Finley knew he’d lashed out too hard at the man. A simple trip and fall would’ve been enough. He couldn’t take away someone’s breath, but he could stir a breeze that took them down the street head over heels.
They walked over to her bag and he started picking up the things that had fallen out. Her phone had survived the fall. Fortunately, there wasn’t much in her bag as it was a small evening bag, not the epic tote that could double as a suitcase that some women favored. He wasn’t sure what women put in there, or why they needed to carry so much around. However, he was smart enough not to ask either.
“Did I miss anything?” he asked as he stood. He couldn’t look at the man he’d sent down the street without acknowledging that he’d overreacted.
Alina shook her head and shivered. “Where did that wind come from?”
He handed her the handbag, not sure what to say. She obviously had no idea about magic even though he’d been seeing her do it all night.