Amber pushed her way through the crowd, making it half way to the administration building, before someone else called to her.
For someone who generally found herself alone and avoided, Sam was perplexed by her sudden popularity.
“Sam!” the voice called again.
She recognized the voice, but after her mother’s suggestion, she didn’t much feel like meeting with her boyfriend. She liked Chad, she really did—or at least that’s what she told herself—but there was just something missing. She couldn’t say what precisely, but something about him was lacking.
Though she couldn’t put it into words, she wanted a man, and Chad was still a youth in so many ways. He played practical jokes and flirted with anything female. Sam didn’t care about his flirting as a form of infidelity, but rather as a sign of his adolescence.
While life inside the Reservation was not a life of luxury it was comparatively safe. The Federal Mystics Bureau policed the small space. Like herself, up until Lee confronted her, Chad had never experienced a moment of true danger, and it showed in the way he ran around the Res trading tokens for better-looking clothing.
The fact was, the Res didn’t breed men. Instead, it bred apathetic boys who stooped before those who confined them to this small slice of hell.
Slowly, Sam realized her disgust was less concerning Chad and more relating to her people’s current situation. “Current situation” implied that it might change soon, but the mystics had been forced to live within the Res for over thirty-one years.
“Hey, beautiful,” Chad said as he reached her side, draping his arm over her shoulder, effectively pulling her from her frustrating thoughts.
Sam forced a smile to her lips as he gave her a gentle peck on the cheek.
“How are you?” he asked when she didn’t say anything.
“Fine.”
Chad’s smile didn’t waver. Either he wasn’t very good at reading her bad moods, or he was so used to her being in a bad mood that he just ignored it.
“You have a tour?”
Sam nodded.
“Can I see you after?”
“I have to take Amber to visit Becky’s apartment.”
Chad’s arm stiffened against her shoulders. “I don’t like you going into that neighborhood.”
“Good thing it’s not up to you, then,” she replied as she shrugged out from under his arm.
Chad was silent for a few minutes as they continued down the crowded street, weaving past children running to the school, women working to get to the courtyard where people set up stalls for trading, and other adults working to get to their jobs before the gong sounded.
“Sam, I don’t want you going into vamp territory.”
“And I already said it’s not up to you,” Sam said, not even turning to look at him.
“And when we’re married? Will you defy me then?”
Sam stopped in her tracks. Was her mom conspiring with Chad?
“Who said anything about getting married?”
“I’m not saying let’s go get married tonight. But surely we will eventually.”
“Right,” Sam sighed, her sarcasm coming out despite her best efforts. “Real romantic, Chad.”
“Look, we need to figure this out. This is important.”
“There’s nothing to figure out.”
Sam realized he was right, but she was in no mood to debate woman’s rights with him. Just as he opened his mouth to retort, they reached the admin building. Outside the building, a large, sleek, black sedan sat, its engine ticking cool.
Both Sam and Chad skirted around it to reach the steps and jogged up to the door. Chad opened the door for her, allowing her to enter first.
“Love you,” he said, preparing to leave her.
Sam did her best to ignore the puppy-dog expression on his face.
“You too,” she replied, unable to stomach the four letter word.
Sam turned away from her frowning boyfriend to find herself under the scrutiny of the admin secretary, the Res’ human governor, and three strange men. The human secretary only had eyes for her computer screen, in contrast with the men who openly stared at Sam. While the governor, Mr. Tibbs, was glowering at her with his usual disdain, the other three were eyeing her as though her exchange with Chad had amused them.
“Miss Gollet, nice of you to join us,” said Mr. Tibbs.
Sam forced a polite smile to her lips, even though she knew the governor was taunting her. Like the other mystics under his control, Sam disliked Tibbs. He presented himself as their best friend, their greatest advocate, then took bribes from politicians, resulting in a reduction in funds sent to the Reservation.
“May I introduce you to Mr. Sterling. He is the CEO of Michigan Plastics. He’s here to look into replacing some of our iron structures with plastic to better improve the fae’s health.”
Sam nodded, willing her poker face into place. It wouldn’t help her to reveal how little she trusted Tibb’s statement.
“As a fae,” he continued, “I thought you would be best to show them around the Reservation, telling them when you feel the affects of the iron.”
Sam bit down her tongue. She couldn’t tell him how little she believed him. Tibbs had made promises time and again without actually following through. The entire Res population didn’t trust him.
“And these are his two assistants: Mr. Martinez and Mr. Hunt,” Tibbs said, motioning to the two men standing behind the CEO.
Sam froze, quickly averting her eyes from Mr. Hunt. As she looked on his tall, lean figure, she realized she was not the only mystic in the room. She could feel Hunt’s power caressing her skin. It called to her gift, begging her to taste his power. It tickled and enticed her all at the same time. Sam took a deep breath, drilling her well-trained focus into her tattoo, etching its shape in her mind as the magic of the tattoo worked in her, shutting down her gift. Sam might have thought it was the power of an untrained mage, a man who didn’t even realize he was a Mystic, except the power had the taste of experience and training. He was not a novice.
Hunt was a master of masters.
The Series that Just Plain Sucks: The Complete Trilogy Page 70