by Dora Blume
“Yes, I want to be partner someday. I think in five or so years, working like I have, I’ll do it.” I walked around and sat at my desk. Moving the mouse until the screen came to life, I typed in my password and pulled up my email and calendar. I wasn’t sure what life had in store for me. Leif finished his loop around my office and sat in the chair across from me. He rested his ankle on his knee and pulled out his phone. In minutes he was engrossed in his own business. Meanwhile, I continued scanning emails. When I was done, I pulled up my calendar. Sighing heavily, I tried to figure out where this new life fit into an already packed schedule. Staying in the office until seven every night was my life. Now, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had taken on four new cases before everything happened. Somehow, I was going to need to make it work.
“Maybe when Haskell finds something we can go on, I can ask my friend about it. She’s an investigator for the city. I bet she’d be able to do a database check to find where any of my brothers or sisters live.” I was thinking more outloud to myself than I was to Leif so when he spoke I was surprised.
“Yeah, that could be helpful. Don’t you have access to do searches like that?” he asked.
“No, I get information from our legal library. I have some access to information for trials, but not the level I would need to find out about the locations of people. She can help. We’ve been friends forever.” Well, I hoped we still were. I hadn’t exactly called her in the last month or two. Usually, she understood. We both were they types of people who lived for our jobs.
“Won’t she ask why you need the information?” He asked.
“I guess I hadn’t thought about that. I can tell her about finding out I’m adopted. Hopefully, she’ll understand and want to help me find my family. I don’t have to tell her about the mage part.” I drummed my fingers on the desk as I thought about it. “Maybe, I’ll ask her if I absolutely need to. Maybe Haskell will find everything we need to know.” He seemed pretty adept at everything hackerish. I knew practically nothing about computers. I used them for basic research and communication. Possibly to check out cute kitten photos, but that was the extent of my computer use.
I could feel his eyes on me. “I’m sure he will. What are you really worried about?” He stared at me and one brow quirked up in an adorable way. I bit my lip and looked back to my computer, shifting under the weight of his scrutinizing gaze.
When I glanced up at him, he was still watching me. “What?”
“You drum your fingers when you’re nervous about something. Is it the case you’re worried about or is it something else? You know you can talk to me about anything, Kaira.”
“No, it’s not the case.” I took a deep breath. Was I ready to talk to him? Somehow he knew me well enough to know about my nervous habits.
After my hesitation, he said, “You don’t have to talk about it with me if you don’t want to. I said I’d give you space. I can go out in the lobby or something if you want.” His eyes were on me. I didn’t want him to sit in the lobby. The idea of him leaving me sent a wave of panic through my body. Three days, how could I feel this connected to someone after only three days? It was confusing, but not at the same time. I knew how I felt, but I didn’t understand it.
When he got up from the chair, I said, “No, don’t leave. I want you near me. I just don’t understand why. How can I feel this connected to you after only three days? It doesn’t make any sense.” I closed my eyes and blew out a nervous breath.
He sat back down in the chair. “It’s the connection. It can be confusing if you don’t know what’s happening. My mother always explained it like a gravitational pull. You will feel it’s energy bringing us together until we’re officially bonded. Even after, we’ll feel a level of connection, stronger than any other. Explaining it is hard, it’s ingrained in the fabric of our DNA. I’ll always feel you with me, especially if you are ever in trouble. Many spend their lives searching for their bonded partner and never find them. I guess we’re lucky we found each other so soon. Well, that is, if you’ll have me.” His eyes were blazing with unspoken desire. My cheeks flushed under his intense stare. I felt a tingle race through my body with his one look. The corner of his mouth quirked up and I knew he was aware of the effect he had on me. “We shouldn’t talk about this now. You have work to do. We’ll have all the time in the world to figure it out. Let’s just take this one step at a time, okay?” he watched me. I nodded and looked back to my computer. He was right. I had a ton of work to do. It was hard to work when he was in the same room. Feeling torn, I kept sneaking glances at him stretched out in the chair. I didn’t want him to go, but I was also never getting any work done with him there.
Suddenly, a gentle melody filled the air. I cocked my head around my screen to look at Leif, one eyebrow raised. He shrugged when his eyes met mine. “I know you’re restless. Maybe this will help.”
“Thanks.” I went back to my screen. After a few moments, I was typing away. He was right. The music helped me focus. Before long, I glanced at the clock. I had forty minutes to get to the courthouse.
Leif stood. “You ready?”
“Yeah, I just need to grab my things” I stuffed my files into my bag. I looked to Leif when I was finished. “All set.”
Leif walked calmly with me to the elevator. He took my hand and squeezed as we rode silently. Entering the parking garage, Leif’s body became stiff. His eyes darted around the structure. He was hypervigilant and he was making me nervous. I swallowed hard and began looking for danger in every corner.
Leif stopped next to his car and held the passenger door open for me. “Thank you,” I said, surprised. I knew he was a gentleman, but I didn’t realize it was so innate for him. I slipped into the seat. Leif walked around the car, his eyes darting around as he walked. He would make a great bodyguard. Maybe he needed to consider a different career.
“What are you looking for?” I asked when he got into the car.
“Anything suspicious or out of place. The morrigans could have someone watching us that you can’t necessarily see. There’s a lot of different magic out there. You only know a very small part of it.” He threw the car in reverse and drove out of the lot. In no time, we were pulling into the lot for the courthouse. I loved the architecture of the courthouse. The bright light cascading down from the ceiling illuminated the room. It felt airy and open despite being a courthouse. Others felt old and stuffy but not this one. Leif’s hand slipping into mine brought me back to the present. The line at security was surprisingly short. When I reached the front, I dropped my briefcase on the belt along with my watch. My silver chain was thin enough not to have to remove. Leif had to undo his belt before setting it on the conveyor belt. Watching him undo his belt and pull it through the loops was so hot. I licked my lips in response. When he saw me watching him, he winked and gave me a mischievous smile. I shook my head and let out a little giggle. I couldn’t help it. In this moment, I felt like a schoolgirl with a crush.
I walked down the hall until I found the room I was looking for. I stopped just outside the large door and turned to Leif. “You can’t come in here with me. I’ll be no more than forty-five minutes, okay?” I crossed my arms and waited for his response. We stared in silence, neither wanting to concede. Finally, Leif huffed out a breath, dropping his arms to the side.
“Alright, I’ll be here.” He nodded toward the chairs.
“Okay,” I opened the door to the courtroom. The defendant was already there with a lawyer. I was sure the company paid for them to have a lawyer present. There was no way they were letting this go unchecked. It could mean big losses for their company.
As soon as the court reporter flipped on the camera. She turned to us. “I’m all set.”
I noticed the woman being questioned was biting her nails. She must be nervous. I made a note of that. She only stopped when she needed to put her hand on the bible to take her oath. I began my questions right away. I wanted to take advantage of her nervousness. I didn’t w
ant to let her get comfortable. The defendant's lawyer gave me a stern look after a series of rapid-fire questions. He objected to the form of the questions. I changed tactics and finished the questioning in less than thirty minutes. This girl just made the case. She admitted to the company knowing about giving prescriptions that were expired. I was set to go to trial. The defense attorney, tucked in his tie. He took a step toward me and I felt a slight shiver up my spine when his eyes met mine.
“We need to talk. Do you mind stepping into a private room with me a moment?” he said. I hadn’t seen this guy here before and something about him made me nervous.
“I don’t think we have anything to talk about. This case seems pretty cut and dry to me.” I shrugged and placed my files back into my bag.
“You really want to hear what I have to say,” he pushed.
“I’m sure I don’t.” I turned toward the door and he grabbed my elbow pulling me toward him. I glared at his hand on me. “Let go of me.” My tone was sharp. The other two in the room looked over at us. He noticed because he dropped his hand from my elbow.
“I just want to talk.” he pleaded.
“I don’t.” I opened the door and let out a breath when I saw Leif sitting in the chair across from the door. His eyes moved from my panicked expression to the hard eyes of the guy next to me. His arm reached out to grab me again. Leif was on his feet in one fluid movement. I felt a tug on my body and I moved toward him involuntarily. He gripped my hand and we sped away. Stopping at the elevator, Leif met my eyes. “Stairs?” he asked.
“Two doors down,” I pointed. “Is he a morrigan?” I asked before we went rushing off.
“I’m not sure. Did you feel anything around him?” he asked, as we rushed down the flights of stairs. We stopped on the landing to the lobby. Leif waited for my response. His hazel eyes gazed into mine.
“Yeah, I felt a shiver down my spine. I didn’t like him. I thought it was because he was the defendant, but there was more to it than that.” I rubbed my elbow where he’d grabbed me. Leif took a step toward me. He ran his hand down the side of my face.
“I’m here, everything will be okay.” His eyes bore into mine. I felt a wave of calm protectiveness emanate from him. As long as he was around, everything would be okay. At least, that’s what I wanted to believe. Leif reached for the door handle. When he opened it, Caroline was standing on the other side.
The look of shock passed when she grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door. “There’s no time for explanations. Come on. We have to go.” Her hand yanked on my wrist and I instinctually pulled away.
“No, start explaining. How in the hell did you know where I’d be?”
Leif’s eyes scanned the area behind us. The stairway exited out in a less populated area of the courthouse, but sound traveled here. Anyone around us could hear what we were saying.
“I saw it. Morrigans know you’re here. They’re here to kill you. I had to warn you. Help you, your mother would have wanted me to help you.” She reached for my wrist again and this time I didn’t pull back. I had to trust her power, trust her.
Leif’s eyes continued to dart around us. “Where did you see them attacking?”
“I saw one attack in a courtroom.” Her eyes scrutinized me.
“Was the one attacking me in the room, wearing a dark pinstripe suit. Dark hair, slightly balding on the top around his forehead?” I asked. “Round face?”
“Yeah, how do you know?” she asked.
“He was the opposing counsel. I got away from him. He tried to get me to go into another room. So, they must be concerned about others witnesses.” I nodded as I said this outloud. “So, as long as I stay around people, I should be fine.” Leif reached out and took my hand.
“I wouldn’t count on that. They can erase anything that happens here if they want to. If they have an Iktomis helping they can affect time. They could kill you and make it seem to everyone else that nothing happened.” Leif explained.
“Shit, seriously? We need to have a talk about not informing me about everything. I don’t like the whole, by the way...this thing can kill you and no one will know about it thing we have going. I need to know what I’m dealing with before we’re dealing with it.” Leif rolled his eyes at me, but I didn’t care. I was a little annoyed at the moment.
A couple of women approached and headed into a room behind us. We needed to get moving. I watched as Leif scanned the room. Caroline grabbed my hand. “Come on, I parked in the garage next to Leif.” She pulled me toward the door of the lobby.
“Wait, how do you know where we parked?” I asked.
“I put a little tracking spell on you when you were drinking tea. Your mother worked hard to keep you a secret. She died for you children. I needed to make sure you were okay. She would’ve wanted me to look after you.” she said as we rushed out of the courthouse. I looked behind me but no one looked like they were following us.
Reaching the car, Leif went to open the door. Suddenly, he flew against the wall of the garage. I gasped in surprise. Two men stood across from the car. My eyes widened at the size of them. They looked like they just stepped out of a WWF wrestling match. Their muscles bulged beneath their tight t-shirts. One of them twitched each pectoral muscle as he scrutinized me. He licked his lips like I was the dessert he’d been longing for. I didn’t like the self-satisfied look in his eye. I squared my shoulders in defiance. I wasn’t going down without one hell of a fight.
“This should be easier than we thought.” The dark haired one said. His hair was crew-cut and he reminded me of a marine, the way he held himself so erect. When they stalked toward me, I saw Caroline begin chanting and whirling her arms around in a circle. There was a silver tinge to the air around us. It flew out and the two men were pushed back a few feet. Her power and strength shocked me. My eyes were wide as the men were only temporarily halted. Crew-cut grinned and rubbed his hands together before taking two steps closer. My neres sparked at the fierce determination and hunger in his eyes. I knew I had to get it together if I had any chance against these guys. My mother had been a fierce warrior. I could be too.
Caroline continued to chant and the air swirled. I looked over to Leif. He was getting to his feet. I could tell he was injured. It took him a minute before he was upright, then he stumbled forward before righting himself again. I needed to believe in myself. I could do this. I took a deep breath and conjured the memory I had spent my life avoiding. I felt the anger bubble to the surface. I swallowed hard as my stomach knotted. The emptiness in my father’s eyes fueled my rage. Heat licked at my palms. I knew I had control of my power. I held my hands out and pushed the fire from my hands toward the men.I pictured the heartbroken look on my mother’s face when he left. The choked sobs as she closed the door to her bedroom, shutting me out of her pain. The heat intensified on my hands. It didn’t hurt, but was like a warm blanket on a cold winter's day. The flame was a part of me and I became one with my gift. Because, it truly was a gift, one I would cherish. Throwing the fireball out from myself, willing it toward the men, my eyes grew wide. The Morrigan laughed and only stepped to the side, dodging my fire with ease. I gulped, if this didn’t affect them, I was in big trouble.
“Perfect, I love having some fire power.” He gloated. He held out his palm, and a small flame danced along it. My eyes widened at the sight. How could he have the power of fire?
Leif came up next to me. “He’s a channeler. He can copy our powers if we’re near him. It’s how he was able to throw me.” Leif looked to the two men. He narrowed his eyes and the other guy went flying against the cement column. He crumpled to the ground. Crew cut narrowed his eyes and focused intently on Leif. I breathed a sigh of relief, until I realized he could hurt Leif with my power.
“You’re going to pay for that.” he barked at us. He rubbed his hands together before jerking one forward. My eyes widened in terror as a ball of fire was barrelling toward us. Leif ducked instinctively and pulled me down with him. The flames, sla
mmed into an invisible wall and turned to ash. I gave Leif a quizzical look. Nothing about this world made sense. We should be fried to a crisp.
Caroline was chanting under her breath. She hadn’t stopped the entire time. ‘What’s she doing?” I asked leaning closer to Leif.
“It’s a protection spell. As long as she’s chanting, nothing can break through the wall she’s creating for us.” Leif narrowed his eyes at the other guy. He jerked his head. When he blew out a breath, I knew something was wrong.
“I can’t use my power against him.” Leif whispered next to my ear.
“Let me try.” I channeled my anger into another fire ball. When I threw it at him, he held up his palm and caught it. “Shit,” I said. “What now?”
“Now, I try some offensive skills. Leif began chanting, too. He held out his hands and the guys feet flew together like he was being tied by an invisible rope. The guy pulled a sword from its sheath on his back. Leif raced to the car and reached for something in the trunk. His hand emerged and he gripped a long sword. Well isn’t that convenient, I thought. “Caroline, did you happen to bring any vanquishing potions with you?” Leif asked, his hand poised, ready to strike.
“In my car,” she jerked her head to the side. I saw her car a third of the way down the lot.
“Is it unlocked?” I asked quickly.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Okay, I’m going to make a run for it. You keep the guys distracted.” I looked to crew cut who looked like he had a rope tied around his ankles. He swept his sword in a downward arch and the magical rope disintegrated. The other guy was still crumpled on the ground. Leif must’ve thrown him hard for him to still be knocked out. I began to run at full speed toward Caroline’s car. Caroline took several steps closer to me. The soft sound of her chant filled the air around me. I wondered how far her protection spell could reach. If I could just get to the car and back we’d be home free. Crew-cut focused his attention back on me as I darted for the car. I saw Leif leap into the air and meet his sword with his in one swift movement. I heard the clash of the metal as I ran.