“In what way?” I rubbed my arms, too nervous to bother correcting him about the moth comment.
“For two nights, you’ll be without a guard. This is a sensitive matter and is not Mageri protocol.” He ran his finger across his lip contemplatively. “They like doing things by the book, and yes, sometimes we must conduct investigations that don’t follow our own laws. It’s imperative that every Mage believes in our system, but there are times when a delicate situation must be handled in an efficient manner. We don’t always have time to gather all the facts in a… legal way. As my apprentice, I’m placing my trust in you for confidentiality. This would directly affect my standing on the Council if they found out what we’re up to,” he warned. “I didn’t want you inadvertently finding out the truth and letting the cat in the bag.”
“You mean out of the bag.”
Novis averted his eyes to watch snowflakes piling up on the ledge of the window. The large wet ones stuck to the glass, showing off their unique designs.
“Christian was reluctant to take on this request because he is in your service.” Novis scrunched his face and I knew Christian had given him hell. “We’ve secured his trust by ensuring that you will remain locked in your quarters on high security.”
“Wait a minute. I didn’t have a guard before I took on this job. Why is there a need now? I’m not the Queen.” I dropped my arms on the table with a heavy sigh and pushed my plate away. While there had been a few times I could have used a guard, the overwhelming majority of my days were uneventful.
“No, but being my apprentice puts you in a vulnerable position. I have trustworthy guards, but I can’t afford to spare one or it might compromise the security of my people. It’s a long process to acquire a replacement. In any case, a Mage couldn’t offer the same protection as a Vampire.”
“But a Chitah can,” I pointed out.
He dipped his finger in his chocolate shake and lowered his voice. “Chitahs are excellent trackers, but guards they are not. There was an unfortunate incident some years ago when a Mage hired one as a guard. The Chitah flipped his switch and turned on the very man he was hired to protect. If you’re about to offer up Logan, then remember that his feelings for you can be just as blinding. He would be no match against Tarek, for example.”
Three puncture marks on the right side of my neck burned at the mention of Tarek’s name. By no less than a miracle, I’d survived a Chitah bite, but the scar had never healed. Even after ingesting Vampire blood and receiving healing light from Justus, nothing would erase the evidence of that attack.
“A Vampire is not as fast as a Chitah,” I reminded him.
He shoved an entire onion ring into his mouth, licking his thumb as he smiled politely at the pretty waitress who left us the bill. Novis dusted a few crumbs from his fingers. “Have you ever played the childhood game Rock, Paper, Scissors?
“Uh huh.”
“Same concept,” he said. “A rock may tear a hole in paper, but paper always wins. There’s a logic you follow with the Breed. We could also employ a Gemini since they have strength beyond even a Vampire, but Geminis don’t work as guards and avoid complicated situations. Emotions trigger violent tendencies that could put the person that they’re hired to guard in harm’s way. And you do not want to be around a Gemini when they’re angry.” He waved his finger.
“Hulk syndrome?”
His brow furrowed, not understanding the comic book reference. “If you look at a basic fight without weapons, a Vampire can absorb our energy and it has no effect on them. They’re strong, and therefore most avoid getting too close to one. A Chitah bite has no effect on a Vampire, nor can one track a Vampire by scent. Their energy is not detectable to a Mage, although there are exceptions to that rule. Christian has been doing what he does since we found him, and he does it better than anyone. His track record is impeccable, and he’s saved countless lives. Is anyone perfect? No. But he’s as close as it comes. When you are dealing with so many different situations and Breeds, there is always risk. You may have felt safe in recent months, but what you do not know is how many times Christian has protected your life without your knowledge. I cannot offer invincibility with a guard, Silver. I can only offer the best protection available.”
“Logan can protect me, Novis. He’s capable and trustworthy, someone who’s come to my aid more than once.”
Novis lightly touched the scar on his cheek shaped like a backward L. I could see why Adam thought of him as an exemplary Creator. He had a way of explaining things that made it difficult to prove him wrong, but our conversations were filled with patience on his part.
“Silver, you need to trust me on this. It’s only for two days. Surely life with Justus can’t be that painful?” His eyes went dramatically wide before he rolled them and I laughed.
“I guess not. I’ll have Logan stay over if that gives you peace of mind.”
“Actually, no. I’m requesting that he go with Christian as backup.
“Wait, hold—”
“Listen for a moment,” he said, raising his hand. “Only a small circle of individuals are involved, and Logan is one of them. Leo is now affiliated with HALO, and they’re working on an important case for the Mageri. He’s highly respected among his kind and I don’t wish to put him in a position that could jeopardize his standing. This is not official Chitah business, so it is customary for me to seek permission from the eldest in the family. I’m working very hard to bridge the gap between our people and mend those gates.”
“Fences. Mending fences.”
Novis laughed loudly, but it was short-lived. “I love idioms, but I can never get them right. Silver, it’s a two-day excursion, and you should know that I empathize with your situation. It’s not easy, and only children should be told what to do. But in all fairness, you are a child in our world. I promised that I would not be a restrictive employer, provided you had a guard to allow you such freedoms. I don’t see a need to quarrel when our burgers are cooling.”
“You do realize that Christian and Logan hate each other.”
Novis raised a shoulder, indicating there was nothing he could do about that. “Leo is talking to him about it tonight.”
“At the Red Door, where everyone can hear?” I asked in shock. Royally stupid idea.
“No, that’s a ruse. They’ll have drinks and then talk later in private. Stay home. Watch the snow. Read a book,” he suggested.
Outside, the snow glimmered like billions of crushed diamonds blanketing the city. It didn’t seem possible so early in the season, but I wondered if a large congregation of Breed and their energy influenced the weather. What impact did we have on the world without even knowing it? Answers I’d never have, but suddenly the world blossomed into an ocean of possibilities.
When I looked back at Novis, a distant expression filled his eyes as he gazed at the street. In the blink of an eye, the moment was gone and he pulled the red straw from his tall glass and sucked the chocolate from the other end.
“Adam won’t visit us,” I said, leaning back in my seat.
He pushed the shake away and wiped his mouth. “Adam isn’t the same man. Events like that change us, and he hasn’t been responsive to my suggestions.”
“What suggestions? That he attend a party and put on a happy face with all his scars?”
Novis twisted his mouth. “Perhaps I am not as empathetic to such things, as I have been witness to a lifetime of suffering. The strong endure. I chose Adam as my progeny because of his bravery and resilience. He was willing to give up his life for honor, but now he cannot live his life with imperfections.”
“He’s hurt, Novis. Not just from being rejected by that tramp you kept in your house, but…” I shook my head.
I almost went blind, so I knew how Adam must have felt facing a future with a visible affliction. A Mage isn’t born, but made of the strongest men. This is how our kind survived through the years—the best of the best. He would not just be treated differently, but his gifts wou
ld be rejected. I could see Novis’s side of things because Adam had always been a warrior. But now he sat in the corner of the ring, feeling defeated by life and pummeled by Karma. Sometimes the worst beatings we endure are never the physical kind.
Novis pinched his bottom lip between his fingers.
“His talent as a Healer is no longer secret,” Novis said. “There have been one or two who have offered to employ him, and I will not lie, it’s out of pity. Despite the reasoning behind it, Adam should snatch up this opportunity to prove himself, but he’s refused. It’s an honor to be so young and selected for private services. I wanted his gift to remain a secret, fearing it would endanger him. But I’m recognizing that it could keep him safe. Adam resists. He locks himself away or spends hours running.”
“Yeah, he always liked to run.”
“At some point, a man must learn that running will get him nowhere. I will give him time, but I have no words of comfort and cannot coddle my progeny. He must stand on his own feet and find his way in this world, or else I have failed as a Creator.”
A clamorous sound of metal pots rang out from the kitchen and Novis leaned to the side, keeping a close eye on the cook. The expression on his face reminded me of how ancient he really was.
“I’ll keep you informed when Christian returns; we’ll have a meeting and discuss whatever he uncovers.”
“Has he left yet?” I peered out the window at the dark shadows between the buildings. The cold air from the frosty windowpane made me shiver.
“No. He’ll leave tomorrow morning. Is there anything you think would be valuable to ask Grady?”
I looked at him appreciatively. Novis respected me, and that meant something. “Ask him if he loved my mother, and if he did, why he put her through that. I want to know what he got out of ruining her life.”
Why didn’t he take a woman willing to be inseminated? Plenty of women would have loved to have children, and some might have loved the idea that immortals existed. My mom lived with him for months, so why didn’t he immediately take her to the lab? Why did he make her cross an ocean just to have her impregnated?
“You heard her, Christian.” Novis’s blue eyes were fixated on something behind me and I turned around.
A tall figure in a long black trench coat swirled out the door into the snowy night.
Chapter 2
“It’s late for a checkup,” Justus said to the Relic. His large hand ran across his clean-shaven head. Around the house, he normally wore cotton shirts. But tonight, Justus wore a blue dress shirt tucked into a pair of dark slacks.
Page lifted a scolding eyebrow in response to his tone, placing a slide beneath a small microscope that she carried in her oversized bag. She turned the focus knob and leaned in for a closer look. “Relic hours are unpredictable, Mr. De Gradi,” she replied in a soft voice. “It’s the only time I could squeeze you in.”
Page La Croix had worked as my Relic after saving my life from a Chitah bite, and it wouldn’t be accurate to call her a doctor since a Relic did more than mend the physical body. Ancient knowledge lived in a Relic’s DNA, passed down through the generations of each family. They didn’t have a prolonged life and were as mortal as any human.
I’d hung around immortal men long enough to know that some were abrasive and often objectified women. Page once confided how challenging her job had been in the beginning. Many either refused her services or belittled her. Relics worked hard to instill a trusting relationship with their clients that would last for the rest of their lives, but being bullied was not part of the job. Her partner had ended up with the difficult ones, but over time, she’d learned to stand up for herself. “It’s unfortunate, but if I’m soft and allow them to walk all over me, they will,” she once told me. “If they don’t respect me, then I can’t effectively treat or counsel them. Most Relic women have toughened up over time because of this.”
She ran her hand through her choppy brown hair and moved the slide.
“Well, any ghoulies in there?” I asked.
“Still looks clean, Silver. I want to continue our checkups. Your situation was unique—not just surviving three Chitah canines in your neck, but the consumption of so much Vampire blood. Not to mention the healing light you borrowed from a Mage. A weird combination of factors was at play. I need to study and learn from it. I’ve never heard of anyone’s eyes turning Vampire the way yours did, even for a brief period. It shouldn’t have happened.”
“Maybe no one ever had a cup of Christian.”
Justus groaned from his corner of the dining room. It wasn’t a room illuminated with electricity, but there were plenty of bright candles on the table to provide Page with all the light she needed. I could tell he was displeased with my comment; the visual of me necking with his former guard had probably scarred him for life.
Page sat back in her chair and pinched the inside corners of her eyes. It looked like she was running on coffee and a few hours’ sleep.
“I’m going to take a sample to the lab.”
“No,” Justus cut in. He dragged a chair from beneath the table and sat across from her. “I forbid it. Review what you need to, but none of it leaves the premises.”
“How do you justify that? We could learn a lot from her blood. She may have some unique properties.”
“And what exactly is that going to do for you?” He let the words roll off his tongue slowly, like an accusation.
Her brown eyes met with his. “Not a man of science, are you, Mr. De Gradi?” She shook her head and dismissed his attitude, as if she’d encountered it a million times. “If you think I’m seeking out a Nobel, you can wipe that idea out of your head. Relics understand Breed genetics, but not everything. Humans have a better grasp on their own species than we do of ours. There is so much magic within us—so much possibility. Something remarkable transpired with Silver.”
Page’s eyes lit up; she was passionate about her profession and you could see it whenever she spoke. “We know that Breeds go extinct, but every so often, there’s a genetic leap, and a new Breed is born. It happens. You know it, and I know it. Sometimes it peters out and nothing comes of them if they can’t reproduce or pass on their abilities, but sometimes it sticks. We’ve never actually seen the birth of a new species from inception; they’ve just appeared over the years without knowledge of their origin. Wouldn’t that be the most spectacular thing to witness?”
“It would, except Silver is a Mage,” Justus countered.
Her eyes fell away and she rubbed them again. It was going on two in the morning and I didn’t need a clock to tell me that.
“I guess it’s up to my Ghuardian what I do with my own blood,” I replied with annoyance, directing a frosty glare his way.
Justus shook his head, conceding defeat. “Take what you need, but only this once. Show it to no one else. You’ll dispose of her blood once you have personally examined it under the proper equipment. If you are not skilled in that sort of research, then—”
“Don’t doubt my skills.”
Color bled into his neck and he laced his fingers together, resting them in front of his face.
She swiveled in her seat and touched my arm. “That’s all I need tonight, Silver. Call me if you experience unusual symptoms or if something doesn’t seem normal. No matter how small, I’m here for you. You’re as healthy as a horse as far as I’m concerned, so I don’t see a need to make these visits weekly anymore.”
Those visits were on Justus’s orders.
I couldn’t help but notice the furrowed brow that appeared on his face when she made her announcement. Justus placed his large hands flat on the table and pushed himself up as if he might make an announcement of some kind. Instead, he turned around and went out the main door.
“Page, do you mind if I ask you something? Our books don’t teach me half of what I discover through personal interaction.”
“Books will only teach you so much,” she agreed.
“Did you go to a special school fo
r Relics?”
She smiled a little. “I went to Harvard. It’s important to acquire a modern education, but school had to take a back seat and I dropped out. It would have been a waste of my life to spend it in school when I could be more useful among the Breed with my inherited knowledge. My life isn’t as long as yours.” She blew a strand of hair away from her face.
“You don’t have kids?”
Her lips thinned. “No, and all Relics are expected to continue the lineage of knowledge.”
“That’s a lot of pressure.”
She shrugged and twirled a pen on the table. “All Breeds who procreate have the same instinct of preservation. Relics are very ancient and because of our average lifespan, the importance of children is always stressed.”
“Can Relics only have children with other Relics?”
“Well… we can’t have children with humans. Relics may be mortal, but we have that spark of Breed magic—for lack of a better word—in our DNA. No Breed can procreate with a human. Nature seems to make small exceptions within the Breed, however. So I’ve heard, but it’s very rare. It’s preferred that we stick to our own kind in order to retain that magic and knowledge.”
“It’s been done?” I asked.
She tilted her head side to side. “Those who have made that choice are turned away among their own kind, and they are considered traitors.”
“How are you a traitor? You’re living a decent life, having children…”
“The magic cancels out when two opposite Breeds come together. We can only pass on our knowledge to Relic children. Full-blooded Relics. It’s the only way to preserve our heritage and each family specializes in different things. If I had a child with a Shifter, the child would be neither Relic nor Shifter. In any case, it’s rare. Our genetics don’t mix easily and a pregnancy is unlikely.”
“Those children won’t inherit a drop of knowledge?”
She smiled. “That’s the interesting part. It’s muddied down, but they would acquire a little. They’d still be human, though, and no one wants their child to be rejected among their own kind. Not to mention a Shifter would outlive their child. We haven’t done enough studies because interbreeding just doesn’t occur very often.”
Gravity (Mageri Series: Book 4) Page 2