Planting her fists on her hips, Dharma rolls her eyes. “I’m so sure.”
Tamara tilts her head. “We promised to hear them out.”
“We also didn’t know about his illegal friend.” Dharma jabs a finger at me. “Those with non-native power are legally supposed to be locked away. Their magic is too unpredictable. Dangerous like you said.”
The rumbles along my bones speed up. Hugging my middle, I fight to keep them in my body. I succeed, but my teeth chatter slightly, my head pounds. Not good. So not good. “But can we like, not do that, and take care of the scared kid who needs help instead?”
Dharma’s eyes darken. “The two aren’t mutually exclusive.”
She takes a step in my direction, but Ash cuts her off, hands clenched into fists. “Come one step closer to her and I’ll drain you dry.”
“Ash no,” I say in a hiss.
Dharma’s snarl drowns out my whisper along with Tamara’s command for her to calm down. Fur erupts along her arms, her body twists, and in one loud snap it morphs into the form of a large, dark-furred wolf. Leaving her shredded clothing behind, she charges Ash, who steps into a fighting stance. Ready for her.
Out of pure panic, I dart around him, drop into a squat, and slam a hand into the cement. My magic vibrates violently out in all directions. If this gets me locked up anyway, oh well. At least these two paranormals won’t tear each other apart.
Dharma trips over her paws as the ground cracks under her. A massive gash sends fissures across the entire room and up the walls. Equipment topples. Bits of roof rain down on us, exposing blue sky above. The women throughout the warehouse freeze in place. Dharma yelps and scrambles away from the broken floor, staring horrified at the level destruction I just caused.
15.
I GAPE RIGHT ALONG with Dharma, slapping both hands over my mouth. The crowd murmurs around us, all staring, some even backing away from me like Laurien had moments ago. At least no one appears to have been hurt. Still, I’m so getting locked up after this.
The wolf shifts back into human form, now completely naked, and clearly pissed. “You see what she did? She’s dangerous. The best thing we can do is take her to the Tribunal before she destroys something that can’t be fixed or kills someone or worse.”
Ash opens his mouth, but Tamara cuts him off. “Dharma’s not wrong.” Her eyes dart around the destruction I’ve caused. “It is the law.”
“You’re not taking her,” Ash says, his voice garbled as his fangs extend slightly, indenting his lower lip.
Heart in my throat and about to barf up the bagel I ate for breakfast, I touch his arm, then shake my head. Even with my powerful magic and his strength, there’s no way we can fight our way out of this. And I’m not letting Ash get hurt.
“I get it.” I curl my fingers into the material of Ash’s shirt. “And I’ll go if that’s the only way you’ll listen. But please, you have to help Ash’s brother.”
Tamara’s brows lift. “Is this the innocent you mentioned earlier?”
I nod. “Jeremy. He...” I glance at Ash, but he’s still glaring at Dharma, fangs indenting his lower lip. “He’s a pureblood and their father wants to...cannibalize him.”
Dharma’s growl cuts off and her gaze shifts to me. “Do you expect us to believe something so outrageous? These are more lies to protect your own skin.”
Tamara hisses. “These are not lies. I’ve heard of this ritual before. And if anyone would try to resurrect it, it’s Masera.” She traces her chin with a pointer finger and thumb, eyes on the ground.
“I know y’all have bad blood,” I say. “And that however I got my magic, I’m illegal, or whatever. But Jeremy needs your help. I met Masera and I’m sure we can all agree that if anyone doesn’t need more power, it’s that psychopath.”
Dharma snarls again, but Tamara nods. “In that we certainly have common ground.”
Letting out a very slow breath, Ash flexes his fingers. “If it wasn’t for Case, my dad would already have Jeremy. She’s used her magic to defend him and others at The Mercury Room a few times. She’s not out of control. With a little more practice—”
“She’s still a danger,” Dharma says, waving her arm at the cracks in the floor and ceiling.
I cringe. She’s not wrong. What if the more I use my magic, the stronger it will get and the less I’ll be able to control it? Sure I’ve directed the vibrations a few times. I used it against the howler and Masera. But what if it does get away from me? What if someone gets killed or I crack the earth in half or something? Or tear a rift into another plane. Or whatever.
Knowing my luck I would initiate the apocalypse.
“We’re all dangerous,” Ash says. “Just because she doesn’t know where her power comes from doesn’t mean she’s any more dangerous than a werewolf or a vampire or a witch.”
Tamara lifts a hand and we all fall silent. “I have long believed the law about non-native powers was suspect at best. At the very least, until we resolve the issue of the pureblood, we will hold on a decision about you.”
“But—”
“I’ve made my decision,” Tamara says, cutting Dharma off. “We’ll discuss things further in my office. Come with me.”
We follow her out the room. As we slip through the door, I glance back at Dharma. She glares, arms crossed, still stark naked. Shadows stretch across her face and the edges of her mouth so she looks like a disfigured, dripping painting.
I hunch my shoulders, picking up my pace to get out of her sight.
My ears ring so loud I barely remember our march to Tamara’s office. One thing does root itself in my brain and it won’t be leaving anytime soon. Though Laurien appears to look straight ahead the whole time, I can sense her gaze on me, feel the fear. She even keeps her distance as well as she can in this narrow hall.
In Tamara’s office — an oddly organized place of knickknack clutter — Laurien finds the farthest corner to stand in, hands behind her back.
Ash and I sit in the chair across from Tamara’s desk, while she rests against its edge. “Let’s hear the full story. Starting with you, Case. I want to understand exactly what we’re dealing with.”
Casting a glance at Laurien and then Ash, I explain as best I can my own story — avoiding Ash’s gaze when I talk about my time in the foster system — then move on quickly to Jeremy and the attacks on The Mercury Room as well as my apartment.
Ash fills in the paranormal details I’m missing, adding in everything we learned from Finn.
“That’s when my dad showed up in Montrose.” Ash’s gaze falls, the muscles in his shoulders balling together. “I froze. We never would’ve gotten away if it wasn’t for Case.”
Lacing her arms together, Tamara focuses her attention on me. “So you’ve been hiding magic you don’t understand for years, afraid of what exposure might mean, only to use it multiple times over the last few days in order to save both strangers and friends? That could explain why you’re so powerful.”
I scowl, confused. “What do you mean?”
Tamara rocks back a little. “I’m sure someone at The Mercury Room has explained how all magic is essentially just harnessing the vibrations in nature and learning to command them. Some are positive, some negative, and, of course, there are a few that are neutral. Usually, if someone with non-native magic suppresses it, things build up and can become explosive. Hence the danger our Tribunal has witnessed too many times. For you to have control at all...” She shakes her head. “The only explanation is that your selfless acts created positive energy that gifted you with some semblance of control.”
“Did you see what I just did to your warehouse?” I gesture vaguely toward the door.
Tamara covers a laugh.
“Most people with magic like yours would have leveled the place,” Ash says. “Even paranormal creatures have trouble with control if they try to use it without practice. That’s why I can’t compel people the way my dad can.”
“And I do advise you pract
ice,” Tamara says to me. “Stop holding back. Make it work for you rather than the other way around. Claim it as your own.”
I tap my fingers against the arm of my chair. Uplifting thought. Particularly considering the fact that my magic might have come from a curse. That could still be a possibility, but if I can shift that negative to a positive, keep using it to help people, things might not be so dire. With the right amount of control over it, I could even use it to help stop Masera from taking Jeremy or hurting anyone in The Mercury Room.
It’s slim hope, but if it means not getting tossed into a paranormal prison, you’d better believe I’m going to hang onto it.
“Well, Elaxi says she might be able to help me figure out where the magic came from to begin with. So hopefully I’ll know more soon.” I shift my shoulders. “But what about Jeremy? How do we protect him from his dad?”
“That’s something we’re already in the process of handling,” Tamara says. “We have a spy working her way in from the outer ranks. Once she reaches the inner circle, we’re confident we can make our move to take Masera down. Our case should be airtight. It has to be if we want the Tribunal to get involved.”
Ash clenches his jaw so the muscles stand out. “What does that mean for Jeremy? How long is he going to have to hide out? We can’t expect him to stay locked in that upper room just hoping one of our dad’s minions doesn’t get lucky.”
Frowning, Tamara straightens. “We’re close, but don’t yet have a timeline. I won’t blow her cover. Not with the case we’re managing to build up against him. This is the first time we’ve gotten solid evidence that might put an end to his criminal activity once and for all. What I will do is offer a guard for The Mercury Room. Obviously you can’t be expected to defend yourselves alone. I can send a pair this evening. We’ll give you updates as quickly as possible because no, he can’t be expected to hide forever.”
Ash runs a hand over his face, but nods anyway, thanking Tamara for her help. “And Case? Dharma didn’t sound like she planned to back down on the idea of turning her into the Tribunal.”
Fear prickles my spine like a tattoo needle.
Tamara sighs. “I’ll deal with Dharma. However, we will also be keeping an eye on you. At the first sign that your powers are growing beyond your control, we will have to revisit the idea of taking you to the authorities.”
WE CAN’T SEE THE DAMAGE my power caused from the street. Thank the magical gods, whoever they are. Fingers laced at the back of my neck, I turn to Ash, giving him a pained smile. “I guess things could have gone worse. At least I’m not on my way to wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and a lifetime of peeing in front of other people.”
Ash chuckles lightly. “True. And Dharma didn’t rip me into tiny pieces. That really would’ve sucked.”
I grin as we start down the sidewalk. “So, is the stake to the heart thing all a lie? Like sunlight?”
“Nah,” Ash says, shaking his head. “Those rumors are true. Stake to the heart, fire, dismemberment, severe blood loss will all kill a vampire. True starvation won’t, but it will make us go crazy if it goes on too long.”
Wincing, I pull out my cell, and again use it as a mirror to keep an eye on potential stalkers. “That sounds horrible.”
“It’s definitely not good.”
I snort. It barely comes out as a huff through my nose, because I’m silently promising myself never to let that happen to Ash, or Jeremy. Not sure how I’ll manage to pull off this promise, but I’ll do it. Watch me.
“Should we risk going back to The Mercury Room?” I ask, antsy this close to the building I just damaged and the werewolf (shifter?) I just pissed off.
Ash rubs his jaw. “I think we should wait for the guards Tamara promised. You said Elaxi was going to do another reading? We could go there first.”
“Drive on Speed Racer.”
Spinning his keys on a finger, Ash leads the way to his car, and drives back into Houston. In spite of my anxiety and desire to keep watch for anyone who might follow us, my eyelids fight me as we merge onto the highway. Sleep tempts me to fade away if only for a few moments.
“So, the foster system, huh?”
This statement from Ash shoves away the black with such force I jump a little in my seat. Breath caught in my chest, I clear my throat and twist my fingers together. “I don’t love telling people about it. Too many looks of pity, too many assumptions.”
“Was it all bad?” Ash asks carefully, almost in a monotone like he’s trying to avoid emotion entirely.
“Usually it wasn’t.” I trace my feather necklace with a thumbnail. “Most of the time it was good, but something always went wrong. Usually because eventually my powers would cause problems. Whenever I was sent to a new home my social worker, Ms. Jan, always said it had to do with some legal thing. But every time it happened it was after an incident. So, I knew it was me, not them.”
A lump forms in my throat.
“That had to be really hard.”
It’s one of those careful statements when someone really doesn’t know the best way to respond. Understandable. But still uncomfortable. Because I know it’s meant to combat the urge to pity, to resist some platitude we all love because they’re neat and simple but deep down know doesn’t help a single thing.
My gaze coasts out the window, away from the expression I fear I might see on Ash’s face. “It wasn’t fun.”
Ash falls silent and my shoulder blades pinch together. The lump in my throat expands in size. I never should have mentioned being a foster kid. There had to be a way to explain the effects of my power without bringing that up at all. Now Ash probably thinks I’m some kind of headcase damaged beyond repair and not worth—
“I bet you met a lot of paranormals and didn’t even realize it.”
I blink at Ash, my doom spiral coming to an abrupt halt. “What?”
Ash smiles, a look full of curiosity and totally devoid of pity. “I bet you met a lot of paranormals in the foster system. Mermaids are drawn to kids who need help. A lot of them become social workers. I’m not saying your Ms. Jan was one, but others might’ve been.”
A small grin lifts some of the heaviness away from my face. “You think so?”
He glances at me, then turns his attention back to the road as he takes the off ramp. “Sure. You’re not the only magical creature who’s gotten lost and needs help navigating. Our world tries to handle its own, but that doesn’t always work out, which is why we work within the human system too.”
“Huh, I didn’t think about that. Now I’m curious.” I turn this thought over in my head. Could Ms. Jan be a paranormal? If she is, then she hasn’t done a very good job at noticing the signs that I am too.
Either that or she knew what the Tribunal might do and tried to protect me from them.
I grimace, rubbing my temples as Ash pulls up to Elaxi’s tiny house. “My brain hurts.”
“It’s been a day.” Ash shifts the car into park, then turns to face me. “You want to go it alone? I can stay out here, keep watch.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I say, opening the door. “Stand guard, gargoyle.”
“Gargoyle?”
I giggle. “I’ll explain when I’m finished in there. For now, just take it as a compliment.”
With a wink, I turn on a heel, roll back my shoulders to try and make myself feel more confident, and march toward the tiny house. Control over my powers or not, good vibrations or not, I need answers, and Elaxi might be the only one able to give them to me.
16.
THE SIGHT OF BLOOD on the porch steps nearly takes my legs out from under me. There’s no mistaking it for red paint or spilled wine, not with the unique way it congeals and darkens around the edges. Vibrations of sheer terror and dread grind through my body as I grip the railing. A car door slams behind me, but I can’t move from my current position.
“Case, what...” Ash trails and his feet skid across the dirty walkway. “Is that blood?”
I bare
ly manage an affirmative “mmm.” My eyes follow the small splashes of red up the wood stairs, across the porch, and toward the open glass door. Without thinking, I drift forward, careful to skirt the gore. Ash doesn’t follow me. In fact, when I glance at him over my shoulder, he’s taken a few steps away from the house.
“We should call Ito,” he says in a strained voice. The tips of his fangs indent his lower lip again, and his pupils nearly obliterate the blue of his eyes.
“That’s a good idea.” I nod. “Get in the car so you can’t smell the blood anymore. I’ll see if she’s inside and needs medical attention.”
“Case...”
“I’ll be fine, Ash. I’m armed with super duper dangerous magic, remember?” I turn back toward the tiny house and tiptoe toward the door.
In a horror movie, this genius move — along with my blond curls — might sentence me to a quick and gruesome death. But any scenario is hackable. If I don’t do the super dumb thing and actually go inside, keep in Ash’s line of sight, I might be okay. But if Elaxi needs CPR, or if she’s bleeding out, I can’t just hang out on the porch.
I peek slowly around the edge of the door and come face to face with another face. It gasps. I scream. We both jump back from each other. Realization smacks me a second later when I recognize Elaxi. She grabs my arm with a bloodied hand, yanking me out of the tiny house, and pointing a massive kitchen knife up the stairs.
“Run. Don’t look back, just run.”
“What’s happening? Are you hurt?”
Before she can answer, a small creature with large, pointed ears, elongated fingers, and a freaking bow and arrows comes tearing down the stairs with a high-pitched battle cry. With a squeak, I backpedal as the thing takes aim. Elaxi swipes with her knife, just barely knocking the shot off course.
We sprint down the porch steps and into the yard. Elaxi murmurs a few words. The air in front of her shimmers, deflecting a second arrow. Glancing around the street to make sure the coast is mostly clear, I kick the grass with the heel of my shoe, creating a narrow path of shaking earth. The creature stumbles slightly, then disappears.
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