“So what do you think of the place?” Alexander asked Matthew when they were both seated with drinks in hand. Alexander had chosen scotch, while Matthew had gone for iced tea.
“Reminds me of a communist plot.”
Alexander laughed, throwing his head back with mirth before lowering his head and taking a sip of his scotch. “We’re not communists, although we do take care of our own. It’s a city underground; that’s how I think of it. A city full of magic.”
“A city full of people who hate me,” Matthew remarked. “Do you really expect them to accept me here if I were to take you up on your interesting offer?”
Alexander leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with the vitality of a man half his age, a stark contrast to his gray hair and the deep grooves in his face. “So you’re considering it?”
“No,” Matthew said, intentionally making it sound uncertain. He wasn’t uncertain. He was not Alexander. But for now, maybe the other man would let his guard down if he thought his ploy was working.
“I tell you what,” Alexander said. “If you show loyalty to me, the people here will accept you.”
“Mad Matt?”
“Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I came up with it myself.”
“And now you expect me to join hands with you and pretend it never happened?”
“Of course not. I expect you to apologize, then work hard to earn your place.”
Matthew nearly choked on his iced tea. “Apologize?”
“You have accused me of some pretty underhanded things.”
“You’ve done some underhanded things!” Matthew nearly slammed his glass down on the table. “You came into Eagle Rock, into my town, and you riled up a bunch of hateful people to the point that they killed a woman. And tried to kill two more!”
“I love the way you say that – my town – such loyalty. I told you, you’re me, thirty years ago. You really care about them, don’t you? The people you consider yours?”
Matthew nodded, struggling not to growl. “You’re avoiding the question.”
“Was there a question? I thought you were just flinging accusations.”
“Do you deny it? Do you deny what you did in Eagle Rock?”
“What happened there was extremely unfortunate,” Alexander began, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Come in!”
Matthew clenched his jaw in frustration as a woman with slightly graying hair brought in two lunch trays. She looked between the two men with a half-smile that faded when she noticed the tension in the room.
“Come in,” Alexander said in a welcoming voice. “Have you had the chance to meet Mr. Blair?”
Mad Matt? “No, sir.”
“Beth is another member of our efficient kitchen staff,” Alexander said, and Beth beamed. It struck Matthew then that however elitist the layout of the place might seem, Alexander himself knew the names of every man, woman, and child in the place. And probably quite a bit more besides.
Beth quickly placed the two trays between them on Alexander’s desk, glowing from the praise she had received. Alexander’ll put him in his place. Then she quickly backed out of the room, leaving them to their meal.
“Dig in,” Alexander said, removing the lid from his tray. “The lasagna is amazing.”
Matthew worked a spell to test his food for poison, then dug into the thick, meaty lasagna. But he couldn’t say if it was amazing or not, because he could barely taste it.
“We’ve got some world-class chefs here,” Alexander said. “They put the chemistry of cooking together with the magic of it to create some remarkable dishes. This one, I believe, is supposed to help with wealth. Do let me know if it works out.”
Matthew scowled. He didn’t believe in that sort of superstitious nonsense, and he wasn’t going to be distracted. “I haven’t forgotten what we were talking about.”
“Of course not. I just thought we should spend a few minutes enjoying the food, but clearly that won’t work.”
“No.” Matthew only just kept himself from grinding his teeth.
“As I said, very unfortunate. But I’m afraid I’ve seen it before. I usually see it with young mind mages, high on their own power, but in your case I think your entire family is a bit high on their own power, aren’t they? Rumor has it that they’ve taken care of keeping the local population in the dark about magic for decades, largely through memory modifications.” He paused. “Be careful with those, they can be addictive.”
Matthew ignored the entirely unnecessary advice. “Are you suggesting that what happened in Eagle Rock was my fault?”
“I’m not suggesting it, I’m saying it outright. I know this is hard for you to hear, and I hate to be the one to have to tell you–”
“I spent days trying to stop it! We called in cousins to put together stronger and stronger spells. It was you we were fighting.”
Alexander shook his head. “You were abusing your power, damping down their nature, keeping them civilized. Do you really think it’s okay to manipulate how hundreds of people think and feel?”
It hadn’t been like that. Not exactly. He hadn’t kept them under constant control – just a nudge here and there. It wasn’t easy to protect a town, but it was his town to protect. Not Alexander’s. “I kept everyone safe.”
Alexander arched an eyebrow. “Ah, safety. Yes. That’s a common defense. But it didn’t work, because the second your spells stopped working it was like suddenly letting go of the rope in a tug-of-war game. They snapped, going well past the point they would have gone without your interference.”
“And why did my spells stop working?”
“Because it was amoral for you to have cast them in the first place.”
Matthew couldn’t keep the shock from his face. He actually felt his jaw drop. “And who decided it was amoral?”
“A unanimous vote cast by my inner council, who set the laws for us here in this country. You can’t just go around manipulating people with mind magic. That’s why I need to train you.”
“You son of a bitch! You’re sitting there telling me it was my fault when it was you who made them snap. You admitted it! You stopped the spells in the middle of a crisis, and look what happened? A mob formed and people died. Even if you thought I shouldn’t have been keeping them calm with systematic spells, you could have eased them down. You could have talked to me about it.”
“I tried, but you weren’t willing to listen to me during our conversation in the restaurant. You were too busy trying to keep from agreeing with anything I said.”
“You’re insane.”
“Mad Alex doesn’t have the same ring to it, though, does it?”
Matthew scowled. It had been Alexander’s fault. It had been. He’d known it for two years, been working tirelessly to prove it, and now Alexander had said so himself. He had discontinued Matthew’s spells, causing a recoil effect.
“Matthew, it’s hard to accept blame. Even at my age, it’s hard, but it’s one of the first things you need to learn how to do. You could never have reined in those tempers forever; you have to know that. The longer you tried to hold on, the worse the fallout would have been when you let go. I’ve seen it time and again. It’s not pretty.”
Matthew shook his head. That couldn’t be true. He’d had it under control. The family had had it under control. Alexander had been the one to walk in and create the problems. It couldn’t have been Matthew’s fault.
Could it?
“So I see you’re spending time with our newest resident,” Alexander said.
“Huh?” Matthew was in a daze, barely able to follow the topic change.
“Kaitlin. I guess you know her from back home.”
“Yes.”
Alexander sat back and eyed Matthew carefully. “Rumor has it that you two are spe
nding time together.”
“I wouldn’t say that, no. I only spoke to her briefly the night before last.” Although if rumors had them spending time together, she would not be gaining any popularity points here. One more reason to do as Cassie asked and fly the woman home with him.
“Well, if that’s the case then so be it. I just wanted to say be careful with her.”
“Why?”
“She’s fragile. All the empaths say so. We’ve tried to get her to work with one, but she refuses.”
“She’s strong enough to have fled from two powerful vampires and gotten here safely.”
“She’s got backbone,” Alexander said, nodding. “Look, you and I both know that she’s not the kind of girl you’re going to marry. She’s the kind of girl you’re going to have fun with for a while.”
“What makes you think I planned on doing anything at all with her?” Matthew asked, outwardly calm. Yet inside he felt outraged at the idea that Kaitlin wasn’t the sort of girl a man would marry. However inconvenient she was to him right now, she was brave and kind and deserved better than that.
“Maybe I’m misreading things, but it seems like you’re attracted to her.”
“She’s an attractive woman.” More than that; an image of her long legs and golden hair burned through his mind.
Alexander cocked his head to the side and Matthew felt a mental tug he had to brace against. “Have you ever heard of a pheromone detector?”
“Is that a new device you’ve invented?”
“No, it’s a rare gift. I happen to have a man with such a gift living here, and he says you two smell amazing together.”
“I see.” He didn’t really need someone to tell him there was chemistry between himself and Kaitlin. But that was all there was. “Well, chemistry aside, I’m not interested.”
Alexander studied him and Matthew felt that mental tug once again. What was this new game?
“I’m glad to hear it,” Alexander said after a minute. “Well then, speaking of connections, there are a few women I’d like to introduce to you while you’re here.”
“Do any of them smell amazing?” Matthew asked mockingly.
“We’ll see, won’t we?”
Maybe. Maybe not. Matthew didn’t want to be drawn into Alexander’s web any more than he had to. The man couldn’t be trusted, and Matthew was nothing like him.
The death of that woman in Eagle Rock had not been his fault! And even if it was, it still didn’t explain all the other terrible things Alexander had done.
That you say Alexander has done. Where’s the proof?
Chapter 17
MATTHEW HAD A SPLITTING HEADACHE WHEN he left Alexander’s office that afternoon, but he didn’t take time out to rest. He’d already lost a day resting, and he had a sense that the best thing for him to do was to get out of this place as quickly as possible. Alexander was wearing him down, bit by bit. Already he had Matthew questioning his own judgment concerning the man’s motives and methods. And that in just two meetings.
I am not like him. I am not like him. I am not like him. Matthew repeated the words to himself over and over again like a mantra. He would never use blood magic. He would never kill to get his way. Yes, he used mind magic, but that was the most peaceful, the most civilized, and the most expeditious way to get things done.
Most of the time.
And on that note, it was time to confront Kaitlin once again, assuming she’d let him anywhere near her. She was at least as wary of him as he was of her now that she knew he could see into her mind. And she was hardly the first person to react that way. She was just the first person he hadn’t been able to make forget so he could retreat back into his isolated existence, listening but not participating.
Matthew intercepted Kaitlin on her way out of work, thinking it would be best to talk to her without her little boy present. He stood by the elevator when she emerged from the kitchen, watching her approach with her head hanging low, her shoulders slumped, and her eyes on the floor. She didn’t even see him until she was nearly within telepathic range. When she did see him, she jumped backward a step.
“What are you doing here?”
“Thought we should talk.”
“I disagree.” Kaitlin turned and started heading toward the other end of the hallway where the stairs were. Matthew quickly followed.
“Did Cassie tell you she called me?” Matthew asked.
Kaitlin stopped short, allowing Matthew to come within telepathic range. He had to fight from wincing the moment he did. She was, as his psychologist cousins would call it, a mess. It was a good thing he wasn’t an empath or he might be doubled over in agony right now. She was fully caught between fight and flight, not truly believing that either was a choice. Matthew felt a sudden and unexpected pang of something in the region of his chest, but he quickly reached for his slightly frayed control, squashing the feeling before it could root.
“What did she say?” Kaitlin asked.
“She told me to leave you alone.”
“Then why are you following me?” Stay out of my head. Out. Out. Out.
“Because she also asked me to do one more thing. Can we talk outside?”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea. Besides, for all you know the trees have ears just like the walls.” She thought of a Japanese man, Hideyuki, who had said the same thing yesterday. And confirmed her worst fears about Jay’s future. Matthew wanted to know more about that conversation, as he thought there might be something there he could use, but her mind flickered back to the present too quickly.
“I’ll take my chances.”
“Maybe I won’t.” She braced herself to resist him, and inside her mind she began humming a nursery rhyme. Matthew had to give her credit – the girl had backbone. But he’d already known that.
“Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,” Matthew said, echoing her thoughts. “But I think we both know he’s about to get burned.”
“I don’t know anything anymore,” Kaitlin said, and again her shoulders slumped. This time she thought of Janelle, her coworker, and the only person who had made overtures of friendship toward her. Apparently spending one evening with him had been enough to put an end to that. Matthew wanted to tell her that she deserved better friends, but now might not be the time.
“Five minutes,” Matthew said. “Please.”
“All right.” She squared her shoulders and walked ahead of him, still going for the stairs but this time going up as opposed to down. Matthew kept his distance, not wanting to scare her away, but he stayed within telepathic range in case she had any more interesting tidbits to share.
Does it even occur to you that my thoughts should be private? she wondered, clearly intending him to overhear. Do you ever think for a second that maybe you shouldn’t use your gift? There are things no one should know about someone else. Things... This time, the image of half a dozen men sifted through her mind, including Jason. She thought of him the longest, imagining him with the yellow eyes of the vampire and sharp fangs plunging into her neck. She heard the ghost of an awful demonic slurping sound before pushing the thought away.
Matthew didn’t respond until they were outside, well away from the compound. It was another hot afternoon in the high eighties, with humidity sending the heat index soaring far higher. It only took a minute for Matthew to need to push the hair from his forehead. Kaitlin didn’t notice the heat.
“I can’t turn it off,” Matthew blurted as they began meandering down a walking path that wound around the golf course.
“What?” Kaitlin asked.
Matthew couldn’t believe he was talking about this, knowing that he couldn’t erase these details from her mind later. Or maybe... maybe the other day had been a fluke. He didn’t really think so, but he had to try just one more time.
Drawing
in a deep breath and finding his quiet place (something he never normally did when casting mind control spells), he made one last attempt to wipe Kaitlin’s memory. He tried to erase the very last comment he had made, about not being able to turn off his gift.
Nothing. She continued to gaze at him expectantly.
“I can’t turn it off. I can’t imagine a brick wall or whatever it is you read about in science fiction books. ‘Reading’ is the wrong word entirely; it suggests that you can close your eyes and stop doing it. It’s much more like trying to close your ears to a loud noise.”
Kaitlin’s mouth was hanging open slightly. Why is he telling me this? Does he plan to make me forget later or something?
He wished. He had no idea why he was telling her these things except that he didn’t seem to have any other way to control her. He tried a few suggestions, both subtle and overt, while she stood there gaping. He ordered her to take a step backward, or look up, or take a deep breath, or any number of little things that wouldn’t go against any sort of basic mental program. She might have thought to do any of them anyway.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He could read her mind – a passive action – but that was it. If he wanted to change her mind in any way, he would have to talk fast. It wasn’t something he was used to. Even within his family, they were always trying to slip spells past one another’s defenses. It rarely worked, but they tried. His father often called it “keeping his boys on their toes.”
It worked. Matthew was always on his toes. And never more so than here with Kaitlin, who was looking at him with confusion but no less trepidation than she’d felt before.
Can you listen to everything in my head, or just what I’m thinking now?
“Only what you’re actively thinking.” He maintained his wary stance, waiting for her reaction.
That’s something, at least. If he’s telling the truth. How do I know if I can trust him?
He didn’t know how to answer that one. Normally he would work some kind of subtle suggestion that he was, after all, trustworthy. All his tools were gone right now.
“Cassie wants me to bring you home,” Matthew said, deciding to change the subject.
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