My senses picked up the pixies’ hard at work. They paused long enough to send me a little magic, acknowledging what I was doing. They always enjoyed when I did it. One of them explained it to me as feeling like they took a shot of espresso, sending them into a craze of determination to work harder. I helped them feel proud of their work. At least they didn’t claim that I was assaulting them.
“What are you doing?” a deep voice broke my thoughts. I opened my eyes to meet nearly black eyes watching me with suspicion and curiosity.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Lombardi,” I said, smiling, unable to keep it from turning goofy. I was on a slight high, my senses still at their peak. I could smell the fresh soap he’d used, but underneath that, the burning depths of hell. You’d think the smell would be disgusting, like sulfur or something, but it wasn’t. He smelled comforting, a warm blanket just out of the dryer, with a hint of firewood. Like he could burn me if he wanted, but he wouldn’t because that wasn’t who he was.
Mr. Lombardi was many things, but never cruel—despite his history. As a man full of honor, he stood up against the corrupt. Just for the few months I’d worked here, rumors about him had kept entertainment high. Powerful men had come to him, and despite the amount of money they’d tried to throw at him, he’d turned them away, sensing the wrongness in them, the corruption, the pain they had cause. They’d tried to threaten to destroy him, but he’d just bared his teeth and sent them running. Part of Lombardi’s mission for BMS was to do good, not protect the criminals. There were more than enough security companies out there willing to do just that.
I could admit I had a bit of a crush on the Black Dog. Was hard not to, considering everything he’d done for his employees.
“Dr. Porter?” Lombardi’s head tilted to the side in a cute manner.
A smile fought to erupt as I replied, “Just resting up. I wanted to come talk to you so it’s a good thing you’re stalking me.”
He ignored my teasing. “About?”
“My plans.” Excitement boiled in my veins, and I broke out in a grin, flashing teeth. This challenge was getting my blood flowing, and I couldn’t wait to implement all my plans.
“Let’s take a walk,” he said and motioned for me to go with him deeper into the gardens. I walked in the direction he wanted, and he kept pace with me, his stride matching mine perfectly despite his long legs. “What have you come up with?”
“I’m claiming a few rooms from you,” I said. He didn’t say anything, and I continued. “I’ll have them completely sealed off and that’s where the baddies will go when they spring one of my traps.”
“You have a way to transport them there?” he asked, now cocking an eyebrow and looking curious.
I smirked. “Almost done. Should have it completed by the end of the week.”
He nodded.
“Rhett escorted me around the premise so I could take a look at your security and what you currently have. I have to say, it isn’t half bad. I’ll build on top of what you have now and perfect everything. You have some holes that need plugging.”
“Oh, like what?” he asked. He didn’t sound offended or mad, just challenging.
“Your system for allowing people to get inside needs some tweaking. Yes, the wards read the auras of each person who steps through, but I’m going to expand its capabilities to also read a being’s energy marker. Everyone has energy to some degree, including humans, even if it’s just a drop. The ward will pick up on that.”
“How long will that take you? Remember, he’s coming to visit soon. You don’t have months to get everything right.”
“I’ll have it implemented and ready to go live by the end of next week with another week to tweak it. It’ll be ready in time. Anyone who comes with bad intentions won’t even be able to step foot on the premises and I’m sure the guards will take great pleasure in getting rid of them.”
“You’ll have to do more than that to make sure Shanton stays safe. He’s going to have some very dangerously strong opponents who want to stop him from making a deal with me.”
“I know, and that’s where my traps will come in handy. I’ve already found some places to put them. Those strong enough to break in will have to make it through the different levels I’ll have set up. I’m assuming he’s staying in the suite on the fifth floor?”
Lombardi nodded.
“I’ll need access to those rooms to put up a couple surprises, and I’ll talk with the security detail the day of his arrival so they know not to trip any of them.”
“Done.”
“Good.” I grinned. The more I talked about everything, the more excited I became. I knew there was a reason I turned down all those university offers. This place was going to challenge me on all different levels.
I needed that.
“Can I borrow a couple meatheads to help me until Shanton shows up?”
Lombardi nodded. “I’ll give you Elliot and Venni. Rhett will help when he isn’t busy.”
I waved my hand. “Don’t bother with Rhett, he’s busy. Give me that guy, the one with orange eyes.”
“You want to work with Alijah?” he asked, surprised. Alijah was a loner tiger shifter who spent his time on solo assignments. He was currently in between missions but was usually busy since he liked the longer ones. He did a lot of undercover work in the seedier parts of the city. If he was free, I wanted his expertise.
I nodded. “He won’t mind. He likes challenges just as much as I do.”
Lombardi looked thoughtful. As he contemplated my request, I checked out a flower with long petals, the edges red with the middle white. The very middle was fragrant, the sweetness tickling my nose. Long thin strands stuck out as if asking to be touched. I reached out and tapped those strands and the flower snapped closed, trying to take my finger with it. A trap.
Nice.
“Okay,” Lombardi finally responded. “You can have him until his next mission.”
I straightened from the dangerous flower and smiled at Lombardi. “Thank you. I’m going to head back and get to work. The next couple of weeks are going to be busy. Can you tell those three to meet me Monday morning, bright and early? I’ll be ready to start setting up then.”
When I turned to leave, Lombardi reached out and grabbed my shoulder. His hand was hot to the touch but gentle. The heat thrumming underneath his skin shot through me and I nearly jumped away. It wasn’t anything painful, just different and surprising. I didn’t expect his touch to feel like that. It was nice, almost as comforting as his scent.
“The break-in.”
I shook my head, stopping him. “I don’t want help. I want to do this on my own.”
“That may be so, but I can’t just stand by and let someone think they can break into my labs without punishment.”
“And they won’t be thinking about that after I find them,” I said, my expression hardening. This wasn’t something I was going to just pass off on someone else. Maybe I was being silly wanting to find the person myself, but I couldn’t find a way to explain why it was important to me, not without giving away secrets I wasn’t ready share. I wasn’t one to talk about my emotions, but for them to understand, I would have to do that. I would have to be vulnerable.
I didn’t do vulnerable.
“It’s my job to help,” he said, expression softening, as if sensing he was hitting a sore spot with me.
“No, not for this. They came into my private area without my permission, without my knowledge, and I’m not about to let them get away with that. That lab is my space, it’s where I can go and be me and not give a fuck about what those around me think. I can do magic without restraint. I’m not about to let some snoop take that away from me. Don’t worry, Mr. Lombardi. I’ll find the person. And I’ll punish them.”
He watched me, understanding flickering in his eyes. I winced, not liking that look. I didn’t want him to understand anything.
“So be it, Laila. Find them and punish them as you see fit. I trust you to make the r
ight decisions. However, I won’t tolerate this breach of security so if you don’t handle it soon, I will.” With that, he turned and walked away, his stride nearly double what it was when he walked with me. Within moments, he’d walked up the stairs and into the back door of the building.
I blew out a breath before heading inside. I tilted my head to look at the cloudless sky, the sun warming my face.
Everything would be okay. I would find the person, and I would make them regret coming into my lab without my permission. Only certain people had access to my lab, but they weren’t lurkers. I trusted them to be there because they were there for me, supporting me as the new labbie surrounded by those who wanted to best me, to push me down just because I was nineteen.
Davies might’ve liked to sneak into my lab to take my things, but he always tested them out for me, and I could always get a report out of him. And he always admitted to taking my toys, even though I already knew.
Ami had access because she was quickly becoming a dear friend of mine, and I needed someone to come down and drag me out when I holed myself in my lab, overworking myself.
And my wards told me every time they came in. They were respectful of my space and usually came by when I was there.
Instead of going down to B7, I wandered around B6 for a bit, noting the different magical scents coming out of the rooms. None of them matched whoever had gotten into my lab.
I released a sigh and headed back in. I would find them eventually. And then I’d make them talk.
Chapter 7
The humming grew louder as it surrounded my burning body. Every cell screamed for release as currents of magic thrummed through me. My fingers twitched, ready to weave magic.
Not yet. I needed to do it at just the right moment.
My right arm jerked, muscles tightening and loosening with each pulse of magic. My body grew uncomfortable. Not painful, but too full. Sweat formed on my skin as I drew in every morsel of magic I could feel. Everything around me brimmed with it, just waiting to be tapped into. Lombardi was smart when he built the company, putting it right on a strong ley line, allowing us to tap into the unlimited resource now at our fingertips.
Both my arms jerked, and I lifted them up. My limbs were heavy as the magic sloshed inside, but I forced my hands to the tabletop to hover over the small devices that were going to act as the transporters. I opened my eyes, able to see the lavender particles in my hands. My magic.
Now, I needed to weave, to create, to take apart and put together, and to infuse with intention. The magic would listen to me. I would make it.
This was something I knew how to do. This was what I was best at and most comfortable manipulating. Magic and I had a long history together, like old childhood friends who grew old together and sat on a porch swing reminiscing. We worked together well and I knew now wasn’t going to be any different.
When the magic was at its fullest in the palms of my hands, my limbs twitching at the weight of the concentration at my fingertips, I hovered them over the dozen devices before me. I pictured what I wanted in my head, my intentions clear. I wanted them to wrap around their target, covering them from head to toe, but still able to breathe. To make them incapable of moving. Then I wanted the magic to move, to teleport to a specific spot, to their corresponding circles soon to be created. Anyone who sprung the trap would be captured.
The magic reached for the devices in lavender wisps, ready to greet their new homes, excited to do as they were bid. Their excitement fueled my own, and I grinned.
Then a loud bang startled me and broke my concentration.
The wisps that were reaching out dissipated instantly. I grunted as pain needled its way into my hand and shot through my arms. I stumbled backward, still hearing the obnoxious pounding against my door. My back smacked into the counter behind me, and pain blossomed against my back as I fell to the ground. The dimmed industrial lights became my focus as I tried to regain the power to breathe. The lights flickered, as if sensing my attention.
The magic swirled inside of me, upset with being taken away from their new home, unhappy with not having a chance to complete their mission. I moaned and curled into my side, trying to get a handle on it. My skin felt like it was being stretched out as the magic became erratic. My blood pounded against my veins. The ground shook momentarily and the pounding on the door paused for a few seconds before picking back up.
Breathe. I needed to just breathe. My lungs constricted and I forced air in, eyes watering as my chest burned. I repeated the process, calming my body, calming the magic, forcing myself still.
“I know you’re in there!” a muffled voice yelled through the door.
I closed my eyes, trying my best not to imagine their head exploding. I took the time I needed to feel like my own person again. After interrupting me, they could damn well wait.
When the magic calmed enough, I forced myself to sit up, my muscles groaning in resistance. The moment my hands touched the ground, hot pain pulsed against the palms. I hissed and glanced down at them. They were red and raw, like a bad burn. My fingers twitched in agitation and layers of skin were peeling off.
I glared at the door, gathering all my anger to push back the pain. I used my elbows to help get myself back up to my feet. The room spun a little, but I forced it still with pure determination.
I was ready to destroy the idiot outside my door.
Another round of pounding began, and my lip twitched with fury. The ground shook in response again, but I knew the building could handle it. It had been spelled to absorb earthquakes since they happened a couple times a year.
I stalked over to the door and slammed my elbow onto a button at the side of the door. My eyes were hard, burning with wrath as I met wide hazel eyes. I took in the fine boned features of the elf before me. The slightly curved ears, the pale, nearly white skin. The long, straight black hair falling down the middle of her back.
I kept my hands tucked behind my back, my fingers itching to scratch out her eyes.
“Jewell Millia,” I said, my voice cold. She flinched, but her eyes hardened with determination. “What are you doing here?” I continued. “Why are you pounding on my door while the light is on?” I pointed at the light above my door, the one that warned everyone to not to disturb because heavy magic was going on. I could report her for disrupting me. Everyone, even the meatheads, knew the rules. People died if they were doing heavy magic and got disrupted.
She could have killed me. She was lucky I got away with only burns that I needed to get treated right away.
“You look fine to me,” she said, her eyes flickering over me. I had to work to keep my expression neutral because I wanted to give her a taste of what I was feeling. But I didn’t know her, and years growing up in foster homes taught me not to show weakness. I wouldn’t let her know how much she had hurt me.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I saw you skulking around B4 earlier today,” she accused.
“So?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Someone was in my lab. Some of my notes are missing. I’ve already reported you.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Reported me? Why? Because you happened to have seen me on the floor?”
“I want my notes back.” She glared.
“And I want you to leave me in peace. I don’t give a shit about your projects. If you haven’t noticed, I keep myself plenty busy. My lab was broken into too and Mr. Lombardi is already aware of the issue. He’s leaving it up to me to handle.”
“I don’t believe you. He wouldn’t leave this up to you to handle.”
I snorted. “Crawl out of hole sometime, you might be surprised with what you discover.”
Her lip curled up in disgust and then she let out a huff of breath and stalked toward the elevator. I kept my eyes on her as she waited for the elevator and then got on, disappearing from my sight.
I slipped into my lab, trying to ignore the mess made from the disruption. I wanted to clean up and put every
thing in the right place, but I needed to get healed first if I didn’t want to risk scarring.
I grabbed what I needed and then headed out, making sure to triple check that my lab was locked before going to the elevator. I went right to the second floor and the doors opened into a space that looked like a hospital, white floors, white walls, bright fluorescent lights, and very sterile.
I went down the hall and headed toward an office, searching for someone to help me. A young girl stepped out and froze when she spotted me. She had curly brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, strands escaping its hold. Her big brown eyes blinked as she looked at me with surprise. She had to be no more than sixteen, but the scrubs told me she was a nurse.
I smiled at her. “Hi, I need some assistance,” I said, keeping my voice calm. She looked like she wanted to panic. I held up my arms so she could see the damage on my hands. Her mouth popped open but then she closed it and turned around, nearly running down the hall.
I guessed I needed to follow her.
She disappeared around a corner, so I headed that way and nearly collided with a man.
“Whoa,” he said, his arms landing on my shoulders to steady me. “Okay there?”
I nodded. “Thanks,” I said and looked up at a middle-aged man with gray eyes.
“Manda told me you needed some help?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
I nodded and held up my hands. “Yeah, my hands are burned.”
He let out a low whistle. “Looks like you were playing with some heavy magic.”
“And got interrupted.” I frowned, Jewell’s accusations running around in my head. Someone had a serious death wish, breaking into labs.
“I see. Come on, I’ll take you to a room. When harmed with magic, healing is a little trickier, but I think we can manage and your hands will be like they should.” When he talked, I spotted the pointy teeth and grinned.
“A vampire doctor. That’s new,” I said.
He chuckled. “I’ve had a long time to practice,” he said, and I nodded, understanding. He would need tight control on his cravings to be able to handle blood and gore on a daily basis. A lot of hospitals didn’t let vampires work as doctors because of the risk of blood craze. Blood crazed vampires were very dangerous and no one wanted to take that risk, especially at a hospital.
Magical Intentions Page 6