clothes dryer, letting out the floral fragrance of fabric softener. She pulled out my jeans, T-shirt, socks, and underwear, and dropped them all in my arms.
“Okay.”
“Are you sure Cody had been stabbed?”
I leaned my hip against the washer. “Yes. It wasn’t an Illusion, or a scratch that looked worse than it was. I know a bad puncture when I see one. And this one was sealed with magic.”
Nola leaned against the dryer and crossed her arms over her chest. “Did healing him have anything to do with the marks up your arm?”
I nodded.
“You don’t think you can do it again?”
“Nola,
“Impossible?”
“Improbable. To the extreme,” I added.
“So who can manipulate magic that way?”
I knew what she was getting at. “Nola, I am so not a Savant.”
“I don’t know about that, Allie. You did really good in school.”
“I flunked every course. The only reason they didn’t kick me out was because my dad owned half the building and staff, and I left before they got up the nerve to tell him I sucked.”
“I think you may not remember all the details of college.”
I scowled. “It’s been recently pointed out to me that my memory isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“And you often lose bits of your memory when you use magic, correct?”
“Yes.”
“But not every time?”
“No. And before you ask, I don’t know why. I don’t know why magic sometimes takes my memory and sometimes doesn’t.”
“Still, you remember healing Cody, even though you were manipulating far more magic than you usually do.”
“Nola, just say whatever you’re getting at.”
“Allie, you are a Savant whether you want to admit it or not. I know it, Zayvion knows it, I think your father knew it, which is why he wanted you to get so much schooling, and also why he wanted you involved in his business. You have the ability to use magic in amazing and powerful ways.”
“Like to kill my father?” I asked quietly.
Nola just looked at me. “Do you really think you could do that?”
“I don’t know,” I said in a small voice. “I’ve been really angry at him for a long time.”
“And you never killed him. Why would you do so now?”
I rubbed at my uncombed hair. “He put a hit on a little boy, Nola. A good kid who didn’t deserve to take the brunt of my dad’s business maneuverings. It was like the last, worst thing I could handle letting him get away with.”
“Do you really think you could have killed him?”
I thought about it. I’d been angry—furious. Magic never works when you are in a highly emotional state. I knew that was true of everyone, no matter their level of proficiency—no matter if they were dumb to it or a Savant. I’d gone to my dad to make him pay for his actions. But even then I knew Boy had gotten to a doctor and I was sure Mama would make a pretty penny suing my dad for all she could get. I wanted him to pay. I wanted him to stop using money and power as an excuse to do horrific things to people who did not deserve it. But I did not, deep down, want him to die.
“I haven’t told anyone this,” I said. “Cody said he knew who killed my dad. He said he was there when it happened.”
“Did he say you were there too?”
“I don’t think so. He was babbling, but he seemed pretty . . . adult about it. Which is strange, considering what we’re seeing in the kitchen.”
“You haven’t told Zayvion that Cody might have information?”
“No. I’m not sure how much I should trust him.” I could feel the hot prickle of a blush rise up my face. “I know. Last night I was stupid. But now . . .” I lowered my voice and leaned toward her. “What if Zay just wants to get in good with me because I’m about to inherit a lot of money, and one of the biggest power broker companies in the business of magic? He might even work for one of the corporations that have been after Dad’s patents for the Storm Rods for years.”
“Or,” Nola said, “maybe it’s as simple as what he told me. That he worked for your father, and realized he liked you too much to spy on you anymore.”
“He told you that?”
“When you first came, and he and I were getting Cody to bed.”
“And you think it’s the truth?”
Nola tipped her head to the side. “I’m not sure. He seemed sincere. I think we can safely assume he finds you attractive.” She paused while I blushed again. “But there’s something about him that gives me pause. I think you pegged it when you said he was insular.”
“And doesn’t that make you suspicious? He must have something to hide.”
Nola smiled. “My best friend is pretty insular, and I still think she’s a wonderful human being. Even if she does move too fast into relationships, and then panics when things get too serious.”
“Oh, that is so not what I’m doing right now.”
Nola chuckled. “Why do you think I wanted Jupe to stay in the room with you? I knew you’d do this. You are so predictable.”
And there it was, the down side to having a really good friend.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Anytime.” She patted my arm gently, and then stopped as if my arm were injured. “Are you sure you don’t need something for that?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt.” Which in itself was odd, but I didn’t want to think about it. “Nola, if it were you, would you trust Zayvion enough to tell him about what Cody said and go back into the city with him?”
“No,” she said. “But if I were you I would.”
“Because I’m crazy?”
“Because you always push away men at the first sign they might see that you’re vulnerable and use it against you. And you have rarely been right about that.”
“So you like him.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know him yet. But he drove you all the way out here. He knows how to do dishes. He’s certainly not hard on the eyes. What I think is, you like him. And you are too afraid to face that.”
I rubbed at my eyes with one hand. “No, I just don’t want to die because I fall for a pretty smile and a pair of strong shoulders.”
Nola gave me a doubtful look. “Is that all he is to you?”
“No,” I said quietly. “Listen, Nola. It’s different out here on the farm, far away from magic and what it does to people. Magic drives people to do things you can’t even imagine. The Proxy laws only came into effect a few years ago—before that anyone could inflict the pain and price of using magic on any random person they chose. People were dying so that a select few could have green yards, or get rid of wrinkles, or eat as much as they wanted and never gain weight. Regulations help, but even the best people can do horrible things when magic is involved.”
“Which means good people can do great things, too,” she said. “Good people like you, like me, and maybe even Zayvion.”
I shook my head. “You are such an optimist.”
“Yes, I am. And it isn’t a dirty word in my book. Go take a shower. Think about it. I’m going to talk to Zayvion about Cody.”
