The Better Part of Darkness

don’t want anyone to recognize me. Something small should do, change of hair color, that sort of thing.”

“Sure. A batch just came in at the shop. Hold on a sec and I’ll get you one.”

The CPP political rally had decided to use the momentum of my case to garner more media attention. Not exactly what I needed if I was to avoid the jinn and sneak into the rally and try to confront Otorius and Mynogan. Finding the source of the ash was priority number one, and the only lead I had was the CPP.

After I parked the Mustang, I opened the foil package Bryn had given me and placed the small, paper-thin blue wafer onto my tongue. It dissolved instantly, making my eyes burn for a few seconds as an energetic tingle swept through my limbs to my fingertips and toes. Some of the residue hit the back of my throat, making me gag on a taste similar to Nyquil mixed with oregano.

As the party trick worked its magic, I gathered Bryn’s big black purse, with my firearms inside, checked the side mirror, and then walked my new blonde-headed, green-eyed self across the parking lot, heels clicking against concrete with quick, no-nonsense steps. For forty-nine bucks you, too, could change your look for an hour or two. Small price to pay for some. Thank God, glamour spells were short-lived, or law enforcement would have one hell of a problem identifying suspects and criminals.

My heart kept a steady beat against my rib cage as I moved toward the large crowd that had gathered in the outdoor venue of Centennial Plaza. A line of limos was parked nearby. The crowd was a mix of humans, jinn, goblins, imps, fae, and the occasional being from Elysia. Reporters from CNN, WSB-TV, 11ALIVE, FOX 5, and every other major news station in Atlanta were there. Maybe I should’ve brought along a pad and pen. Television cameras were set on either side of the stage as well as individual handhelds carried around by TV crews.

The black outfit soaked up the late morning sun. By the time I weaved my way through the crowd to get a front-row view of the stage, sweat beaded my brow and lower back.

The first speaker stepped onto the stage. The crowd jostled me forward. Otorius. For thirty minutes, I listened to him spout filth about the department and me in particular. It took everything I had not to vault onto the stage and arrest him simply for being an asshole.

The crowd added to the heat in the plaza, making me remove the cardigan and drape it over my arm. Maybe black wasn’t the best choice. I wasn’t Charbydon like many of those around me, in their jackets and coats. It made me hot just looking at them.

My sense of smell was unusually strong today. The races of Charbydon and Elysia had very distinct aromas, but they were normally only detectable up close and very personal. I guessed it was the crowd and the heat, but the unmistakable odor of tar covered me in a fine film.

The droning on and on of one distinguished member after another added layers of agitation and impatience. Several times I spied jinn bodyguards scanning the crowd in their jackets and dark glasses, hands behind their backs. But, so far, thanks to Bryn, not one had given me a second glance.

And then I noticed Cassius Mott standing on the edge of the stage, behind the blue curtain, talking to Otorius like they were old friends. His blasé attitude and cheesy grins made my blood boil. His kid was in the hospital and here he was hobnobbing with the CPP of all people? After years in law enforcement, it wasn’t that difficult to identify a drug user. And Cass had money and access and years of possession charges swept under the rug thanks to his brother’s close association with the ITF. But the fact that he was here, now, was a major red flag. The guy didn’t meddle in politics. I doubted he even knew the name of our governor.

More importantly, Cass had the resources to manufacture and/or distribute a new drug. Another suspect added to my mental list.

Finally Mynogan stepped onto the temporary stage, drawing my gaze away from Cass. The crowd cheered and surged forward, pinning me against the barrier around the stage and only a few feet away from a jinn bodyguard. I gave him a geeky smile, shoved the sunglasses back up my nose with my middle finger, and assumed a rather pinched, proper look, keeping my lips thin and cheeks sucked in as I pretended to be engrossed in the speaker.

“Welcome, citizens of Atlanta!” More cheers. “Thank you for coming today. And thank you for coming together, for bringing a sense of community to all races and beliefs. We are all one, and our voice is one …”

Blah, blah, blah …Yeah, right. Charbydon nobles were as stuck-up and prejudiced as the Adonai. What the hell was he up to? He obviously supported the CPP, was no doubt a registered member by now. He spoke like a politician, looked like a politician, had the resources of a politician …

Oh, hell.

The setup was all right there, right in front of my face. He was going to run for office. Just what this city needed—another pompous ass with his own agenda.

As I listened to him speak, hundreds of spidery footsteps crept up my spine. This guy was connected to me in a way that was tearing me apart from the inside out, and damned if I could figure out why. I analyzed him, noting his sharp black suit, his haughty carriage and mannerisms, yet nothing gave me answers. He’d gone without a coat, which I thought was strange, but perhaps nobles were more tolerant of the “cold” of the southern fall season. All I could get from him were super-bad vibes and a queasy stomach.

Images of my nightmare flashed again; him smoothing back the blood-soaked hair from my white face.

I slowed my pulse and regulated my breathing. Several minutes passed.

Over and over, I reminded myself that he had no power over me, unless I allowed it. But I couldn’t seem to deliberately control the images and the turmoil inside my head the way I wanted. The only thing I could do was cover them with something else. So I changed my focus, remembering the conversation I’d had with Titus Mott. I felt like an idiot, but what the hell? If I truly had psychic abilities, then this was the perfect place for a test drive.

I tried to sense the different energies around me, carefully reaching out, attempting to separate and pinpoint individual signatures. The dark sunglasses allowed me to study my neighbors openly.

Nothing happened.

I was too distracted, noticing every detail of each person I examined and making up wild backgrounds and MOs for them. Definitely not working. So, I tried closing my eyes and releasing the tension of Mynogan’s presence.

Focus.

I opened my mind and envisioned a cool, calming breeze to carry away all the negativity.

Yes, that feels so much better.

Immediately, a friendly energy pricked my consciousness, an aura in my mind that was green and confident in its power. Instinct kicked in and straightaway I thought: mage. I peeked and found the owner of that aura, a human, in the crowd and saw with open eyes the vibrant colors of green surrounding her. An energetic high swept through me. The next one was jinn. Red. Hot. Filled with irritation and ego. I scanned more of the crowd: another jinn, a goblin, and a Charbydon noble whose aura was a deep, dark purple, full of intelligence, cunning, and a good-sized helping of self-worth.

Mott had been right. But somehow I’d known. I’d known all along. The super strength and the ability to heal had been a big shock, but this ability, to sense the auras of others in my mind and then to visualize them—I realized I’d had it for a while, just never allowed it to blossom, never intentionally tried to use it. I had always just called it instinct.

My gaze drifted back to Mynogan. Goose bumps sprouted on my arms and thighs. His aura I didn’t need or want to see. I had a good idea it was blacker and hotter than newly poured asphalt.

He neared the end of his speech, so I backed away slowly, slipping in between bodies, bumping shoulders and murmuring apologies as I went. My senses were on overdrive. Body odors. Brief flashes of auras. They compounded, building onto one another until I felt as though I was suffocating under a mound of off-world bodies.

Lungs straining, I managed to break free of the crowd near the curb.

Dear God! I leaned forward, gasping. But just for a moment. My glamour time was almost up, and I couldn’t afford to attract attention.

I wasn’t sure what my plan was exactly, only that I needed to get to Mynogan. And I’d figured my opportunity would present itself at some point. When it did, I only had a few seconds to make up my mind. The speech ended with a roar.

The bodyguards simultaneously turned their attention to the stage, but that would only last for a second.