scare that chick. She’d done it too damn many times.
But this threat shook her. Her hand in Zay’s was so tight I could see the bone of her knuckles. And her other hand was flat across her stomach as if just thinking about someone out to kill her and Zay made her sick.
It was . . . weird.
I frowned, caught Zay’s eyes. He gave me a blank stare.
No, that wouldn’t do at all.
I slid my gaze to Allie’s hand over her stomach, then right back at him.
Well, mate? What’s that all about?
Gold flashed in his eyes like paint hitting ink. Not a speck of brown left, only violent anger.
Holy shit. Z didn’t like me pointing this out to him. I wondered what the hell I was pointing out to him.
I gave him a sly I-know-what’s-going-on-here smile, even though I had no clue what had made him so angry.
He tipped his head down just enough to tell me, he knew I knew, and he’d talk to me about it later.
Good. It was going to be all kinds of fun to find out what he didn’t want me to know.
He lifted a finger and pointed at the stage.
Right, there were important people talking about important things.
I’d heard the only thing that really mattered—someone wanted me dead.
Big deal. The line started on the left.
Up onstage, Terric was wide-eyed and still, like a deer caught in rifle sights who’d just heard a stick snap. He was frozen, staring at me. I wasn’t sure if he was breathing.
Fuck. Of all the time for him to lose his composure.
I started toward the stage. No need for everyone to be staring at him like that.
“I am sorry, Mr. Flynn,” the Overseer was saying.
Hold on. I must have missed something.
“About what?” I asked, still moving toward Terric.
“About relieving you and Terric Conley of your position as Head of the Authority here in Portland.”
Chapter 4
“What?” I stopped, twisted on my heel so I could face the guy. I was still on the floor and he was up on the slightly raised stage. “You’re
“I am ending your position and will be reassigning a new Head of the Authority to speak for the magic users in Portland.”
My brain was running a beat behind my mouth. “Don’t bother. It should be Terric. He should be the Head of the Authority,” I said. “Just because I fuck up doesn’t mean he has to take the fall.”
“Mr. Flynn.” He somehow made my name sound like a venereal disease. “I have made my decision. You are
I was almost at the stage now. My brain had finally caught up with my mouth and run into anger on the way.
“Who’s that unlucky bastard?”
“If you shut your mouth,” he snapped, “I will announce his name.”
Bet if he could use magic like the old days I would have just earned myself a three-month crotch rash.
“Shame.” Terric waved his hand and pointed for me to come stand beside him.
Oh, God no. If Terric had his wits back, then I was not needed up there. I hated smiling and making nice. Especially in front of a crowd.
The Overseer stowed his sneer beneath his mustache and addressed the room. “It is my great pleasure to announce to you the new Head of the Authority in Portland: Clyde Turner. Mr. Turner, please come up to the microphone.”
Now I didn’t have to make nice. I happened to like Clyde, poor sod.
Clyde was a regular kind of guy who looked like he belonged in a beer commercial. Didn’t get in anyone’s business and made it clear that people could stay out of his. He was currently the Voice, or representative, of Blood magic here in town—a position my mum had abandoned after the world almost ended.
The crowd got it right this time and clapped while he walked from the side of the room to the stage. He was wearing the same combination that he always wore: baseball cap on backward, flannel shirt over a team jersey —Giants. He shook hands with the Overseer, then stuck his fingers in his jean pockets while he leaned forward toward the microphone.
“Thank you for your applause. But I’d like us all to take a moment to show some appreciation for Terric Conley and all the hard work he’s done for this city over the last three years.”
Terric smiled and did the hand wave thing again to get me up on the stage. I really didn’t think he’d want me up there stealing his sunshine, but hey, who am I to argue?
I walked up the stairs nearest Terric. The applause faltered as I crossed the stage, and was completely silent when I stood next to him.
But now that I was this near, I could see the tension bleed out of him just a fraction. Yeah, the tie between us worked that way for him too. Some things were easier for him when I was around. Still, the majority of things, important things like living, were harder.
He was really wound up over this firing thing. Probably worried it would look bad on his resume.
“...and Shamus Flynn did his part too,” Clyde finished.
Faint praise, and true. But he didn’t mean it to sound derogatory, and I didn’t take it that way. When Clyde had a problem with me, he let me know. No bullshit from that guy.
“I will do everything in my power to listen to the concerns of the magical community here in Portland and make sure magic is running smoothly and working efficiently with the nonmagical businesses and communities in the Northwest.
“Now”—he glanced over his shoulder at the Overseer—“is there more that needs to be discussed on the stage, or should we open this up to a full conversation?”
Mr. Moretti strolled over to the microphone. “There is just one last thing. Please, each of you who are a Soul Complement, ask me any questions you have. I will need to know by tomorrow morning what your decisions are: to stay, to retreat. Remember we have places in all the world where you can hide.
“I will hold a second meeting with the Voices tomorrow afternoon, and tomorrow evening we will have a plan in place to accommodate the needs and safety of Soul Complements. Please make your decisions swiftly and carefully.”
Decent of him. Didn’t think it was going to help much. Unless the Authority had a hell of a lot more guns and technology than I knew about—which I didn’t imagine they did seeing as how they’d spent hundreds of years relying on magic to take care of their problems—then it was just a matter of time before the government outpowered whatever the common magic users were doing to try to help the Soul Comps.
Cue the conversation. The rise of voices stroked across my senses and rattled my hunger loose. Sure, Terric’s magic had helped push the need to feed away a bit, but this many people in one place, especially all worked up with heartbeats elevated, triggered my need to drink them down. The whole rich, alive stew of them.
But if I started feeding, I’d wipe out the room, then wipe out every living thing in the building and probably a block radius.
I stuck my right hand in my jacket and ran my thumb over the Void stone rings, rubbing them together when what I really wanted was to tear something, anything, apart. Breaking things kept my mind off the need to feed.
Terric’s hand landed on my shoulder and I shivered at the rush that shot down my spine and clenched my gut. Life magic right there inside him, easy for the picking.
Jesus.
