Stacy frowned as she studied the intricate designs on the cuffs. "Why would they want something like that so badly? They are beautiful, and probably culturally significant, but they're not Native so why would it matter?"
Doc hesitated, wondering how far he should go, then shrugged. Maybe this would help, maybe it would be the nail in the coffin. Maybe it wouldn't end up mattering. If they did free Ash the Andersons were going to completely lose their shit anyway.
He held out his hand and formed a small ball of energy over his hand. The lights danced dark blue and lavender as he was using both Sofia's and Nikolai's magic at the moment.
"They were my mother's. They store a small amount of magic, so, no, I'm not a mage, but I can do a little magic."
Both Stacy and Frank's jaws dropped. Maybe the demonstration had been too much?
"These very rich, but nameless complainers, happen to be a family of actual mages. They want my little heirloom for their collection." He pulled the magic back into the cuffs. "Unfortunately for them, I think its power is tied to my bloodlines anyway. No one else has been able to get them to work. And I'm not willing to give them up."
They were completely derailed with his little demonstration and his counter accusation.
"If they're mages..."
"They're too powerful. Don't go after them, don't even think about it. Leave them alone and eventually things will settle out." Doc knew events had moved too far for that tactic to work, but there was no point in dragging the college into their little war.
"They want you gone."
Doc nodded. "Clearly." He thought quickly. What could he offer them that might make it easier on everyone? He liked his job here, but he didn't strictly have to have it. On the other hand, he didn't want to give up anything to the Andersons that he didn't have to. They'd already taken enough. "What about this, the semester is almost over—no sense in disrupting classes—I'll take a leave of absence next semester, and if things haven't worked themselves out by then, we can reopen this conversation." Doc backed his suggestion with the barest hint of vampiric power. They didn't really want to let him go, or they would have simply fired him. A quiet nudge would be completely undetectable, even by magical means. He'd discovered that in the past.
He knew everything would be settled by the spring, probably even before the end of the year. No one was going to let this conflict drag out any longer than they had to. The longer the Andersons were on the loose, the longer they had to mess things up for Ed, Allan, and Sofia, or cause Nikolai to do something everyone would regret. Doc suspected the Russian had the potential to be very destructive if pushed far enough, and right now he probably wasn't to far from the edge of outright and very visible conflict.
"Roy, you must understand we have to do what is best for the college," Frank said.
Doc nodded.
"Frank, I think Roy's suggestion is a good one. It leaves us the most options," Stacy said.
"Very well, Roy. Enjoy your semester off. We'll get you the paperwork to sign for your leave. If you have any questions about how it affects your benefits or anything, please let us know."
Doc waved his hand dismissively. He didn't care. It probably would affect Ed and Allan's tuition, but that really wasn't an issue, either. There were far more immediate things for him to worry about.
Both of them shot another glance at the magical cuffs before taking their leave.
Once his office door was shut, Doc collapsed into his chair and stared at the ceiling.
"Fuck."
The Andersons really had to go.
Chapter 6
Sofia
Though I had hoped to see Ash at class, I wasn't completely surprised that he wasn't present. The depth of my disappointment surprised me, despite knowing he probably wouldn't be there. We would have nabbed him right away, and I wanted to see him. The demon was probably the only thing keeping the Andersons safe right now. While he'd come after us before, under their direction, he hadn't had any real ambition behind the attacks.
I suspected that if the Andersons unleashed him on us now, he'd have some pretty clear and lethal instructions. I sort of wondered why they hadn't gone that route yet. Maybe they still weren't sure they could defeat us, even with Ash?
I suspected, with as closely as Nikolai and I were able to meld our powers, and as much knowledge as the demon had left me, we could stand against Ash. It wouldn't be easy, but we could hold him off. That left Doc, Ed and Allan to handle however many mages they had left and whatever else they wanted to throw at us. It probably would be a pretty tough fight. A big confrontation would get a lot of attention from the authorities, too.
Attention. That thought sparked another idea...what if we could get some attention. Maybe that's what we needed. We needed people to notice the Andersons. The right people. I'd talk to Victoria next time we were alone. Maybe her contacts could help. Had things gone far enough that it was worth the risk?
I didn't know. I'd have to bring the guys in on this conversation.
Doc looked preoccupied when I came into class, though his expression lightened when he saw me.
I tilted my head and he shook his. He could tell me later.
He led class without his usual enthusiasm, though the topic was still interesting and once everyone had filed out, I lingered. I didn't suspect people would think much of it, since I doubted I'd done so for the several months when the demon was in control. No one gave me any looks like they thought I was trying to get too much attention from the teacher. Or maybe I was just being extra sensitive.
"So, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Let's talk after
