“I get it. All on me because I started firing magic at the first one and it locked onto my signature. Thanks for the reminder. Now I’m trying to fix it. If the Crown’s asshole loyalists don’t give a shit about keeping these attacks in magicals-only areas, we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
A slow smile spread across Corian’s face. “You’re starting to sound like you know what you’re talking about.”
“Seriously?”
“Oh, shut up.” Maleshi rolled her eyes. “We’re already behind you on that one, kid. You don’t have to convince us of anything, but it’s good to hear you’re ready to go all-in and give this another shot.”
“To be clear, ‘all-in’ for me means going to his apartment and talking. Got it? Seeing a couple of nightstalkers in his living room might paint a different picture for the guy, but I’m serious about giving him another chance to fix his own mistake. You don’t have to be best friends with the guy, but let’s at least try to play nice until we know for sure he’s not jerking us around.”
Corian spread his arms and dipped his head. “I have no problem with that plan.”
“Good.” Cheyenne pointed at Maleshi. “I’m talkin’ to you too, General. No slitting throats.”
Maleshi said, “I’m happy to let you call the shots, kid. Mind telling us why this human writing O’gúl-tech programs is worth the trouble of playing nice?”
“I don’t need a reason, and he technically hasn’t done anything wrong, not as far as I can tell.”
The nightstalkers glanced at each other in surprise, then Corian stepped aside to conjure a portal.
“What’s that about?”
Maleshi grinned at the halfling. “What?”
Cheyenne wagged her finger between the general and L’zar’s righthand magical. “That secret little look.”
“Like I said, Cheyenne. It’s good to see you taking a stand and leading with what you think is the right decision to make.”
“It is the right decision.”
“No one’s arguing with you there.”
Cheyenne looked the woman over, then shrugged. “Okay, then.”
Corian’s portal opened in front of them, and the trio quickly stepped through it into the center of Cheyenne’s living room.
Ember yelped in surprise when she turned away from the kitchen island and saw them appear from thin air. “Stop doing that.”
“Sorry, Em. Kind of a time-sensitive thing.”
“No kidding.” Ember set her glass down on the island and wheeled toward them. “Are you okay? I heard about the earthquake on campus. It’s all over the news. They’re saying nobody got hurt, which is great, but the whole thing sounds weird, the way they’re talking about it. I didn’t wanna call you in case you were, you know, busy dealing with something other than an earthquake, which is a lot more likely, now that I think about it.”
The fae girl paused, rolling slowly to a stop on the hardwood floor and staring at the three magicals standing quietly in her living room.
“What? What happened?”
“It wasn’t an earthquake.”
Ember’s large violet eyes widened. “Then what was it?”
“New portal ridge popping up the same time as two digger machines came at me. Right there on the lawn for everyone to see.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Violet light flashed around Ember’s body, and she sucked a deep breath through her teeth. “That asshole gave us the wrong name just to save his stupid business, and those loyalist bastards got one more chance to do even more damage. That’s it. We need to go back over there right now.”
“Yeah, that was already the plan, Em.”
“I’m gonna rip him a new one. Let’s go.”
Maleshi pressed her lips together to hide a smile and Corian cleared his throat, sending Cheyenne a curious glance. “Honestly, I have to say I’m surprised the two of you don’t share the same elevated opinion of taking it easy on this Matthew Thomas person.”
“She’s a little upset.”
“I’m not upset, Cheyenne. I’m pissed.” Ember slapped the armrests of her chair. “And screw being polite this time. You guys can just port us into his living room, right?”
“His living room?” Maleshi propped one elbow on the opposite arm around her waist and tapped two fingers on her lips. “I feel like we’re missing something.”
“Yeah, that’s probably the part about Matthew being our neighbor across the hall.” Cheyenne glanced sidelong at Ember, who seethed in her chair, glaring at the couch. “And that he has a thing for Ember.”
“I don’t give a shit about whatever else he has except for the information we need to get rid of these damn machines digging tunnels under Richmond.” Ember’s gaze whisked toward the nightstalkers. “So let’s go. Open a portal. Then I’m gonna let him have it.”
Corian dipped his head and got to work conjuring their direct doorway into Matthew Thomas’ apartment.
Maleshi leaned toward Cheyenne. “When she says, ‘Let him have it?’”
“I have no idea what that means.” The halfling shook her head. “This is a first.”
“I like your fae friend, kid.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Stop complimenting me,” Ember muttered, shooting them both a brief glance before turning a fiery glare upon the dark light of the portal opening in front of them. “I’m trying to stay angry.”
“Oh.” Maleshi chuckled. “Well, if she has to try, I’m not worried about it.”
Cheyenne shrugged and stared at the portal. “She did close the portal straight from Ambar’ogúl.”
“Yes. There is that.”
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Ember wheeled into the portal with a quick, furious shove. The violet light illuminating her hands and the wheelchair gave her an added boost of speed before she navigated around Matthew Thomas’ loveseat with a drow-magic burn hole in the upholstery. “Matthew!”
A thump, the clatter of falling dishes, and the resulting shatter of glass across the floor came from the kitchen.
“What the hell?” He stormed around the wall from the rest of his apartment and stopped. “Ember. Jesus, what is that?” Matthew staggered back when he saw the dark oval portal hovering in midair inside his front door.
Corian and Maleshi walked through next, both having done away with their illusion charms to meet the owner of ThomasSafe
