Corian looked away from the window and stared at the rearview mirror, waiting for her to meet his gaze. “Were there more?”
“Yep.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out the short-circuited spy-fly, and handed it to him over her shoulder. “That one found me in my classroom today.”
“Another one?” Ember turned to peer at the tiny black metal shell of the bug-shaped machine in Corian’s palm.
“So apparently, whoever’s sending these things now knows exactly where to look. We can’t let more of those things fly onto the campus and sit in on my class.”
“Your class.”
“Didn’t I tell you I’m teaching now?”
Corian stared at the fly-machine and cocked his head. “Doesn’t surprise me.”
“Did your students see it?” Ember turned back around and stared through the windshield.
“I don’t think so. They definitely didn’t see me shoot it off the wall.”
Corian glanced up at the rear-view mirror and chuckled. “How’d you pull that off?”
“Told them to close their eyes and meditate on what they wanted to do at the end of the semester.” With a snort, Cheyenne shook her head and looked briefly at his reflection. “Only took me two seconds to hit that thing and stick it in my pocket.”
“Unconventional distraction.” Corian licked his lips in amusement. “But the speed is certainly impressive.”
“Not to mention my aim.”
Ember blinked slowly. “You guys are talking about this like it’s funny.”
“It is. A little.” Corian studied the fried metal bug again. “The machines they’re sending out are smaller every time, which makes me think that either the loyalists programming these things are changing their tactics with every failure, or they’re running out of metal soldiers.”
“Do you think that one was able to send anything back before I squashed it?”
“I don’t think so. Something this small and mobile doesn’t have the capacity to relay information remotely, as far as I know. These were built under the assumption that they wouldn’t be seen and would return to base to make a report, so to speak. Can I keep this?”
“I sure as hell don’t want it.”
“Excellent.” Corian slipped the tiny machine into his pocket and folded his arms. “After we check things out at the clinic, we’ll know more about who we have to track down to keep these things away from you.”
“Yeah. And if it’s Marsil, we won’t have to look very far.”
Ember slowly turned her head to look at Cheyenne, but her friend stared intently at the road, oblivious to the fae’s concerned glance. When Ember turned a little farther and frowned at Corian, she only got a shrug and a slow shake of the head in response.
Chapter Thirty-One
The Panamera rolled to a smooth stop in the parking lot of the physical therapy clinic. Cheyenne shifted into park and punched the automatic start button. The purring engine faded, and she took a deep breath. “Ten minutes ‘til you’re supposed to be in there, Em. I’ll be back out in five.”
She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door.
“Cheyenne.” Corian raised his eyebrows when she paused to look at him. “Easy.”
“I got it.” She slid out of the car and forced herself not to slam the door before stalking onto the sidewalk toward the entrance.
Corian sat back in the seat and watched her disappear through the glass front doors. “I’ve seen that kind of anger get magicals into a lot of trouble in my time.”
Ember frowned at the clinic entrance, even after Cheyenne entered the lobby and vanished from view. “It gets humans into trouble too, I’m pretty sure.”
“Yes. But if it’s used the right way, it’s very powerful.”
The fae frowned. “I’ve already seen what she can do, so you don’t have to keep talking in mysterious sentences. Just say it.”
“Okay. There’s another reason you and I are waiting here while Cheyenne has her chat.”
“Right. Let me guess. You’re about to tell me that I’m a liability because now these crazy people siccing their machines on us know they can get to her through me. Sure, I’m her best friend, but I can only use five percent of my magic, and I’m in a wheelchair. Basically dead weight, right?” When the nightstalker didn’t reply, she turned and frowned at him. “Why are you smirking at me like that?”
“Because everything you just said couldn’t be farther from the truth.” Corian tilted his head and graced her with a warm smile. “Honestly, I’m more inclined to believe that having you in her life is exactly what Cheyenne needs to find her strength and keep her on track. Even if you haven’t acknowledged it, I think you know.”
She blinked quickly and turned back around, rubbing her wrist. “Maybe. So, what? You wanted to have a private chat to tell me not to give up?”
He chuckled. “You’re not quite as good at guessing games as she is.”
Ember glanced at the ceiling and let out a wry laugh. “She’s better at a lot of things.”
“But not everything. Ember, I’m not trying to tell you what to do one way or the other. The choice is yours. But since nothing’s been officially sealed, I wanted to give you more information than you have right now so you can make the best choice.”
“Okay.”
“We touched on it last night. About the Nós Aní.”
Ember frowned at the dashboard and bit the inside of her bottom lip. “Kinda hard to forget.”
“Cheyenne figured it out. I am the Nós Aní to L’zar Verdys. I have been for almost two thousand years, and I will be until one of us meets our end in this life.”
“Huh.”
Corian glanced at his lap and smiled. “It’s a lifelong position. No benefits, no paid vacation or sick leave. There’s the occasional bonus, but really, it’s one of those things you do because your heart’s in it. And once you accept, there’s no backing out.”
“I thought I already accepted. Last night.” Ember squeezed the fingers of her other hand to hold them still in her lap. “If being that for Cheyenne helps her, I’m all about it.”
“I heard you, and
