My eyes slid open.
Something screamed from alongside me. I blinked slowly, letting the sleep fade inch by inch.
My alarm. It was my alarm. I could almost remember setting it, hating myself with every keystroke. The sky outside my window was still black, and I knew we were hours from even a breath of daylight.
Someone punched the wall alongside me, hard enough to make me jump. Next to me was the room Loren and Amber had moved into. Somehow, I didn¡¯t think the still-shy dreamworker would be the one to take out her anger on the house.
I grabbed my phone, silencing the alarm before Amber could go for round two.
And then I lay back, staring at the ceiling. My mind raced, spinning with the events of the night before and all of the plans we¡¯d made.
Yet again, I was left to wonder if I¡¯d made the right choice - or if I was about to make a horrible mistake.
But I¡¯d set my alarm for a reason, and I wouldn¡¯t have woken myself up at the crack of dawn if I didn¡¯t have to. Hitting the snooze button wouldn¡¯t change the fact that I needed to get up. I eased myself upright with a groan, settling my feet down onto the worn carpet.
The world didn¡¯t look any better when I was upright. I pressed a hand to my face, rubbing the tired, aching exhaustion from my temples.
On mornings like that, a hot shower always helps, I decided. And it did. There, with the scalding hot water running over my skin, the first bits of true wakefulness started to seep in.
By the time I slipped out of the bathroom, hiding the light behind the door, I was ready. Or, well, if not ready, at least I was vertical and walking and moving towards thought.
Aedan sat in the living room. All of the lights were off - but he had the TV on, the sound dialed low enough I couldn¡¯t hear it. I saw him look towards me, dimly silhouetted against the glow. ¡°About time you woke up,¡± he said. ¡°You good?¡±
I nodded slowly, turning back towards my room. I¡¯d put a bag together the night before. Supposedly we wouldn¡¯t be gone all that long - A prolonged road trip with Aedan didn¡¯t exactly sound like my idea of a good time - but I was prepared. The next door down the hall creaked open as I stepped back into the living room. And then the next.
Aedan groaned, but it was too late. The others filed out in ones and twos, still dressed in pajamas and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Some, like Brendon, stayed at the back of the group, and leaned against the countertops rather than come any closer. Tyler slipped through the rest, though, with Amber not far behind.
I locked eyes with Tyler, wishing that Jake was here. He still had the apartment, which had become a necessity with the way our crew seemed to be swelling. Nox and Kai had fled there. I wasn¡¯t hot on the idea of the pyromancer being out among the masses, but neither was I eager for him to be running around the house with me gone.
¡°Be careful,¡± I said, pawing for the coffee pot. The smell of it filled the kitchen in seconds, hot and thick and promising energy. ¡°Brendon, you¡¯ve got this. Stay around Nox and-¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± he muttered, ducking his head. ¡°I¡¯ll...I¡¯ll figure it out.¡±
¡°Hey, you wanted to be useful,¡± I said, trying to inject a bit of levity into the situation. And for a second, I saw his shoulders twitch with what might have been laughter. A second later it was gone, his expression entirely serious.
Keira had stepped past me at some point, closing the gap between her and Aedan. She said something, too low for me to catch, and Aedan chuckled in response. I looked away, making a face.
Tyler¡¯s eyes caught on mine, and he shook his head hurriedly. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± he said, leaning against the counter. ¡°No one¡¯ll bother us. Not yet. And we¡¯ve got your phone number. Nothing¡¯s going to happen, Jon.¡±
I winced. He¡¯d clearly misunderstood. Clearing up the matter wasn¡¯t something I really wanted to delve into. Besides for that, I wished I could share his confidence - and I wished that I was only worried about them.
¡°Morning¡¯s wasting,¡± I heard Aedan mutter under his breath. Keira drew back, looking towards me at last.
Right. I straightened, lifting the backpack I¡¯d stuffed full of the few belongings I was taking, and offered the others a tiny wave. ¡°Be back soon.¡±
When I walked for the door, half a pace behind Aedan, the sound of footsteps followed me. I glanced back over my shoulder.
Amber scowled up at me. ¡°I still think I should come,¡± she muttered.
¡°You do,¡± I said, a bit incredulous.
¡°You¡¯ll get yourself killed.¡±
¡°Why, exactly, are you volunteering for more work?¡± I said, raising one eyebrow.
She scowled up at me. ¡°If you go and die out there, I don¡¯t think any of these assholes are going to be gullible enough to pay my rate.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Aedan said, grabbing my shoulder and towing me out the door. ¡°I¡¯ll have him back to you tomorrow. Day after, tops. All important pieces still attached.¡±
¡°They¡¯re all important,¡± I said, my brow furrowing.
¡°Eh,¡± Aedan said, shrugging.
My steps slowed at the sight of his car waiting in the drive. ¡°Uh...are we-¡±
¡°Is something wrong?¡± Aedan said, his hand on the handle.
I eyed the run-down, ramshackle little sedan. It¡¯d run. Probably. But that didn¡¯t mean I trusted it - and considering how much of the body seemed to be bond-o colored, my confidence waned even further. Some parts looked like they were duct taped on.
¡°Uh,¡± I managed, glancing towards him, but he¡¯d already pulled the door open.
¡°Don¡¯t go waiting for a personal invitation,¡± Aedan muttered, slamming the door shut behind him.
The engine turned over a moment later, roaring to life with only a bit of whining from the belt. I winced.
And then I sighed, taking another step forward and grabbing the door.
The car was quiet as we made our way down the highway. The radio played, filling the air with the horrible, static-laced sound of...something. I wasn¡¯t quite sure if it was pop, or country, or something else entirely, but it was bad.
It did save us from having to talk - a fact which was becoming less and less advantageous as the silence between Aedan and I dragged on.
If I actually stopped to think about it, him and I hadn¡¯t spent all that much time together. Well, not alone, and not without people trying to shoot us or kidnap him. We¡¯d become comrades out of necessity, rather than any sort of shared bond.
As the thought ran through my head, I winced. I was sitting in a car with a literal immortal - someone who¡¯d been around for a thousand years - and I couldn¡¯t think of anything to talk to him about? I mean, sure, it was Aedan, but he¡¯d still have a wealth of knowledge and experience that I¡¯d never have dreamed of.
When I opened my mouth, though, taking in a lungful of air to begin my too-cheerful questioning, he spoke first.
¡°No.¡±
I stopped, letting my breath out in an ungraceful, anticlimactic rush. ¡°W-What?¡±
He glanced at me sidelong, his lips turned down in a frown. ¡°You¡¯re thinking we¡¯ve spent enough time together now, aren¡¯t you? We¡¯re friends?¡±
¡°I was thinking we have a long car ride and I¡¯m bored.¡±
¡°Sure you were.¡±
¡°Really.¡±
Aedan looked back to the road long enough to straighten us out, then fixed his green eyes on me again.
I shrugged halfheartedly, breaking the stare first. ¡°I mean...I did have a few questions.¡±
¡°One. You get one. I¡¯m not a damn encyclopaedia.¡±
One. Shit. I racked my mind, staring out the windshield to watch the sky that was slowly fading to purples and reds. ¡°Uh. Well, then, out of all the advances of the last thousand years-¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
¡°Online ordering. And Amazon¡¯s two-day delivery.¡±
My mouth hung open. My eyes were fixed straight ahead, caught in place as I tried to process what he¡¯d just said. ¡°W-What? So you¡¯re saying-¡±
¡°Shit, do you realize how good you kids have it these days?¡± Aedan said, tearing his eyes off the road to give me another amused look. ¡°You know what I had growing up? Sheep. And grass. Occasionally someone might pass through with some oddities from the rest of the world, but it wasn¡¯t like anyone could afford any of it.¡±
I tried to imagine Aedan growing up at all. Somehow, the thought of him as a kid was even more horrifying than him as an adult. ¡°Uh.¡±
¡°Now, fuck.¡± He waved a hand at the windshield. ¡°I go to my goddamn browser, hit a few buttons, and two days later I¡¯ve got shit from all over the planet showing up on the front porch. Totally unbelievable. Never seen anything like it.¡±
The radio rose to fill the conversational gap as the both of us fell quiet. I furrowed my brow, letting what he¡¯d said simmer in my mind.
¡°So...I¡¯m going to assume you¡¯re the reason for the random charges that keep appearing on my credit card.¡±
¡°Shouldn¡¯t leave your stuff sitting around, Jonny,¡± Aedan said, shaking his head sadly. ¡°You just can¡¯t trust people these days.¡±
¡°God damn it,¡± I muttered, shrinking lower in my seat. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±
Aedan didn¡¯t say a word. His smug little smile said it all.
¡°So-¡±
¡°I told you one question, Jonny. That was your one. Hope you liked it.¡±
¡°Asshole,¡± I said under my breath.
¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡±
I stared down at the filthy, mud-stained floor mats, all too aware of the speed we¡¯d picked up somewhere along the line. I thought about saying something - but with Aedan, complaining would probably only make him drive faster. I bit my tongue instead, choosing to trust in the fact that he¡¯d no doubt been driving for as long as cars had existed.
The seconds ticked by, slowly changing into minutes. The constant, steady rumble of his tires droned on.
Finally, when I could take it no more, I cleared my throat. ¡°Well.¡±
¡°I told you no already,¡± Aedan said.
¡°I was just going to ask where we¡¯re going.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± He shifted in his seat, having the decency to look at least a little embarrassed. ¡°I see.¡±
I stared at him, working my backpack a bit farther to the side in the footwell. Finally, he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s what I told you back at the house. There are some new finders out there, and even the ones that¡¯ve been around for a while probably have new demis on their radar. We¡¯re just going to drop in and ask one of them if they¡¯ve got any hits I¡¯d be interested in.¡±
¡°We¡¯re going to ask,¡± I echoed, completely failing to keep the doubt from my voice.
¡°Yes, Jonny. We¡¯re going to ask.¡±
¡°Nicely?¡±
¡°Initially.¡±
¡°Aedan,¡± I snapped. ¡°Let¡¯s not go-¡±
¡°I¡¯m kidding! It¡¯s just a joke. Jesus Christ, you¡¯re sensitive,¡± he said, waving a hand in my direction. ¡°We¡¯ll do this like civilized adults.¡±
I just settled in my seat, facing straight again and folding my arms. ¡°It¡¯s not really funny,¡± I mumbled. ¡°So, what. Find an old contact, did you?¡±
¡°Not this time.¡±
I paused. ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±
Aedan groaned. ¡°I...Well, I don¡¯t think any of them really want to talk to me. And with you starting some sort of territory war with Noah, I¡¯d rather not open those doors just yet.¡±
None of it made sense. ¡°Wait. So if you didn¡¯t already know them, how did you-¡±
¡°Glenn was all sorts of helpful,¡± Aedan said. There was a satisfaction in his voice that made me shudder.
¡°Oh,¡± I managed.
He chuckled. ¡°I told you. Don¡¯t worry about it, Jonny. All you have to do is tag along and signal me if they¡¯re lying. A hand gesture or something. That¡¯s what people do, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Right,¡± I said, glaring at him. ¡°So we¡¯re going all the way out here on the word of someone who could have been lying to you. Do you even know how to find them?¡±
He patted his phone, smiling over at me. ¡°I¡¯ve got a number. It¡¯s simple. This sort of stuff is normal. Calm down.¡±
¡°No part of this seems normal,¡± I mumbled.
His sigh was more pointed. ¡°People need information. If you¡¯ve got money, it¡¯s not a big deal to buy it. I mean, yeah, they¡¯ll probably be a little uptight, and we might get searched, but if we¡¯re just there to trade one one¡¯s going to throw a fit. It¡¯d be bad business.¡±
I furrowed my brow. ¡°Did you bring money?¡±
¡°I brought you.¡±
¡°God damn it, Aedan.¡±
¡°You¡¯re fine. Stop crying.¡±
I fell into an irritated, sullen silence, my hands folded in my lap. My thoughts raced, running over bills that were yet to be paid and the ever-rising cost of electricity to the house. I...I¡¯d be fine. We¡¯d be fine. ¡°I¡¯m not made of money, Aedan,¡± I said at last, still scowling.
¡°Ever considered gambling?¡±
I blinked - and then twisted, eyeing him sidelong. ¡°Excuse me?¡±
He was grinning, sly and sardonic. ¡°Gambling. The thing? With cards? And a bunch of people all trying to lie to you?¡±
¡°You want me to cheat.¡±
He flapped his hand at me. ¡°It¡¯s not cheating. You¡¯re using your particular set of skills to see through their deception. It¡¯s totally fair.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯d agree.¡±
¡°They don¡¯t have to.¡± He rolled his eyes, seeing me gathering myself for another retort. ¡°Anyway. You and that mind-reader would be something else around a poker table. That¡¯s all I¡¯m saying. Think about it.¡±
He was right - but the fact he was right didn¡¯t make the idea sit any easier with me. The possibility had occurred to me, those times when my boss complained about yet another missed day or forgotten assignment. I could solve all of it with a few words, the voice in the back of my head whispered. It would be just that simple. I wouldn¡¯t have to put up with it anymore.
Granted, with the way Baldwin had reacted to my influencing him, I wasn¡¯t at all convinced that it was such a good idea to toy with people¡¯s thoughts. But it was an option.
If I could dodge the problem entirely, though...If it was just something like reading their lies, they¡¯d never know. Oh, we¡¯d have to be careful. We¡¯d have to move around, not win too much. Not be seen as cheating. My moral core still screamed that it was wrong, that it was cheating, but despite myself, I couldn¡¯t shake the possibility quite so easily.
My thoughts were finally brought to a stop by the sight of a sign sliding past on the highway - a sign that put us on a road I hadn¡¯t expected to see. We were going south. Fast. And the only thing that lay to the south was-
¡°Aedan, where are we going?¡± I said slowly.
¡°To see a finder,¡± he said, spitting each word out slowly and carefully. ¡°I already told you that. Pay attention.¡±
¡°I get that,¡± I said, glaring at him. ¡°Where?¡±
¡°Ah. Ahaha. Well, according to our late friend Glenn, there¡¯s a crew that-¡±
¡°Aedan.¡±
¡°There¡¯s a town in northern Illinois we¡¯re going to go visit.¡±
The car again fell into silence as I pulled my mental map open. I didn¡¯t like what I found. ¡°Aedan.¡±
¡°Yes, Jonny?¡±
¡°That¡¯s Chicago.¡±
He scoffed. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. We¡¯re not going to Chicago. We¡¯re going to around Chicago.¡±
¡°You said never to go near a city,¡± I said, feeling the blood drain from my face. ¡°You said-¡±
¡°We¡¯re not going into the city. Don¡¯t be a baby.¡±
¡°How close are we coming?¡± I snapped.
He chuckled weakly. ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just where they¡¯re at, okay? You¡¯re not going to get killed.¡±
¡°You should have told me this from the start. Jesus, Aedan. It¡¯s just the two of us.¡±
¡°Calm down,¡± he said, and his tone was devoid of the half-hearted sarcasm it had had moments before. ¡°You¡¯re fine, Jon. For the time being I kind of need you alive, after all. Right?¡± He flashed a smile, quick and sly. ¡°You think I¡¯d go and get my cash cow killed on our very first trip out?¡±
¡°So there will be more trips to come,¡± I said, my scowl deepening.
I didn¡¯t miss his wince. ¡°W-We can talk about that later.¡±
¡°Fucking perfect.¡±
He stopped trying to defend himself, and I stopped trying to argue. The silence was sullen and tense, but it was more comfortable than the two of us trying to pretend we could make small talk. I leaned my head against the glass of the window, letting my eye slide shut. The sky over us was still pale, with the sun peeking out over the horizon at last.
Aedan cleared his throat a few minutes later. ¡°But...uh, well. You should probably take your relic off, just to be safe.¡±
I stared at him. He kept his eyes on the road, but the tips of his ears glowed.
¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± I muttered, tearing the collar of my jacket open and grabbing for the delicate chain of my necklace underneath. My skin shivered as the paired rings slipped free, breaking that meager, precious contact with my body.
I hated doing it, but I shoved the necklace into the center console between us. The thought of being without it wasn¡¯t a pleasant one.
¡°Why are you making me go deprived?¡± I said, spitting the words between my teeth as I glared at Aedan.
He shook his head. ¡°Sorry. Unless you can figure out how to stop casting at the drop of a hat, it¡¯s safest this way.¡±
My thoughts whirled as his words filtered through my mind. Realization clicked to life a moment later. ¡°You mean that old tongue business.¡±
He didn¡¯t reply. He didn¡¯t acknowledge I¡¯d spoken at all, in fact.
I just leaned back, one hand still draped over the console as though I could feel the necklace through the cheap plastic and faux leather. ¡°Does that mean-¡±
¡°God damn it,¡± I heard him mutter.
He might not want to be questioned, but I wasn¡¯t about to stop, either. ¡°So you¡¯re still hearing me talk whatever weird old language that was, are you?¡± Despite myself, I found I was fascinated.
¡°It¡¯s not weird. It¡¯s Irish.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯ve never heard anything like it.¡±
¡°Of course you haven¡¯t.¡±
¡°So then-¡±
¡°Jon.¡±
Right. One word was all I needed to hear - his tone was tight enough to broadcast that he had no interest in discussing the matter further. All the same, I couldn¡¯t help wondering - how exactly did it all work? If he was hearing me speak his native tongue still, was I just...passively casting, all the time?
That would explain why Aedan was worried about me wearing the damn thing. But already, I could feel my skin prickling. Going without it for a day or two was going to suck.
¡°Fine,¡± I muttered, leaning against the door again. ¡°Wake me up when we get there.¡± We had time, if my mental schedule was at all close to accurate. It would take a while to drive there. We¡¯d slip in, try not to get killed, meet with whatever finder Aedan thought he could get a hold of, and get out. We¡¯d probably have to find somewhere to crash for the night, a thought which was not at all appealing to me. Dimly, I felt a twinge of satisfaction that my efforts wouldn¡¯t be in vain.
Aedan mumbled something. I didn¡¯t hear him. It was still early, with the sun just peeking over the horizon. Me getting a day off was rare - spending it on Aedan and his death mission was a downright tragedy. There was no way I was going to just stare at the road when there was sleep to be had.
The worries were still there - Anke, and the city, and Greyson, and Noah, and everything else that was pressing in closer and closer. But with every breath, they slipped a little farther away, until at last I gave in and let the waves pull me under.
The sound of tires screeching was the only warning I got before I pitched forward hard. My seatbelt tightened around me, cutting painfully into my flesh. I yelped, throwing a hand up, and caught myself before I could crash into the dashboard.
¡°Good morning,¡± Aedan said, his tone just as bright and cheerful as if I¡¯d walked into the living room and happened upon him.
I rolled, biting back a wince, and glared at him. He¡¯d already let off the brakes. We rolled on - more slowly, I realized. We¡¯d turned down an exit ramp.
¡°Where are we?¡± I mumbled, blinking away the last remnants of sleep that somehow escaped his nightmarish idea of a wake-up call.
¡°Not far now,¡± he said. His eyes were fixed dead ahead, tracking the buildings that we passed.
Buildings which were bigger than Greenville¡¯s lonely structures. My adrenaline spiked. My hand dropped to my bag, to where I¡¯d hidden-
¡°Calm down,¡± Aedan said, more firmly. ¡°Jesus.¡±
The car¡¯s brakes groaned. We were slowing further, turning down the road at the end of the ramp. As quickly as he¡¯d pulled us off the freeway, he eased into a gas station that waited there.
¡°Aedan?¡± I said, straightening and rubbing my eyes. He reached for the phone tucked into the cup holder, totally ignoring me. I frowned. ¡°What are you doing?¡±
He flipped it open, scrolling through numbers - and then he glanced up to me.
¡°Just follow my lead.¡±
Chapter 2.5
Silvertongue - Home Page
Out of everything we¡¯d been through, all of the struggles and the fighting and the getting shot, you¡¯d have thought I might have gotten a little used to stressful situations.
But never in my life had I been so completely fixated on one man having a phone conversation.
For his part, Aedan ignored me. He was turned towards the window, pointedly not looking at the faces I was making at him. He had his phone pressed to his ear. The sound of electronic ringing was just on the edge of my hearing.
¡°Hey,¡± he said, shoving a hand up between us and turning further away. ¡°Is this Justin?¡±
I scowled, trying to twist to peer past his hand, but he just clenched his hand into a fist, pointing a finger my way. I stopped.
Whatever the person on the other end was saying, I couldn¡¯t make out even a whisper. My irritation grew. I was used to smartphones, which tended to just belch sound out for anyone in the vicinity to hear. Not being able to eavesdrop was a sudden, pointed drawback.
¡°Yeah. Cool. My name¡¯s, uh. Greg.¡±
I snorted. Aedan elbowed me. Hard. ¡°So, my friend and I are in the area, and I needed some information,¡± Aedan said, leaning back in his seat. A hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
I sighed, settling back for the wait. The fact he¡¯d had to call me a friend was satisfaction enough.
¡°Yeah. Yeah. Standard rates?¡± Aedan paused, furrowing his brow. Dimly, I could hear someone¡¯s voice. The words were still too low to pick out, but their tone was pointely disinterested. Aedan¡¯s smile was gone, vanishing somewhere in the blink of an eye. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to- no. Come on.¡±
He was starting to whine - and his smile had faded into a full-blown grimace. I eyed him sidelong, dropping my arm back down to the center console. Sure, the other demi might have been on the other end of a phone line, but it made me feel better to know my best weapon was still close enough to grab.
¡°No, I want to do it in person. I¡¯m not wiring you money,¡± Aedan snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. That¡¯s not standard anything.¡±
Ah. I nodded, understanding Aedan¡¯s trepidation instantly. It¡¯d only be natural for the finder to want to handle the whole transaction from across the safety of a phone line, collecting his fee and passing off whatever tidbits we wanted without ever having to talk face-to-face. But without talking face-to-face, the whole reason for bringing me along vanished into thin air.
¡°No, I want to see you,¡± Aedan said, irritation filling every syllable. ¡°How am I supposed to trust you if I can¡¯t even look at you? That¡¯s crazy talk.¡±
I stared up the asphalt lot, eyeing the gas station¡¯s lonely building. The city around us was bigger than I¡¯d like, and I had no doubt that we were far closer to civilization than I¡¯d ever wanted to be. That made sense too - if Aedan was interested in driving all the way out here to see the guy, then he had to be reasonably sure the guy had good information. If cities were as populated with demis as everyone kept saying, then a finder positioned close enough to get a reading on all of them would be a position to profit bigtime.
Aedan was still arguing, bickering back and forth. I had no doubt that he¡¯d win out in the end, but just listening to him was making me stressed about the whole deal.
He looked up as I opened the car door, unbuckling myself. ¡°What? Hey, where are you- I-I mean, yes. I can-¡± His eyes held mine for a single second, a question waiting there, but the conversation pulled him away before I could reply.
I shut the car door, locking him and his argument back into the cab, and strode towards the building.
A smile spread across my face at the sight of the ATM waiting just inside the door. Not that seeing it was a surprise, but it was good to know that one more problem was taken care of.
The number that appeared on the screen was smaller than I expected. ¡°God damn it,¡± I muttered under my breath, pulling more money out anyway. He¡¯d pay me back, one way or another. We needed someone to clean the grout in the crew house¡¯s tiled bathroom floors, after all. The thought of Aedan stuck scrubbing for hours was enough to lighten my mood a little.
And however much my bank account cried, we couldn¡¯t go to meet the finder empty-handed.
Aedan was still on the phone when I slid back into the car, tucking my wallet into my jacket pocket, but the tenor of the conversation had changed entirely. He was leaning back, not hunched over as though he was on the verge of strangling the person on the other end. And there was a victorious light in his eyes that was brand new.
¡°Right,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I can get there. Twenty minutes?¡±
I bit back a groan. We had to be close, if he was thinking we¡¯d catch up that fast. Suddenly, the streets around us didn¡¯t look so mundane. I settled a little lower in my seat and tried to convince myself that it wasn¡¯t like demis were so common. They wouldn¡¯t come pouring out of the woodwork just because we stopped to get gas.
The sound of Aedan¡¯s phone clicking shut brought my rambling, fearmongering thoughts to an end. I jumped, looking at him. ¡°So-¡±
¡°We¡¯re good. They¡¯re not happy, but they weren¡¯t being reasonable, either,¡± Aedan said, cranking the key. The engine spluttered to life again. ¡°Jesus fuck. How much is it to ask to actually see who I¡¯m talking to?¡±
¡°These days?¡± I said dryly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure actually wanting to go interact with someone is an oddity. They¡¯d probably prefer to do it over the phone or-¡±
¡°Or email, or messaging, or any of the other damn shortcuts we¡¯ve got,¡± Aedan said, hitting the accelerator hard enough to push me back into my seat. We turned back onto the road with a squeal of tires. ¡°I¡¯m not living under a rock, Jon. But this is business.¡±
¡°They probably also want to avoid getting shot.¡±
He made a face, but didn¡¯t argue the point.
I reached into my bag, pawing through my possessions there. ¡°So where are we going?¡±
¡°There¡¯s a warehouse out on the edge of town. An old shipping company used it as a stockpile about a decade past. It¡¯ll be nice and quiet.¡±
I froze, one hand still stuck into my once-neatly-folded clothes. ¡°A warehouse.¡±
¡°Did I stutter?¡±
¡°Aedan, what the hell?¡± I demanded, straightening. ¡°Why exactly do you think we met Noah in a restaurant?¡±
¡°Because he couldn¡¯t attack you there.¡±
¡°If you know that, then why the hell are we doing this?¡±
¡°Because they don¡¯t want to be somewhere they can¡¯t defend themselves,¡± Aedan snapped. ¡°That was your territory, even if Noah didn¡¯t like it. This is theirs, all right? If we don¡¯t like it, tough titties. It¡¯s their finder we¡¯re renting.¡±
And if we disagreed too hard, they¡¯d just tell us to get lost. I turned back to my bag, not in the least mollified by Aedan¡¯s explanation. No part of this sounded good.
But Greyson had dealt with outsiders all the time. He made it sound normal. He hadn¡¯t been surprised to see Jake when he¡¯d showed up alongside Matt, and he¡¯d seemed every bit as comfortable when it was me on his doorstep.
¡°Fine,¡± I muttered, leaning forward again. ¡°If I get shot again, I¡¯m going to-¡±
¡°No one¡¯s getting shot, Jonny,¡± Aedan said, and I could hear the laugh in his voice. ¡°Calm down. What the hell are you even doing? Sit up. I can¡¯t see-¡±
¡°I¡¯m looking for something,¡± I said, ignoring him completely. A thrill of satisfaction shot through me as I saw it - one lonely winter glove sitting all the way at the bottom.
I made a pleased noise, pulling it free. It bounced gently, coming to a stop in front of me as I held it aloft.
Aedan raised one eyebrow. ¡°Uh...What exactly are you-¡±
¡°Quiet,¡± I said, popping the center console open.
He didn¡¯t look happy, but he didn¡¯t say anything, either. He glanced towards me, his eyes flicking back towards the road and returning, to watch as I pulled my necklace out of its hiding place. He wanted to - his lips were pressed into a severe, disapproving line, and from the way he kept wrinkling his nose, he was holding himself back.
I hesitated, cupping the pendant in the palm of my hand. It felt good. It was beyond good - it was like a prickling on the back of my neck I¡¯d barely realized was there had vanished, slipped away.
Aedan cleared his throat.
Right. I pulled the wrist on the winter glove open with one hand, letting the necklace slide inside. It disappeared into one of the fingers.
¡°There,¡± I said, stuffing the whole glove into one of my coat pockets.
¡°Mind explaining what all that¡¯s about?¡± Aedan said, only a little frostily.
It was my turn to fix him with an amused look. ¡°I had assumed you wanted me to actually be able to read if the finder¡¯s lying or not.¡±
¡°Oh. Yeah.¡± He shrugged one shoulder. ¡°Fine, I guess.¡±
¡°Am I speaking-¡±
¡°No. You¡¯re fine. Just be careful.¡±
I chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re going to feel I¡¯m casting when I play polygraph, aren¡¯t they? Anyone who¡¯s watching, that is.¡±
Aedan nodded slowly, his expression suddenly solemn. ¡°Yeah. And...it¡¯s probably fine.¡±
¡°Probably.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a big world out there. There¡¯s probably no one watching. Let¡¯s just not give them more of a lead on us than we need to. Now shut up and help me with directions.¡± He waved a hand toward my phone, forgotten in the cupholder. ¡°I have no fucking idea where this address is.¡±
I rolled my eyes, reaching for my phone, and tried to pretend not to feel the nervousness beginning to set in.
¡°You¡¯re sure about this.¡±
Aedan glanced over his shoulder, grinning. ¡°What? You afraid?¡±Stolen novel; please report.
I leaned forward, eyeing the worn-down building beyond Aedan. ¡°I already said I didn¡¯t want to get shot. I¡¯m not laughing, here.¡± I wasn¡¯t, either. The warehouse lay right where Aedan had described, position on the edge of town where a lonely, rusted-over pair of railroad tracks wound through the grasses. Once, it¡¯d probably been a fine building. Now, the brick was crumbling in patches, and just looking at it made me feel like I needed a tetanus shot.
But Aedan had already pushed the door open, letting cold air fill the car again. ¡°Come on. They¡¯re waiting.¡±
¡°We¡¯re three minutes early,¡± I said, kicking my bag a little lower under the dashboard. ¡°Can I put my stuff in the trunk?¡±
¡°Afraid someone¡¯ll steal it?¡±
I chuckled wearily, glancing up and down the block. The only buildings in sight were equally as dismal as the warehouse. ¡°The thought occurred to me, yeah.¡±
¡°No one¡¯s going to want your pajamas. Come on.¡±
¡°Aedan, let¡¯s-¡± I began, but stopped. Aedan had turned before I¡¯d gotten the first word out, bouncing his way up the sidewalk with every outward appearance of confidence.
The car waited, my last hope for escape. With one last sigh, I turned to follow Aedan, trudging up towards the massive double doors leading in.
I¡¯d expected them to be locked. The place was abandoned, after all. But when Aedan pushed on the handle, putting his shoulder into the door, it opened with an ear-splitting shriek.
Again, my steps slowed. It was dark inside. ¡°Aedan. Aedan.¡±
¡°Hurry up, Jonny. You¡¯re embarrassing me,¡± he hissed over his shoulder, glaring my way. And then he turned on his heel, pushing deeper into the building.
Fine. Fine. Swallowing up the last of my protests, I grabbed the rusted-out handle, hurrying on after him.
The door clicked shut, sending me into darkness.
No, not darkness, I saw. My eyes were adjusting little by little, adjusting to cope with the differential between the snow-bright outdoors and the room I stood in. It wasn¡¯t pitch black - there were fixtures overhead, dim and yellowed with age but very much there. They cast a flickering light over the room.
My heart froze. Through the murky half-light and the pain of my eyes, I could see them - three figures standing on the far side of the warehouse.
Aedan lingered, half-turned to face me. ¡°Come on,¡± he hissed. ¡°They¡¯re waiting.¡±
I wanted to go back to the car. They were looking at me, and they didn¡¯t look happy. But Aedan swaggered forward, grinning winningly at the trio, so it wasn¡¯t like I had a lot of choice.
Feeling the comforting weight of the pistol I¡¯d tucked under my jacket before we left, I scuttled after him.
¡°Morning,¡± Aedan said, raising one hand in a wave. ¡°Glad we could catch you guys.¡±
One of them grunted. I shivered. And then I gave them a closer look, trying to figure out just how much trouble we were in. There were three of them. Two could have been carbon-copy twins of each other - I wasn¡¯t small, and they stood a good three inches taller than me. They loomed over Aedan. I knew better than to hope they weren¡¯t demis.
The third looked almost...normal. He sat on a crate in the middle, drumming his fingers against the plastic. Where the other two looked like they might be bodybuilders under their jackets, with mops of greasy, unwashed black hair, the man in center had a bit of pudge to him.
A smile tugged at my lips, despite myself. The finder - and his bodyguards, then? It seemed accurate enough, and without anyone to contradict me, I decided to run with it.
Slowly, carefully enough to not draw their eye, I slid my hand into my pocket. One probing finger found my necklace, all the way at the bottom of the glove.
The finder nodded at Aedan, his fingers still tapping against the crate. ¡°You¡¯re Greg?¡±
¡°And you¡¯re Justin.¡± On Aedan¡¯s lips, it wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°Cool. I hate to drag you all the way out here but my friend and I needed some information.¡±
¡°Whatever,¡± Justin muttered, shaking his head. ¡°So what¡¯s it going to be? Let¡¯s just hurry up.¡±
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I¡¯d heard the dollar amounts Aedan had been throwing around over the phone, and I could feel the little bundle of cash I¡¯d taken out burning a hole in my pocket. The guy might be missing his dungeon raid, but he¡¯d come out far enough in the black that he shouldn¡¯t be whining.
¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Aedan said, leaning back on his heels. He shoved his hands into his pockets. If it was an act, it was a good one. ¡°My friend and I are passing through the region, and it¡¯s been a while. Figured it was time to get the lay of the land again He¡¯s a bit interested in a particular type of relic.¡±
¡°But he¡¯s a demi,¡± Justin said, glancing to me. I flinched, feeling his eyes on me. ¡°I can tell that much - so what¡¯s¡¡± He shook his head. ¡°Who gives a fuck. Hurry it up, man.¡±
¡°He¡¯s a collector,¡± Aedan said, spreading his hands disarmingly. A shiver ran down my spine. When he¡¯d shifted, stretching his arms, I¡¯d seen the faint outline of a knife under his sleeve. Damn it, Aedan. ¡°Anyway. So, we¡¯re looking for a few different schools of magic. Can you read that much?¡±
¡°Sometimes,¡± Justin said, folding his arms. ¡°Not for cheap.¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t come empty-handed. So-¡±
I glanced away - and froze. One of the bodyguards was watching us with pointed disinterest, letting his gaze drift to the door as though watching for our invisible friends to come sprinting in.
But the other one was staring at Aedan, his eyes narrowed. His brows pulled together, furrowing. If he thought any harder, I¡¯d start to expect to see smoke come pouring from his ears.
I had no idea what his problem was, but if it had to do with Aedan, that narrowed the possibilities significantly. And none of them were good. ¡°Right,¡± I said, cutting Aedan off. He turned to me with an irritated noise - and so did the others. I smiled, feeling my palms beginning to sweat. Good. If their eyes were on me, they weren¡¯t on Aedan. ¡°I...I¡¯ve got an interest, you see. I¡¯d like to find any sort of relic that would...would weaken other people. Temper their magic, maybe. Let me get an edge on them.¡±
God, I didn¡¯t want to come right out and say it. A relic that would nullify someone else¡¯s abilities would be broken as hell, after all. Forget Aedan - everyone would want something like that. For the first time, the truth of how difficult Aedan¡¯s search was really sank in.
Justin glowered at me. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it, is it?¡±
¡°You know. That sort of thing,¡± I said, offering him a smile. Part of me hoped it¡¯d loosen up the man.
It did not. His expression was as dour as ever - and over his shoulder, I could see the suspicious bodyguard tear his eyes off me again, turning back to Aedan.
¡°Hey, Justin,¡± he began, stepping forward.
¡°I-It could be other things, too,¡± I said, improvising wildly. ¡°M-Maybe something like a vampire relic? Has anyone cropped up of late with that sort of thing? I¡¯m interested in lots of stuff, really. Maybe you¡¯ve seen something unusual?¡±
¡°What¡¯d you say your name was?¡± the bodyguard said, coming to a rest alongside his finder. His hand rested on Justin¡¯s shoulder, more protectively than I was comfortable with.
¡°That¡¯s Greg,¡± I said, waving a hand aimlessly in his direction. ¡°Now, have you-¡±
¡°You¡¯re that immortal bastard, aren¡¯t you?¡±
I flinched at the bodyguard¡¯s words. My blood chilled to ice. To his credit, Aedan didn¡¯t so much as twitch. He shrugged, his every motion slow and methodical. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Are you guys wanting to do some work here, or are we wasting our time?¡±
¡°What¡¯s wrong, Doug?¡± Justin said, looking up to his friend.
Doug glared at Aedan, pushing his finder a step farther back. ¡°I know this asshole. Kyle told me about him, few years back. Told me he had a run-in with some red-haired fucker trying to buy information.¡±
¡°There are lots of redheads out there,¡± Aedan said, shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± He¡¯d crossed his arms, I saw with more than a little dread. The gesture put the knife under his sleeve within arm¡¯s reach.
¡°He¡¯s just one guy,¡± I said, shaking my head once. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s just-¡±
¡°I¡¯m not wrong,¡± Doug snapped. ¡°Heard all about it. Kyle didn¡¯t get paid or nothin¡¯, either. This ginger bastard just walked in, heard his piece, then ran for the door.¡±
¡°Fascinating,¡± I muttered under my breath, glaring at Aedan. I couldn¡¯t find it in me to be surprised.
¡°I don¡¯t know who your buddy ran into, but you¡¯re being ridiculous,¡± Aedan said. A flush was rising in his cheeks, though, and he didn¡¯t so much as look my way.
¡°Ridiculous?¡± the bodyguard said, his voice rising. He took another step forward. Both Aedan and I shied back. ¡°Said one of his guys got cut, when they tried to stop ¡®im from running. Got infected. Was a real mess. They wound up shooting the guy before he could leave..¡±
Aedan raised his hand. ¡°Then why-¡±
¡°Only, this blonde bitch showed up a week later asking questions. Had pictures and everything. Seemed to know a whole lot more. And they didn¡¯t play nice.¡± Doug shook his head, his face beet-red. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was from anger or anxiety, but I didn¡¯t like the looks of it. ¡°Two of his demis died.¡±
¡°Fuck,¡± Justin whispered, stiffening. ¡°Someone...Someone go get-¡±
It was just a tiny movement from the corner of my eye. Aedan¡¯s eyes flicked to meet mine, peering over his shoulder.
What did he want? Was he expecting me to solve this? It was sounding a lot like he¡¯d dug himself a hole when he¡¯d crossed paths with the asshole last. How was that my fault? How was I supposed to pull him out of that one?
My eyes snapped front again. Justin took a step back, sheltered behind Doug¡¯s arm. And I saw the second bodyguard move. He wasn¡¯t watching the door anymore. As I watched, his hand twitched, jerking towards his jacket.
¡°Nice meeting all of you,¡± Aedan said, his face going white. ¡°Maybe next time.¡± His hand closed around my wrist, pulling. He didn¡¯t have to. I was already stumbling away, my pulse thundering.
Doug lunged forward, his eyes darting back and forth between us. ¡°Hold on, now!¡± he snarled. ¡°I¡¯m not-¡±
¡°Fucking hurry up,¡± I heard Aedan snap, pulling harder. I stumbled, torn between my need to watch the trio of opposing demis and look where I was going. I caught myself at the last moment, straightening with a huff.
¡°Doug!¡± Justin cried, from somewhere behind the pair of bodyguards. ¡°Don¡¯t-¡±
Doug just shook his head, abandoning his coat and raising a hand. ¡°They¡¯ll wait,¡± he said, his words half-hidden behind my need to get farther away. ¡°I¡¯m not dealing with all that. Hell no.¡± How perfect, that Aedan had made himself an enemy. How shocking.
The ground rumbled under my feet, quivering and shaking. Dust fell from overhead. My eyes snapped up, searching the ancient timbers overhead.
They were demis - all of them. And without any knowledge of their relics or their abilities¡
My hand plunged into my pocket, sliding into the glove waiting there. The necklace was cold against my finger, pressing awkwardly on my skin.
¡°All of you stop it, right now,¡± I cried, raising my voice and glaring at the three. ¡°Justin. Doug. Whoever the fuck you are. Stop what you¡¯re doing and freeze.¡± Names helped, somehow. There were three of them - I¡¯d held three before. It was manageable.
But even if I¡¯d done it before, that didn¡¯t keep the weight of it from pressing in on my skull as my magic rose to answer the call. I winced, one eye twitching, but didn¡¯t let go.
Doug froze, one hand still outstretched. The whole scene came grinding to a halt.
¡°God damn it,¡± I heard Aedan mutter from behind me.
I wet my lips, keeping my eyes fixed on the demi. ¡°All right,¡± I whispered, taking a step to the side. ¡°No sudden movements. Everyone calm the hell down.¡± Aedan tugged on my wrist again, pulling me towards the exit. I pulled back. All three of them were in view by then, arrayed against the grungy backdrop of the warehouse.
Doug¡¯s face was going bone-white by the second. His fingers twitched, like he was trying to reach for something just out of reach.
¡°No magic,¡± I snapped, glaring at him. ¡°Take your relic off. You too.¡± My eyes shifted to the second bodyguard, half out in front of their finder.
Both of them shivered, fighting me every step of the way. My headache blossomed, coming to life as I pushed back.
The sound of metal hitting the floor echoed through the warehouse. I didn¡¯t look to see what they¡¯d dropped. I took another step back, trying to remember the way to the car. ¡°Aedan.¡±
¡°Right. Justin,¡± Aedan snapped. His hand gripped my shoulder, guiding me back. ¡°Time to hurry up, kid.¡±
The finder shook like a leaf, stumbling to the side until he was nearly invisible behind his companions. ¡°I-I don¡¯t-¡±
Aedan pulled his knife free, glinting in the faint light of the warehouse. ¡°Justin. I¡¯m not fucking with you. Any anti-magic relics in the area. Now.¡±
Doug¡¯s eyes followed the blade as Aedan stepped closer, brandishing the knife.
¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± Justin said, waving his hands. ¡°That¡¯s not- Let me look, okay? I can look.¡±
Aedan¡¯s eyes flicked to me. I nodded, looking back to the bodyguards. Justin wasn¡¯t lying. They might be a little on the distrustful side, and they hadn¡¯t actually helped us yet, but he was telling the truth about looking.
Of course, with the way the world was beginning to pulse, the ache slowly building, I wasn¡¯t entirely looking forward to holding the three of them while the finder did his digging. I hadn¡¯t signed up for that, damn it.
But Aedan paused, close enough to Doug to rest his blade against the bigger man¡¯s chest, and waited.
Justin scrabbled, grabbing at something around his wrist, and fell still.
The two bodyguards shifted, looking at me. Their shoulders settled, falling back to something closer to the relaxed posture they¡¯d had before. I took a shuddering gasp of air as the drain of magic from me slowed. Maybe they¡¯d finally realized that fighting wasn¡¯t going to get them anywhere, I thought sourly. I took another step closer to Aedan. We still had to get to the door - and we still had to get away. This whole thing was stupid. We hadn¡¯t come here to fight.
Then again, I couldn¡¯t exactly blame the man for jumping the gun, if he¡¯d heard of Aedan before. Much less if people had died. The man didn¡¯t exactly win friends for himself.
¡°Aedan,¡± I muttered, my voice low. ¡°Maybe we should-¡±
The hairs on the back of my neck tingled, like a breeze brushing against my skin in the dead air of the warehouse. The sound of footsteps pounding against the concrete floor screamed out a heartbeat after. I stiffened, turning - and something caught me about the midsection.
Not something. Someone. Their weight slammed into me, twisting and pushing madly. I yelped, throwing my hands up, and took the first punch on my forearm instead of my face.
The second blow hammered into my midsection, driving the air from my lungs. I wheezed, crumpling inward.
The world twisted before I could recover. I watched, oddly detached, as the ceiling overhead tilted. A hollow grunt slipped out as I hit the concrete floor hard.
A blur of motion drew my eye - Aedan, leaping towards the pair of us. Doug grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Aedan snarled, slashing out. Doug bellowed, the sound furious and pained, and dropped him. The immortal spun, twisting to face me-
-and stopped dead in his tracks as a weight settled on my chest.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything to defuse the madness that was descending around us.
Something cold and metallic jammed under my chin, forcing my head back. I was left staring at the man kneeling on my chest, pressing a gun into my skin.
He was watching Aedan, not me. Like I wasn¡¯t even a threat. Before I had time to be irritated about it, he glanced down.
When he saw me watching him, he smiled. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of friendliness in the expression.
¡°Not another fucking word.¡±
Chapter 2.6
Silvertongue - Home Page
I froze.
Not that there was really much of an alternative, I was forced to admit. With a strange demi kneeling on my chest and a gun jammed under my chin, ¡°sit down and shut up¡± was basically the only option that presented itself.
¡°Wait,¡± I heard Aedan say, his voice rising. ¡°Wait, wait, wait.¡± I could see him at the very edge of my vision, if I stretched. He still held Doug¡¯s arm in his grasp, his knife pressed against the larger man¡¯s skin. The bodyguard¡¯s shirt was already soaking through with blood from where he¡¯d been slashed.
¡°You going to play nice?¡± the man kneeling on me said, looking back over his shoulder.
The sheer unfairness of it welled up inside me. Before I could stop myself, it boiled over into words. ¡°We never-¡±
In the time it took me to spit out the three syllables, the man pulled his gun from under my chin and jammed it right into my mouth. I froze again, pinned in place by his disinterested glare and the feeling of metal between my lips.
¡°I¡¯m not warning you again,¡± he said, locking his gaze onto me. ¡°Another word and I¡¯ll be having Justin go get the mop.¡±
¡°He¡¯s a demi,¡± I heard Justin say behind him. ¡°Self-cleaning.¡±
¡°The dustpan, then,¡± the man said with a laugh.
I wished I could share in their amusement. I couldn¡¯t. My heart hammering in my ears, I nodded once, quickly. Aedan¡¯s eyes met mine over the man¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Do what he says and shut the fuck up for once,¡± he said, spitting the words at me. Under the frankly understandable frustration and anger, though, something else lurked in his tone. His eyes were focused in laser-tight on me, and they seemed just as irritated as ever, but there was a wildness there I hadn¡¯t seen before.
Was Aedan actually worried? That was enough to push me to the edge of laughing - almost. How sweet of him.
The knowledge that if Aedan was concerned I had no business at all laughing settled in a second later. I lay back, looking up at the man hovering over me, and nodded as well as I could.
He gave me another sharp look, holding my stare for a long, drawn-out moment, and then pulled his gun back.
¡°Like my friend there was trying to say. We didn¡¯t come here looking for a fight,¡± Aedan said, spreading his hands to either side. ¡°We were just here to deal.¡±
¡°And does your friend have a name?¡± the man with the gun said. Skepticism colored his every syllable.
Aedan pursed his lips, glancing over to him. ¡°He does.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be an ass,¡± the as-of-yet-unnamed bodyguard snapped. He still stood half in front of Justin, keeping the finder safely out of the way.
Aedan shifted, scowling. I appreciated that. I didn¡¯t really want to go giving out my name either - anything that could let trouble follow us home was a bad idea. ¡°What about you? Introductions all around.¡±
The man frowned, his expression lengthening the longer the silence dragged out between us. My pulse accelerated gently. If this went south, well...Aedan would be fine. Damn it, I¡¯d know this was a stupid, idiotic-
¡°Patrick,¡± the man with the gun said, still leaning on my chest. I didn¡¯t fight the matter.
Aedan leaned back, still gripping Doug by the arm. ¡°Pat. Wonderful. Now-¡±
¡°He¡¯s trouble,¡± Justin said, peering out from behind his bodyguard¡¯s back. ¡°He wanted-¡±
¡°I was listening,¡± Pat said, shooting a quick look towards his finder.
Justin colored red instantly. ¡°O-Oh. Yeah. Okay.¡±
¡°So you¡¯re that asshole looking for the impossible focus,¡± Pat said. His eyes stayed fixed on me - and even if his posture was a bit more relaxed, the gun was still business-end towards me. ¡°Thought you were an urban legend, myself.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡±
It took everything I had not to twist and glare at Aedan. The whine in his voice was unmistakable. This wasn¡¯t the time to get petulant, damn it.
Patrick only chuckled. ¡°Whatever. So you were just going to sail in here, make use of our crew, and leave us to clean up your mess? What a fucking joke.¡±
My hand twitched. Pat¡¯s eyes narrowed. I stopped - and then slowly, carefully, raised one finger. Even without words, it was easy enough to understand what I wanted. I hoped.
¡°Not happening,¡± Pat said, shaking his head.
Inwardly, I sighed. But I just curled my finger over, jabbing it down towards my pocket. The one without my relic. There were things he didn¡¯t need to get his hands on, and my relic was at the top of the list.
The man only stared at me, his gaze sweeping up and down my face. It was like he was sizing me up, trying to see if I was lying.
¡°Go ahead and entertain him,¡± I heard Aedan say from behind Pat.
¡°No tricks,¡± Pat said, raising his gun.
I forced a smile, cheap and fake. And then I nodded once, laying my hands out to either side. It was hard to really look threatening, when he was sitting on me, but it was about as good as I could do to get my point across.
His eyes never left my face - but he dipped two fingers into my coat pocket, exploring tentatively.
Recognition flashed across his expression - and then he pulled out the wad of cash I¡¯d gotten at the gas station.
¡°We were always going to pay you,¡± Aedan said. His voice had lost all of the fear from moments before. If anything, he sounded almost gleeful. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve heard, but it¡¯s completely unfair. Totally unbased. You can¡¯t just-¡±
Pat shot a look back towards the immortal. Aedan shut up.
¡°And what about anyone on your trail?¡± Pat said. He still looked as casual as ever, perched easily on top of me. I could feel the tension running through him, though. He was just a giant knot of pent-up energy, I realized. ¡°What about whoever shows up on your ass? You expect us to up and deal with it for you?¡±
A crooked smile tugged at Aedan¡¯s lips. ¡°I think if anyone¡¯s following, they¡¯ll be coming here regardless of what you do next. So why kill customers? That¡¯s not going to help your reputation.¡±
I tried to keep from tensing up, watching the man carefully. The others clearly regarded him as their leader - or at least the person in charge, if not the outright boss. I didn¡¯t think Aedan would tangle with a prime crew straight off the bat. Not that it was out of the realm of possibility, but it¡¯d be a bit bold even for him. So, it was reasonably safe to assume Pat there was important.
The fact that Aedan was even comfortable digging into finders¡¯ business spoke a lot as to his current opinion on affairs, I realized. He¡¯d been edging towards starvation a few months before - and here he was, poking around again as though everything was fine.
He was either happy about how things were going, or getting desperate.
The sound of hard-packed fabric slapping against flesh brought my attentions back front and center. Patrick was still watching me, smacking the wad of cash against his wrist absent-mindedly. And then he stood, groaning softly to himself. ¡°Fuck me,¡± I heard him mutter. And then a little more loudly. ¡°All right. Another wrong move, and-¡±
¡°No, no,¡± Aedan said, beginning to chuckle. ¡°No trouble.¡± He hesitated, as though unwilling to relinquish the little bit of control he¡¯d gotten his hands on - and then he let go of Doug, skittering a step back.
A step wasn¡¯t quite enough, it turned out, as Doug spun and buried his fist in Aedan¡¯s midsection.
I winced, making to jump to my feet. Aedan staggered away from the bigger man, gasping for breath.
Pat¡¯s hand landed on my shoulder a second later, still clutching the wad of cash. ¡°Nope,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s fair. He got cut.¡± He let me ease myself into a sitting position, but no farther.
¡°...Fuck off,¡± Aedan spat between wheezes, his green eyes fiery. But he didn¡¯t try to make another go for Doug, no matter his feelings on the matter.
¡°You just sit there nice and quiet,¡± Pat said, glaring down at me. He waited, watching me until I nodded my agreement.
When he turned away, watching Aedan and his subordinates, I slid my hands into my pockets. It just looked like I was a bit chilly, I told myself. I had every right to be. The warehouse was cold.
And no one so much as looked at me funny. I smiled thinly, still hearing my blood rush through my ears. My pulse was starting to slow, beat by beat, but it would take time.
Fuck. I hadn¡¯t woken up ready to have a gun stuck in my face. I couldn¡¯t quite keep myself from blaming Aedan. He¡¯d promised it would be safe. This was his idea.
But that anger simmered low as Pat approached him. He was older than us. Or, well, me, anyway. Not much, not enough to be old, but flecks of silver were just beginning to mar his otherwise mundane brown hair. One didn¡¯t get to be old in this part of the country without being comfortable in a tense situation, I suspected.
¡°So you want information,¡± he said, rocking back and forth on his heels.
Aedan snorted, wiping his mouth. ¡°Like we said.¡±
Pat looked to Justin, totally disregarding the petulance in the immortal¡¯s voice. ¡°And? Anything?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Justin¡¯s head snapped up to level, clearly responding to the iron in his boss¡¯s tone. ¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°The focus the redhead¡¯s after. Got anything?¡±
¡°That thing¡¯s just a legend, Pat. You know that. If something like that actually existed-¡±
¡°Just answer the damn question,¡± Pat said. His voice was still carefully cheerful, but there was no mistaking the sharp edge that had appeared in it. ¡°I¡¯m sure these two are busy.¡±
And he wanted us out of his hair. The light went on in Justin¡¯s eyes, right as Aedan sniffed and turned away.
My ally¡¯s eyes drifted over me, pausing for the faintest of seconds. I didn¡¯t miss the way he glanced down, noting that my hands were in my pockets. I might not be able to respond properly, but I nodded as minutely as I could.
I was listening. I wasn¡¯t about to miss a word.
¡°I¡¯m checking the city daily, just like you asked,¡± I heard Justin mutter.
¡°I know.¡±
¡°Do you really think that something like that could show up and we wouldn¡¯t all know?¡±
¡°Just do it.¡±
I saw their finder roll his eyes - and then he leaned back against the warehouse¡¯s wall, grabbing his wrist again.
Staying quiet was harder than I¡¯d thought, harder than I¡¯d expected. I wanted to say so many things - to talk to Patrick, to argue with Aedan. To ask Justin if he could work just a little faster. But things had finally reached a bit of a truce, however tense. Setting it all off again by opening my mouth just seemed like a bad idea.
The seconds ticked by as we waited, frozen in uneasy silence. My eyes slid shut. I ran over the conversation we¡¯d had, however small. Were they buying time for more of their allies to come after us? I didn¡¯t think it was a big crew, but that didn¡¯t mean there were only three of them. But if they were just going to turn on us, why would they delay? Why not just-
¡°Like I said,¡± Justin said, sounding irritated and smug in equal parts. ¡°There¡¯s nothing out there, Pat. Not like that.¡±
¡°Look again,¡± Aedan snapped. ¡°It¡¯s a big damn city. And from this far away-¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re expecting, asshole,¡± Justin snapped. ¡°I told you. There¡¯s nothing.¡±
Aedan spun on his heel, stalking through the murky half-light of the warehouse. The low, muffled sound of him swearing with shocking creativity drifted over to where I sat.
Pat chuckled, rifling through the fold of money he¡¯d taken from my pocket. ¡°Tough luck there, son.¡±
The look Aedan gave him would have cut glass. ¡°Don¡¯t call me son.¡±
I let a sigh slip out, still more than a little sour about the whole matter. I hadn¡¯t expected Pat to take everything - especially not for a big fat ¡®no¡¯ that had taken his finder a minute or two¡¯s work.
Judging by the tiny, satisfied smile on his face, though, I didn¡¯t think my odds of getting it back were very good. I was left to simmer, thinking about just how quickly it had all gone sideways.
¡°We done?¡± the still-unnamed bodyguard said, creeping closer. He didn¡¯t seem in any particular hurry, but he didn¡¯t look comfortable, either.
Pat tucked the wad of bills into his pocket, his smile growing. ¡°Think so. Well, you got your answer. Don¡¯t let the door hit you in the ass on the way-¡±
I held my hand up, waving it frantically back and forth. He came to a stop, his brow furrowing. ¡°What?¡±
I rolled my eyes. I couldn¡¯t very well answer - which he seemed to realize a moment later, as he started chuckling. ¡°Want a piece of paper?¡± he said. The derision soaking through every word was enough to make my skin crawl.
I crossed the dark room instead, walking to meet Aedan with as much purpose as I could. Without seeming like I was lunging towards poor Doug, anyway. The bodyguard had one hand pressed to his arm, stemming the flow of blood. He watched me as I approached, his expression growing more and more dour, but didn¡¯t shy away.
Aedan¡¯s lips parted as I plunged my hand into my pocket, pulling the glove out and shoving it into his arms. Don¡¯t drop it. I did my best to convey the message through the look I was giving him, locking eyes and trying to look at least a little scary. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn¡¯t.
Either way, his lips curled back in a sneer. He twirled back around, all of his disappointment from a few moments before hidden under whatever cheerful facade he¡¯d put on. ¡°Your finder can sense rel- foci, yes?¡± he said, gesturing towards Justin. ¡°Then he should be able to confirm-¡±
¡°Whatever he just handed to the ginger, his focus was in it,¡± the finder said. He still had one hand on his bodyguard¡¯s arm. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was trying to hide behind the bigger man or push him away, but he didn¡¯t sound as freaked out as he had earlier. ¡°He¡¯s down.¡±
I raised one eyebrow, looking back to Pat. Sure, what the finder had said should be enough for most people. I didn¡¯t want to wind up shot, though.
Pat leaned back, fixing me with a look that was passing ¡®stern¡¯ and careening towards ¡®venomous¡¯. ¡°What now? I¡¯ve got places to be, you know.¡± When I didn¡¯t immediately launch into an explanation, he shook his head, letting his eyes roll up to gaze tolerantly at the ceiling. ¡°You can talk. Jesus Christ.¡±
¡°He wanted to know about the foci,¡± I said, hurrying my words along. The others didn¡¯t look like they were in a patient mood - and as important as Aedan¡¯s suicide mission was to him, it wasn¡¯t why I was here. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. That¡¯s his problem.¡±
Patrick chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s pretty honest of you.¡±
I could feel Aedan¡¯s glare on the back of my neck, his eyes boring holes in my skin. ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± I said instead. ¡°I have a question I¡¯d like to ask. And I¡¯ll ask you, I guess, since¡¡± I made a face, scanning the rest of the warehouse and his companions. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one with draw around here.¡±
¡°Spit it out.¡±
Right. None of the pleasantries, then. ¡°My friend and I are...traveling through,¡± I said, stumbling over the word. ¡°But I have other friends.¡±
¡°Good for you,¡± Pat said, deadpanning.
¡°One of them is hurt. Bad. We don¡¯t have a healer.¡± Putting it into words like that...it was more painful than I would have expected. When I said it out loud, knowing that we were supposed to be a prime and it was supposed to me my crew, it felt more and more like I¡¯d failed. The fact I¡¯d never wanted to be the crew¡¯s leader didn¡¯t factor into it.
Greyson was counting on us to find a way to fix him. I owed it to him to see it through.
¡°Ah,¡± Patrick said. I stopped. His voice was low, softer than it had been. ¡°I see.¡±
¡°If...If you have anyone who can help, i-it wouldn¡¯t take long. Just enough to get him on his feet again. He¡¯s not¡¡± I swallowed hard, shaking my head. The sight of him lying in a puddle of blood in his own home appeared in my mind¡¯s eye again, every bit as poignant and horrible as it had been that day. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of options left,¡± I finished lamely. The lump in my throat wouldn¡¯t quite seem to go down.
But when I held Pat¡¯s gaze, matching his stern expression with my own, he just made a face - just a tightening of his lips, creases appearing at the corners of his eyes. It was a tiny, delicate change, and yet, new wrinkles appeared across his skin from out of nowhere. In the span of a few seconds, he might as well have aged ten years.
¡°We¡¯re a small group,¡± he said, just loudly enough for the words to carry to me. ¡°I¡¯m afraid most of the demis we¡¯ve got are here in this room.¡±
¡°Pat!¡± Justin hissed, going pale. The hold he had on his bodyguard¡¯s arm didn¡¯t seem so comfortable anymore. The two men didn¡¯t react at all - they just watched Aedan and I, unflinching.
Patrick chuckled. ¡°What? It¡¯s the truth.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t have to tell them that,¡± the finder mumbled.
¡°Right. Well, in any case, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Pat said, turning his attentions back to me. ¡°This close to the city, it doesn¡¯t pay to keep a bunch of people sitting around under our banner. I don¡¯t have the healer you¡¯re looking for.¡±
The ground wobbled under my feet. I drooped. I know I did - I could feel the tension fleeing my shoulders, like strings had been attached to my bones and then cut. ¡°O-Oh.¡±
¡°Sorry,¡± he said again. His face slipped back into shadow as he pulled back, eyeing the door.
¡°A-And what about you?¡± I said, stepping forward hurriedly as I saw Justin start to follow him. ¡°Do you feel any? Any healers? Anyone who could help? Maybe someone¡¯s passing through - we can pay them, too.¡±
Justin flinched at my approach. Doug stepped forward, putting himself firmly between the finder and I. I froze, holding my hands up disarmingly.
¡°Go ask the markets,¡± Pat said, not unkindly. ¡°Mercenaries usually register there. You¡¯ll have more luck.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I spat out, feeling the pit under me yawn wider. ¡°They won¡¯t- I just don¡¯t have the best relationship with them. All I¡¯m asking for is information.¡±
¡°Well, that sounds like a whole other can of worms,¡± Pat said, shaking his head. ¡°No. Sorry, kid, but no. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve got going on, but between you and him, I think we¡¯ve done enough. You¡¯re on your own.¡±
I cursed under my breath, raising a hand like I was going to grab him and hold him there - and stopped. I couldn¡¯t beat it out of them. And even if I were to do something like take my relic back and force him to talk, what good would it do me? We were still too close to the city. Any of the demis they¡¯d be able to tell us about would probably be out of reach regardless.
His eyes lingered on mine, something like regret flickering in the depths of their brown. And then he sighed again, shrugging. Without another word, he wheeled towards the door.
Justin lingered a step behind him, falling away from even his bodyguards. I eyed him sidelong, confused.
¡°Look,¡± he began, running a hand through his hair.
I stopped. The finder had frozen, tripping over his own words, but he didn¡¯t look so stubborn anymore. ¡°What?¡± I said at last. Pat and the other pair had come to a stop, waiting for him.
¡°I don¡¯t...that focus you¡¯re after isn¡¯t a thing, man,¡± he said, glaring at Aedan. ¡°You¡¯re not the first one who¡¯s wanted it. Someone would have found the damn thing.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve already made your point,¡± Aedan snapped, forcing each word through his clenched teeth. ¡°Shut the fuck up already.¡±
Justin¡¯s shoulders stiffened. I could see his hackles go up. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to be, I¡¯ll just-¡±
¡°Hey. Eyes here,¡± I said, snapping my fingers until he came to a stop. When the finder looked over, his lips curled down in a frown, I shoved my hands back into my pockets. Already I could feel it - the itch across my skin, the lack of my relic within arm¡¯s reach. It prickled, making the whole series of events even more annoying than it already was. ¡°He¡¯s an asshole. Sorry. Talk to me.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°Ignore him,¡± I said, a bit more insistently. Justin only chuckled, glancing over to where I just knew Aedan was likely in the process of going incandescent. ¡°You had something you wanted to say?¡±
The finder shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his shoes against the concrete and drawing lines in the muck. ¡°I just...it sucks you¡¯re having a hard time,¡± he said, his voice low. ¡°And then you- well, I guess we overreacted a little.¡±
It was my turn to laugh awkwardly, a bit unsure how to handle the whole situation. Demis? Behaving like adults? Having an actual conversation, without killing or shooting or stabbing?
No. I¡¯d just gone crazy, clearly.
¡°I said everyone¡¯s looking for something like that,¡± Justin said, looking back to Aedan. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a jab. It¡¯s a fact.¡±
Aedan¡¯s indrawn breath echoed across the still air. ¡°I already fucking-¡±
¡°I meant that literally. There are a lot of finders out there hunting for foci like that. Strong ones. Rare ones,¡± Justin said, locking eyes with me. ¡°Some of them are with primes. Contracted.¡±
¡°And some aren¡¯t,¡± I said slowly.
He smiled, inclining his head a fraction. ¡°Right. There¡¯s...look, you¡¯re looking into lost foci, aren¡¯t you?¡± he said, turning back to Aedan. ¡°If you¡¯re not, you should be.¡±
¡°Gee, that sounds like such a simple thing,¡± Aedan said, crossing his arms across his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll just hop in a submarine and troll the ocean floor for some magical artifacts that got tossed in centuries ago, shall I?¡±
¡°Fine. Don¡¯t listen,¡± Justin snapped. ¡°Anyway. If we haven¡¯t seen anything crop up in recent history...the odds of any relics in circulation having that particular skillset aren¡¯t good, you know?¡±
¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡±
The light went on in my head. ¡°So you think he should look into relics that aren¡¯t already being used.¡±
¡°There are worse ideas,¡± Justin said, shrugging. ¡°Look. I heard from- from some of my friends. There¡¯s another finder out there right now. Sort of a collector. A real one,¡± he said, fixing me with a look that told me he hadn¡¯t bought our cover story in the slightest. ¡°A rogue.¡±
¡°A rogue collector?¡± Aedan said with a snort. ¡°Hope he bought life insurance.¡±
¡°No one will touch him,¡± Justin said, raising his voice to talk over Aedan.
Aedan stopped. ¡°What?¡±
A smile tugged at the finder¡¯s lips. I knew exactly the look - it was the look that was just beginning to enjoy the fact that he knew something Aedan didn¡¯t. ¡°His abilities are different.¡±
¡°He¡¯s a finder. How different can he-¡±
¡°He can detect relics that aren¡¯t bonded to anyone,¡± Justin said, neatly cutting Aedan off again. And this time, Aedan just blinked, falling silent.
I nodded, straightening. ¡°So people think-¡±
¡°He can find lost relics,¡± Justin said. ¡°He¡¯s not an appraiser. But apparently, he can see them from enough of a range to be worth a damn.¡±
¡°And so no one will kill him,¡± I murmured.
¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Aedan snapped, pulling closer to the finder. The second bodyguard pushed in front of him, sending him stumbling back. He didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Where¡¯s he ranging of late?¡±
¡°Hell if I know,¡± Justin said, throwing his hands up. ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve got.¡±
Aedan took another step closer to him. I groaned, grabbing his collar and pulling him back. ¡°Aedan.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± he muttered, knocking my hand free, but there was no real venom behind the words. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± he said instead, looking back to Justin. ¡°A description? Anything?¡±
Justin shrugged, sticking his hands into his coat pockets. His breath was a pale cloud of fog in the dim light, obscuring him from view. ¡°Don¡¯t really know. Thought it might help. Sorry.¡±
¡°It does,¡± I said quickly, seeing the irritation written across the finder¡¯s face. ¡°Thanks. Really.¡±
Aedan was still silent. I kicked him. He mumbled something vaguely appreciative. When I turned for the door, though, he followed.
I could feel the eyes of the four men lingering on us, following as we took step after step towards the outside.
And then the door shut behind us, pushing Aedan and I out into the sunlight.