by Melody Raven
“But I….” She was trying her best to find a reason to be mad at me.
“Hey, I get it. You want to be angry. Your entire life was upended and even though you tried to stop it, you were basically powerless. But that’s where I have good news. I’m here to give the power back. To let you take control. How long have you been having these visions for?”
Gabriella stood and looked helplessly around the coffeeshop, probably debating how quickly she could call a cab or an Uber. “I don’t want to talk about this. I—”
“Are you scared of me?” I blurted. I could handle her anger, but if she was scared of me… I’d have to play this different. Her face paled. I’d called it right. “I’m scared of me, too. I’ve always been a witch.” I said the words loud enough that anyone could hear us, and Gabriella shifted her weight, her nerves taking over. Even though she knew nothing about this, she was well aware of how secretive we should be.
Maybe this wouldn’t be all that hard after all.
“But lately something happened to me. Against my will, I was subjected to a spell that altered my control. I have all this magic coursing through my veins, but I can’t actually use any of it. It’s kind of a huge rip-off. But I’m working on it. And I’m trying. And even though today didn’t go as planned, I was able to help you. Gabriella, I need you to give me a chance to help you.”
She tightened her lips but did sit down. Not a total loss then. “My friends call me Gabbie.”
“Does that mean we’re friends?”
“That means my friends call me Gabbie.” Well, it was still progress. “How exactly can you help me?”
“I work with a division of Homeland Security. The Dangerous Magic Division. What we do is work to prevent and stop events like what happened today. We help people.”
“You help by killing people.”
Eesh. Shots fired. “I didn’t set out to kill anyone. I simply wanted to protect us. Which I did. Now, the vision you had, the detail, the accuracy—we want you on our team. We think that we can help you hone your skills and focus your abilities. We can make you the best precog that you can be.”
She snorted. “Half the time I don’t even know what my visions mean. How are you supposed to help me?”
I had no idea. So instead of answering, I changed the topic. “You’ve had visions before? A lot of them?”
She nodded. “Ever since I was ten. Some are small. I’ll dream about getting a coffee and then I’ll get a coffee. Stuff like that is self-fulfilling. Other times I’ll see accidents before they happen. Like people tripping. Most of them are so small. Hardly anything Homeland Security worthy.” She looked straight down at the napkin she was nervously tearing apart.
I narrowed my eyes. She was leaving something out. “What other things have you seen?”
“Well, last year, I saw my fiancé cheating on me.” Her lip upturned in disgust.
“I’m guessing it was a graphic vision?”
“He never did those things to me,” she muttered.
Ouch. Double burn.
“I tried to convince myself I was imagining it. That my mind was playing tricks on me. Also, my visions usually take place in the future. So I tried to keep him close and not give him a chance to do it. But I was just kidding myself. I’ve never prevented one of my visions from happening.”
“That’s not true. I read the file. You predicted that Blondie would use his powers on the vault. We never let him get close enough.”
Gabbie’s eyes widened. “He didn’t,” she breathed. “I…. That’s never happened before.”
Boom. I’d cracked it. “That’s because you weren’t in this alone. The team is me, the hothead Carter Blackburn, Nico Vegas, our tech guy, and Flora Cox, who tracks the money. Now, after today, you’re out of a job and stuck with this supernatural power you can’t control. If you join us, you’ll have government health insurance and the power to research yourself unlike anything you’ve ever had a chance to do before. You want us on your side. Trust me.”
Gabbie finally met my eyes. “I don’t have to be a psychic to know I can’t trust you.”
I leaned back in my chair and couldn’t help the honest smile that curved my lips. For the first time, I could see that this girl might actually have potential. “Carter hates me,” I said.
“What?”
“Carter Blackburn. He hates me. Before Dangerous Magic Division was created, he was in this elite group of special agents called Special Unit 4. He and his partner, Ian Butler, were always on my tail about something. Usually about me breaking the law or some shit. But his partner was killed in a Vopura attack a few months ago. He was surly before that and now he’s even worse. Nico and Flora are mostly behind the scenes, so for all intents and purposes, Carter and I are partners now. And all he sees when he looks at me is his dead partner.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
I leaned in. Part of me was telling me to get closer to forge a stronger connection. I really wished I could turn off this calculating part of my mind sometimes. “Because from a very selfish standpoint, I want you on the team. I want you to be a buffer between me and Carter.”
“You want me to join the team just to help you out.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, greater good and all that too.” I took a deep breath. “I’m going to level with you. I have a very long and morally questionable history. And through this, I learned about human and inhuman nature. And while you can tell someone to save the world and all that, it’s all so abstract. But if I put myself in front of you and tell you that you’ll be helping me, the reward is real. It’s physical.” I proved my point by reaching out and putting my hand on hers. “And human nature says that’s more likely to get you to do what I want.”
“You’re very honest.”
“I come from a long history of not being honest. But I’m trying to change my stripes. And this is the perfect time for you to join us because we’re all new. Nico seems nice, but considering how fake his name is, you know something’s up. And Flora… I can’t get a read on her at all. And that’s not normal for me.”
Gabbie smiled. “What’s your read on me?”
I should’ve seen this coming. I hated doing cold readings on the spot. I was usually right, but I still didn’t like putting myself out there. I leaned back and looked Gabbie over. Her long, straight, black hair was a mess thanks to the little tornado I’d summoned, but her makeup was still on point, and her fake diamond studs were small enough to not draw that much attention. “Okay, take all of this with a grain of salt. You’re used to being one of the prettiest girls in the room, but you don’t know how to use it. You’re shy, but I’m betting most of that has to do with your visions. Even before you started knowing you were having them, I’m betting your mind didn’t work quite like the rest of the kids in your class. So you don’t know how to be real with people. Everything you do is an act of some sort. So you don’t have many friends and all of your relationships are destined for failure because you can’t relax with anyone.” Gabbie tensed, and I figured I might have gone too far. “Sorry. Please tell me if I’m wrong. This isn’t a magical ability or anything….”
She shook her head. “No. You’re not wrong. You’re… you’re very right. Do I read as that depressing to everyone?”
“Did you hear what I said about you being the prettiest person in the room? That’s going to be what reads to most people. Because most people suck at reading. Besides, everyone’s broken in some way. And I can tell that you want to do good and help people. Nothing about that is sad.”
She smiled weakly. “You’re a very nice person.”
“Oh, honey. You really suck at reading people. It’s okay. We’ll work on it together. Now, what do you say? Want to join the team and hunt baddies with me?”
Gabbie bit her lip, and I could tell I had her on the hook. “I feel very unqualified to help anyone with anything.”
“Well, that makes two of us.” I winked.
And with that, I
’d done it. I completed my first mission with the Dangerous Magic Division.
5
“She’s not going to show up,” grumbled Carter.
“Can you just pretend you’re not a dick for one second,” I snapped. “She’s going to show up.” At least, I was pretty sure she was going to show up. When I dropped Gabbie off at her apartment, things had been seemingly going so well. She’d even acted excited about learning more about her magical roots.
But now that I was sitting at a little breakfast joint with the rest of DMD, Gabbie happened to be fifteen minutes late, and the group was starting to get skeptical. Myself included. But I was good at reading people, and she’d seemed intrigued. “Give her fifteen more minutes. If she doesn’t show up by then, I’ll stop by her place.”
“Maybe I should stop by her place instead,” said Carter.
“Would you please get off my dick? She’s going to show up.”
“Please watch your language,” said Flora tightly. “Not all of us come from your background.”
If I had my original powers, I would’ve sent her ice water falling right into her lap. Instead, I put on a forced smile. “My apologies, ma’am. I didn’t realize we were in the presence of a lady.”
Flora might look the wallflower, but she didn’t back down. “It’s not about being a lady. You don’t know me. You don’t know what my comfort level is yet. Maybe you should hold off on language until after you’ve said more than three words to me.”
Well, well. The pussycat had claws. I couldn’t wait till I got her cussing. “I’m sorry,” I said truthfully. “I guess I’ve been distracted. Aren’t we supposed to be getting to know each other better? Right now, you all know I’m a witch. But I don’t know the first thing about any of you. Carter’s superpower is obviously how much of a jerk he can be, and yes, I did censor that for you, Flora.” I bounced my eyes between Nico and Flora. “What’s the deal with you two?”
Flora took a sip of her water, with no straw because she was trying to protect the turtles. “My abilities aren’t anything that are useful, I assure you. Luckily, my brain is perfect for this job.”
Nico picked up a hand and wiggled his fingers. “I got lightning hands. Literally. You don’t want a shock from these bad boys.”
Lightning hands? That could be useful under the right circumstances. I wouldn’t have minded having him on my crew. I wondered whether that was able to help him in his hacking at all.
Nico nodded toward Carter. “I am curious about you, big man. I’ve heard about you at the agencies before. You’ve got quite the reputation. Never heard a hint of anything supernatural, though.”
“I’d like to keep it that way.”
I scoffed. “Whatever it is, you must hate it. Tell me, how deep down do you bury your deep, dark past?”
I really thought I’d scored a hit with that one. If anyone was known for repressing dark urges, it would be Boy Scout. But he looked completely nonplussed. “I don’t hide anything from myself. I work with it and it makes me better. I know we’re supposed to work together and everything, but I’m not in the habit of telling people I met one day ago my secrets.”
“To be fair, you’ve known me a lot longer than a day,” I offered.
“And I’ve hated you even longer.” He smiled. “It’s not helping your case.”
Couldn’t argue with that. But I was able to smile with victory as the little bell to the breakfast joint rang and Gabbie walked in. Yes! I totally called it.
She looked much better than last time I’d seen her. And had apparently taken the government agent thing seriously. Her long hair was in a sleek and tight bun, and her makeup, though I could tell she was wearing a lot, was very toned down and natural. She wore a tight pair of black pants that hugged her considerable assets and a loose button-down shirt. I could see Nico take a deep breath as he saw her and knew that he would be trouble. I was going to have to protect her from some of the thirstier members of the team. Flora and Carter were harder to read. I’m sure Carter wasn’t happy that I pulled it off, but he didn’t seem too upset about it. And Flora, though I suspected she might be the type to judge a girl just for being pretty, also didn’t seem to care much.
I was okay not being able to read Carter. He was a professional and knew how to play his cards close to the vest. Flora, however, was a nut I wanted to crack.
Besides, my life was just a little bit more boring now that I wasn’t stealing things. Solving people like puzzles would have to be my new entertainment. I stood and waved gleefully to Gabbie. She gave a fake smile as she made her way to the table. First days at work probably weren’t fun for anybody, but I took my unofficial job as her mentor into this magical life very seriously. “I’m so glad you made it! I’ve been telling everybody about how awesome you are.”
Gabbie raised a brow even as she took a seat. “I didn’t realize I was all that awesome.”
“Well, I didn’t say I was telling the truth.” I winked. “Let me introduce you to the team. You know me, and you met Carter Blackburn yesterday. I won’t tell you much about Carter, but I’m sure you’ll remember all the trash talk I said to you.”
“You can’t trust a thing that comes out of that witch’s mouth,” said Carter, clearly not having any sense of humor. “I have over a decade of experience at the FBI, and I’m the head of the DMD division. Consider me your direct supervisor. If you have any questions, concerns about your safety or anybody else’s, feel free to let me know. I’m here to make sure you’re safe and comfortable.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “We’ll get to all that boring stuff later. The beautiful woman here is Flora. She’s our numbers girl. If I have my way, we’re going to be best friends. By the end of the week.”
Flora scoffed, but she did smile. Score! I was already getting under her walls. “It’s great to meet you, Gabriella,” she said demurely. “I’m also here to help you in any way you need.”
“Oh, you can call me Gabbie.”
Flora smiled tightly. I had a feeling she didn’t like taking the informal route on anything.
“And this handsome beast next to me is Nico Vegas. I can already tell he’s totally into you, and I can already tell you he’s nothing but trouble. You can ogle him all you want, but keep your legs tightly crossed.”
Nico let out a bark of loud laughter, his deep voice rumbling through the whole joint. “Why you got to do me like that, Sonia?”
“Hey man, if you want to get laid, just let me know. I have at least five different girls on my speed dial who would gladly be down with that. But we’re professionals now! That means we do things professionally and we don’t do professionals.”
“There goes my plans of asking you out,” he said with a wide grin.
I snorted. “Hey, I can withstand your charm. I’m trying to protect the innocent here.”
“I don’t know how innocent I consider myself,” said Gabbie, warming up to us for the first time.
“Great! That means you’ll fit right in. We all have skeletons in our closets.”
“Some more than others,” said Carter under his breath.
“I don’t have skeletons in my closet,” I shot back. “I bury them in the woods where they’ll never be found. Duh.”
“So….” Gabbie fiddled with the menu. “What are we doing?”
Carter leaned down and pulled out a few folders, handing them out to everyone. “I’m glad you asked. Melanie sent us our newest assignment.”
“Melanie?”
“Melanie Laurens,” I said. “She’s your real boss. She’s terrifying. You’ll love her.”
Gabbie’s brows furrowed. “Sounds like it,” she mumbled as she started to turn through the pages of the folder. “Vopura? What are those?”
Oh boy. I’d been trying to ease Gabbie into this section of our world. But there was no time like the present. “Vopura are not-so-distant cousins of vampires.”
Gabbie set the folder down. “That’s it. I’m out.”
She
started to get up, but Carter reached out to grab her wrist. “Hear us out.”
I was shocked that he’d had the gall to touch a woman without expressly asking for consent first. How un-Boy-Scout-like.
Gabbie sat down and I leaned forward on my elbows. “I’ll give you the quickest, briefest rundown I can. Vamps are real. They’re not better or worse than humans. If you’re a dick in life, you’re a dick in the afterlife as well. It’s really hard to be turned, and about ninety percent of people die, so don’t try it. Vampires are technically aliens and came here through a magical portal years ago.” Gabbie opened her mouth and I held up a hand. This part of the presentation really wouldn’t make more sense if she asked questions.
“Recently, another portal was opened, and new vampires started coming over. These new vampires call themselves the Vopura. They were the ones behind the Siege of Seattle. Everything you heard was just a government cover-up. Vampires can’t be in the sun; crosses and garlic do nothing to them. Well, I mean they have super smell, so maybe they’re just overly sensitive to garlic breath? They’re very strong, very fast, and have a taste for the red stuff. Vampires have the power of mind control—Vopura do not. Don’t ask me why. The best scientific minds are working on it.”
“I’m no vampire slayer,” said Gabbie.
“Don’t worry. Carter and I will be doing all the vampire slaying. You’re a behind-the-scenes worker. With Nico and Flora.”
“I’m going to be doing the vampire slaying,” said Carter.
Okay, well, that was an argument for another day. “The point is that we’re not going to put you in harm’s way.” That wasn’t true. “At least not in the first few days.” There. Better.
“The assignment for today is to look into a possible nest of Vopura. We believe they’ve been taking over an apartment building in downtown LA. Nico, I want you to go through the tenancy agreements and see which of the apartments look suspicious. Flora, get access to the financials and try to dig into the tenants from that angle. If we can follow the money, we can follow the Vopura. Sonia and I will be looking into why they’re congregating there. If it’s just a few refugees, we can determine if they need to be taken care of.”
