“I won’t,” I said and smiled, liking the simple exchange with him. I could see that he was worried, but he wasn’t about to jump down my throat. He got how it was.
The bathroom door popped open, and Davies came out. “Let’s get this over with.”
Shortly after, the two of them left, and Ami dragged me to the couch. Sitting next to me, she turned her body to face me with one leg tucked under her and the other dangling over the edge.
“Dish,” she said.
“What?”
“What’s going on with you and Davies, and Venni, and hell, even the others managed to show up today.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Because I was here all day, watching over your lazy ass.”
I smiled and pulled her into a quick hug. “Thank you,” I said.
“Of course. That’s what friends do. We watch over each other. Besides, I had to make sure they didn’t take advantage of you.”
I laughed, loving her all the more for being willing to stay with me to protect me when I couldn’t.
“So? What’s going on with you guys?”
“Apparently, we’re all dating.”
“Davies and Venni?” she asked.
I nodded. “And others.”
Her eyes widened before she smirked. “Oh?”
I glanced away, my face heating under her scrutiny.
“Let me guess. Lombardi?”
I nodded.
“Alijah and Elliot?”
I nodded again.
“Hmm, Rhett too?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh shit. What about Henzie? Is he in on this too?” She eyed me warily.
My eyes widened. “What? No!” I shivered. I couldn’t even imagine hooking up with Henzie. It might have been shortsighted of me, but I’d never date an incubus. Their very existence played with emotions too much. I’d spend most of the time questioning if what I felt was real or not.
“Oh, good.” Her shoulders lowered, and she sent a grin my way. “I was going to say, six is getting crowded. I’m all for freedom on sexuality, but damn, what are you going to do with all that cock?”
“That doesn’t bother you?” I asked.
“What, that you get to get it on with six of the sexiest men in existence, and I don’t?”
“I mean, the fact that it’s six. That’s a lot. And there might be a seventh.”
“What? Who?”
“Shanton.”
She laughed. “Of course.” She tilted her head as she thought hard about something. “Does he know you’re fucking six others?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Hmm. That might be interesting. Dragons are notorious for not sharing. Anything.”
“How does none of this bother you?”
Ami pursed her lips. “Despite your upbringing, you’re pretty sheltered. You have no idea how the different species work. Vampires are into that kinky shit, so Rhett is already familiar with the dynamics. Their queen has a lot of lovers. And I mean a lot. Alijah could give two shits about what’s normal and what isn’t. Lombardi makes up his own damn rules. Davies and Elliot may be human but this job gives everyone commitment issues. There’s always a chance that the next assignment we go on ends up being our last.” Ami grabbed a beer and shook it so we could hear the liquid sloshing around inside before tipping her head back and finishing it off. “Venni’s the one I don’t get. I’ve worked with wolf shifters. They’re all about finding their one true mate and are pretty monogamous. I guess working at BMS has him thinking the same thing as Davies and Elliot. He may not come back one day.”
“Ugh, why did you bring that up?” I tilted my head back and rested it on the back of the couch. “I hate even thinking that they could get themselves killed.”
“Having seven men at your beck and call could be challenging, but if anyone can manage them, it’s you. Have fun with it, let them dote on you, and I’ll be here to kick any asses that need kicking if they turn into idiots.”
Ami shifted closer, and I moved until we were leaning against each other. “Why is dating so complicated?” I asked.
“Only for you. Of course the one time you finally start dating, you don’t make it easy. You really don’t know how to half-ass anything.”
I laughed, and we spent the next few hours talking about men, about my men, about the ones she was interested in, about them in general. It was nice, and I was smiling big when I finally crawled back into bed to get more sleep. I could always trust that Ami had my back.
Chapter Ten
“Dr. Porter,” Captain Tautman said, answering his phone.
“Hi, I just wanted to call to follow up with the break-in,” I said.
“I was waiting for you to call. I was going to head over to check on you, but Mr. Lombardi assured me you were well.”
“Nothing a little rest couldn’t handle,” I admitted.
“Right. So your break-in. Pretty much, we haven’t been able to find anything else about the intruders. We ran the person Von turned into through our databases, but nothing has come up. This was a professional job. Can you really not think of any reason they were trying to get into your lab? Any projects they might be interested in?”
“Nothing that I would keep in my lab there.” I eyed the Magic Be Gone prototype currently sitting on the bench in my lab at BMS. The damn thing was mocking me.
“And at work?”
“I’m always working on something at work that someone, somewhere would want.”
“It’d be nice to be clued in on this,” Captain Tautman said, and I winced at the hardness in his voice.
“I’d rather not. If Lombardi clears it, you can come in, and we can discuss my work. If he doesn’t then my lips are sealed.”
“Is it dangerous?” he asked.
“Everything I do here is dangerous, Captain. Anything I create can be turned into something else. Is this one especially dangerous? Yes. But what I don’t understand is if they were interested in this project, why go to my home lab? I’m not allowed to bring anything in my lab home with me. And besides, how would they even know about it. Only Lombardi knows the specifics. I’ve kept it pretty hush-hush.”
“Then someone, somewhere found out, because my best bet is it’s whatever you’re cooking up in that lab of yours. I’d warn you to be safe, but I doubt you’ll listen to anything I say.” The grumpiness in his voice drew a smile on my face. I could see how he rose up to the level of Captain in the enforcer ranks. He cared about others.
“I didn’t tell anyone. Sure, people know I’m working on something that’s been taking a lot of my time, but that isn’t anything new. And Lombardi wouldn’t say shit, at least not until I’m near completion.”
“You really can’t tell me?”
“Sorry. I can’t risk it. Especially over the phone.”
He was quiet for a moment before my cell crackled in my ear as he blew out a breath. “Fine. I hope you know what you’re doing. I’m still going to reach out to Mr. Lombardi, but I think we both know that won’t amount to much.”
“I really am sorry.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Dr. Porter. I know your kind. You aren’t sorry. If you were, you wouldn’t be making whatever it is you have going on over there. You’d destroy it.”
“This can ultimately save lives.”
“Yeah? So can medicine, but more often than not, it kills just as much.”
With that he hung up, leaving me staring at the phone, dumbfounded. He was furious, but I wasn’t going to back down. Not from this, not when I could ensure our humans live. I wouldn’t be able to handle seeing Elliot hurt again. Davies too. I suppressed a shiver. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with wanting to protect others. I rubbed at my face and tried to wash the conversation away. I needed to focus.
I removed the small canister attached to the prototype and went over to the hood, twisting off the cap. There was a soft pop and then more smoke rose. The hood air system sucked up the mixt
ure of chemicals and magic and once it was empty, I tossed the canister into the sink.
The new issue I faced was that when the MBG sucked in the magic, it needed to go somewhere. The canister was created to take it all in and compact it, breaking down the bonds between each particle, stripping it of its intent. Once it was stripped down, it went into another small compartment that froze the particles. Magic had the same concept as atoms. Their particles couldn’t be created or destroyed, and when people used it, they created what amounted to compounds.
This machine was designed to break that down and release it back into the environment as neutral particles. When the particles were frozen, they’d be unusable for a short amount of time. Long enough that it had time to assimilate to the environment and prevent anyone from using it.
In theory.
Practice was more difficult. I couldn’t get the particles past the first canister. If this could take in my magic, then I knew it would be able to handle any other magic. It had worked with Ami’s magic. She’d donated some for the initial testing phase, and everything went well. I just needed it to work against mine now, but the canister wasn’t strong enough.
I glanced at the back-ups, the thought alone tiring me out. I grabbed a canister, opened the book to the different sigils and then with a laser pen, went back to the drawing board.
This time I tried a mixture of sigils, including the ones for balance, power, renewal and transformation, and purification. Each carving pulled some of my magic into the symbol to activate it. Once finished, I placed it down on the table and released a breath slowly before straightening and moving on.
Grabbing one of a dozen premade flasks, I wished myself luck before dumping the concoction into the canister, feeling the sigils flare to life. At least they were active this time. I connected it back to the MBG and placed a stone nearby. The stone was smooth and hot to the touch, brimming with my magic. I didn’t want the device pulling from me and risking it not stopping. The last thing I wanted to do was kill myself.
Once everything was in place, I stepped away and turned on the device. There was a soft hum in the air and the space around me warmed, sweat forming on my skin. I focused until my sight picked up the magic. It was a pale lavender and just as stubborn as I was. It resisted the pull, but inch by inch, crept toward the device before disappearing through a one-way tube on the top. The device pulled and pulled, and hope grew as it kept doing what I wanted.
Then there was a clicking noise and the canister decided it was done and caught on fire.
“Shit.” I hit the remote button. I had to turn it off and then sent my magic to it, dousing the purplish flames. I gritted my teeth as my irritation flared. I should have had this figured out by now.
Deciding I needed a break, I cleaned up and headed out. If I stayed there any longer, I was going to throw a tantrum like a spoiled five-year-old. I winced at the memory of the one time I’d done it as a little kid. I had not appreciated being called a liar. It hadn’t been pretty, and my foster mother didn’t even wait until morning to send me back. She packed up my book bag, shoved me into the car and then left me on the steps of my caseworker’s office to stew by myself for the rest of the night in the cold.
Not paying as much attention as I should, I walked out of my lab and locked my door. Movement in the corner of my eye surprised me, and I jumped. Alijah leaned against the wall, eyes hooded as he stared at me.
“Holy Goddess, please tell me you aren’t going to make it a habit to scare me?”
His lip twitched before his expression closed down. “You were busy.”
I glanced at my lab. “So you just waited outside. For how long?”
He shrugged and pushed off the wall. “Doesn’t matter. I just wanted to check up on you. When I got back from my assignment, Venni told me you were awake. You slept a long time.” He prowled toward me, each step measured as his eyes never left mine. When he was only inches away, he stopped, but his energy kept rolling forward until it cascaded over me. I could practically feel him prodding at me.
“Stop that. It feels icky.”
“Just checking.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re still exhausted.” He dug into his jacket pocket and then pulled out a small baggie. “Here.”
“What is it, and is it poisoned?” I eyed the baggy suspiciously.
“It’s good. It’ll help with your energy levels.”
“Looks more like something a baby choked on and coughed up.”
“Laila.” His chest rumbled with the growl he was sending my way.
“What is it?”
He frowned and glanced away. “It’s berries frozen in yogurt and chocolate. With some magic infused to give an energetic boost.”
“That’s a thing?”
He nodded, and I realized he was embarrassed about something. My lip tilted upward with humor, still refusing to take the bag.
“What is it called?” I asked and when Alijah’s eye twitched, I had to suppress a giggle. I was so not the giggling type.
“Berry Delicious.”
“What?” I asked.
Finally, he looked at me, scowling. “You heard me, Laila.”
I laughed. He was so uncomfortable and embarrassed, I couldn’t help myself. “Are you seriously embarrassed to say Berry Delicious?” I snorted at the name.
A slight blush worked its way up his neck. “Please, just take the darn things.”
“Why do you have those anyway?” I asked.
“I told you, they’re great with energy levels.”
“Oh, Goddess, they’re your favorite snack, aren’t they?”
“Please, just eat them,” he said.
I laughed and reached for it. His expression was so earnest, so when he carefully watched my hand approach the bag, I paused, narrowing my eyes. He knew I didn’t eat often, and he was awfully determined to give me food.
“Is there some kind of shifter tradition I should be aware of?” I asked.
His eyes flickered to mine, and he didn’t respond.
“Alijah,” I warned, and his shoulders slumped.
“Nothing bad,” he said. “My tiger has been riding me to make sure you’re okay. This is my way of calming him down.”
“You speak as if he’s his own person.”
“Some days it feels like that,” he muttered. When he spoke again, his voice was louder. “Please. I promise, this isn’t a proposal. It’s just my shifter side making sure you’re cared for. It’ll calm my tiger down.”
I eyed the berries and sighed. “Fine.” I grabbed the bag and knew it was the right move when his shoulders relaxed. Even his scowly expression softened. I kept my focus on him as I opened the bag and popped in one of the frozen treats.
His eyes lit with his inner kitty as my mouth closed over the berry and I bit down. An explosion of sweet deliciousness danced on my tongue, and I felt the slight tingle of magic at work.
He was right. My body surged with energy, my magic coming back. It wasn’t a complete recharge, but the fuzziness in my head cleared up. I stared at Alijah with wide eyes. “How?” I asked
He smiled. “Told you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes you did, big guy. Want to join me? I’m going to the garden to walk around a bit. Get some fresh air.”
He nodded and followed me out of the building. I tilted my head up and stared at the big fluffy clouds.
“Think a storm is coming?” I asked.
“Supposed to hold until this weekend,” he said.
I looped my arm through his, and we walked around the stone paths. Alijah never had much to say, but he made a great listener. When he did talk, what he said was always to the point.
As I reconnected with nature and allowed my magic to refill, he listened quietly as I tried to figure out why someone wanted to break into my personal lab.
“It doesn’t make sense,” I said. “I’m not working on anything big in there, and if they wanted something I was doing at Biomystic, they’
d have known they would need to come here and not my personal lab. They were prepared. They knocked that first ward down without missing a beat and probably would have been in and out if it weren’t for the second ward or Roman.”
“There really is nothing there?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Nothing that can do much of anything. I’m not working on any big projects except my MBG, and that’s all here. They’d be crazy to break in here, and if they did their basic research, they’d know I wouldn’t be able to take anything home with me. It’s against policy.”
“Maybe they thought since it’s you, you ignored those rules.”
I snorted. “No, I push boundaries sometimes, but that’s really pushing it. I, at least, won’t break a contract. It’s not worth it.”
“They didn’t try to get to your condo, either. So they weren’t there for you personally, just something you have.”
“I’ve been staying out of trouble.”
Alijah glanced at me with a knowing look before leading us to the left and toward the pond filled with small spiky fish with colorful dotted scales.
“I have.”
“I’m sure you believe you have, but you stumbled across something if we have dangerous people trying to get into your lab.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I frowned, completely confused about the whole situation. “There’s no reason for them to break into my lab. I haven’t been taking any complicated jobs because of my current projects here. The ones I am doing are simple jobs that anyone with a dab of magic could do. I’m also low on materials, so it’s not like I have some kind of rare herb tucked away in the cabinets.”
Alijah didn’t respond, and we circled back around to the building. Once we were at the back door, he stepped away from me. “I’m going to go meet with the enforcers and see what they’re doing to solve this. Hopefully, I’ll be able to lend them a hand.” He reached up and tucked a strand of my brown hair behind my ear. “Don’t overwork yourself again, and make sure to eat more of those berries.”
I smirked. “How can I say no to something so delicious?”
Magical Seclusion Page 12
