It was something we needed to explore and I added it to my ever-growing to-do list. I was sure Blu would enjoy helping me look into it. Before I could get excited about Savannah’s newfound ability, I had to worry about what it meant to other people. No one, besides Conner, who saw her do it yesterday could use it. I’d have to make sure it remained as unknown as her supernatural title.
Savannah slid into the seat across from me and gave my breakfast another scathing look. “I think he’s working with whoever is spreading that virus. I’m not sure if he was there at the beginning, but he’s definitely working with them now.”
Slumping back in my chair, I expelled a rough breath. That was another set of problems. Who had the ability to orchestrate such a strategic plan, persuading enough people to blindly follow them and wage a silent war against supernaturals?
Before I could state my worst fear, Savannah did. “I’m afraid someone will kill me. I don’t doubt they’ll start trying to kill off any Vertu and Legacy they find as well. After all, we’re the reason their plans are failing.”
Grabbing my phone, I called Elijah. He picked up immediately. “Levy, is something wrong?”
“I was just checking on you. Um…” I knew I was going to sound paranoid and overprotective, but I had to do it. “You should be careful.”
“I’m always careful.” His response was simple with a hint of arrogance that reminded me of Conner. Perhaps something intrinsic in Vertu gave them unyielding confidence. “Would you like to practice more? You were so close to learning to transport with accuracy.”
Learning to change my hair color was a nice parlor trick but didn’t have any value. I needed to learn to transport with accuracy and without cues or assistance from Elijah. It was a very handy skill to have and another weapon to use against Conner since he managed to pop up anytime. “Can you come here today, after I get off work around five?”
“Yes, of course.” He hung up without saying good-bye. It was his odd quirk. You weren’t going to have long conversations with him, and if you forgot to tell him something, too bad—he’d hung up before you could add it.
It was hard trying to go back to business as usual when I knew about a group of people determined to kill supernaturals, and Conner, who was set on making me pay for my interference. But I had to work, and the many days I’d taken off was siphoning off my savings.
“Are you going to work today?” I asked Savannah.
Oddly, she’d gone to work while she’d been under the shapeshifters’ care and had a great deal of explaining to do regarding their presence in her building and outside it. She worked in a casual setting, but over-the-top shifters hanging around wasn’t something taken casually.
“I think you should still stay under the shifters’ protection.”
“Are you kidding me? They’re a little…no, they are a lot extreme.”
“Believe me, I know. Do you remember the entourage they had for you when you went to the hospital?” I teased. “There I was expecting a chart-topping diva or an award-winning actor and all I saw was you. I was so disappointed.”
“Whatever.” She leaned over the table and playfully hit me on my arm. “Maybe I’ll stay with Lucas.” She didn’t sound very confident in the suggestion and her face lacked the enthusiasm it usually had when she spoke of him. Guilt shadowed her face. “I don’t think he’s going to forgive me. I treated him awful.”
There was a familiar knock on the door before I could offer comfort. I’d seen how hurt Lucas had looked when Savannah wouldn’t let him near her, but he’d forgive her. He was more hurt by it than angered. I wondered how my roommate had enthralled the Master of the city in a matter of weeks. Speak of the devil: He was at the door when I opened it. He wore a dark blue suit, and one button was undone on his slim-fitting light blue shirt. For Lucas, that was as casual as wearing a tattered t-shirt and jeans.
“Lucas, you could have at least gotten yourself dressed before you came here. Man, have some respect,” I said, grinning, which made me the only person doing so. Standing behind him were his usual guards. I referred to them as Suit Number 1 and Suit Number 2 but No Smile 1 and 2 would have been just as appropriate. Just like Lucas’s, their faces were emotionless.
When Lucas finally addressed me, his tone was chilly, a reminder that I was dealing with a very old, very deadly vampire. “Levy, it would have been good of you to keep me updated on Savannah’s state.”
It would be good of you not to treat me like I work for you. The sharp look he gave me kept me silent. I reminded myself that he was worried about Savannah and that having him there to watch her was a good thing, although part of me was dying to set boundaries. Lucas needed boundaries. Boundaries he’d probably ignore.
“Savannah.” He said her name with the smooth rhythm of a song and approached her cautiously.
When he started to nuzzle her neck, I was reminded why I often left when the two of them were together.
“Stop. I need to shower,” she informed him, pulling away. Lucas was close behind her as she headed toward her room.
“Hey, lover boy,” I called after him before he could disappear down the hall. Then I jerked my finger in the direction of the door. “What do you plan to do with your packages at the door?” With a quick snap, I closed my mouth as it dawned on me that I had just called the Master of the city “boy.” Shrugging, I owned it. Lucas turned and fixed me with another sharp look. I squared my shoulders and stood taller. “Master lover boy?” I corrected with a grin.
“Levy, let’s remember I’m still quite displeased with you. Don’t make it worse.”
“Don’t forget, I’m displeased with you as well,” I snarled right back at him, baring my teeth in the same manner. I wasn’t, but I wasn’t above deflecting and being fake enraged to get him off my back. “And you know why!” I stormed off, tasked with finding a good reason to give him if he ever cared to ask.
Heading back to my room, I was able to hear him instruct the Suits that they were to wait out in the car. I wondered who they’d pissed off in a past life to earn the job of Lucas’s guard or what ridiculous amount of money they were being paid. It had to be the latter.
Blu’s face brightened when I walked through the office door. With a great deal of effort, I forced mine to do the same. Midwest Barbie was out of my desk chair, moving with ease in ridiculously high boots that made her tower over me. A scarf was around her head tying back her hair, displaying hoop earrings. I felt bad for being jealous that she seemed to have replaced me. I wasn’t sure how, though, because neither she nor Kalen was the type to do the work of crawling through tight attics, dirty barns, and messy basements to get our goods. She was likely to be ecstatic about accompanying Kalen to any auction he wanted to attend. I’d happily give up that position and let her be the one who had to get dressed up to attend them, but despite all my complaining, I enjoyed the other part of the job.
“I knew you’d be fine. I just knew it,” Kalen greeted me. It was the same thing he’d said when I’d called him after Gareth and I had returned home from Menta Island. Repeating it was his passive-aggressive “I told you so” to Blu. Her brows rose and she gave him a look; rose coloring inched along his cheeks.
“What was it like?” Blu asked, taking a seat on the desk.
I spent nearly twenty minutes describing the trip to them and answering all their questions. When I finished, Blu gave me the same look of sympathy and shock that Kalen did whenever he saw me fight. His theory was that behind every good fighter was a tragic story. In my case it was true.
“Savannah is okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “For the time being. She can do magic now.” I went on to explain what had happened during my spell.
Blu scowled. “She can’t really do magic. Once you disconnected from her, the source was gone.” She seemed relieved by it, and I was, too. It was comforting that Savannah was more human than supernatural. She could pass for human. A naïve and too wistful part of me wanted to believe the less ma
gic inclination she showed, the more likely it would be for her to survive if a Cleanse should ever happen again. There wasn’t anything to support my theory, but letting it overtake me, even for a few minutes, was comforting.
“I need to find Conner,” I admitted. I wanted him dead, but realistically we needed him to find the people behind the virus and the attacks. “I just can’t believe that this is being done by a random person. It has to be someone who is well connected, charismatic, and linked to supernaturals. They knew about Jonathan’s death and used that as a way to get to his sister. Humans don’t typically follow the change in supernatural regimes that closely, especially since he was replaced within days. As far as most were concerned, a mage was a mage.” I moved from my desk and paced the length of the room. “Conner gave Jonathan’s sister three arrows with the virus, and she infected Gareth, Victor, and the fae who was with us.”
“Did he give them to her?” Blu inquired. “All you all know is that she had them in her possession. Would it be a stretch to consider that Jonathan’s sister might have a similar interest—to incite a civil war between humans and supernaturals? Create a virus that can only be treated with the blood of a Legacy and an ingnesco? I’m willing to bet that combination is very similar to the blood of a Vertu.”
Blu’s speculation had me wondering on the drive to the SG if we could use the ignesco/Legacy combo to find Conner. He could block it if I was trying to find him doing a blood search with my blood, but could he do it with the combination of Savannah’s and my blood? Armed with the new information, I wanted to try it, but I had to make sure that if I could locate him, I had enough backup to apprehend him. On the drive to the SG, I contemplated the pros and cons of getting backup. Backup meant there would be witnesses. Witnesses to what surely was going to be a crime. Apprehending Conner permanently meant killing him. I had no intentions of coming in contact with Conner and allowing him to leave alive.
I waved at Beth as I rushed past her, getting a quick glance at her flushed appearance and cautious look. Gareth, Victor, and a group of heavily armed police officers and FSR agents met me in the hallway to Gareth’s office. I was quickly surrounded, with at least seven guns trained on me.
“Put them down,” Gareth ordered.
“Maintain your position,” Victor boomed with authority, daring anyone to disobey it. Out of my peripheral vision I saw two agents ushering Kalen and Blu away; they looked as confused as I was.
“What’s going on?” I kept my hands in plain sight. I was quick with magic, but I wasn’t faster than a bullet.
Gareth’s voice was calmer than he looked, the glow of his shifter ring bright, his gaze predaceous, and it seemed like he was just seconds from exploding into his lion form. “They think you’re responsible for the attacks,” he snarled, incredulous.
“I’m the one who saved you all. I’ve been working with you to stop it. People are alive because of me. What do I gain from this!”
“There was another attack this morning. Your blood was found at the scene and inside one of the arrows left behind. A sai, which is your weapon of choice, was found with your fingerprints on it.”
“My weapons are in the car,” I said, but second-guessed whether they were. Had Conner slipped in and switched them? I wouldn’t put anything past him. When I’d been unconscious in his presence, had he taken my blood and fingerprints? Planned to make me wanted or hated so vehemently that I would come to him for succor?
I started to feel caged, afraid, and ready to protect myself. Defensive magic pricked at my hand, slivers of it wrapping around my fingers. “Test it again,” I demanded.
“They’ve tested it four times upon my request,” Gareth said exasperatedly. “You’re being set up for this. I don’t know how. I’ve had people monitor the testers. It doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you mean, it doesn’t make sense?” snapped one of the FSR agents, a mage. “She killed Harrah, and she’s a Legacy with a great deal of power. You’ve allowed yourself to be compromised, but you won’t do it to this department. The rumors are true: She killed Harrah because Harrah found out what she was up to. Harrah handled it poorly by calling in a Mors, but she was taking care of the situation. Levy is dangerous and you’re too busy bedding her to see it. She’s been playing you the whole time. Helping us? She always seems to be in the right place at the right time. If she and Conner were actually enemies, why hasn’t he killed her?”
He was right. This looked bad.
The mage glared at me as he tossed accusations. Responding that Conner wanted me as his broodmare and companion didn’t seem like a good answer. The agent had found me guilty, and no matter what I said, I wasn’t going to change his mind. I pushed aside feeling betrayed by Victor to try to reason with him. “You’re a shifter, listen for my vitals, see if I’m lying.”
“Olivia Michaels or Anya Kismet, I don’t believe even I’m skilled enough to tell whether or not you are lying. You seem to be quite proficient at it,” Victor responded darkly. My alleged betrayal of the supernatural world was clearly taking its toll.
“I’ll let a fae question me.”
The mage who’d accused me earlier scoffed. “We know what you are and that our magic would be ineffective. We have no chance of getting the truth out of you.”
My eyes dropped to his crotch, exactly where I wanted to deliver a striking kick. I was tired of proving myself to them, and my temper started to get the best of me. “Then since you know what I am, you know there aren’t too many places you’ll be able to hold me. I’m walking out of here. The next time you’re attacked, don’t call me. When you no longer have an antidote, just let the virus run its course and leave me the hell alone. Maybe after several of you assholes die you’ll realize I was on your team all along—” I pushed back the rest of my words at the audible cocking of a gun.
Could a bullet penetrate my protective field? I knew that magic couldn’t, and the way everyone was looking at me, I knew they were willing to find out. Surrendering was a hard pill to swallow. Victor took a step closer; his eyes had softened and his scowl relaxed. “Just agree to stay in custody for a few days while we figure this out.”
“That’ll prove nothing. Whoever is setting me up—and we know who it is—will just hold off on any further attacks while I’m in custody, which will support the implication that I’m behind this.” Harrah had said that I was careless with my blood, but there had been so many attacks; surely I hadn’t left that much around to be used. Focusing on Victor’s eyes, I tried to determine if he was under the same manipulative spell as Savannah had been.
“If you take her into custody after all she’s done to help us, I’m done. Find the person responsible, or don’t. I won’t help anymore,” Gareth snapped.
“You’ve been abetting her. Do you think we really want your help?” offered the mage, who seemed to be angling hard for a thorough ass-kicking. The way Gareth looked at him, it seemed like he was closer to getting one than he imagined.
“You’re not going to speak again,” Gareth asserted, shifting his attention to the mage for just a moment before redirecting it to me. He frowned and moved even closer to me, in front of the guns. “What do you want to do?” he asked me softly.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. The mages and fae might not have heard but I felt sure the other shifters had. It was one of the few times that I’d felt utterly devoid of a plan. I was about to concede when I heard a high-pitched feminine command: “Don’t you put your hand on me!”
Gareth made a face and sighed heavily, recognizing Savannah’s voice over the crowd as it spilled down the hallway. Her heels clicked against the ground with purpose.
“Excuse me!” Her voice was closer—much closer. She’d bogarted her way through the agents. My eyes widened as I watched her navigate through them as though they weren’t holding firearms.
She was always a little spunkier than most humans and possessed an audaciousness that most were too shocked by to respond. She stalked her way to
Victor, who had over seven inches on her. He dwarfed her in height only. A fiery and angry Savannah was like an uncontrollable wildfire; it was difficult to get a handle on it or figure out where to start.
“Savannah,” Victor said sternly.
“Don’t you Savannah me. It’s Ms. Nolan, and in less than an hour, you’ll be speaking with my father, Jacob Nolan, Esquire. You all will need to have a reason why she’s being arrested.”
“First, you have nothing to do with this,” Victor started in a coarse voice, his thinning patience obvious. If he’d been a more perceptive shapeshifter, he would have quickly realized that was the opposite of what to say to Savannah. It was equivalent to telling her to sit down and shut up. And she looked like he had, face the color of a ripe strawberry. Her emotions lent her as much power as magic did its wielder. She was a rising firestorm, blistering and undeniable.
I feared she was just seconds from escalating the situation to the point of no return. Most of the people in the room were staring at her as if they were thinking the same thing. “No, here’s the first. When you had strange creatures running through your city, who the hell stopped them? It wasn’t you guys. When the Maxwells were on the loose wreaking havoc, who the hell apprehended them? Or what about the time two cave lions were about to destroy each other in the middle of the street and were stopped? Can you recall who handled the strange, deadly creature traipsing through the city destroying anything and anyone in its path? I don’t care what evidence you have—it’s wrong. So. Fix. It. We’re leaving. You have no reason to arrest her and you’re not going to,” she commanded heatedly.
“Ms. Nolan,” said an unfamiliar voice. A human police officer who’d squeezed himself through the crowd started to read her the Miranda rights.
Damn. Damn. “Please don’t,” I said to Victor, my mind going a mile a minute as I attempted to make sense of the whole situation. I didn’t have a plan.
Rogue Magic Page 15
