by Sonya Clark
“Or that they’re satisfied to have someone to send to prison. Because that’s what’s going to happen to him.”
“You think they’ll charge him as an adult at fourteen?”
“He not only broke the Magic Laws but it pissed off all the wrong people. Of course they’ll try him as an adult.” Vadim curled his hand into a fist, fighting the urge to break things. “Why did he do this? I had a plan. It’s on track for tonight. Why the hell did you let him do this?”
“I didn’t let him do anything. I didn’t know anything about it until a few minutes ago. And you didn’t have a plan, you had a fucking bandage. How many times did you think you could get away with raiding grocery store warehouses before you got caught? Or whoever you sent got caught? That was a shitty idea and everybody knows it.”
“It was my idea and I know it was shitty! It was the best thing I had until I could come up with something more permanent. This stupid kid didn’t need to sacrifice himself.”
“Don’t call him stupid,” Calla erupted. “He’s a fourteen-year-old kid and he stepped up. We should respect him for that.”
“He’s an impulsive kid who just threw his life away over a little guilt. I have no respect for that.”
“He took responsibility for his actions and sacrificed himself to help people.”
Vadim slammed his fist into his desk. “He was an immensely talented and intuitive trancehacker. How many people could he have helped with his skills if he’d kept his ego in check instead of playing the martyr and spending no-telling-how-many years behind bars?”
Calla screwed up her face in anger and disgust. He knew it wasn’t entirely aimed at him though. No more so than his own anger was aimed entirely at Tyler.
“I need to call Nate and let him know.” She left, banging the door shut behind her.
“The hits just keep on coming.” Vadim laughed, aware of the manic tinge to it but not caring. Nate must not have found her yet or she might have been yelling about something else entirely.
Fourteen years old and willing to throw his life away to protect his friends and get decent food rations for others. Despite what he’d said, Vadim did respect that. It also made him furious. Calla was right—his plan had been the shittiest of shit. Bribery and blackmail and reciprocity had carried him through a lot, but what the hell was he supposed to do when he couldn’t get anything on anybody and nobody wanted his money or anything else from him? If those things no longer worked, all he had was a noose tightening around his neck.
He had to get out before he either broke every bottle in the office or spent the night draining them dry. Music assailed him as soon as he opened the door, pounding into the ache already setting his head on fire. He stumbled through the dark corridor to the nearest exit. The dance floor was the last thing he needed.
The rain had stopped, leaving an early warning of winter behind. Vadim huddled into his patched sweater and faded overcoat as he took the subway to the other side of town, trying to block both the cold and other people. All the Normals around him, did they really want their Magic Born children consigned to a virtual prison? Hell, even if they didn’t, would they do anything to stop it?
The closer he got to her family home, the angrier he got at Lizzie. Whether it was blackmail or a business arrangement or gods knew what between them, she should have told him about this ordinance. There was no excuse for it.
The house was empty when he arrived. He’d give her half an hour, then head to her apartment. With no one to take itself out on, his temper began to cool and curiosity got the best of him. He walked through the house, mostly looking at the family pictures on the walls. Even as a child Lizzie had had a reserve to her, but it was clear her parents had loved her. He found only one photo of her with a genuine smile rather than a timid, forced one. Probably around Tyler’s age, wearing cutoffs and a blue T-shirt, she sat on some sandy beach with a small dog in her arms and her long hair in a ponytail. Her gaze was on the dog rather than the camera. She looked happy. Free.
Tuyet had brought him a seashell once. It had been after a drunken conversation in which he quizzed her about her travels, the smell of the ocean and the feel of sand underfoot. She’d laughed, called him a sentimental drunk. But she’d answered his questions and the next time a railroad run took her to the sea, she’d brought him back a souvenir. He still had it, on a shelf in his apartment.
Vadim stared at the photo. He brushed his fingers over the edge of the frame, his emotions so scattered and out of control that magic leaked out to disrupt the digital image. Teenage Lizzie flickered like a ghost. He withdrew his hand, rubbing the tips of his fingers together to ground the energy.
Noise drifted up from the foyer. He left what appeared to be a guest room and hurried to the stairs, amping up for a shouting match. Lizzie raced up the steps, still dressed in a conservative skirt suit appropriate for a city council member. Her thick, wavy hair flowed loose, though, as if carrying a banner for the part of her that refused to be hidebound.
That was a part of her he wouldn’t mind seeing more often. Maybe even later tonight.
Her heels loud on the hardwood, she met him halfway up the stairs and flung her arms around him. “I can’t believe how glad I am to see you. There’s so much I need to tell you.”
Before he could even think about it, his arms wrapped around her slender form of their own volition. Her earthy, floral perfume and her strong but scattershot magical energy both enveloped him. He buried his nose in her neck, inhaling her scent. Maybe just one kiss before they got down to business.
Her mouth opened beneath his immediately, her lips soft and pliable. The taste of her was intoxicating. Her tongue met his stroke for stroke and she crushed her body against his, unashamedly eager. Desire that had been simmering all day crept closer to full boil. He ran his hand down her back, sliding it through the silken red hair down to the curve of her bottom. He pressed her closer, wanting her to feel his need. A tiny growl escaped her throat and she ground herself into his hardness.
Vadim lifted her by the waist, guiding her to the wall and bracing his hands on either side of her head as he kissed her. She slipped a hand inside his sweater, her fingers cool on his skin as she traced circles on his stomach. His muscles tightened under her touch.
She pulled her mouth from his and smiled. “You don’t seem like you’re in the mood to talk.”
Talk. Shit. No, he didn’t want to talk or argue or work with her on her magic or trade recipes or any gods-damned thing but take her upstairs to that narrow, uncomfortable bed and turn it into heaven with her underneath him. It was a luxury he couldn’t allow himself, so he touched his forehead to hers for a moment while he caught his breath and got his body under control. Then he stepped away and met her eyes.
“So. This ordinance I’m hearing about that’s going to make FreakTown into even more of a prison than it already is. Is that some of what you wanted to tell me?”
Her smile disappeared into a look of horror. “Oh, God. How did you find out?”
“I have a friend that’s a cop. He told me today.”
“How would a cop know about it?” She headed down the stairs. “Come with me to the kitchen. I need coffee.”
Vadim followed. The kitchen had what he suspected were outdated appliances ten times better than anyone in the zone had. His mother’s old apartment would have fit neatly in the space with room to spare. He stayed out of the way as Lizzie bustled around, preparing coffee and unpacking her briefcase on the bar.
“I have the information you wanted.” She handed him a sheaf of papers. “I started to put it all on a drive but I didn’t know if you’d have a tablet or anything.” She stopped, embarrassed. To cover it she turned and pretended to look in the fridge.
He folded the papers and held them awkwardly in both hands. “Turns out I may not need this after all, but thanks all the sam
e.”
“I didn’t bring much over the other day. Just a few staples. If you’re hungry, we can order out.”
“Just coffee, please.”
She fetched two fine-china cups and saucers along with silver spoons, lining up everything on the bar with a sugar bowl and creamer. Still not meeting his eyes, she said, “You really are full of surprises. Friends with a police officer. I never would have guessed.”
“He’s in love with a friend of mine. That’s why he found out. See, he doesn’t keep it a secret that he’s involved with a witch. Even the police chief knows. That’s who told him.”
“Detective Perez?” She toyed with the spoons. “I’ve met him a few times.”
“You hit on him one of those times.”
She shrugged. “Of course I did.”
He came to stand opposite her at the bar and tossed the papers aside. “Lizzie, what the fuck is this ordinance? Is it for real?”
She nodded, trembling slightly. “Do you know who Brice Jennings is?”
He balled his hand into a fist and slammed it on the bar, regretting it immediately. “Fucking hell. Is there anything that doesn’t go back around to that woman? He can’t keep his wife happy so the whole world’s going to pay. Is that it?”
The coffee machine beeped. Lizzie looked at him. “I think it’s more like he’s a possessive head case and can’t stand the thought that his wife slipped through his fingers and ran off with another man.” She picked up the carafe and poured coffee into the delicate cups. “He’s also an insufferable bigot.”
“And the man his wife ran off with was Magic Born, so let’s punish every last one of them. Is this bullshit going to pass?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got one of my aides working on a study of what it will do to local business and the city’s tax base. Something concrete like that may be the easiest way to persuade people. I need to start talking to other council members, figure out where they stand. Cream and sugar?”
“How about a little anger and righteous indignation instead? You’re taking this ice queen shit way too far here.”
“You think I want this to happen? I’m trying to find a way to vote against it.”
Vadim raised his hands, mouth hanging open in momentary shock. “What the hell does that even mean?”
The lights began to flicker. Lizzie said, “It means you’re not the only person who found out I’m Magic Born and thought it would be a fine idea to blackmail me. Do you want cream and sugar in your goddamn coffee or not?”
Power in the fridge flashed. A wall panel by the entrance that housed environmental and other controls popped, its circuits overloaded with magic. Angry lashes of energy crackled out of Lizzie and she didn’t seem to realize it. He said her name quietly.
She ignored him. “I spent the day reading through the Magic Laws. Federal, state, local. All of it. He threatened me with jail so I had to read through all that filth to see if it could really happen. If my parents were alive, they would definitively be sent to prison.”
A thin blue line of electric magic arced from the control panel, fizzling out before it could connect with anything. He said, “Lizzie, you need to calm down.”
“There’s nothing in the laws that might send me to jail. So from his threat I can only infer that that’s next on their list, whoever these people are. I have to vote for this horrific law or be exposed. Even if I do it, God knows what will be next. It’ll never end.”
The cooktop and oven glowed red, sending off palpable heat. “You need to ground,” Vadim warned. “You’re getting out of control.”
“Don’t be absurd. I don’t get out of control. I don’t let myself be controlled by others. I don’t take orders.”
The sound of dishes breaking came from inside cabinets. The contents of drawers rattled. Coffee erupted out of the top of the carafe. Her energy became a visible miasma of black haze encroaching on everything in the kitchen. “Lizzie, look around you! Look at what you’re doing.”
“It’s different with you, I know that,” she said. “There’ll be no business arrangement with them.”
Vadim had little gift for healing magic but he called up all he had, blanketing Lizzie and the space around her with soothing energy. It did nothing to dispel the black. He hurried around the bar and reached for her. “You’re getting worked up and losing control of your magic.”
Awareness flickered across her face, as did a pained familiarity. “It’s a panic attack. I’ve been fighting it off all day.” She stepped away from Vadim and stared in horror at the chaos. “I don’t know how to make it stop.”
“You need to ground the energy.” He pulled her to the ground. “Sit. Put your hands on the floor and close your eyes.”
She seemed not to have heard him. “I can manage it for a while, especially in public, but then it’s like something in me lashes out.” Her voice wobbled as it took on a manic tinge. “The magic gets out and it does what it wants and I only know one way to stop it.”
The light fixtures exploded one by one. She screamed. Vadim covered her with his body, raising his arm to keep the worst of any flying shards from hitting his face. “You need to focus. I know it’s hard but you have to do it.”
“I need your help,” she cried. “Oh, God.”
He scooted her into the corner of the bar, huddling himself over her as much as possible in case something else went flying. “I’m sorry I didn’t teach you this first. That’s another thing I’ve screwed up with you and now you’re paying for it.” He took her face in his hands, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Just try to clear your mind and let the energy flow out into the ground. That’s the first method kids are taught.”
“I can’t make it stop.” Tears streamed down her face. Her voice was so choked he could barely understand her over the cacophony.
“You’ve made it stop before. You can do this.”
Something exploded on the bar. Thin pieces of sharp glass rained down on them—he guessed from the coffee carafe. One sliced into his forehead, stinging. Blood dripped into his eye.
“I hurt you, oh, God, Vadim, I hurt you.”
“No, I’m fine.” He wiped the blood away, blinking. “See? All fine. Just try to focus.”
“I have to make it stop.”
“Yes, you do, so let’s get you calm, sweetheart.” He squeezed her shoulders in what he knew was a lame attempt to offer comfort. Lizzie could be mercurial, he knew that, but this was more than he was prepared for. Possibly more than he’d be able to deal with by himself. “Take a deep breath, okay? Just take a deep breath.”
She caught him by surprise with a hard shove, then scrambled away. He grabbed for her but missed. Huddling under the dining table, she slapped herself viciously. The crack of her hand on her cheek made him jump.
“Lizzie!”
Again and again she hit herself. He pushed chairs out of the way, not caring how they fell, and hurried to reach her. He caught her hand just before it made contact with her red and tear-streaked face. As gently as he could, he held her wrists and guided her hands behind her back. He gathered them both in one hand and wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her as close as he could in the awkward confines. Her body shook with sobs, the heart-wrenching cries tearing him up inside. Soon they were the only sound in the kitchen.
Lizzie collapsed into him. He freed her wrists and she snaked her arms around his neck, holding on so tight he had trouble maneuvering the two of them out from under the table. The kitchen was a disaster but now quiet at least. He settled her into the cradle of his arms and stepped through the debris.
When they reached the stairs she raised her head. “I don’t want to be here.”
“I’ll take you to your apartment. Can you walk?”
She nodded. With care, he set her down, keeping his hands on her elbows and r
eady to catch her if need be. He had no idea what to say to her or how to help her, but he would do anything she asked.
“I don’t want to go there either,” she said.
“Do you want to check into a hotel? I can take you.” Depending on where she chose, he would stay with her. Some of the higher-end places allowed Magic Born to accompany their Normal escorts, but his presence would have to be registered at the front desk. She might not want herself associated with a practice that usually meant some rich Normal was spending the night partying with a Magic Born lover. Leaving her alone in this condition was not going to happen though. One way or another, he would convince her.
Lizzie stepped closer, running her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders. Eyes bloodshot from crying met his. “Can you take me home with you?”
He wanted to say no. She’d have to badge in, and there would be a record of her presence in the zone. Questions. Lots of questions and no way to take her to his place without them being seen. With her high profile, that might bring about a visit from a DMS agent. He would very gently tell her no and suggest a hotel as an alternative.
“Please,” she whispered.
Vadim shut his eyes against the sight of her, but it did no good. The warmth of her body, the slight tremble that betrayed her unsteadiness, the scent of her perfume and the essence of her magic—it all conspired against him. He opened his eyes and for the first time began to realize just how much trouble he was in.
“You said you wanted to know my secrets.” He brushed her hair back and dropped a soft, quick kiss on her lips. “You’re about to get a big one. I need to know I can trust you.”
“You’re the only person I trust anymore.” She laughed, looking away for a moment then back. “It’s crazy, I know. But there it is.” She nodded. Some of her usual poise returned. None of the ice though. That made him happier than it should have. She said, “You can trust me. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I don’t belong to them.”
