“You do realize I’m not in charge anymore,” I said.
“Fine,” Allie said. “Terric, do you know how he died?”
“Eli Collins,” I said. Allie held her breath and Zay’s eyes pooled with gold. Since Collins was also an ex-boyfriend of Allie’s, and a man who had worked on experimental magic and technology integrations with her very dead, very disturbed father, I understood their reactions. Plus, any memories we’d tried to take away from him had been returned when magic was healed.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
I had a mouthful of pie, so I nodded.
Terric took over. “There are glyphs carved into Joshua. Death, Pain, Binding. It looked like Eli’s signature.”
“I want to see him,” Allie said.
“Allie,” Zay started.
“Don’t need to, love,” I said. “It was Eli’s hand. Swear on it.”
“Will this change your decision?” the Overseer asked.
I didn’t know if he was asking me or them, but I answered, “Not a bit.”
Terric shook his head. “We’re staying.”
Victor was tapping his finger softly on the edge of the table. He might have lost most of his sight, but he had not lost his ability to read people. I figured he had Terric and me pegged. He probably even knew we weren’t planning to wait around for Eli to find us.
Take the fire to the fire, as, really, no one says.
“And you?” the Overseer asked Allie and Zay.
“No,” they said simultaneously.
“We’re staying here,” Zay finished.
Since I was across the table, I think I was the only one who saw Allie’s lips moving ever so slightly with the words Zayvion was saying.
They were probably thinking the same thoughts. Speaking to each other in their minds. Stuck together brain to brain with superelastic Soul Complement glue.
It was creepy.
But they were my friends. My creepy, creepy friends.
“I advise otherwise,” the Overseer said. “I believe you both, well, all of you, would be much safer out of the area. Perhaps out of the United States.”
None of us said anything. I ate another couple bites of pie, then sat back and drank coffee.
Victor’s frown had gone from thoughtful to disappointed. I guess he’d hoped the Overseer could talk sense into Allie and Zay at least. He should know better than that. I’d never seen them do anything but stand their ground.
“Well, that’s settled, then,” Victor said. “Mr. Moretti, I think we’ve heard their final decision on this matter.”
The Overseer pushed away from the table and stood, his fingers resting on the back of his chair. “I wish you’d reconsider, Zayvion and Allison. You have made a very dangerous choice in staying.”
Zay was already on his feet, his hand reaching down to help Allie up.
A wave of hunger rolled through me, seeing them there, heartbeats joined, alive and burning. I wrapped my hand around my coffee cup and sucked the heat out of it.
Control it, Flynn. Zay’s counting on you.
“Thank you for your concern,” Allie said. “But this is our home. We aren’t going to leave it.”
Said the woman who had stood on the front line of the apocalypse and kicked its ass.
“I admire your courage,” the Overseer said. “And I wish you strength. If I can help, please contact me.”
“We will, sir,” Zayvion said. “Thank you.”
The Overseer started toward the door, and Victor followed a little more slowly.
I wanted to talk to Victor. See if he knew how Dessa fit into all this, but my control was damn near exhausted. And Terric was right there, just a few seats away.
Staring at me.
Being around him usually dampened my need to feed. But it wasn’t enough to be in the same room with him right now. What I wanted was life. Allie’s life, Zayvion’s life. Terric’s life.
Terric waited. He knew what I wanted. Knew he could give it to me.
Knew I knew it too. And was waiting for me to ask.
If I asked and triggered the monster in him, one of us would end up dead.
Besides, I’d had enough of walking among the living for the day.
“So that was fun,” I said as soon as the door closed behind Victor and the Overseer. “The four of us, holding out while our doom sets us in its sights. Just like old times. Unlike old times, I plan to be drunk for as much of this as possible. Who’s up for a bottle or two?”
Terric just shook his head and pushed away from the table. “Has either of you talked to Davy lately?”
Allie answered, “Not for a few days. Why? Is he okay?”
“I saw him last night. We saw him,” Terric said. “And he saw Joshua’s body. He knows it’s Eli behind his death.”
Zay took in a deep breath and did that stare-into-space thing for a second. Used to be he could sort of reach out and feel where people were in the city. Back when he was Guardian of the gates. Back when there was enough magic in the world to open and close magical gates. Back when magic was broken, but a hell of a lot easier to deal with. Except, you know, everyone was pretty damn good at using it to kill one another.
Maybe now he was just trying to decide how to talk Allie into going away somewhere safe.
“How did Davy take it?” Allie asked.
Terric shrugged, then rubbed at one shoulder as if it had a kink there. “Pretty sure he wants to be a part of taking Eli down.”
Zay nodded and so did Allie.
“I want to see the glyphs,” Allie said. “Where is the . . . where is Joshua?”
Terric stood, dug his phone out of his pocket. “I took a couple pictures.” He thumbed through the selection, which appeared to be password protected, then handed the phone to Allie.
Zay nodded just slightly in thanks and Terric nodded back.
Allie frowned and adjusted the picture so she could see it the way she wanted.
Let them be all sleuthy. I found a decent bourbon, filled a glass. Took a long, hard swallow.
Burned all the way down.
Eleanor was perched on the edge of the bar, swinging her feet. I was pretty sure she hadn’t taken her eyes off Zayvion since we’d walked in here.
“He’s taken, love,” I said quietly to her. “Plus, he prefers his women breathing.”
She rolled her eyes and very carefully and slowly mouthed the words fuck you .
I shook my head. “I like them breathing too.”
She jumped down off the bar. Then she pushed through it and slapped me across the back of the head. I winced and chuckled into the glass.
“Well,” I said as I refilled the tumbler. “Since you three seem to have some catching up to do, I am going to my room. Call me if you need me. Hold on.” I lifted one finger and navigated out from behind the bar, tumbler and bottle in one hand. “Better yet, don’t call me unless you absolutely must.”
Zay folded his arms across his chest and gave me and my bottle a very disapproving glare as I walked out of the room. Allie just looked sad at my lack of . . . well, probably lack of everything.
That hurt.
I didn’t let it show. “Good night, all. See you on the morn.”
“Shame,” Terric said. “It’s morn right now. It’s not even noon. And you have a date in a couple hours.”
“A date?” Allie asked. “Who?”
“Just a girl I met in a bar,” I said.
“Ex-government,” Terric said. “I’d guess CIA or FBI.”
“I don’t think so,” I interrupted. “She wouldn’t be asking us for information if she was in the intelligence community.”
“There are things we’ve kept out of the government’s hands for years,” he said. “Even the CIA and FBI don’t have the records we have.”
“True.”
“That’s both interesting and worrisome,” Allie said, “but not as interesting as you wanting to date her. How long have you known her?”
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