Kelly Gay - The Better Part of Darkness

More importantly, Cass had the resources to manufacture and/or distribute a new drug. Another suspect added to my mental list.

Finally Mynogan stepped onto the temporary stage, drawing my gaze away from Cass. The crowd cheered and surged forward, pinning me against the barrier around the stage and only a few feet away from a jinn bodyguard. I gave him a geeky smile, shoved the sunglasses back up my nose with my middle finger, and assumed a rather pinched, proper look, keeping my lips thin and cheeks sucked in as I pretended to be engrossed in the speaker.

“Welcome, citizens of Atlanta!” More cheers. “Thank you for coming today. And thank you for coming together, for bringing a sense of community to all races and beliefs. We are all one, and our voice is one …”

Blah, blah, blah … Yeah, right. Charbydon nobles were as stuck-up and prejudiced as the Adonai. What the hell was he up to? He obviously supported the CPP, was no doubt a registered member by now. He spoke like a politician, looked like a politician, had the resources of a politician …

Oh, hell.

The setup was all right there, right in front of my face. He was going to run for office. Just what this city needed—another pompous ass with his own agenda.

As I listened to him speak, hundreds of spidery footsteps crept up my spine. This guy was connected to me in a way that was tearing me apart from the inside out, and damned if I could figure out why. I analyzed him, noting his sharp black suit, his haughty carriage and mannerisms, yet nothing gave me answers. He’d gone without a coat, which I thought was strange, but perhaps nobles were more tolerant of the “cold” of the southern fall season. All I could get from him were super-bad vibes and a queasy stomach.

Images of my nightmare flashed again; him smoothing back the blood-soaked hair from my white face.

I slowed my pulse and regulated my breathing. Several minutes passed.

Over and over, I reminded myself that he had no power over me, unless I allowed it. But I couldn’t seem to deliberately control the images and the turmoil inside my head the way I wanted. The only thing I could do was cover them with something else. So I changed my focus, remembering the conversation I’d had with Titus Mott. I felt like an idiot, but what the hell? If I truly had psychic abilities, then this was the perfect place for a test drive.

I tried to sense the different energies around me, carefully reaching out, attempting to separate and pinpoint individual signatures. The dark sunglasses allowed me to study my neighbors openly.

Nothing happened.

I was too distracted, noticing every detail of each person I examined and making up wild backgrounds and MOs for them. Definitely not working. So, I tried closing my eyes and releasing the tension of Mynogan’s presence.

Focus.

I opened my mind and envisioned a cool, calming breeze to carry away all the negativity.

Yes, that feels so much better.

Immediately, a friendly energy pricked my consciousness, an aura in my mind that was green and confident in its power. Instinct kicked in and straightaway I thought: mage. I peeked and found the owner of that aura, a human, in the crowd and saw with open eyes the vibrant colors of green surrounding her. An energetic high swept through me. The next one was jinn. Red. Hot. Filled with irritation and ego. I scanned more of the crowd: another jinn, a goblin, and a Charbydon noble whose aura was a deep, dark purple, full of intelligence, cunning, and a good-sized helping of self-worth.

Mott had been right. But somehow I’d known. I’d known all along. The super strength and the ability to heal had been a big shock, but this ability, to sense the auras of others in my mind and then to visualize them—I realized I’d had it for a while, just never allowed it to blossom, never intentionally tried to use it. I had always just called it instinct.

My gaze drifted back to Mynogan. Goose bumps sprouted on my arms and thighs. His aura I didn’t need or want to see. I had a good idea it was blacker and hotter than newly poured asphalt.

He neared the end of his speech, so I backed away slowly, slipping in between bodies, bumping shoulders and murmuring apologies as I went. My senses were on overdrive. Body odors. Brief flashes of auras. They compounded, building onto one another until I felt as though I was suffocating under a mound of off-world bodies.

Lungs straining, I managed to break free of the crowd near the curb.

Dear God! I leaned forward, gasping. But just for a moment. My glamour time was almost up, and I couldn’t afford to attract attention.

I wasn’t sure what my plan was exactly, only that I needed to get to Mynogan. And I’d figured my opportunity would present itself at some point. When it did, I only had a few seconds to make up my mind. The speech ended with a roar.

The bodyguards simultaneously turned their attention to the stage, but that would only last for a second. Without time to think, I sprinted around the limo sandwiched between two black SUVs, opened the passenger door, and slid inside, ducking down into the seat and hoping to hell no one had seen or heard me. The driver was standing outside on the other side, clapping.

Quickly, I pulled my Nitro-gun from the bag and shoved it into the back waistline of the skirt. I prayed this was Mynogan’s limo and he wouldn’t do something unexpected, like get into one of the SUVs.

I scooted to the far edge of the seat, made my posture straight and my expression blank. Whatever happened, I couldn’t lose my cool. Nobles respected control above all else.

The door opened to a throng of legs and reporters’ shouts. I held my breath. The first to get in was the third unidentified Charbydon noble from Veritas. His face I remembered well; the classic features, the high cheekbones, and the sardonic mouth. A lock of sable hair fell into his eyes as he dipped his body into the cab of the limo. Eyes I thought were black were, in fact, the darkest midnight blue shot with silver flecks, like stars in a clear night sky. They widened in shock at finding me crouched against the door. But the shock was quickly replaced by a droll smile that cut slits into each side of his cheeks. Mirth and a brief flash of disbelief danced in his eyes as he sat down next to me, a puff of sage and cedar reaching my nose.

I found my breath again, but it was almost sucked permanently from my lungs when Mynogan entered right behind him.

He settled into his seat across from me and the other noble. I braced myself. The only thing that made me feel better was the cold press of my weapon at my back. As his eyes turned to me, no surprise or emotion flitted across his haughty face.

The door shut, the sound echoing finality through my body. My hand itched to pull my gun, just to put a barrier between us.

“All set, sir?” the driver asked, getting into the car.

“Yes, Gavin, thank you,” Mynogan answered in an even tone, his black gaze never leaving mine.

The car pulled away from the curb, and a thread of panic wove its way into my psyche. Claustrophobia closed in on me. I was in a tiny car with my worst nightmare.

“Your glamour is fading, Detective Madigan,” he said evenly, adjusting the cuffs on his expensive wool jacket. “I’m sure you realize the entire city is looking for you.”

My teeth clenched as his words struck anger in me. Much better than fear. I grabbed on to it like a lifeline. “If it wasn’t for the CPP …”

The male next to me angled in his seat to watch me, his body deceptively relaxed. I ignored him, sensing he was more curious than threatening at the moment. One predator at a time, I told myself, redirecting my attention back to Mynogan. “I know this little charade of good citizenship is nothing but a smoke screen.”