Chapter 16
Lily
I stared at the last message I’d gotten from Julian.
How about tomorrow?
I really wanted to reply and tell him yes, I’d love to go with him.
But part of me worried I was already in too deep with the incubus.
I’d spent all of one weekend, albeit a long, emotionally charged, and physically addictive one, with him, and I already felt like I was falling hard.
And I had a feeling my landing wouldn’t be as graceful or as fun as the ride up.
I’d honestly thought I could handle a friends-with-benefits type situation. My brain had been very clear on the rules: Julian was not the relationship type. He was the kind of man you kissed in the dark and forgot in the daylight. But it seemed my heart and body hadn’t quite gotten the memo.
Also, I was currently income-less, and the restaurant he’d suggested we try looked expensive as fuck. I was sure that if I used money as an excuse, he’d just offer to pay for me. And it wasn’t like I could let him do that, because that was getting suspiciously close to dating territory.
I had to be careful. Besides, I had to figure out what I planned to do with my actual life first. Money and survival came first. Then I could worry about playing dangerous, possibly heartbreaking games with a sexy incubus.
So I’d left him on read since yesterday, feeling a little bit like an ass, and a whole lot like a coward about it. Ugh, the guilt was real.
And the thing was, this wasn’t like me at all.
I might be hesitant to realize my full potential when it comes to things like magic, but when it came to men and dating, I’d never been the type to hem and haw about whether I should accept a date or not.
Before all this, I ran on the premise that if it wasn’t a hell yes, then it was a hard no.
So why was I so freaking confused over Julian?
I looked at the message again. It hadn’t even been the reason why I’d taken out my phone. I was supposed to be checking the time. It was ten minutes to noon, and if my sources were correct, I needed to be somewhere very soon. But instead, I was sitting here, staring at a text.
I was in a generic chain coffee shop just down the street from The Breach site.
I made the cardinal mistake of ordering a coffee at first, and it had been so bad that I’d gone back and asked for a plain black tea.
Gigi had seriously spoiled me for good coffee.
The cake pop wasn’t much better. I took one last swig of my tea, left the cake pop half-eaten and stood.
Then, clipboard in hand, I made my way out of the coffee shop and toward the roundabout, stopping outside one of the buildings with a direct line of sight to the front door.
The building itself was new too, but I couldn’t help but notice that the siding was already starting to weather, like it had been there for a while.
It looked like the shack had been built from a blueprint labeled “utility shed” with no thought for aesthetics.
There wasn’t even a sign denoting what it was for.
The only thing going for it was that it wasn’t all concrete.
If I hadn’t helped confine the portal inside that building, I would’ve never guessed that a bloodthirsty, man-eating portal was locked inside. It looked like something you’d pass on your way to work without a second glance.
But if you did stop and look, you’d realize that the door, reinforced steel and painted a dull gray, was marked with a containment sigil so faint it would be invisible to anyone without magical sight.
The narrow slit-like windows were frosted over with layered wards that pulsed faintly if you stared too long.
How many places like this existed in the world? Quiet, unassuming buildings hiding horrors inside. How many people walked past them every day, completely unaware?
At noon on the nose, the door to the containment shack creaked open.
I expected the researcher they’d sent from Rome, the nerdy one with the pocket protector and the glasses, but to my surprise, a young woman with a Darlington University hoodie stepped out.
Nerdy Rome Guy shuffled out behind her, looking like he’d just swallowed a lemon.
“Why can’t I eat inside?” she asked, waving her lunch bag in his face.
“You’re not even supposed to be here,” he snapped.
“Yes, I am. The university sent me. Didn’t you get the email? I need my work-study hours.”
“They did and I told them no. They sent you anyway.”
“It’s part of the deal. You get to do your fancy research. I get my hours. You get free labor. I’m supposed to be here.”
Judging by his expression, he thought she was here to sabotage his life's work.
“Just let me eat inside. I won’t touch anything.”
“No one goes in without me. EA rules. Don’t like it? Complain to them.”
They crossed the street toward me, and I busied myself, clipboard in hand, pretending to concentrate on the plants and grasses—mostly non-native weeds—that had already begun creeping into the disturbed soil around the roundabout.
Construction had only wrapped up a few weeks ago, but nature didn’t wait for permits.
Crabgrass, thistle, and a stubborn patch of knotweed had claimed the edges, like squatters thriving in the chaos.
They passed me without a glance.
“Why are you following me?” he huffed.
“I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
“Well, outside food’s banned where I’m headed. Find a park bench or something.”
Then he turned and hurried off like he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. That left the woman mumbling something about assholes being ungrateful for free labor. She started toward the small park next to the coffee shop I’d just been in.
Once they were gone, I waited for a break in traffic and crossed into the center of the roundabout.
I knew better than to use my magic; EA surveillance made that a fast track to trouble. Cameras were everywhere, so I kept my cap low and clipboard visible. If anyone asked, I was surveying pioneer species. The weeds here were textbook first colonizers.
I didn’t know what I was looking for; I was just banking on that magical gut feeling that I’d know it when I saw it.
Worst case scenario, I’d leave with one new nugget of intel: Darlington University had sent a student to help with the portal research.
Though judging by the researcher’s sour face, “help” might’ve been a generous term.
Even if the site turned up nothing, I could always chat up the student and see what she knew.
I was about to call it quits when something shiny caught my eye. I crouched down and plucked a broken bracelet from the weeds. It was exactly the kind of jewelry I’d used in protective charm work: gold, symbolizing divine protection, with several charms dangling from it.
One charm was black tourmaline, used for shielding. Another was an evil eye, meant to ward off harmful energy and repel bad vibes.
The bracelet was broken. The clasp was still intact, but the rings of the chain were distorted, as if it had been ripped off with some force. It buzzed faintly with residual magic in my hand.
I slipped it into my pocket, excitement building. That was no random trinket.
I was just doing one last sweep of the back when a woman’s voice said, “What are you doing here?”
Shit. It was the student from earlier.
I concentrated and called upon my charm, keeping a light hand so that it was subtle and hopefully undetectable. “Hi!” I said as I stood, holding the clipboard with the data in front of me like a shield. “I’m doing a survey of the area. Do you work here?”
I gestured to my name tag like that was proof. I’d used my own name since it was common enough. And if the researcher really was responsible, he’d know my name already.
Instead of answering, the woman looked at me like a deer in headlights. “You’re not supposed to be here.” This time, there was a note of wide-eyed panic to her words.
Did she think she would get in trouble if the researcher came back to find me here?
“Do you work here?” I asked again. If she was going to be a broken record then two could play this game. “I’m surveying the roundabout. Didn’t you guys get the email?”
“I’m just a student,” she said, lips still tight.
“Oh, I see. Can I talk to whoever’s in charge?” I asked, knowing full well that I couldn’t because he wasn’t here.
“Alfonzo isn’t here.”
“Do you know when he’ll be back?”
“No,” she lied.
I knew he came back from lunch at one p.m. on the dot every day.
“Maybe I can talk to you. You’re not in charge, but you work here, right?’
“Yes. But like I said, I’m just a student.” She was starting to relax now, my talent slowly working on her.
“That’s okay. I much prefer if I didn’t have to come back tomorrow. I’m Lily. What’s your name?” I stuck out my hand.
“Krista.” She took my hand.
Bingo! Now that my talent had something to latch onto, she relaxed.
“What do you need to know?”
I asked how long she’d been working there, how much foot traffic the area around the roundabout got, and if she’d noticed any power surges from the contained portal that might affect plant growth in the area.
Then I veered a little off track, asking about what they were researching.
And as she talked, I sent some feelers out to see if she had any magic.
She did, though I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.
But that was normal; not everyone had magic strong enough to be apparent.
And many who did shielded the magic from detection.
It turned out she had no idea because Alfonzo wouldn’t let her help at all. But she had to keep coming every day to get her credits.
“I don’t even get paid either.”
“Man, that sucks,” I said with genuine sympathy. “I hope you get your credits.”
I thanked her before making a quick getaway before Alfonzo could get back.
Later that afternoon, I was at the library doing some research on innate talents to see if I could undo the damage I’d done by ignoring it most of my life, when I found myself staring at Julian’s message again between the stacks.
Gah. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him? Technically, I had an excuse to see him now. The bracelet in my pocket suddenly felt heavier, like it was begging me to find out if any of the women had been wearing it when they disappeared. I also still had Julian’s necklace at home.
Oh, screw it! I knew that the bracelet and the necklace were just excuses. I missed Julian already. Before I could overthink, I typed back a message.
Me: Is the offer for dinner still open? BTW, I still have your necklace.
To my surprise, he replied almost immediately.
Julian: Yes. I’ll pick you up at six?
Me: Sounds great!
Julian: One more thing.
Me: What?
Julian: I fixed your shoes. Wear something to match.
I grinned. The man had great taste.
The last time I’d seen those shoes, they’d been hanging on a wall over his desk, smelling of glue. They looked great and he’d even managed to fix up the leather, though I’d been sure damage like that couldn’t be buffed out.
According to Julian, it was hard to find shoes nowadays that were built to last. Many modern shoes were meant to be thrown out rather than recobbled.
No longer able to concentrate on the titles in front of me, I called myself a Speed Demon Cab and headed home.
I wasn’t even home for an hour when I found Shadow pawing at my balcony door, meowing urgently.
That was strange. She’d never behaved like this before, demanding to be let in.
The moment I opened the door, she shot inside and hid under my couch like something was after her.
Even stranger still. Was she being bullied by another stray?
I peered around but couldn’t see anything.
Then I sensed it: The sudden feeling like I was being watched and hunted. Behind me, Shadow had crawled back out from under the couch. She faced the balcony door and hissed like she thought she could protect me. Brave little kitty! I quickly shut the door, making sure all my wards were intact.
“I feel it too, Shadow. Come here.” I reached for the cat, and she instinctively jumped into my arms.
And then they were there, appearing from out of an invisible fog: humanoid shadow creatures.
With Shadow in my arms, I backed away from the window, even as they started to pound on the door.
I was surprised their smoky fists actually made contact.
But that was a good thing, right? It meant they couldn’t phase right through.
Then they were at the windows too. And my door!
I had no idea where they’d come from, but one thing was certain: they were here for me.