Chapter 10
Nessa
“Hey, lady, where are you going?” Jasper stalled at the bottom of the stairs in Ivy House as she passed by toward the front door.
He’d come home in time for the tail end of dinner. Though he and Ulric were wearing purple muumuus, the guests didn’t bat an eye when they joined everyone at the table. Cyra and Hollace came in similarly dressed. Mr. Tom was less than thrilled.
“I’m headed out,” she said. She hooked a thumb behind her. “They’re cool chicks when they relax a little, huh?”
Jasper leaned his elbow against the banister. “Very. And very pretty. Good Lord.” He fanned his face. “Ab-solutely no interest in me whatsoever. Zero interest my way. It’s a shame.”
She laughed. “I think they might be a bit too buttoned up for you.”
“Wha—?” He put his hands on his chest. “I can’t believe you would say that. Who has single-handedly broken Aurora out of her shell?”
“Ulric.”
He paused with his mouth open and then started laughing. “Fine. But I helped!” He went back to leaning an elbow on the banister. “What happened to Aurora tonight, anyway? I expected her to be here.”
“Aljoe and Austin decided to use the rogue unit, as they’re calling it, to comb beyond the territory line.
Aurora left to gather them up and go over the parameters.
They’re going to hit it first thing tomorrow.
They’ll need to stay inconspicuous, so the thought is that they will start from way beyond the territory line and kind of tread in this direction.
” She shrugged. “She’s planning it, which is a big thing for her.
Aljoe will go over it, but he’s taking a back seat so she can get some experience. ”
“Oh, wow. That’s great.”
Jasper nodded, kinda like Fred always did. “Aljoe’s sisters are going to help out with the combing tomorrow and work with Aurora and all that.” His smile was blinding. Clearly, he was proud of her. “She’s in good hands. This’ll be big for her.”
Nessa’s heart warmed at the love and support in this crew.
Everyone looked out for each other and bolstered one another.
Aljoe had blended in seamlessly, and now his sisters would get sucked in.
It was only a matter of time. They’d go from pack friends to Ivy House crew in the blink of an eye.
The conclave was going to go super pear-shaped, and the only people who would excel in the chaos were the ones used to creating it.
“’Kay.” She blew him a kiss. “See ya when I see ya.”
“Wait.” His brow pinched. “If you’re not staying here, Tristan said to call him before leaving.
He wants to make sure you get home okay…
and that you aren’t going to his house.” Jasper turned his head to the side with a sly grin.
“Who’s this mystery man, and is this more games with Tristan?
Because this sounds fun! I need you to teach me so I can play erotic games like this. ”
Nessa laughed. “Inside joke.”
“But games, though, right?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Basically, yes.” She waved as she headed for the door.
“Okay, but seriously, call him. You’re a mage, Nessa. You’re a target and Aurora isn’t home right now. Safety first.”
With a full heart, she agreed as she left the house. Her car waited just down the way by the curb. All was quiet on the darkened street.
She brought up her phone. The screen illuminated the tattered interior of her car. She hadn’t bothered to upgrade because she didn’t use the car often. Anytime she needed to go somewhere in a professional capacity, swanky transportation was arranged.
Still, driving a beater like this usually meant she didn’t plan to stay in a place for long. And now…she wanted to. She didn’t know if she could, given her unpredictable life, and she was a target—always had been—but if she had the choice…
She pulled up Tristan’s name…but then hesitated before tapping to call. Questions from earlier rolled around in her head. How had he known what her magic could do? Other than him, only Momar seemed knowledgeable in this lost art. That was a startling coincidence.
And why had he sounded so damn convincing when yelling her name on the street? So emotionally bereft.
Her heart beat a little quicker. The last mattered the most, she realized. Her reaction to it made her sweat. Made her crave. Not sexually—or not only sexually—but intimately. She wanted a connection as raw as he had sounded. As intense.
Or did she?
Her whole body trembled now, edges of panic in her blood. Anxiety. Worry. Above all…fear.
Did she?
Could she?
She put down the phone and started up the car. The questions kept coming, but really, they all amounted to the same thing.
Could she?
Could she trust? Could she let down her guard? Would that put her in danger? More danger, really.
Would it be the death of her, leaving Sebastian to fend for himself? Or worse, using her against him? Against Jessie and the gang?
Her whole body shook now, but she drove on, taking each turn as her heart sped up. The physical reaction, the shaking and sweating and terror, nearly made her turn the car around. The phone sat idly in the cup holder.
She parked beside the curb and turned off her lights. The house lay just up the way, with the spacious yard and plentiful shadows. She snuck closer, head down, phone now tucked in her back pocket. A few lights burned, the shades open.
She’d spied on him before, but she’d always advertised her energy. He could see it—another question she needed answering. So many questions wrapped up in this mysterious gargoyle-monster, which was fun until it became real. Then it became dangerous.
Now, however, she knew how to pull her energy into herself. How to not only disguise it but make it blend into her surroundings. He’d set her on a path to make her better. Was it to train her up in relative safety and then trade her to Momar?
Her thoughts turned dark as she moved around the house, peering into the windows. The TV was on, but he wasn’t relaxing on the couch, watching it. Nor was he in the kitchen, even though an electric kettle was steaming on the counter. His bedroom was dark.
She moved silently around a bush and then stepped in toward the pole holding up a clothesline so she could check out the dining area, the last lit room. She put her hand against the wood to lean, the view partially obscured.
Her hand was ripped down and her body swung around. Her back hit the wood as her other hand was wrenched behind her. She didn’t even have time to scream before a large hand was squeezing her throat. She struggled to get at her magic when the smell hit her, a delicious, woody, amber scent.
A relieved breath left her as Tristan leaned into her, his lips up against the shell of her ear, his other hand still clasping her wrists behind the wooden pole.
“It is very dangerous to sneak around my home without me knowing who you are, little monster. Those who try are never seen again.” His lips trailed down the shell of her ear, making her shiver.
“Why are you trembling?” He kissed her cheek and then dragged his lips down to her neck.
“Show me your energy so I know what’s wrong. ”
“How did you know?” she asked him, barely able to get the words out of her constricted throat.
Despite her earlier thoughts and fear about his motivations, her body was ablaze at the contact and especially the treatment.
She needed roughness to counteract the aching vulnerability and unease.
“How did you know about my energy magic?”
“I told you.” He released her throat. Reaching above them, he yanked the clothesline free and wrapped it around her wrists with quick, practiced efficiency.
In fact, this whole setup seemed to be exactly for this purpose. Lure people to this area—to this trap—and secure them. Then do as he pleased.
Another delicious shiver traveled her length.
“I can see it. Usually.” He sucked on the skin over her hammering pulse. “Let me see it.”
“No, I mean”—she angled her head away so he could kiss the fevered skin, trailing kisses down her neck to her exposed collarbone—“how did you know it was something more?”
“I looked it up and found the books on it.” His lips traveled to the other side of her throat
Her eyelids fluttered closed. “Not the manipulation. How did you know it could work with ley lines? That it could tap into them, feel them.”
His hands flowed over her hips and up, spread across her sides. “I didn’t know that. I thought it was the energy manipulation. I’ve heard some magics can do that, and when I saw and felt your energy coaxing me to do as you wished, I went searching. It was easy to find. This new facet…”
He dragged his lips up the center of her throat and then let them hover over hers. His lower half pressed into her deliciously, sending a shock of pleasure coursing through her body.
“I didn’t want to intrude on your discovery,” he said, licking her bottom lip.
She groaned as his hard bulge pushed against her core. “Why?” she whispered.
“Because I worried it was a level above and you’d be crestfallen when it didn’t apply to you.”
He pressed his lips onto hers, opening her mouth and then running his tongue inside. His hands slid up the bottom of her shirt, his skin on hers. He pushed against her slowly, rhythmically.
“You’ve been dealing with powerful mages most of your life,” he murmured, “always thinking you’re not like them. That your skills are only in admin. In organization.”
He backed off until he could look into her eyes. She latched on to the beautiful, glowing amber, so deep and open.
“I’ve always thought you were so much more.
Espionage is a skill far above basic admin and organization.
Spying. Keeping your family alive. That is all exemplary.
But you didn’t see it. You only saw the negative parts of the job.
The parts you thought made you a monster.
I looked up the energy magic hoping it would be an avenue of pride for you.
That you’d feel more included in the mage world. ”