Magic after midlife omni.., p.70
Magic After Midlife Omnibus, page 70
“Right,” Naveen said. “But if this woman’s magic let the dybbuk leave her body, then that’s the full extent of her power. It doesn’t explain how she killed Santiago. Or rather, why he couldn’t defend himself from the attack since she had nothing else to boost the dybbuk’s strength. Can Ohrists not kill dybbuks?”
“Santiago being attacked, rather than inhabited by a dybbuk, is new territory for me.” Laurent absently traced a circle on the table. “Ohrists can’t sense dybbuks or see them, so if we get enthralled, we aren’t aware of it until they make their presence known by trying to take control of our bodies. This was different. Santiago would have felt the attack, but he couldn’t see his assailant to strike the dybbuk directly with his magic.”
“Santiago’s magic flared out like a net. There’s no way it would have missed the dybbuk, and you’re avoiding my question, mate.” There was a pointedness to Naveen’s easy smile and friendly tone that put me on edge, and I braced myself for more accusations. Naveen stood up to lean over the table. “Can Ohrists kill dybbuks? Yes or no?”
Laurent didn’t answer, his head bowed.
Naveen’s eyes widened, his brow furrowed, and he took an unsteady step backward. “Ohrists can’t kill the bastards, can we?” He slammed the table. “Can we?”
I glanced between them in confusion, which only grew when Daya looked away guiltily.
“Only BS magic can.” Naveen exhaled in a single hard breath like he’d been punched and a cold mask dropped over his features. He clenched his fists, his arms shaking. “You son of a bitch,” he snarled and lunged for Laurent.
8
The men collided, sending them sprawling onto the floor. Laurent’s shoulder clipped the edge of the toolbox and though I winced, his only reaction was to pinch his lips tight and knock the thing out of the way.
It flew into the fridge, rattling bottles inside.
“That’s enough,” Daya snapped.
Naveen straddled Laurent and slammed a punch into his jaw.
The shifter didn’t retaliate. He didn’t even defend himself, keeping his body loose and open to injury.
Naveen stood up. “Fight me,” he growled.
Laurent pulled himself into a seated position, his knees drawn into his chest, and touched a finger to his bloody lip. His eyes were clouded with hurt and betrayal, which made no sense.
Delilah hovered behind me, her vibrations echoing my anxiety. Naveen hadn’t known about Laurent’s magic and instead of waiting for a time when tempers were cool, Laurent had dropped it now at the worst possible time? We needed Naveen’s help. Tatiana’s life was in danger.
And why wasn’t Laurent defending himself?
“He doesn’t owe you answers,” Daya said,
“His silence is answer enough.”
Daya winged her brother in the shoulder with a plum from the fruit bowl.
“Back off.” The ferocious glower Naveen turned on her was probably nightmare fuel for more than one demon, but his sister merely winged another piece of fruit at him.
Naveen grabbed a fistful of Laurent’s shirt and hauled him to his feet. “You’re a B—”
I swung my chair into Naveen’s back, knocking him off Laurent, but the Brit roughly shoved me away and I hit the counter with my tailbone, the chair clattering sideways to the floor.
Laurent swung his head my way, his eyes darkening and his fingers turning to claws.
“No,” I whispered. If he shifted to defend me, this would get so much worse.
But I didn’t have to worry, because when he looked at Naveen, he morphed his fingers back, his eyes dull.
His refusal to fight caused an angry flush to dot Naveen’s cheeks. With a roar, the Brit snatched the wrench out of the toolbox and raised it over his head.
Daya got to her brother before either me or Delilah could, jumping in front of him and forcing her brother to pull his swing with a sharp twist away.
He lowered the wrench, and a long, hard, wordless look passed between them.
Naveen’s shoulders slumped and Daya closed her eyes with an expression of relief, but it was a fake out. Her brother sidestepped her and punched Laurent, snapping the shifter’s head sideways under the force of the blow.
I gasped and Delilah puffed up, grabbing the discarded fridge panel. It was one thing for Naveen to be an ass to me, but to turn on Laurent?
Anger bladed through me. I was so done with this.
But then Laurent groaned, rubbing his head, and Naveen froze. His eyes were wide and horrified, looking down at his hands and back at his bruised best friend.
My shadow dropped the panel though we both watched warily for any hostile move.
“You told me you’d been trained by a Banim Shovavim to detect and kill dybbuks,” Naveen said, not caring that he’d split the skin on his knuckles with that last punch. “Not that you’d—” His voice cracked, and he sounded as battered as Laurent looked, but although he still held the wrench, the fight had seeped out of him. “What are you?”
“He’s the same man he’s always been,” I said. With the fight over, my adrenaline had worn off, leaving me with the pain from when Naveen shoved me into the counter. I rubbed my lower back against the sting.
Laurent glanced at me, almost wistful, then his chin notched up in challenge and he advanced on Naveen. “How do you think I can kill dybbuks when no other Ohrist can? I took on Banim Shovavim magic in addition to my Ohrist powers.”
“That’s not possible,” Naveen said.
“There are no absolutes when it comes to magic,” Laurent retorted, pushing Naveen a few steps back with a finger to the chest. “You’re not stupid, mate. What exactly did you tell yourself was happening?”
“So that’s why you’ve allied yourself with her.” The air charged with an electric bite as Naveen laughed bitterly and the wrench in his hand crackled with little rivulets of power. “No wonder you—”
“Watch yourself,” Laurent growled.
Naveen strode to the other side of the kitchen and punched the wall. “Did you know?” he said to his sister.
“Yes.” Daya examined Laurent, but he edged away, stopping her with a wan smile. Sighing, she gathered up some of the cups and put them in the sink. “Laurent told me after Rishi was killed. I didn’t care then, and I don’t now. Pull your head out of your ass, Nav.” She draped an arm over my shoulder. “Come on, love. Let’s get a breath of fresh air and if anyone is so inclined afterward, we can bury my brother’s body.”
Rishi. How horrific had his death been? Chagrined, I wrestled my powers under control as Daya led me down to a swinging bench under a tree.
Was there any hope for true acceptance in the Ohrist community when these old prejudices still existed? On the other hand, Laurent knew Naveen would react badly, so why not deflect his suspicions? And why had he looked like the wronged party?
Daya rocked the bench slowly with one foot. “I take it this wasn’t news to you?”
“No, I found out recently.” I’d learned of it thanks to the Lonestar who’d tried to frame us for murder. And that cop had known the score because his family were hunters, dedicated to eradicating Banim Shovavim from the world.
I glanced at the kitchen window, but I couldn’t see the men, and even though the door was open, I didn’t hear arguing. I rested my head back against one of the chains attaching the bench to the tree. My tailbone was bruised but I was unable to muster up any anger toward Naveen. All I felt was a smothering sorrow. For all of us. “Will their friendship survive?”
“I’d like to think my brother isn’t so thick that he’d throw away his best friend, but much as I love the little wanker, he’s never been the most open-minded when it comes to Banim Shovavim.” She paused like she was going to add more, then shook her head. “It got worse after Rishi.”
“Sorry for all the emotional carnage.” I watched a sparrow flit between branches above us. “I’m so happy to see you again, but our reunion sucked.”
“I don’t know. I thought it was very enlightening.” She elbowed me playfully. “So, how did you and Laurent meet?”
“Nope. Not up to the third degree now.”
“I’ll let you off today, but it will happen.”
Laurent stepped out of the house, his determined stride faltering into more of a resigned trudge once he’d come down the back stairs and out of sight of the kitchen. He caught his bottom lip between his teeth with a look of utter heartbreak, which he exchanged for a bland expression when he saw us.
Maybe my sigh was a bit too loud, or my relaxed pose a bit too feigned, because next to me, Daya suggested that I console the poor boy, accompanied by a lascivious waggle of her eyebrows.
“I hate you,” I muttered.
“Is he alive?” Daya called out cheerfully.
“Unfortunately,” Laurent said. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah.” I stood up. “I’m going to pay Zev a visit. Harry is arranging it.”
“Will you be accompanying our lovely Miriam?” The woman quickly losing all friend points leaned forward, her hands clasped together and a secret smile on her lips.
I expected Laurent to say that of course he was and braced myself for arguing that I’d be better off going alone since the vampire couldn’t compel me. It was better than the argument that I required space to get my head together before I did something stupid like take Laurent in my arms.
The shifter shook his head. “Mitzi can handle him. I’m more of a hindrance.”
“I’m sure Mitzi can,” Daya said sweetly.
I gave her the finger behind my back. “I’m an expert in not offending Zev. My request shall be conducted with the utmost tact.”
Laurent snorted.
Given that the alternative was an emotional sixteen-year-old, I’d take my chances with the vamp. That reminder was as good as a cold shower for all my feelings.
After I bid Daya farewell with promises to get together soon, Laurent drove me back to Tatiana’s to retrieve my car.
I rolled down the window of his truck, staring out aimlessly for the first half of the journey. Laurent didn’t talk, didn’t put on music, and my chest grew tighter and tighter. He could easily have answered Naveen in a way that wouldn’t arouse suspicion, or even flat out lied. He’d kept this secret for this long, why tell his friend now?
I stuck my hand out the window, air streaming through my fingers. Laurent should have done this at some other time when the two of them were alone and tempers weren’t heated. He had to have known it would go badly and now Naveen had another reason to hate me. It was like a playground fight over who was the real best friend, except everyone had dangerous magic and I hadn’t asked to be part of the conversation.
Laurent switched lanes with a burst of speed. “Why are you mad?”
He sounded affronted, which kicked in my own burst of anger, because that felt more productive than guilt and confusion. “Did you hear my heartbeat again?”
“You’re glaring at my glove compartment.”
I grabbed some lip balm out of my purse and applied it. This was where I should have run through arguments in my head until I’d assessed one that was calmly logical, but the words tumbled out of me. “You shouldn’t have dropped that bombshell on Naveen like that.”
“You’re taking his side?”
“No.” I slumped against the seat. “It’s not about sides.”
“Then what is it about?”
“Other than Daya, who else knows about your magic?” I recapped the tube and put it away.
“Tatiana might suspect.” A car cut in front of him and Laurent slammed his hand on the horn, following it up with a few rude hand gestures out the window. “No one. You. I told you this before.”
“I didn’t think that included your best friend.”
There was a long pause and then Laurent quietly said, “I didn’t either.”
My heart twisted. “You thought he knew.” Or hoped he did. If I felt raw after that fight, Laurent would be the equivalent of exposed nerve endings. I flicked my thumbnail against the seam of the seat belt. What I wanted to say wouldn’t be easy for him to hear, but it was important enough that it couldn’t wait. I sorted through the kindest way to broach the topic.
“That was expecting a lot of him, don’t you think?” I said gently. “It’s one thing for Naveen to accept that you trained to take on a second power when most Ohrists couldn’t, but for him to have made the connection that it must have been Banim Shovavim magic? Why didn’t you tell him in the first place?”
“He knows that Banim Shovavim magic kills dybbuks.”
The stubborn set of his chin and defensive tone sent a wave of frustration through me. I pressed my hands flat against my thighs until my irritation had passed enough for me to continue in a calm manner.
“Laurent, I didn’t even make that leap and I am one. Your training could have involved anything, not to mention that you’re in Ohrist magic wolf form when you kill them.”
“I expected you of all people to understand. Guess not.” He blew through a yellow light, slamming me back against the seat.
How shaky had Laurent’s house of cards become once he’d taken on this other magic and started killing dybbuks? He’d been scared that Naveen’s prejudices extended to him. His friend was one of Laurent’s few pillars of support. How much more damage would losing that relationship do to Laurent?
Hoping my next words didn’t send his emotional state—or this truck, given how erratically he was driving—into a tailspin, I pressed on. “I didn’t tell Eli until it was absolutely necessary.”
“That’s different.” Laurent adjusted the sun visor. “You were hiding from your parents’ murderer.”
“True. For five years. Ten. But twenty? Thirty? Eli was out there possibly going up against dangers he couldn’t fathom. And why? I didn’t want him to see me differently, to think I was monstrous.” Self-awareness wasn’t fun, or easy, but hiding our heads in the sand was pointless.
“I don’t care about other people’s opinions,” Laurent snapped. He’d let his best friend tenderize him, but yeah sure, he didn’t care. “Don’t overcomplicate everything. I assumed Nav knew, but I was wrong. When I realized that today, I told him.” He turned on the radio, cranking up the volume on some boy band song that he would never in a million years voluntarily listen to.
My phone rang, and thinking it was Sadie, I answered, but it was Jude.
Laurent continued driving to Tatiana’s while I spoke to my friend, digging in my purse for a stick of gum.
Jude said that my daughter was coming to stay with her overnight and wanted to know what kind of fight had precipitated this.
My thumb tore through the wrapper, dumping the red cinnamon-scented stick in my lap. Sadie had never avoided me, even when she was in trouble.
I picked up the gum with a clammy hand. She needed space. That was her choice and I had to respect that, even if every second that passed without us reconnecting felt like a wedge driving deeper and deeper into our relationship.
Had I really found the one thing my kid couldn’t handle?
Jude called my name and I gave her the rundown on what had happened so she’d be prepared for any questions about magic or vampires, proud of my steady voice.
Laurent occasionally glanced over, but he remained silent.
My best friend assured me she’d leave out all details about Zev wanting to kill her for a (wrongly) perceived betrayal and that she’d take good care of her niece. As genuinely glad as I was that Sadie had this support system, I couldn’t help the melancholy that settled over me.
When we got to my employer’s house, Laurent asked if I was coming in, but I shook my head, too distracted to say bye to my boss or Emmett.
Thankfully, Laurent didn’t pry for more details or make some empty, sympathetic statement. He simply asked me to phone him once I’d seen Zev.
I tried to take Jude’s advice not to worry to heart, but I drove home with a hollow feeling inside me. Sadie had never actively avoided me before. Had I been too quick to believe that she’d accepted my magic simply because I wished it were true?
I flicked on some music, focusing on the lyrics of a forgettable pop song and getting myself home without rear-ending another car. However, inside my townhouse, I drifted aimlessly from room to room.
If my magic was too much for Sadie, would I do what was best for her or for myself? What if what was best for me triggered my daughter’s anxiety? It was one thing to tell her to suck it up if I was going to date again and she didn’t want to share, but magic was a whole other—and far more deadly—ball game. Even if I stopped using my powers—
Delilah jumped from the floor to the ceiling to the top of the television like a manic squirrel before grabbing me in a headlock. Our psychic connection right now had a sharp, dark edge, like teeth, and my skin suddenly felt paper-thin.
“Stop!” Grimacing, I forced Delilah back onto the ground. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Somewhat mollified, she lost her solidity, becoming a dark mass that twined around my ankles like a cat.
“Yeah, yeah.” The shadow became inanimate, but I rubbed my ankle, loath to lose the lingering sensation of her touch.
Lonestars had the ability to modify Sapien memories. Technically, that was a possibility for Sadie if her anxiety wouldn’t let her deal with her new knowledge, but it made my skin crawl. Yes, I’d waited for the perfect moment to tell her about magic, but sending her blindly out into the world wasn’t an option. Not anymore.
Going upstairs into my bedroom, I retrieved the blank domino tile, turning the smooth block between my fingers. Emmett had tagged me as a domino in a prophecy at our first meeting, and a game of memory with a shapeshifter called Poe had implied that I was a wild card. There was infinite possibility in being a blank. In being unpredictable. I could be an agent of chaos or an anchor to turn the tide of events in my favor.
But there was such a thing as too much freedom. Blanks could hook to any other tile, which was great in theory, but all the combinations pulling at me from every direction were overwhelming. I shoved the drawer closed again, feeling restless and edgy.
