Aaron smiled. "You get to move on."
16.Special Guest Stars and a Movie Montage
Max
Lysander watched me as the elevator doors closed. "I know what you’re doing."
I played innocent. "Seeing where the magic happens?"
"No."
"Somemagic at least. There are mages on the payroll, right?"
“Nice try.”
Some of the other Doomed members currently assisted the DSA in their efforts to track down the buyers and mates from previous cycles of the auction. A few of my friends were coming in today, so Lysander brought me in with him. He came in for a meeting about the latest developments in catching the Accelerant psychos.
While here to visit my friends, I wouldn’t complain if I also found out more about the coven and how incredibly busted they were.
"I don’t mind waiting for you,” I said with a charming smile. “Or even sitting in."
"Good thing for you, I’m not officially on the case and people might object to my presence. I did get a meeting with one of the witnesses who had dealings with the coven."
Truthfully, keeping Lysander close to me today helped ease the anxiety from another nightmare. Only hazy images remained, a rush of fire, smoke, and pain. My interaction with the coven had started torturing my subconscious. I guess unfinished business made me nervous. Hearing the steps taken to capture them might help me stop seeing them as a threat.
However, I stopped short in the hallway. Were we really going to his meeting together? "You’re really letting me go with you?" There had to be a catch.
"It’s unclear how productive this meeting will be, or if it will be productiveat all, given what I’ve heard about this informant.”
Lysander held the door open for me as the voices inside began to reach us.
"—immunity for anything I say, can’t be held against me inanycourt of law, and no penalties for any past and future crimes."
"Future crimes?" Aaron asked.
“Doing a service to the community here.” A stranger with black hair and a constantly jumping foot argued somewhat good-naturedly with Aaron across the desk. “Shouldn’t I be rewarded for my efforts? Good person-ing doesn’t pay well. Not all of us can work for the DSA.”
Chase coughed. “That’s what happens when you have an extensive criminal record.”
"In my defense, they weren’tgreatcrimes. I’m hardly a mastermind."
"Not making it better," Lysander muttered as we filed inside.
"No, I agree,” I told him. “Putting more thought into it or really enjoying hurting people makes it way worse.”
The man swung around, wildly pointing a finger in my direction. “See, he gets it! I only did crimes because of boredom, money, alcohol, and irresponsible magic usage. Is that so wrong?"
"Yes," many people answered at once.
Five of us were sorta cramped in the director’s office. The director himself wasn’t present, so his boyfri—hismatesat behind the desk instead.
There were two Aarons, one real version and a smaller size in the framed photo on the director’s desk. I looked between the two Aaron’s as the bigger one introduced his informant.
"Uh, hey guys. This is Rob Walters. He’s an old friend and mage who’s familiar with the Accelerant Coven."
"Hey, don’t make me sound like a slut. I only hooked up with one—oh, you really meant familiar as in familiarwith, not a magic cat or sex. Yeah, I met them all a time or two."
Suddenly I understood why Lysander hadn’t worried about bringing me to this meeting. This guy, Rob, talked so fast and I didn’t even understand all of what he said. At least he was entertaining.
