“No,” Rory said, standing back up. “No, you’re not getting Ace mixed up in this—”
“We’re on the same side now,” Gwen said softly. “Sebastian wants the de Leons’ siphon back. You lot want the pomander out of action.”
Jade raised an eyebrow. “And what do you and Ellis want?”
“Vengeance,” Ellis said, without remorse. “On the baron who tried to tear Gwen and me apart.” He pointed at Rory. “And before you judge me for that, remember what this kid did to the man who laid hands on Arthur.”
Over by the pocket door, Sebastian’s brow furrowed. He looked between Rory and Arthur.
Rory glared at Ellis. Their secrets weren’t his to tell. “I was real out of it on that boat, didn’t know the sky from the river.”
“And speaking of that boat,” Arthur said, with narrowed eyes. “Before I make any decisions about what I may or may not be willing to do, I want a chat with Mr. de Leon.”
Chapter Fifteen
Arthur wanted to talk to Sebastian somewhere without Gwen and Ellis, but Jade and Zhang wanted to stay in the art gallery’s back room with the books. Arthur hesitated, not eager to leave them alone, but Gwen and Ellis hadn’t done anything alarming quite yet and Jade didn’t seem in the slightest bit worried.
Rory joined them, however, shooting dirty looks at Sebastian and following Arthur a touch closer than a friend probably would have.
Behind the back room’s pocket doors was the second, even smaller room that might have once been a closet but was empty save for two broken wooden chairs. A narrow door opened to a claustrophobic alley full of boarded-up windows. It smelled of piss and warm beer spilled on pavement, but it did at least keep Rory away from the paranormal paintings in the decoy gallery.
Arthur had to step around three empty bowls right outside the door. “Who’s feeding strays?”
“Are we talking or aren’t we?” Sebastian said.
“Talking,” said Arthur. “Over drinks, where we’re at least going to pretend we aren’t about to kill each other.”
The grimy pub was at the street at the end of the alley. “Don’t look at the flyers in the window,” Arthur heard Sebastian mutter to Rory, as they walked into a small, wood-floored space that was nice and dark, and best of all, not in America under Prohibition.
They ordered at the bar, a whiskey neat for Arthur and tonic waters for the paranormals, and brought the drinks to a corner booth with benches and a table carved from wood.
Arthur and Sebastian both stepped toward the same bench, the one against the wall, where a man could watch the rest of the pub without his own back exposed. They stopped short just before they collided. Arthur narrowed his eyes, and Sebastian grudgingly stepped back, gesturing for Arthur to take it.
Arthur waited for Rory to slide in first. He slid down to the window, glaring daggers at Sebastian. “You owe Ace a hell of an apology for using your magic on him in Philly.”
“Lieutenant Kenzie could have just answered my questions.” Sebastian set his drink down. “But I don’t like magic used on the non-magical, especially mine,” he said, more quietly. “I am sorry for that.”
Arthur rolled his eyes. “You might as well call me Arthur; you’ve had your enervation magic in my aura, no need to be coy now,” he said, and Rory’s glare somehow intensified. “How’s your friend, Mr. Hyde? Still on holiday in the Spanish Inquisition?”
“He was never a friend,” Sebastian said. “And yes, he’s still bound with psychometry.”
Arthur took a sip, letting the whiskey burn down his throat. “Your magic literally weakens other magic. Why not just use your fancy tricks to break it?”
“Assuming I wanted to break Rory’s hold on him,” Sebastian said, looking like the idea was anathema, “I can’t. Rory’s magic has been augmented with one of the relics.”
“Yeah, it has,” Rory said hostilely. “So you just keep your magic to yourself, ’cause it’s not gonna work on Ace again anyway.”
Sebastian glanced between them. “My magic doesn’t work on you. Why wouldn’t it work on Arthur?”
“No reason.” Arthur quickly tossed back the rest of his drink. “I seem to need another whiskey, look at that.”
Sebastian stood. “I’ll get it.”
Rory’s eyes narrowed. “You’re buying Ace’s drinks now?”
Arthur elbowed Rory, offering Sebastian his own society smile. “That would be appreciated.”
As soon as Sebastian was on his way to the bar and out of earshot, Rory muttered, “Smooth bastard.”
