But I couldn’t.
What had happened between us the night I’d saved him—the night I’d taken his soul inside me—wasn’t something I could easily joke about. Not while the ghosts of Asher’s past still haunted me.
“Anyway,” I said, “we’ve got our work cut out for us. Until we find the rogue vamp or the hunter, we have to keep tracking down leads, training, planning for the inevitable. And I need to get alotstronger with my magic.”
“You’re scrying now,” Asher said. “And you’ve got your book juiced up again. That’s a good thing, right?”
“It is, but you have to remember… I’m still new at this. I buried my magic for more than a decade, avoiding anything even remotely connected to witchcraft. I might as well be starting from scratch.”
“We’ve got your back, Gray,” Ronan said. “You just focus on your training and leave the rest to us. At least until we know more.”
“That’s the plan,” I said, looking down at my hands in my lap. They looked like regular hands, no glowing, no sparks, no blue flame. If I concentrated, I could feel the magic, a low and constant current humming through my blood, but I still couldn’t call it up at will. Not every time.
I needed to learn. To perfect. No matter what leads Emilio could uncover, no matter what Darius learned from Grinaldi, no matter what the demons had in store, deep down I knew this would all come down to one thing, just like it always had, for millennia.
Magic.
Witches had it, but most of us hid it. Mages had it, but lost it, and then they evolved into brutal hunters, desperate to get it back. Reclaiming what they believed was their birthright became their prime directive, the thing that drove them to every thought, every belief, every action.
It stood to reason that the stronger and more connected to my magic I became, the more desperate the hunter would become to possess it. To possessme. And desperation had always been the hunters’ downfall. It clouded their judgment, blinded them to their flaws, and led to mistakes.
We just had to be in the right place at the right time when he made his.
“And Mr. Surfing Philosopher?” Asher blurted out, his mouth full. For someone who needed sexual energy to survive, he had a damn hearty appetite for regular food. “Where does he fit into all this? Because if we’re taking a vote, mine—”
“Doesn’t count,” I said. “Liam’s involvement is non-negotiable. None of you can help me with my magic—not like he can.”
“Is thatallhe’s doing?” Asher asked. “You two seemed pretty chummy last night.”
“I don’t know what you mean bychummy, but Liam has been an ally from day one, and he’s given us no reason not to trust him.” I rose from my chair, gathering up the dirty dishes. “Not to mention the role he played in saving your life.”
Asher stayed quiet a full minute after that. But just when I thought the matter was settled, he said, “So whereisyour knight in shining highlights, anyway? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”
“He’s… You know.” I shrugged, making my voice sound breathy and mystical. “Everywhere, all at once, within and without.”
The guys laughed, but the truth was, I had no idea where Liam was. Even in human form, he couldn’t stay on the earthly plane for long periods of time, and it’s not like his presence in my magical realm was a given, either. He mostly just… arrived. And then departed.
He’d said he’d be here today to start my magical training, but I had no idea when, where, or in which form he might show up.
Still, I trusted that he’d come through. He’d already helped me so much, guiding me through the strange and often frightening developments of my magic. My so-called destiny. I wasn’t sure iffriendwas the right word just yet, but he’d certainly been loyal and trustworthy. I didn’t take that lightly.
“He’s in this with us,” I reiterated, feeling a sudden need to defend him. “Even if he’s unpredictable and not always physically present.”
“I think he’s in this withyou,” Asher said, his tone implying what he didn’t say out loud. “And I don’t know if encouraging that is the best idea.”
Why was he always such an asshole? It’s like he had a built-in decency limit. Two minutes of being nice and his circuits started overloading.
“To reiterate,dick,” I said, “he saved your life. Maybethatwasn’t the best idea.”
“Ash,” Ronan warned, “you’re heading for a timeout. And by timeout, I mean an ass-whooping. Gray, ignore him.” Ronan reclaimed his coffee from Emilio, then said, “Death—Liam—whatever you want to call him… He’s bound to Gray’s power. Necromancy is his domain, and he’s connected to her no matter what. Nothing we can do about that.”
I dropped the stack of plates I’d gathered back onto the table, making them jump. “Stop talking about him like he’s some kind of parasite! He’s an ally, you guys. He wants to help us. Iknowhe does.”
“He’s Death,” Ronan said plainly. “Chaotic neutral. No alliances. No enemies. No friends. The great equalizer. By nature, he can’t help us. You might inadvertently be helped by something he says or does, but it’s not because he’s this stand-up guy choosing to do the right thing.”
“You’re wrong,” I said. “He’s… well, he’s Liam now, not just Death.”
“He’s wearing asuitcalled Liam,” Ash pointed out. “Not the same thing.”
