“Shut up, Clucks, we’re not betting my future just because you like gambling.” Gael shot his familiar an icy stare. After a brief moment of contemplation and utter fear, Gael faked a bright smile. “Upon further reflection, I suppose I can stick it out.”
He picked up his meteor hammer off the ground and carefully twirled it. Diaz shot Gael a huge grin. Maybe the enchanter knew more about handling mischievous class clowns than I realized.
I chuckled a bit as I worked and allowed my telepathy to drift elsewhere.
While working in the Global Guild facility, the operations teleported to a new location. It regularly changed coordinates at an unspecified time and an undetermined place in Chicago. Making it unpredictable helped keep threats from tracking it. That said, the sudden shift twisted my telepathy around. It remained outstretched through the entire city, but with my location suddenly altered, I ended up bombarded by thoughts.
“Fuck,” I hissed, searching for something to ground me.
Milo.
Gah, his mind always had such a soothing wavelength. It kept me afloat. It steered me away from the chaos. It brought me peace during turbulence. Currently, he was being absolutely ridiculous. Instead of working on any of his cases, he’d dragged his intern with him for some photo op.
They each wore matching gray suits, though Gael had his jacket and shirt specially tailored to be sleeveless, while augmenting the location of most of his spikes to his hands and arms. It gave him a much more threatening appearance, keeping his spikes larger and more centralized on his limbs and face. It also helped that he was a few inches taller than Milo, who was six-foot-two himself.
Gael’s shark-like teeth beamed despite the cameraman repeatedly instructing him to tone down the smile.
“Sorry.” Gael grinned, big and goofy and still buzzing with enthusiasm.
He remained awestruck working alongside his idol, truly believing the majestic and marvelous Enchanter Evergreen lived up to the hype. He was everything Gael aspired to become.
I groaned. “You need to burst Gael’s bubble before he collapses from fawning over your obnoxious ass.”
Milo snorted. “Rude.”
Despite my intrusion, Milo quickly composed himself and gestured for the cameraman to pause. He turned and squared Gael’s shoulders, carefully avoiding the large, protruding spikes.
“All right, it’s time to bring the smolder.” Milo shifted his expression, adding a sultry gaze and a minxy smile. “Tone down the joy, and pretend you’ve got to keep that excitement a secret. Anyone who finds out will steal it. And we’re here to steal hearts, not have ours stolen.”
Gael giggled a bit.
“Okay, I gotta ask: Why pick Gael as your intern?” I asked, searching for an answer among Milo’s surface thoughts. “Surely, you’re not that in need of an ego boost that you need a fanboy clocking in every day.”
“You know, Gael, I chose to work with you because I see a lot of potential,” Milo answered. “I know it’s easy to become starstruck. I’ve been there. I still get there some days.”
“Because of all the Global Guild witches?” Gael asked. “I heard you had a meeting with the top ten. Like all of them.”
“They’ll spread rumors about anything,” Milo replied, yet he kept his thoughts on the subject veiled all the same.
I scrunched my face. Had he met with the top ten witches in America? Having Gladiatrix on the case was surely enough. Besides, I didn’t think the top three witches worked any cases outside of presidential requests. The True Witch was dangerous, but she wasn’t ‘draw the attention of the nation’s leaders’ dangerous.
“Not everyone can see the good in not-so-good people,” Milo said, reminding Gael of his recent slipup where he’d been caught sleuthing on Milo’s behalf. Still a wicked mission plan for Milo and not one I fully grasped.
“I am sorry about the recon assignment.” Gael grimaced, emotions almost as frantic as when he had to sit down and eat with Cassidy Gardner until Milo’s arrival.
“Not at all,” Milo said. “Cassidy was always going to catch you. Winning her over with charm, however, was unexpected. That’s just how impressive you are.”
“Oh.” Gael blinked in shock.
“There’s a light in you, Gael. A joy and belief that I know will carry so many people through hard times. You have the potential to be a beacon of hope for Chicago.”
“Really?” Gael’s brown eyes watered a bit, stunned by Milo’s words.
“Yes, and in order to do that, you have to stop being in awe of those around you and start behaving like the presence of power you are. Live up to your potential and show me the Enchanter Martinez who I’ve seen protecting this city.”
Gael beamed, then quickly composed himself and returned to the photo op, following Milo’s lead. He spent the rest of the session studying Milo, imitating his actions and poses, and maintaining steady professional composure.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I thought. “Did you pick Gael for his benefit or for someone else’s?”
