“Not possible.” Graves sounded affronted. “My wolves and I patrol the grounds at night. And you set protective spells around the estate. Unless your spells are weak?—”
“They are not! But an exceptionally powerful mage… Oh, wait. I’m an exceptionally powerful mage.” Darius grinned.
I rolled my eyes. “A human without any magical powers vanished like a ghost.”
If he’d been a supernatural creature, his blood would have given him away. It’d tasted normal if not for the tobacco.
Darius pointed at the window. “That’s the only way out.”
“It’s narrow. The man was broad.”
“When you exclude the impossible,” Darius said, “whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
32
FIRST KILL
Alex
Ikept glancing at Irene as we walked through the dimly lit streets of London. With the thug gone and her power fading, we had no choice but to keep hunting. Clouds hid the moonlight, which made her dimming radiance more evident. She hadn’t talked during the ride, and even now she remained quiet.
We paused in a dark corner in front of a gambling den. She rubbed her hands and blew on them.
“It’s not cold.” I studied her face. “Are you all right?”
“I have trouble keeping myself warm.”
I clenched my jaw. Myrtha’s power was growing less reliable by the minute, and my blood hadn’t changed anything. “You’re going to get your damn kill tonight.”
She winced, and I scolded myself inwardly.
“That man.” She pointed to a tall, thin man with blond hair.
I sniffed the air and studied his scent carefully. Not a trace of magic. He wasn’t a werewolf or a vampire either.
I pulled up the lapels of my coat. “We’ll use the same tactic as last night.”
Hands in his pockets, the man left the gaming den with long strides. He took a busy street, and I had to slow down my pace not to bump into anyone. People brushed dangerously close past me, tottering on their feet. Anxiety rose, and cold sweat dampened my neck.
“We’re losing him. He’s over there.” Irene sped up, but I remained behind as a group of drunk men blocked my path.
“Wait for me.” I raised my voice.
But she didn’t hear me. The target rounded a corner and disappeared from view with Irene at his tail.
“Irene!” A new type of panic, more lethal, gripped me.
She was yards away, but not seeing her terrified me. More people flooded the street, forcing me into a corner. My patience was stretching thinner than a spider’s thread.
A man fell over, almost dropping on me, and I moved aside to dodge him. The distressing urge to scrub my skin made me quiver. A noise started buzzing in my ears. And Irene was nowhere to be seen. But I was her master.
“Irene, come here!”
My blood boiled with the strength of the order as I fully employed the power of controlling her. A moment later, she strode towards me with jerky movements. A storm raged in her sapphire gaze.
“You promised!” Her chest rose and fell quickly.
“I told you to stay close.”
