She’s planning to murder me now, here, where no one will ever know.
Except she can’t have counted on my glim.
The ache inside sharpens into jabbing daggers. My vision starts to haze.
And my innate power surges to life.
Warmth floods my chest with a soothing tingle. The woman’s body jerks.
As she clutches at her chest, her magic falters. I propel all the ephemera I can grasp to bash at my invisible bindings.
My magical restraints shatter. I shove myself to my feet and dash toward the door.
“No, you don’t,” the woman rasps, with a click of a safetyswitched off.
I’ve never heard that sound before. My body reacts on instinct alone.
I throw myself to the side just as the gun she’s drawn booms.
Pain explodes all through the right side of my torso. With a whimper, I sag to the ground.
And my glim flares again.
Thirty-Five
Salvatore
Iwalk a few blocks from Professor Raith’s house in a different direction from Elodie, because I know that’s what she’d want and we’re supposed to be staying cautious, blah blah blah.
I still don’t see how it’smyfault that I stepped up to look after our match and one of her idiot friends decided to play spy.
No one’s around to see what I do now. So I’m going to keep looking after Elodie my own way.
When I’ve circled around to the shitty car I drove here—also for caution’s sake—I aim it toward Elodie’s neighborhood. No one’s caught me watching over her house yet. I can make sure it stays that way.
I park farther down the street, pull a concealing spell around me as easily as breathing, and saunter toward her home.
The twinge of sensation that ripples from my palm whenmy match is nearby doesn’t kick in, even when I’m directly across from the Devine house. Frowning, I stop under the oak tree that’s been my frequent perch and concentrate on my bond mark.
A faint tingle quivers through my body with the slightest tug to the west. She’s nowhere nearby.
Did she double back to talk to the Raith brothers more after Worth and I left? Or maybe she’s taking a more roundabout route getting home for extra subterfuge. The rumors at school have obviously left her shaken.
I launch myself onto my usual branch. As I settle in with my back against the trunk, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
I grab it with a leap of my pulse in anticipation of a message from Elodie. Instead, it’s an incoming call from Simone.
For a couple of rings, I just scowl at the name of my distant sort-of cousin. I can just imagine what she might have to say about the current gossip after the nuisance she’s made over my possible interest in Elodie.
But if I don’t talk to her, she’ll probably switch to hassling Elodie. Someone’s got to lay down the law. I’m the one who messed around with Simone in the first place.
I’m never going to take my dick’s advice on anything again.
I strengthen the concealing barrier around me and answer the call in a low, terse voice. “What’s up, Simone?”
She hesitates before speaking, though I don’t know why she’d have expected a friendlier greeting. “I just… wanted to see how you’re doing.”
I restrain a snort. “I’m fine. That was so urgent you needed to call?”
