Page 172 of Vameer

She nods, then leans closer to whisper. “The m-a-g-i-c is too powerful for humans to hold.”

I lean toward her, keeping my voice to a whisper too. “I can’t take you seriously when you spell the word magic. Anyway…” I grin and sit back. “That’s pretty cool.”

She grins back. “Right? Makes sense once you know it.”

A car honks twice out on the street, and I glance toward the wall of windows, but I can’t tell if they’re honking at someone out there or if they can see Vameer and Volik standing inside.

My leg tries to bounce, and I distract myself with a different topic. “What are you gonna do about your car?”

Nix snorts. “No idea. It’s pretty much just been parked in the employee lot on campus this whole time. I think I’ll talk to Henry about giving it to a student or something.”

I smile as I nod. “That would be really nice to do.”

The couple ahead of our mates finally finishes their order and starts to move away. The man keeps his attention down, but the woman doesn’t. She lets her gaze linger over the brothers.

A low growl rumbles out of Nix that only I can hear.

“Down, girl.” I tease her but feel the same way.

Not that our mates need any warnings from us. Neither Vadas brother so much as glances at the human. Or anyone else. Ever.

Still shoulder to shoulder, Vameer and Volik uncross their arms and step to the counter perfectly in sync.

Nix and I look at each other.

She rolls her eyes. “It’s been days. Imagine them a decade from now.”

Volik is closest to the glass display cases, and Vameer keeps reaching in front of him to point at what he wants. Purposefully bumping him.

Volik shoves his arm away.

And I decide that I can imagine them a decade from now, and I’m very much looking forward to it.

Chapter 98

Johnson

My hand clenches around the door handle as the driver hits the brakes to make the turn.

Gravel kicks up behind us.

The screen on the dashboard says two minutes until arrival.

The road turns again, then angles down. Into the abandoned quarry.

I grind my teeth.

We’re gonna be sitting ducks in here. But the reward is worth this risk.

It has to be.

Vameer is out there, raising an army. And if I’m going to avoid going to war against him, I need to defeat him. Quickly. With the public none the wiser.

And if Nault is going to pretend I don’t exist, leaving me out to dry, then I’m doing this my way.

“Thinking you can catch me off guard is a mistake.”

The tires skid to a stop.