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Once he had everyone’s attention, Merlin began speaking. “This is my first such celebration to share with all of you, and I deem it a great honor to do so,” he said. “We are facing troubled times, but I believe we can prevail if we face them together, if we remember the purpose behind this company and the role it plays in the magical world.”
I knew I should have been paying attention to my boss, but I couldn’t help watching Idris. He rolled his eyes and made mocking expressions, which I presumed were covered by the illusion he wore.
Merlin continued, “In recent weeks, we’ve been forced to focus inward due to the disloyalty of one of our own. I believe we’ve moved past that now and can work together toward our common goal. The perpetrator will be caught, and we will protect ourselves from the forces of chaos who seek to undermine us.”
Now I noticed that Rod was looking right at us. “Showtime,” Owen whispered. “Watch my back.” He released my waist, and I felt the tingle of powerful magic building near me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and there was an audible zap followed by a gasp from the crowd.
Merlin froze, then he dropped any pretense of being a kindly elder statesman. “You,” he said, his voice a whisper, but one that cut through the silence like a knife.
Only then did Idris apparently realize he’d been exposed. He glanced over his shoulder, like he was looking for an exit, and panic washed over his features when he found his way blocked by the entire workforce of MSI. Only then did he assume the cocky pose that was so familiar to those of us who’d faced him in the last battle we’d fought.
At that, Owen stepped in front of me. The crowd between Owen and Idris took a collective stride backward, leaving the space clear between them. Merlin made his way slowly down the stairs.
“Nice trick,” Idris said to Owen.
“Thank you,” Owen replied, sounding calm and casual.
“How’d you know it was me?”
“You give off an unmistakable odor.” Muffled laughter rippled through the crowd.
Idris crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at Merlin. “So, what are you going to do about it, old man? I’m here as an invited guest. That’s not against the law. Or are you going to get your pet lawyer to file for a restraining order? Where is your lawyer, anyway? I haven’t seen him here tonight.”
Ethan wasn’t my favorite person in the world at the moment, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see something bad happen to him, so I immediately became worried.
“Whose guest are you?” Merlin asked.
“I came here with one of your own employees,” Idris said with a smirk. “Says a lot about your company loyalty, doesn’t it?”
While watching Idris for signs of treachery, I noticed Ari’s wings moving away. The little rat was trying to sneak out of this. Not on my watch, I vowed. I slipped through the crowd toward her, trying to keep an eye on her while also watching for any illusions or other magic that might be a danger to Owen or Merlin. The bitch had taken my powers, enchanted me, and screwed around with my life. She was not going to get away with it.
“It says something about that particular employee,” Merlin said. “Don’t assume it says anything about the rest of us.” His eyes scanned the crowd, like he was looking for who the traitor might be. Ari moved faster.
I knew I couldn’t keep up with her if she used her wings, and if she got away without being exposed, we’d be right back to the widespread paranoia and suspicion that had swamped the company when we first learned we had a traitor. “Hold it right there!” I shouted to her back. “Stop her!”
Isabel was standing closest to Ari, and she looked at me in shock and horror. “Katie?” she asked softly, and I could feel every head in the room swivel to look at me.
Ari, ever the schemer, turned to look at me with wide, innocent eyes. “What are you talking about, Katie? You aren’t trying to create a distraction, are you?”
That was a low blow, even for her, one I hadn’t been anticipating. “Wha—?” was all I could say.
“Who would have guessed it of sweet little Katie? Investigating the traitor, when the whole time, you’re the one stirring up trouble. It seems like in the last month, you’ve dated half the company, broken up a lifelong friendship, and now you’re trying to frame me?” With an air of affronted innocence, she looked around at the enthralled crowd. “Maybe you should ask her where she got those pretty red shoes, and what she’s doing with them. How else do you think she got all those men interested in her? She’s had her eyes on Owen Palmer since before she joined the company, and she’s stopped at nothing to get him, even if it takes getting someone to put a Cinderella spell on her shoes to make him want her.”
By this time, I was well over my shock and on my way to anger. “How would you know the shoes are enchanted?” I asked.
“Please! Like he’d see someone like you any other way? I wish I’d thought of it. If you didn’t have him under a spell, he wouldn’t notice if you threw yourself at him.”
I kicked off my shoes and tossed them at two nearby people. “Do they seem enchanted to you?” I asked them. I felt a lot shorter in my stocking feet, but I was also better prepared to run if I had to give chase.
She wasn’t done, though. In fact, she seemed surprisingly confident, probably because she knew for a fact that the shoes had been enchanted. “You may not have noticed the enchantment, since you’re immune. Or are you? Maybe you’ve been lying about that, too.”
The crowd parted, and soon Merlin was standing beside me. “Katie, is this true?”
Wishing I’d been honest with him sooner, I said, “Yes, sir. It was. I completely lost my immunity for a couple of weeks. It turned out someone had been drugging me. The water in my building was tainted, and then the effect was reinforced with enchanted candy sent to me by my secret Santa.”
“Ari!” Isabel blurted out, moving to block any possible path for Ari to escape. Then she turned to Merlin. “It was Ari. I assigned her to Katie because I thought it would be fun among friends.”
“But now I’m okay,” I added. “Totally back to normal.”
