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Zeke froze and turned around, sniffing the air. “Someone’s over there. Human.”
“He was at the tavern, too. I think he’s following me.”
Zeke’s hand slid free of mine. “Wait here.”
He jogged into the shadows. My pulse hammered in my veins, and with it came the realization that this fear and worry festering inside me also gave me power to tap into. I settled my nerves and sent my words to my target’s ears.
“Come to me.”
It wasn’t a request. It was a command I repeated over and over, my focus intensifying until he stumbled out from behind the fountain. He had his ears covered, but that wouldn’t stop my words from reaching him. I walked toward him, continuing my magical assault.
Zeke came up from the other side, but he didn’t make a move for the man, allowing me to take the lead. When I was in front of him, I ended the spell. “Why are you following me?”
The confidence he’d exuded at the Village Tavern was shaken. There was a glimmer of fear in his eyes, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to him.
“What are you?” he asked.
“Answer my question.”
He rubbed his forehead. “I was hired to follow you.”
“By whom?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“He’s lying,” Zeke growled, stepping out of the shadows.
I frowned. “I could force you to tell me. But sometimes the spell does permanent damage to the brain.”
His eyes widened. “No. Please.” He looked over at Zeke and back to me. “It’s a law firm in Boston. I’m a private investigator. I figured they wanted to serve you with papers or something.”
Zeke laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, squeezing. “We need names.”
He winced. “I don’t have a name. I swear. They’ve hired me before. They pay electronically and e-mail me instructions.”
“What’s the name of the firm?” I asked.
“Hinterland and Bloodstone.” He looked at Zeke. “That’s all I know.”
Zeke finally nodded and removed his hand as his eyes met mine. “He’s telling the truth.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Bruce James.” He shivered.
I stared into his eyes, whispering a spell for an open mind. Once the tension drained from his face, I said, “You’ll tell them you couldn’t find me, but you heard I was in Boston.”
He nodded slowly. “I can do that.”
The strange shimmer in his eyes was still present. How had he tracked me here after I cast that blur spell? While he was still enthralled, I asked, “How did you know I was at the fountain?”
He reached for his neck and pulled on a leather cord until a glowing pendant came out of his shirt. The center had a blue stone that shimmered like his eyes. A sorcerer’s talisman. Warlock magic. There was a rune carved into the back, but I’d never seen the symbol before.
“Where did you get this?”
“My employer sent it.”
The law firm? Could one of the lawyers be a warlock? Oh shit. I blinked and glanced over at Zeke before focusing on Bruce again. “You should give me this.”
