Words escaped me. My throat ached and my power disappeared back beneath my shield as if it’d never been there.
Oh, how I wished it had never been there. I stumbled to the gutter outside Gary’s store and heaved, bile creeping up my throat as tears pricked my eyes.
I’d beenexcitedto chip away at the suppression spell when I found out about it. After rejecting the tiny ember of power I’d had my entire life, I’d thought I could finally use my power to keep myself safe.
Instead, it constantly slipped through when it was least convenient. Samael’s words ran through my mind on a loop. “That suppression spell would’ve crumbled eventually. Likely at the most inconvenient time possible. And you would’ve been all alone, with no idea what was happening to you, and no way to regain control. Your magic flares with great emotion. Who brings that emotion out in you, hmm?”
I hated that he was right. And I lived in terror that I’d invertedly use my power on my sister. I needed help. But the world would burn before I’d voluntarily ask Samael for it.
Every time I thought about the demon, I had to restrain the urge to go to him. Some days, it was because I dreamed of stabbing him in the gut and watching him bleed out. Other days, it was because I longed for the feeling of safety I’d briefly had in his arms.
I was losing it. And I needed to head to the Mage Council to file the paperwork for my last bounty. I glanced back at Gary’s store and my chest clenched. The look on his face. The terror in his kids’ eyes. If this was what my power did, I didn’t want it.
Straightening my shoulders, I turned and began walking toward the Mage Council. The Durham Mage Council Facility was two blocks away, in what was once the Durham County Human Services building. The building had been more pleasing to the eye when it was owned by the government. The Mage Council took paranoia to a whole new level, and now it was thick gray stone and small windows with bars on them. The thought of working inside the facility all day made me shudder.
The facility was quiet. A group of mages and bounty hunters had been sent to Raleigh, where someone had decided to wake up a troll. The troll had already done a couple million dollars of damage, and since the unseelie king hadn’t sent anyone to kill the troll, it was now the Mage Council’s job.
I signed in and made my way to the check-in counter.
My bounty had been a banshee who’d decided to torment her neighbor after they had an argument about the length of her grass. She’d spent the next week screaming and wailing all night, every night. Her screams created blind terror in anyone who heard them, and there had been a spate of car accidents on her street.
I’d shoved ear plugs deep into my ears and given her a look that told her that today was not the day. She’d received a hefty fine from the Mage Council, but from the look of retribution on her face, her neighbor was likely to regret reporting her. I had a feeling I’d be seeing her again.
I waited until the mage finished with the bounty hunter in front of me, and handed over my paperwork, receiving three hundred dollars in return. Then I took the elevator to the fifth floor where I hovered in front of Charles, waiting for my next job.
The mage raised one eyebrow as he skimmed his screen. “Says here you’re on leave.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah. No jobs for you.”
“I’m not on leave. I brought a bounty in earlier today.” I spoke with the exaggerated patience of a woman who was struggling not to lose her shit.
Charles shrugged and shifted his gaze behind me at where a line was forming. “Take it up with Albert.”
“You bet your ass I will.”
Albert worked on the ninth floor. I stalked toward his office, noting his receptionist was nowhere to be seen. It was eight pm, and she’d probably gone home. Good. I kept walking, knocked once, and opened the door.
The most powerful mage in North Carolina was standing in front of a large closet, the door open. Inside the closet was what looked like an old trunk. The trunk was open, but all I could see was a grey blanket covering whatever treasures he had hidden away. My curiosity was officially piqued.
Albert ruled his mages with an iron fist, and he occasionally liked to confiscate weapons and spells he didn’t approve of. If they were deemed to potentially be dangerous to a human bystander, they ended up in his office.
As a contractor, my weapons had always been safe. But I bet if I could peer inside that trunk, I’d find plenty of goodies from his mages.
Albert slammed the lid down on the trunk, threw a dark cloak over it, and closed the door. Then he turned to me, red slowly creeping up his cheeks. I’d pissed off the man who would decide whether I could pay my rent. Awesome.
“Sorry, Albert,” I smiled sunnily. “Your receptionist wasn’t around so I figured you’d have a few moments free.”
He stared at me, his eyes piercing. “Take a seat.”
I did, but my mind was on the trunk. What was in it? Why would Albert be so worried about me seeing inside it?
“Charles just told me he couldn’t give me my next bounty. Apparently, I’m onleave.”
Albert sat behind his desk, his face still red. “I think we’re both well aware of why that is.”
“Why don’t you spell it out for me?” I’d never liked Albert, but up until now, I’d respected him. I had a feeling that was about to change.
