The coffeemaker had made enough for my first cup of coffee, and I poured it, blowing on the liquid in an attempt to make it immediately drinkable. I took the cup with me into the shower, placing it on a small shelf out of the spray.
The water itself was chilly. After a night of sweating in the bar, that was just fine. But in the morning? All I wanted was a hot shower. I needed to get a plumber to take a look, but it was low on my priority list right now.
I gulped my coffee, washed my hair, and dried off, pulling the wet mass of my hair back into my usual long braid.
I picked up my knife. The KA-BAR was a seven-inch fixed blade, perfect for someone like me who wasn’t exactly a fighter. It was durable, easy to grip, and most importantly, I’d worn it before, when I’d found out my father was planning to sell me.
I slipped it into its sheath and strapped it to my ankle. It felt like embracing an old friend. I walked across my bedroom in front of the mirror a few times to make sure it didn’t show.
It wasn’t ideal. I’d have to crouch and grab it. But it would do until I found something better.
Then I grabbed my purse, swiped my keys from the counter, and clomped down the stairs.
I poked my head into the bar on the ground floor on my way. Everything was fine. And I would keep telling myself that until I was proven otherwise. The sun was already bright enough that I wished I’d remembered my sunglasses as I slid into my car and backed out of the spot, hoping no one would have parked in it when I returned.
Nero lived in Rockwood. But he rented an office on the outskirts of redcap territory. That was where he’d be today.
I thought about my approach as I drove. I might be powerful, but there was no way I wanted Nero or his lackeys to learn what I could do.
My tech magic came to me naturally. In fact, it was often a strugglenotto use it. The power came from my grandmother. It skipped a generation, and my mom was never able to use it. Now, I could admit that it was a good thing. Who knew what my father would have done with my mom’s magic while she was still alive?
My telekinesis, on the other hand? Using that part of my magic sometimes felt like running through glue. My mom had been a powerful telekinetic, and she’d passed a whisper of it down to me. When I was well rested, I could do basic tricks, like pouring drinks or turning on light switches. And I could only do the bare minimum because I’d studied so much as a child, wishing I could be more like my mom and less like my grandma.
I needed to figure out a way to make myself scarier—without draining my magic to the point where I was left weak in Nero’s territory.
I pulled up outside Nero’s nondescript brick building at the intersection of Cheek Road and Junction Road. Redcap territory began less than a hundred feet north, bordered on three sides in a triangular shape by Cheek, Junction, and Ferrell Roads. While humans once lived in the area, it had also been home to welding companies, storage facilities, logistics businesses, and trucking companies.
Now, all of that was abandoned. The area was “rural” in a way that had appealed to the redcaps, and the day they moved in, humans moved out. Or they died.
I parked and locked my car, although I knew no one would dare touch it unless Nero gave them orders.
Should I create a ward? It would drain my energy, but any protection was good protection. Nero’s men might be human, but they were always armed.
No. I needed to channel my power into my little demonstration. And I had to hope it left Nero thinking I was much, much more powerful than I really was. Today, I had to act as if my life depended on it.
I rolled my shoulders and strode up the path, knocking on the door. A bulldog of a man answered. Short. Wide. Bald. He stared at me with a sick light in his eyes.
Oh goodie.
“I need to see Nero.”
“Appointment?”
“No.”
“You need to make an appointment. Since you’re here, I can help you make one, if you helpmeout.”
He licked his lips, and I barely managed to suppress my eye roll.
“Tell him Meredith is here.”
“Meredith, huh? Nice name.” Bulldog’s expression hardened. “You’re not getting past me without an appointment.”
I let the tiniest tendril of telekinesis out. Then I glanced down at his crotch and smirked.
“Your fly is undone.”
He cursed, dropping his hand as he fumbled with his zipper. I slammed my fist into his face and darted behind him, kicking out at the back of his knee so he stumbled.
