I hadn’t been involved with any gangs lately. That was a life I’d quickly learned was not for me, but sometimes their members showed up in the oddest places. Like … Detroit bathrooms.
“You’re into the drug scene, right?” I burst out before she could reply. “Seeing the flying dragons and all that jazz. That’s why you’re all up in here talking about powers and soups. See, I don’t do the drugs. They’re not for me. My life is crazy enough as it is, so you can take your weird talk and fly away now.” I shooed her with my free hand, making little whooshing sounds.
She laughed again. “Dragons. How do you know about dragons?” She winked, like this was the funniest joke she'd ever heard. “There’s actually quite a few in Faerie … where all supes come from.” For the first time since stepping from the shadows, she moved closer to me, trapping me against the sink, blocking the only exit.
My blade flicked out before I even thought about it, but she never gave the sharp edge a second glance.
“See, I didn’t expect that you’d have zero idea of who you are,” Ilia continued, her face suddenly serious. “I should have guessed it, because we aren’t even quite sure what you are … but you definitely have a lot of power hidden away. The few times you’ve touched your energy, you’ve sent ripples across the world. Right now, though, you have your power locked down. How?”
Touched mywhat the fuck now? “I… What?”
“Your power,” she continued, waving her hands at me in a “hurry up and get my point” gesture.
I shook my head. “You’re as crazy as my crackhead mother. Raving about ghosts and powers and gods.”
Ilia shook her head. “Wrong. There’s no way your mother was a crackhead. Crack doesn’t affect supes, and you, my dear, are one hundred percent supernatural.”
Supernatural... Oh, supe… Jesus.
I choked, coughing. “Did you just say supernatural?” It felt a little warm in the room all of a sudden, despite the chilly weather tonight.
“You’re not human,” Ilia said bluntly. “I’m not sure exactly what your race is though.” She regarded me carefully. “I thought I would know when I got closer to you, but … it’s the weirdest thing.” She held a finger up. “Not a vampire, for sure, you couldn’t easily hide that part of your nature.” Second finger went up. “Could be a shifter, if you had your power locked down, but I … doubt it.” Third finger. “Magic user is definitely a strong possibility, as is fey. But I don’t think we’re going to find out until I get you back to the Academy.” She dropped her hand then and smiled brightly. “I’m your supernatural collection agent, here to whisk you off to the Academy. Seems they’d like to have a word with you about … whatever the heck you are. No one likes a mystery in our world. Mysteries usually end badly for everyone. So, you, my little supe, are going back to school.”
If I’d been the fainting type, this would be the point I swooned and cracked my head on the sink. But I was made of tougher stuff than that. Anyone who’d waited tables in some of the neighborhoods I had would agree with me. But … had she really saidvampireandshifter? Like … legit?
My voice was flat. “I’m going to need you to step away from me, Ilia. Right. The fuck. Now!” She didn’t move, just grinned as she watched me with those glittering eyes of hers.
“I like you,” she said as her grin broadened. “I think we’re going to be great friends.”
Not likely. I didn’t have friends; I’d been alone for years. At first, friends were liabilities I couldn’t afford, and after that it became a bad habit to keep everyone at arm’s length.
Ilia held a hand out to me. “Maddison James, you need to listen to me closely…”
The bitch knew my name. How did the bitch know my name?
“You’re a supernatural. You’re not human, and if you don’t come with me and receive your training, you’ll lose control one day. You’ll hurt a human, and when that happens, it won’t be the Academy coming for you. It’ll be the supernatural enforcers, those who hunt down our criminals and lock them in the prisons. Trust me, you don’t want to end up in the prison system.”
I felt like my brain was going to explode, and I was already regretting the pink hair. This kinda felt a little bit like it was the pretty color’s fault.
And how the hell in all hells did she know my name?
I decided to play along and run as soon as her guard was down. “I’m not saying I believe you….” I pretended to relax, closing my blade and slipping it back into my bag. “But I also don’t want to hurt anyone. The strange shit in my life has been ramping up lately”—not even a lie—“so … maybe I do need some help.”
Ilia’s full lips pursed as she examined me. I fought to keep my expression open and neutral, but something told me I was already too late.Run.
I moved, but I was too slow. She lunged for me, and before I could get out of the way, her hands wrapped around mine. She murmured a few words, words that were not English, and I felt a hot pulse against my skin. With a shriek, I tried to yank myself free from her, but she was surprisingly strong.
“Let me go, bitch!” I shouted, fighting to get loose. I was shocked when a moment later the pressure on my hands released and she moved back. That was until I looked down to see crisscrossing beams of light wrapping all the way around my wrists and hands, binding them together.
Ilia dropped her head to stare me in the eye. “You were going to run, Maddison. Don’t play stupid with me. I can tell that for you to believe what I’m saying, you’re going to have to see it in person.”
Panic swirled inside of me, making my gut and chest ache as I struggled for each breath. I hated to be restrained; it had happened too many times when my mom’s “boyfriends” had decided an annoying as hell kid should not be seen or heard.
“Please release my hands,” I asked, trying to keep the tremble from the words.
Ilia shook her head. “I’m sorry. No one can remove these bindings except the Academy princeps. He gave me the spell and it’s specifically linked to him. Call it insurance that you have to follow me back.”
My heart was hammering in my chest; my blood roared in my ears as everything went a little pear-shaped. Ilia looked at me with concern for the first time, perfect eyebrows bunching as she leaned closer.
