A slight grimace flickered on Cole’s face. Dana leaned in, her hand coming to rest on his chest, light flashing off the diamond of an unmistakable engagement ring.
“Unfortunately, life has a way of derailing the best of intentions.” Cole covered her hand with his and turned his attention to Grayson. “Speaking of, how is your father? I saw him about a year ago, and he seemed to be doing well.”
And there it was. The one topic Grayson had no intention of discussing, but manners dictated a response. “As far as I know, he’s fine.”
An awkward silence followed, interrupted by Russ clearing his throat. “Cole, why don’t you come by my office on Monday, and we can finish our discussion on how Pythia can assist?” he said with overdone affability.
Cole fielded the painfully clumsy change in conversation with a nod. “I’ll have my assistant call.” He turned away from Russ so he could address Rhea and Elias. “Again, so sorry for your loss. Iris was a wonderful woman, and she will be sorely missed.” Dana added her condolences while exchanging polite air kisses with Rhea as the two men shook hands. Then Cole turned to Grayson and Cass. “Grayson, it was good to see you despite the circumstances. We should get together sometime.”
Grayson gave him a noncommittal “I’ll have to check my schedule,” as they shook hands.
Farewells were shared all around, and once the couple left, a strained silence swept through those left behind. Cass stepped into the breach, turning to her parents. “We’ll meet you at the house.”
She didn’t wait for their reply before going to Sofia and wrapping the wan young woman in a tight hug. She whispered something to her sister and pulled back to study her. Fresh tears hovered in Sofia’s red-rimmed eyes, but she gave Cass a nod, and Cass let her go. She gave Russ a distant chin dip and then returned to Grayson, who took her hand, and without another word, they walked away.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Grayson said as they headed to her parents’ house.
“Just thinking,” Cass said to the passenger window.
“About your grandmother?”
“No.” Her answer was soft, and when she didn’t add anything more, he gave it time. His patience paid off when she turned away from the window and haltingly asked, “Do you… can I just vent for a second?”
Her hesitancy pinched his chest. “Vent away, Cass,” he said gently.
“Okay, so I know my sister’s grieving, but something’s not right with her. Every time she’s with Russ, she’s this… shell of a person who barely talks and hardly knows what’s happening around her. I’m worried he’s doing something to her, and not just because he somehow managed to be in the right place at the right time to get a position at Pythia then, within months, hook up with the owner’s daughter.”
Her concern was legit. The asshole hadn’t thought twice about dicking with Grayson, so the idea that he was messing with Sofia wouldn’t be much of a stretch. However, it could also be argued that Russ’s interference with Grayson was the act of an insecure douche trying to ensure a good impression. Either way, Grayson was all about being Cass’s sounding board, and to that end, he decided to play devil’s advocate.
“Okay, let’s say he is?—”
“You don’t agree?” Her question was sharp with hurt and outrage.
“I didn’t say that. But there are tons of undercurrents in this whole situation, Cass. If we don’t want to accidentally sink your sister’s relationship, or what’s left of your relationship with your family—which, if we confront him, is what will happen—then we need to tread carefully.” He glanced over and caught her mutinous frown, a silent indication he was right. “So, if Russ is actively working Sofia, why?”
Cass sighed. “The most obvious would be to get in good with my parents,” she said with a hint of defensiveness.
“To what end? He could climb the company ranks by using the same trick on his higher-ups.”
“Not necessarily,” she said, reflecting. “His magic is all about manipulation, but there are those, like Oracles, whose powers naturally block that kind of control. And with the types of mages at Pythia, a good majority rely on that kind of natural shield because their inherent powers don’t like outside interference. Hard to predict what the future holds if someone’s messing with your reality.”
Good point. “Okay, so this natural shield—I’m assuming your parents and Sofia all have one.”
“Some level of one, yes, but Pythia has a Key on retainer who ensures that my parents and most of the C-suite mages can’t be influenced. It’s a requirement by Pythia’s board, to guarantee impartiality.” The last was said with heavy sarcasm. “Not that it stops greed, but it looks good to the public.”
“What about Sofia? Does the Key’s work include her?” he asked.
“I would think so.”
“If you had to rate Sofia’s natural immunity, where would she fall?”
If a Key was bolstering natural shields, the spell’s foundation would only be as strong as the natural immunity of the mage.
“If we put me at the top, Mother and Yaya would fall next, then Sofia, then my father.”
“So, if he spent months working on her, he could get through.” Like a beetle burrowing through wood. It would take time, but eventually Russ would get in.
“You’re not making me feel better here, Grayson.”
