The contact between us intensifies, and for an instant I feel as if the earth is connecting with the air around us. It's only a few tenths of a second, but enough to confirm my suspicions.
Kaelisar may have forced our meeting, but what's growing between us... that's something real. Too real. And if Althea and Sabina also feel it, but Nell doesn't, it could create a ton of problems.
“I'd better leave you alone for now,” I apologize, and letting go of her hand is almost painful.
Chapter 5
Nell
The message arrives just past eight in the evening, right when I've finally managed to understand the chapter on “invisible currents” in the damn book. My phone vibrates on the nightstand next to the bed so hard it almost falls to the floor.
Address: 1420 Main Avenue, Penthouse C. Come alone. Don't tell anyone. Althea.
“What the hell...?” I mutter through my teeth, frowning.
My first impulse is to ignore it, but then another message arrives.
It's important. It's about the first mission.
I stare at the screen in disbelief. Where did she get my number? Damn, these women seem to know everything about me: where I live, where I have breakfast, and now even my phone. I feel like a fish in a fishbowl, constantly watched. And the worst part is I'm starting to get used to that feeling.
Who the hell gave you my number?
The answer doesn't take long.
Does it matter?
Of course it matters, but I already know it's a stupid question. Kaelisar probably has access to my bank accounts, my medical history, and even the photos I delete from my phone. Though, thinking about it, I hope not the last one, because some of those photos I'd prefer to keep private.
I look at the time: 8:14 PM. It's late, but it's not like I have a normal schedule. And the address... it's in the most exclusive part of the city. Only rich people live there. I know because I've stolen from several of those buildings. They have so much money they don't even notice when some of their jewelry goes missing.
I hesitate for a moment as I squeeze the phone between my fingers. Part of me, the sensible part, tells me to ignore the message and go on with my normal life. But another part, one that's getting stronger, feels curious. What if I really have magic? What if everything they've told me is true?
Damn, it would help me so much in my work.
My whole life I've been “different.”
The weird girl, the problem orphan nobody wanted to adopt, the one who always felt things others couldn't feel. Maybe it's the explanation I couldn't find. Or maybe I just want to believe it, because accepting reality: that I'm a thief who'll end up in jail sooner or later, is too depressing.
With a long, resigned sigh, I get up and pull a black hoodie over my sleep shirt. Before leaving, I poke my head into Colt's room.
“Hey, I'm going out for a bit, okay?” I announce quietly. “Don't wait up for me.”
He looks up from his computer and stares at me, puzzled.
“At this hour? With who?”
“With that girl from Estonia,” I respond with an innocent smile. “You know, the one you met this morning.”
“The supermodel? Hey, does she have any friends you can introduce me to?” he jokes, raising his eyebrows. “Be careful, okay? She's really hot, but she doesn't seem... normal. There's something about her that doesn't add up.”
“Says the guy who a month ago slept with someone who stole what we'd stolen first. Not a lot of normal around here,” I say, blowing him a kiss.
“At least take this, in case you need it,” he says, tossing me a small pepper spray.
Deep down, I feel guilty about lying to him. Colt and I have been together since we were kids in the foster system. He's the closest thing to family I have, and we've never hidden anything from each other. But this... this is too weird even to explain to him.
As I walk to the bus stop, my mind won't stop spinning. I've read a small part of the book, but I haven't dared try any spells. What if it works? What if it doesn't?I don't know which scares me more. Why the hell am I going to the apartment of three magical creatures who could probably kill me with a snap of their fingers?
