“His magic did that to him?” I asked in shock.
“Yes,” Alex confirmed. “Leshing says that the electricity blasted out of him against his will; he had no control over it. Several hours later, when he was in custody, those burns started to appear.”
“This happened hours afterward?” Davorin's green gaze narrowed pensively.
“It's as if his magic turned on him,” Lily murmured as she absently pushed back her mass of red curls.
“Did you interrogate him yourself?” I asked Alex.
“Yes, Leshing says that he doesn't understand it,” Alex reported. “He had it under control that morning, with no signs of malfunctioning.”
“He used the word malfunctioning?” I lifted a brow.
“That's right,” Alex confirmed.
I looked at Davorin.
Dav grimaced and said, “Gotta be a Tranny.”
“Excuse me?” Alex gawked at Dav.
“It's a street term for a Transformed supe,” I explained. “A supernatural born with their abilities would never think of their magic as something that could malfunction.”
“Did you ask him how he got his supe abilities?” Davorin looked back at Alex.
“No.” Alex scowled. “It didn't occur to me.”
“This problem is likely stemming from the process,” I noted. “Something has gone wrong. You need to find out how Leshing got his electricity and then, maybe you'll be able to help him.”
Alex looked at Jason. “I could use your help to question him further.”
Jason looked around at us. “Oh, so I have to go it alone because you guys don't have anything to attack?”
I sighed and reached for my purse.
Chapter Four
Edward Leshing wasn't on a military base as you might expect. He was in a D.H.S. facility, down on a subterranean floor, in a special clinic made specifically for things like this. Yes, it happens that often.
I'd gone with Malik and the Rians—as we like to call Cyprian and Kyrian collectively—in Mal's new BMX X5. It was technically a mid-size SUV but looked nothing like the black behemoths the Government lugs us around in. Malik could have gone with a sports car like Kyrian had purchased, but we needed a vehicle we could all ride in together and something that Mal could drive comfortably. That Bleiten bulk isn't easy to accommodate.
But enough about the car. I only mentioned it because the men had talked about it for weeks after Malik bought the thing. Evidently, it hasmuscle, whatever that means. We parked Mal's muscle beside Alex's sedan just as the rest of the team was climbing out of it. Leo and Jason had been sandwiching Lily in the back, and she didn't look happy about it.
“Next time, take one of us with you,” Leo said to me. “Please. I can't listen to Lily whine again.”
“You act as if being a woman means I'm moldable,” Lily huffed as we followed Alex into the D.H.S. building. “Just because I'm softer doesn't mean you can squish yourselves into me.”
It was silent for a heartbeat, during which I closed my eyes and groaned. Then...
“Actually, it's the main reason men like women,” Jason declared, his hazel eyes bright with the chance to make a sexual joke. “We can't stop thinking about squishing ourselves into you.”
Lily smacked Jason on the shoulder. “You know what I meant, you filthy prick!”
“I keep my prick perfectly clean just in case I get a chance to squish it into a woman,” Jason shot back.
The agents walking through the corridors gave us horrified looks.
I stopped, stared imperiously at Jason, and announced, “Jason, I speak on behalf of all womankind when I say, do not ever use the word squish in reference to one of us.Ever. That is unless you never want to squish into a woman again.”
