“I’ve had just about enough of you, young woman.” Novalight’s expression hardened. Piers figured the man had been trying to seem non-threatening up until then, but Novalight dropped the act faster than Icarus fell from the sky. “I thought you’d get scared and give up, but then this guy showed up and put me in a difficult position. I’m not a bad person. I don’twantto hurt you.”
“So don’t.” Sophie hid it well, but Piers felt her shudder.
Rage ignited inside him. How dare this asshole threaten Sophie?
He released her hand, preparing for battle. Novalight might not be the type to get his own hands dirty, but Piers had no problem with bloody knuckles, especially if the blood was Novalight’s.
“Thengive mewhat’smine.” The scientist was done playing. That was clear to everyone.
“You killed my friend.” Sophie sucked in a breath. Tears gleamed in her eyes.
Piers curled his hands into fists. Did Novalight think several-to-one odds intimidated him? Because they didn’t.
“Your friend stole from me and put you in danger. That’s no friend.” The scientist extended his hand. “Now, give it to me.”
“I threw it in the East River. I don’t have it,” Sophie said.
Novalight huffed. “I trailed you through the museum. I saw it, and I want to know why it glows now.” Understanding happened fast. Sophie was right; the man was intelligent, and the calculating look Novalight swept over Sophie turned Piers’s blood cold. “It glows foryou, doesn’t it? Your friend must’ve known something about you that I don’t. Or something about the crystal.” His voice turned silky, eager. “I guess we’ll find out together, won’t we?”
Sophie made a quiet sound of distress. Piers let out a growl. He took a menacing step.
Two of Novalight’s guards pushed back their jackets and flashed their guns. Piers stopped. Guns didn’t make for a fair fight, and Sophie could get caught in the crossfire.
His nostrils flared. No sword. No knives. A wounded shoulder. He tipped his head toward Sophie, whispering under his breath, “Now would be a good time to figure out your magic.”
Her frightened gaze flicked to his. “What?”
“Call it up. See what happens.”
Her eyes widened. Piers usually enjoyed her shocked and bewildered expression, but right now, she just looked scared. Scared wasn’t cute, and he flat-out despised this Novalight for scaring Sophie.
“Come quietly,” Novalight said, “and I’ll have no reason to go back to Pinebury.”
Sophie froze solid. “What?”
“Such a lovely woman, your mother. Makes a mean baklava. And your father, the renowned architect, is overseeing one of the biggest projects in Connecticut. I hope the ceiling is solid on that new building he’s working on. It would be a shame for a freak accident to sully his illustrious career so close to retirement. Or worse, kill someone.”
Sophie’s voice turned low and seismic. “Leave my family alone.”
Novalight’s menacing smirk intensified. “Now, Xanthe… She’s a treat. Enjoying college for now, her whole life ahead of her. So much potential. Don’t you think? But campuses—they can be dangerous. Drunken frat boys… Pathways covered in ice… Rogue delivery trucks…”
Terror twisted Sophie’s face. She scuffed back a step, a near-silent “No” leaking from her lips.
Shielding her with his body, Piers bared his teeth at the scientist. “Back. Away,” he ground out.
“And you’ll make me do that how?” Novalight asked scathingly.
Piers moved fast enough to surprise everyone. He jumped on Novalight like an animal and showed him exactly how savage he could be when his mate was in danger.
Novalight went down hard on his back. Piers followed, pinning him in the cold grass beside the sidewalk. He got in three skin-splitting punches before Novalight’s men yanked him backward and threw him down. Their mistake was letting go. Piers surged to his feet and charged the guards, yelling at Sophie to run.
He smashed two heads together. The men crumpled. Someone hit him in the back of the skull with something hard. Piers dropped to one knee, his vision darkening. He spun on instinct with one leg out and knocked over the person behind him. He blinked hard, his head ringing. Lurching up, he punched the blond he recognized from the day before. The blond staggered. Novalight started to stand. Piers grabbed a midsized female before she could free her gun from its holster and tossed her into Novalight, toppling him again.
“Piers!”
He whirled. They had Sophie. Fear tore through his chest.
One man gripped her from behind while another tried to rip the shard from her wrist. Sophie twisted, kicking out, and a third darted in and punched her in the face. She blanched.
