“Maybe you should get that,” Gilbert grumbles. “There could have been another murder.”
“You’re right.” He sets me down and I wobble, feeling a little lightheaded. Gilbert loops his arm around me, holding me steady.
“You said you were all right.”
“I am. I’m just a little dizzy, that’s all.”
“Sit.” He pulls out a kitchen chair and goes into the living room to get my phone.
“Bisset,” I say into the phone as soon as I answer. My head swims, and the spinning hasn’t stopped. I need to lie down and close my eyes until I’ve recovered from using magic.
“Hey, Ace,” the officer on the phone says, and I recognize his voice right away. It’s Nick, one of the few people at work to call me by my first name even though I prefer it the other way around. “We might have found your murder weapon.”
“Where?”
“In an alley two blocks from the coffee shop. We got the scene roped off, and the jeweler across the street has surveillance cameras. She’s on her way in to run the tapes for us.”
“Text me the address. I’m on my way.” I hang up and close my eyes, inhaling deeply. Maybe a coffee will help? And some Advil. And maybe another taco, because using magic makes me hungry.
“I don’t think you should go anywhere,” Gilbert says slowly, hating the words he’s saying. He doesn’t like being told what to do, and he doesn’t have to say it for me to know he feels bad telling me what to do. But I can’t disagree right now.
“I’ll be fine in a few minutes. They think they found the murder weapon and might have a recording of the guy ditching it.”
“Fuck. I wish I could take you.”
“That’d be nice.”
He pulls up a chair next to me and presses the back of his hand to my forehead. “You feel hot. I thought you did before, but I was hoping you were just hot for me.” His cheeky grin does little to hide his concern. “Maybe I should get Jac—”
“I’m fine,” I interrupt, but as each second passes, I feel less and less fine. I exhausted myself and need a few minutes to recover. That’s all. “Can you get me some water? I’ll rest a bit, then I’ll go.”
Gilbert’s full lips press into a thin line, and worry takes over his young, handsome face. He gets up, wings swooshing behind him, and brings me a glass of water. I chug half of it down and feel much better.
“I’ll sit here a minute,” I say to appease him. How the fuck am I supposed to break the curse when doing something simple like this wears me out? I fold my arms on the table and rest my head. A minute later the spinning stops. I finish the water, use the bathroom, and feel back to normal.
“You rebounded your energy,” Jacques says, startling me a bit as I step out of the bathroom. “Try grounding yourself next time after you open a circle.”
I nod, debating whether to tell him I have no idea what that means or wait until I get back. Turns out the look on my face says it all.
“You took in energy from your surroundings and your body isn’t used to it. But that’s a step in the right direction. You’ll get the hang of this, Ace.”
That explains why I felt so weird right after. “Where did the energy go?”
“Inside you somewhere.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Sounds dirty.”
To my surprise, Jacques actually laughs at my lame joke. The amusement is fleeting, though, and his brow furrows. “It makes you stand out, Ace.”
“Stand out to who?”
“Demons.”
My heart skips a beat, and everything he said about my parents comes rushing back.
“Right.” I hold up my hand, feeling my fingertips tingle with heat. “I’ll be ready if they attack.”
Jacques lifts his hand, putting it right up to mine. “We will be too.”
