Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
“We haven’t found William Cummings to question him, but I’m certain he wasn’t behind the rakshasa. More than likely that was sent by one or more of the sorcerers who have come to the city. I’m glad you agreed to the safe house. Are you comfortable here?”
“I’d rather be in my home, to be honest, but this place is nice.”
“I’m going to have Alaric and Bain stay here as well. If we’re dealing with sorcerers, Alaric has magic that can stop them. So does Bain. Though I want you to understand that I’m not saying Emory can’t because his unique skills are also formidable.”
“I feel safe with Emory,” Julien said with a pointed look.
“As you should, but this is bigger than we originally thought. I won’t be charging you for three bodyguards.”
Julien hadn’t been worrying about that. “Have you found out anything else?”
“Yes, you were correct in that powerful preternaturals are gathering in the city. It’s my belief they are feeding more magic into an already highly unstable magic system. The heat, the earthquakes—these are all signs that too much power is building.”
“What can you do?”
Black eyes laser-focused on him. “I will stop them.”
Julien stared at this commanding sorcerer and knew without a doubt that he was capable of doing just that. “Do you know where they’ve gathered specifically?”
Xavier shook his head. “That information, I do not yet have. It’s my hope you find more for us to go on. Daniel has managed to infiltrate the network as well.”
Julien blinked at him. “He’s hacked my cloud storage?”
“There is no system off limits to Daniel. He’s quite good.”
“Maybe I should hire him,” Julien muttered.
Xavier just smiled. “He’s quite happy where he is. But I’m impressed by what you’ve built, so between the two of you, I have no doubt we’ll find out their location. Possibly even what they are trying to do. It’s my belief they chose this city because the ley lines were already more powerful than they are in most places in the world. And their magic had already been growing stronger. Now, though, that growth is accelerating at an unnatural rate. This is no longer a natural phenomenon, but a preternatural-made one. Normally, I’d be able to pinpoint their location, but I’m guessing they’re using a combined spell to mask themselves.”
“I’ll turn my focus onto this for now. I’m still on leave even though I’ve been exonerated. But my board didn’t take away my access, so I can do everything from here.”
“Good.” Xavier stood. “Emory is fully capable of keeping you safe. Alaric and Bain are staying as just a precaution. I will feel better having more security specialists covering you. It’s my suspicion that these preternaturals know you’re on to them. William must have told them.”
“Wouldn’t they realize you are as well? I’ve hired your bodyguard.”
“If they’d realized that, the rakshasa wouldn’t have been sent to you. But they will now see that you have more protection. They will know you are being protected by wards as well. Their attention will turn to me.” Something ferocious passed over his features. “That’s exactly what I want.”
Julien got the feeling this preternatural might be the most dangerous one alive.
Xavier looked at the three by the door. “I’ll leave the vehicle here for you. Be ready for anything. Whatever these sorcerers are after is big, and they could become more persistent, though I do believe their focus will turn on me.” He pulled out his cellphone and spoke quietly into it.
Within seconds, someone appeared in the living room, a shorter preternatural who didn’t take the time to speak to anyone. He just put his hand on Xavier’s arm and they both vanished.
“Wow,” Julien said as he blinked into the now empty space. “That is fucking handy.”
“That was Lake, the warper wizard I told you about,” Emory said as he walked to Julien. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just more determined to find out exactly what’s going on.”
“Then we’ll leave you to that. The three of us will cover the grounds outside. And we’ll be taking shifts during the night.” He turned toward the others. “I’ll take the first shift, and just so you know, I’ll be sleeping with Julien when it’s your turns.”
Neither preternatural looked surprised by this announcement, but Bain grinned. “Another one down.”
“Yes,” Emory said. “And damned happy about it.”
“Of course you are.” Bain turned those oddly slitted eyes to Julien. “Welcome to the family.” He winked and stepped outside with Alaric.
“Family?” Julien asked Emory as soon as they were alone again.
“I’ve grown rather close to my coworkers. Two of them are actually best friends, so yes, if you’re staying with me after all this, you’ll be joining a rather big and nosy family.”
“Then I guess I will be because I’m definitely staying with you after all this.” Julien leaned forward and pressed his lips to Emory’s. “You’re stuck with me,” he whispered. “And just so you understand, your days of being footloose and fancy free are over. I don’t share.”