Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)(114)
Author: Richelle Mead

“Back off!” yelled the woman, slowly retreating with her hostage. He covered up most of her body, creating an effective shield. “I’ll slash his throat open.”

Shooting an erratically moving target had been difficult. A slow-moving one, even with a small space to hit, wasn’t difficult at all for someone like Mae. In the space of a heartbeat, she raised the gun and shot the woman in the head.

That caused a reaction, similar to the one in the casino. Guns on Gemman streets were uncommon, public shootings even less so. Near her, a gaping guy was trying to record the scene with his ego. Mae fixed him with a hard look. “Call the police.”

Things moved quickly after that. Johansson, the lieutenant they’d spoken to earlier, was among the responding officers and wasn’t thrilled about the disruptive spectacle. There was little she could do against a prætorian, especially with a hostage situation.

Now that they were safe again, the crowd was vying to get a look at the aftermath. Mae tried to ignore them and the flashing egos. “I’m really curious to see what you’ll turn up when you check her chip.”

Johansson had been studying their surroundings with narrowed eyes but suddenly turned to Mae in surprise. “You think she’s Nordic?”

“Of course she was. What else would she be?”

“Don’t take this personally, prætorian, but you’ve been away for a long time.” That leathery face smiled. “She wasn’t Nordic. Even with what you did to her face, I could tell that.”

Johansson clearly didn’t want her around as her people dealt with the follow-up, and Mae retreated back to the casino, wondering if the lieutenant was right. Away from the heat of battle, Mae could think more clearly. The implant had metabolized most of its handiwork, and the telltale trembling was nearly gone.

She took a walk around the casino and basement, and then returned to the lobby in time to find Justin finishing his statement. She watched him unseen for long moments, wishing she could bury the hurt of his rejection. It was a stupid, girlish sentiment to have, considering she’d just shot someone in the face.

“Thank you, Dr. March,” said the officer, slipping his ego into his pocket. “We’ll file your statement with the official report and then…” He glanced nervously over as Mae joined them. “Should we have it sent to your office, ma’am?”

“Yes,” Justin answered for her. “And SCI too.”

When the officer was gone, Mae sat down, unflinchingly meeting the gazes of those who stared. Word had spread that she was a prætorian, and they all looked away when they realized they’d caught her attention.

“My avenging Valkyrie,” said Justin by way of greeting.

There was a familiarity in the endearment that she didn’t like, in light of what had happened between them. “I heard what you said in your statement. That the woman attacked you when you went downstairs to use the bathroom.”

“That’s right.”

“Then why was her underwear in the women’s bathroom?”

Justin took a few moments to answer. “How would I know? I wasn’t in there. And how do you even know it was hers?”

“If you were looking for someone novel, I guess you found her. Lucky for you, I hid the evidence for you,” she said, trying not to grimace. “I threw them away.” It was destruction of evidence, yes, but there was already going to be a huge uproar about a public shooting. Mae didn’t want a sordid sex tale worked in, even if it didn’t have anything to do with her.

“Well, thanks,” he said. “I guess.”

Her next words were very level. “Justin…that’s not the evidence I’m really worried about. I don’t suppose you mentioned the jaguar in your statement?”

“What jaguar?” he asked innocently.

“Oh, stop,” she hissed. “I know you saw it! She turned into a f**king jaguar.”

“Of course I saw it. But I’m also a delusional zealot, remember?”

Mae looked away. “It couldn’t have been real.”

“Mae,” he said patiently. “If you have another explanation, I’m all ears. Believe me, it would make my life easier.”

She had none, and she knew he knew that. “There are no gods. There can’t be. It’s all make-believe.” But her voice trembled as she spoke. She’d seen what she’d seen. It was real life, not a movie. And although she believed in the wonders technology could create, even she knew that transformation was beyond the workings of mankind. She also hadn’t forgotten the sense of the dark power swirling within her—and its hesitation in the face of the jaguar woman.

“Gods are following us,” he said. “Gods who may be responsible for murder and genetic work. Gods who put ravens in my head.”

“Oh, yeah. I saw one.”

He turned to her in surprise. “A god?”

“No…one of your ravens, I think. It flew at me upstairs and somehow showed me how to find you.”

His jaw nearly hit the floor. “You saw Magnus?”

“I don’t know which one it was.”

“He left me briefly. That’s why my head hurts so much.” Justin actually looked delighted. “No one’s ever seen him. Or them. Do you know what that’s like? To finally not be the only one to see them?”

“You said you believed in them, though.”

“Yeah. Mostly. But it’s still a relief.”

“I don’t know how to handle what’s happening,” she said bluntly. “This. What my mom said. In one day, everything I’ve accepted about my life is gone. I kind of wish I was crazy.”

“Yeah, I’ve wished that a lot too.”

“How do you handle it?”

“One moment at a time.”

“You told me your dream…but what do you really know about all of this? The bigger picture?”

He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to figure that out for almost five years. Cope. Lead a normal life. Learn as much as possible. Unfortunately, there’s no real authority to go to for this. Callista’s helped a little, but there are still so many questions.”

Slightly calmer, Mae was able to focus more on him and noticed his shoulder, where long bloody lines cut through the shirt. “She…she scratched you with her, um, claws.”

“Got my back too,” he said with a wince. “And she did that even before the transformation.”