Natural Dual-Mage (Page 12)

His chemistry? What the hell was going on with me?

“Let’s start again, shall we?” Darius stood and gestured me over.

“I must admit, Darius, you have come a long way,” Unnaturally Handsome said, his perfectly smooth voice filled with delight. “That was a fabulous demonstration. If only we’d had the resources to let it continue.”

As I drifted toward Emery, trying to straighten up but wary of what a little confidence would do to the energy still surging around me, I realized the blond shifter, Roger, hadn’t stopped assessing me, staring with one brown eye and one blue. He hadn’t written me off as the other one had.

His magic simmered on low heat, pleasant and wholesome, and I knew, without a doubt, that he was someone I could trust. I felt it so deeply that I didn’t think to wonder how I knew. To have any shot of winning, we needed him on our side.

8

“No big deal, and it’s totally fine,” I said quietly to Emery as I grabbed the back of a seat near the end of the table and rolled it closer to him. I didn’t want to sit too close to Bursting Jacket, for fear he’d set me off again, and nor did I want to be on the other side so Roger could continue to stare at me. While I didn’t question his trustworthiness, he had a crazy kind of intensity that liquefied my bones and turned my stomach to mush. I could see why he was Alpha. “But I’m cracking up a little. Just a little, and it’ll probably pass, but I don’t feel entirely normal.”

Emery glanced at me, his gaze guarded. “Can you make it through this?”

I sure hoped so.

“Did you not smell her?” Reagan asked Roger.

“No,” he said, his gaze pounding into the side of my head. “Not even a whiff. I didn’t hear her, either.”

“She was encased in a spell, of sorts.” Emery scooted over a little and dragged my chair even closer to share the space at the end of the table. “We have what’s called survival magic, and Penny uses it in ways…I’ve never seen. This time she was blending hers with mine to create a sort of…shield, I would call it.”

Oh. That made sense, but it was my first indication I’d done any such thing.

“Yes,” Unnaturally Handsome said, delicately clasping his long fingers on the tabletop. “Her person was obscured from view. My eye wanted to move along, but in a way I haven’t experienced with similar spells. I just…didn’t want to notice her. I wanted to forget her presence.”

“Penny has an innate ability to feel out the perfect spell for any given situation. Unfortunately, in dire circumstances, she does it unconsciously,” Darius said, drawing everyone’s attention my way. “We’re working to change that, of course. In Emery she has found someone who can train her exactly how she needs to learn, and in Reagan she has found safe chaos in which to practice to her full potential. She is progressing rapidly.”

“Rapidly enough for what lies ahead?” Unnaturally Handsome asked.

Darius pulled his gaze away from me and met Unnaturally Handsome’s. “Whether she has or not, we’ve run out of time.” He swept his gaze around the table. “Let’s officially start, shall we? Why don’t we go around the table and introduce ourselves. Everyone knows Reagan and me, so we won’t bore you with redundancy. Penny, why don’t you start?”

“I’m Penny.” I cleared my throat as the intense gazes of the shifters and the velvety gazes of the vampires pinned on me, all disconcerting. “Penny Bristol. And”—Emery chuckled, though I had no idea why—“I’m the untrained natural witch we were just talking about.”

“Did you say witch?” Bursting Jacket’s haughty tone indicated he was less than impressed.

“Mage,” I amended quickly.

“No.” Emery dropped his warm hand to my knee. “Witch was true enough. She wasn’t trained in the typical mage style. She has largely felt out her magic, like witches do. She’s stronger for it. I learn from her as often as I teach.”

“But…she has the power of a mage?” Roger asked, and there was no condescension in his tone. He was simply trying to clarify, unlike the other Alpha.

“She has the power of a natural,” Emery said. “She easily rivals me. I have more experience and world knowledge, but she has more creativity. Together, we are the perfect team.”

“I can validate his assessment. They work exceptionally well together,” Darius said. “The best I have ever seen, and they are not yet dual-mages.” Emery stiffened slightly. “This is often the case, of course…with a natural pairing.”

Unnaturally Handsome leaned forward just a little, his body language showing the interest his face didn’t express.

“I’m Emery Westbrook.” Emery took his hand from my knee and leaned his forearms on the table in a position of power. “The Rogue Natural. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

“I heard you and your brother were a natural dual-mage pair until the Guild killed him,” Bursting Jacket said, about as subtle as a steel mace.

“One of their barons ordered it, and an underling carried it out,” Emery said in a monotone.

“So this is something of a Hail Mary to you, huh?” Bursting Jacket swiveled in his chair, bringing his massively broad chest to face Emery. “You want revenge, and you knew the vampires would be all too happy to stick their hands in the Mages’ Guild’s pot. Probably get to nibble on a few necks while they’re at it.” He huffed out a patronizing laugh and shook his head. “Why are you wasting our time? Didn’t anyone tell you that we don’t support vampire agendas? And we sure as hell don’t help them take control of organizations they have no business messing with, all so some spoiled kid with an ego can get revenge.”

Emery silently held Bursting Jacket’s stare, and shifter magic leaked into the air again, prodding at me. Bursting Jacket might’ve looked confident on the outside, but he was feeling the pressure of a natural staring him down. Neither the vampires nor the other Alpha interrupted the silence. A bead of sweat dribbled down my back. Magic started boiling above me again. A grin spread across Reagan’s face.

“If it were up to me,” Emery said finally, his voice low and dangerous, “I’d be long gone. The Mages’ Guild could choke the life out of the magical world in the Brink, and it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. I only returned from the wilds because Penny was in danger. Being that I had a hand in placing her there, I felt it was my duty to see it through. You have Penny to thank for my willingness to help save your ass. Because while your packs might not be directly affected now, it’s only a matter of time before the Guild crates you…and walks away.”

The pressure in the air coated me like a blanket. Bursting Jacket pushed back and crossed his arms over his chest, his jacket practically moaning with the effort to stay in one piece. “That right? Crate me?” The threat was plain in his voice. When Emery didn’t respond, and didn’t look away, a small crease wormed in between the big shifter’s brows. “And how about you, little witch?” His eyes slid to me. “Why are you here?”

I took a deep, steadying breath, trying to ignore the constant thump of his magic on my chest, like someone repeatedly poking me. “First, because the Mages’ Guild is trying to hunt me down and capture me. My preferred style of fighting is usually defense turned offense. They made the first move. I’m retaliating.

“Second, and most importantly, because they are a corrupt organization that is flouting the laws with abandon because no one is strong enough to stand up to them. Not the vampires, and not the shifters. That’s why you guys are here. This isn’t just a mage problem anymore—it’s become a magical people problem. And like Emery said, it might not affect you now…much…but at the rate they’re growing, it won’t be long until they do. Since your job is to ensure humans don’t find out about magical people, the Guild flouting the laws falls under your jurisdiction. It’s your problem more than the vampires’.”

“She is correct. I have seen their power grow incredibly quickly,” Unnaturally Handsome said. “They have infiltrated magical communities in the Brink to an unprecedented degree, promising things that”—his gaze fell on Emery—“most mages covet. Power. Money. Acclaim. Penny is right. This is a universal problem that must be taken out by the root. But please, let’s continue with the introductions before we go into more detail. Rex, since you are only seeing the very tip of this, you’ll certainly want some proof of what is inevitably headed your way.”

Bursting Jacket was named Rex.

“Wait, do you turn into a T-Rex?” I blurted out. I waved it away. “Never mind. Sorry. Not important. I mean, it would be incredibly cool if you did…” I waited for some sign that he did. Nothing came. “And it would explain the stronger-than-thou vibe you’re hellbent on pushing in everyone’s face…” His face remained stoic. “Right.” I nodded. It was probably taboo to ask a shifter which animal they changed into, much like it was to talk about how swampy vampires were in what Reagan called their “monster” form. “This isn’t the time. I get it.”