Natural Mage (Page 19)

He wasn’t like the others in this area, lounging with a bottle or his drug of choice—he was here for a purpose.

Was that purpose me?

Butterflies of anticipation filled my stomach, and the pressure of danger pressed on my chest.

Gritting my teeth, I turned away and started to walk—no, swagger. Predators liked to chase. They liked to hunt. If I acted nonchalant, maybe the watcher would have second thoughts.

Sensitive to the sounds around me, I put distance between myself and the collection of people behind me.

Breathing got a little easier with every step, and I slowed as I approached the bar where Red usually hung out. I just hoped he was there. Based on the mostly quiet street, the odds weren’t entirely favorable. The bars were clearly closed.

I drifted close to the wall and into the shadows, hunching to make myself smaller. I peeked around the corner like a creep, listening hard. Shifters kept late hours. The bar was closed, but maybe the partygoers hadn’t all gone home. The two big guys loitering outside would support that theory. If they were shifters, they’d likely know Red and let me inside. Or they’d call him.

If not, I needed to come up with another plan. And quick. The itch between my shoulder blades had diminished, but if the Guild was in this area, they’d be roaming around. Any one of them might seize the chance to try and grab me. Given how weak I felt after the display at Darius’s house, that could be disastrous.

Straining, I pointed my ear in their direction, but it was soon apparent that they were either quiet or mute. I couldn’t hear a single word.

Blowing out a breath, I racked my brain for a fix to the problem, and almost immediately (albeit belatedly) remembered the concealment spell I’d created in the Guild compound.

I rolled my eyes at myself. My mother would slap me upside the head for that memory slip.

Chalk it up to experience, Penny.

I summoned as much energy as I could muster and closed my eyes while sorting through the elements that would make the spell. The familiar weave came naturally. I had it draped over myself in no time, and the light shimmer around me said I’d done it right.

Taking a deep breath, I slipped around the corner, continuing to hug the wall and stick to the shadows. In the event the spell faltered, it was better to be safe than sorry. Or as my mother would say, “Penny, don’t be an idiot.”

Fifteen feet from the men, I could hear their soft murmurs. A little closer and I could make out their faces in the flare of their cigarettes. One was a broad-faced guy in his mid-thirties with a big block of a body, and the other had jutting teeth and an expression like something smelled bad. Neither was Red (thank you, random selfie in the email—it turned out it hadn’t been as odd as it had seemed at the time). Still, they could be shifters.

The broad-faced guy’s shoulders stiffened, and he held up a hand to the other, his face pointed my way.

I froze, staring at him with wide eyes, wondering if my spell hadn’t worked like I’d thought.

“What is it?” Smells-a-Stink asked in a hush.

Broad Face sniffed and scanned the street. “You smell that?” he murmured.

The other guy stepped into the gutter, keeping one foot on the street. He looked upward and then away before facing my direction. “Yeah. Don’t see nothin’, though.”

Fabulous. I was the stink.

“Filthy vampires, is it?” the first asked.

“Nah, they ain’t invisible. They don’t smell as good, neither.”

“Too bad. Tearing one of them apart would get us noticed in the pack. They’re hard to kill, I hear.”

“What about one of those mages wandering around the city?” Smells-a-Stink said, taking a step in my direction.

It finally occurred to me that these were magical folk who could smell exceptionally well, hanging out near a shifter bar, and had mentioned the word pack. My mother’s voice sounded in my head: Penny, stop being slow.

Shifters.

My concealment spell fit around me like a bubble, deadening sound to some degree, but I hadn’t thought at all about smell.

Since these guys were shifters, I could just show myself to them…only they clearly weren’t so hot on vampires or mages. Given that I was a mage and my new trainer was a vampire (I had not resigned myself to the possibility he might not have made it through), I was not on their “awesome” list.

And now they knew I was here.

16

I could not remember if shifters had enhanced hearing, but it seemed like a strong possibility, given that animals did. Which meant a sound-suppressing spell wouldn’t work as well with them, especially if they were already onto me.

Careful with my footfalls, I took a step away. Then another, putting distance between us. Unfortunately, Broad Face took one step toward me with a much larger stride. Smells-a-Stink matched him.

I held my breath and picked up the pace, trying to choose each step carefully.

My overburdened shoe groaned with the effort. I froze with my other foot off the ground.

“There’s something there,” Broad Face said, pausing with me. “A female.”

How could he possibly know that? I was certainly sweating as much as any man.

“A mage, then,” the other murmured, the words almost unintelligible. He was trying to keep me from hearing. Clearly he didn’t know I was all of seven feet away.

“Rush her,” Broad Face whispered.

“I don’t know where she is,” the other murmured, this time without moving his lips.

“That way somewhere.” Broad Face jerked his chin in my direction. “If we just run at her, eventually we’ll run into her.”

“We should change, or we’ll run right into a spell.”

“Not if we surprise her.”

It wasn’t clear why these two had been given the duty of guarding the door. Or any duties at all.

“You go at it, and I’ll circle around,” Broad Face said out of the side of his mouth. He used the same volume.

This was about to get interesting. If they weren’t rushing me together, it would be similar to dodge ball, which I’d always been surprisingly great at. I’d just have to step aside when they barreled past. Of course, red balls didn’t have long, grasping arms.

“Ready?” Smells-a-Stink asked, his volume increasing with his excitement.

“Yeah,” the other whispered.

A door squealed somewhere behind them and a tall man stepped out. “What are you guys doing?” Light spilled across his familiar face.

“Red,” I said in relief, stepping forward.

“There!” Broad Face swung a finger toward me, but not right at me. He squinted at nothingness. “Did you hear that?”

“I heard that!” Smells-a-Stink backed into the street between two parked cars. “I definitely heard that. You sure that is a mage and not a ghost?”

“Mages can do tricks like that,” Broad Face said, putting out his hands. “I’m pretty sure.”

“Red,” I said again, unraveling the spell as Broad Face moved somewhat in my direction with his arms waving in front of him.

“There!” Smells-a-Stink pointed at me. “It was a female, all right.”

Broad Face jerked and took a quick step away before getting his bearings and hop-stepping back into position. He looked me up and down with his shoulders back, squinting at me. “Didn’t think I’d catch you, did you? Well, I did. You filthy mages can’t get nothing past me. I knew you were there the whole time.”

“So did I,” Smells-a-Stink said, nodding adamantly.

“Sorry. I just wanted to talk with Red.” I pointed lamely, doing nothing to straighten out of my hunch. Invisibility had its perks.

Broad Face stepped between Red and me. “What business do you have here?”

“She’s a rat,” Smells-a-Stink said in disgust.

“Yeah.” Broad Face adjusted his belt. “A rat, and a filthy black magic mage. Ain’t that right? I heard all about what’s going down in Seattle. Well, let me tell you something…” He paused for effect.

“We’re not having it,” Smells-a-Stink said.

Broad Face’s jaw clenched as he tilted his head in irritation. Smells-a-Stink had clearly stolen his thunder.

I pulled my cardigan tighter and stepped to the side so I could see past him. “Red, please, I need help.”

A slim hand appeared on Broad Face’s arm. Red looked around him, his eyes roaming my hair and face.

“I know her,” Red said, stepping closer. The two other shifters calmed down marginally, but didn’t drop their tough-guy stances. “You’re staying with that mage couple in the Garden District?”

“Yes. Please.” I stepped closer to him. “I need to contact Reagan Somerset. You know her, right? Something happened at Darius Durant’s house, and—”

The two shifters stiffened and Red licked his lips nervously.

“What’s this, Red?” Broad Face asked. “You in league with the vampires now?”

Red shuffled closer before protectively (and awkwardly) slinging his arm around my shoulders. It didn’t seem like he was used to bodily contact, but I was grateful for the show of support.

“She doesn’t know anything about all that,” Red said, turning me toward the bar door.