Page 87 of Shades of Silver City

Godric stifles another laugh from the front seat. “For real.”

“What?” she asks, turning her scowl on Godric.

“Nothing,” he says. “Come on, let’s go, sassy. Leave your stuff. We’ll come back for it.”

She starts to protest, her lips turning down into a frown. My chest warms at the realization that she wants to be by my side. But I need to recharge, and I need to do it alone.

“I’ll be quick,” I promise. Godric turns, giving me a nod before exiting the vehicle. We’ve worked together long enough to read each other. He’s giving me the go-ahead. All is clear.

“Look, Tasia,” I say. I want to be up front with her, but I don’t have the energy to dive into details right now. “I need you to trust me.” I pull her hand to my lips, planting a kiss on her skin before releasing it. “Stay close. Stay out of sight. And don’t tell anyone where you are.”

“Someone is searching for me,” she whispers. “They’re gonna find me.”

“No they won’t.”

“I don’t know what they want from me.” She glances out the window into the darkness.

Godric opens her door, and she steps out, giving me one last long look before following him out of the alley and to the apartment building’s front door. I trust he’ll keep her safe. I own the entire building, and no one else lives here. Rarely does anyone even go into the building, since the lobby looks derelict. But even if someone did, the stairs and elevators are warded—unusable to anyone except Godric, me, or anyone of our blood. Who knows? Maybe one day Godric’s father—Remy—will take up my offer and move in.

One can hope, after all.

Taking a deep breath, I exit the SUV and head deeper into the alley. I reach out and touch the brick wall. With my weakened vision, I have to fumble around to search for the door.

A few seconds later, I finger the latch and slide it open, pushing the door and stepping inside. The stairs take me two stories down into the earth.

The Underground.

The room I emerge into is bright, humid, and filled with greenery. It’s not anything to boast about, just a moderately sized room filled with plants. I take a deep breath, inhaling the pungent, floral aroma. Beneath my feet is dark-brown, fresh-tilled soil.

Grow lights hang overhead. They’re on a self-regulating timer, to mimic the sunlight. Sprinklers are arranged in rows, keeping the plants watered and the air humid.

A variety of pothos, ivies, and monsteras crawl around the room, their vines and leaves twisting up the walls and interlacing with one another.

A sense of relaxation eases through me, drawing me deeper into the room.

It’s not enough. I need to be closer. I need more.

The quicker I can close everything out, the quicker I can replenish my stores. That’s part of the reason I didn’t want Tasia here with me—she would be a distraction. I need to be alone for this.

I shed my clothing until I’m fully nude and take a seat on the warm soil. Closing my eyes, I steady my breathing and find my inner peace. In a way, it’s sort of like meditation.

The city leaders think the iron-and-salt walls are the most efficient tool for keeping fae out, but really, it’s the lack of nature. Fae need nature to recharge.

The steel, metal, and glass buildings do enough to repel magic on their own, and most fae avoid the city by choice.

I continue inhaling and exhaling deeply. Each breath seems to bring me back to life, and my magic courses through my limbs. A pulsating tingle works itself through my body, from my head down to my fingers, then down my legs to my toes.

There’s another reason I didn’t want Tasia here with me. It’s because her magic is artificial and seems to come at no cost to her. If she were here, I don’t know how she would react. I fear she would look at me differently…that instead of seeing our similarities like she does now, she will only see our differences.

"The behavior of artificial magic within human hosts differs from the natural manifestation of magic in fae hosts… The artificial magic appears to demand less maintenance; however, constraints emerge as power levels escalate.”

-Excerpt from the personal journal of Dr. Claude Foster, Director of Faeology at Mesmeric Labs

CHAPTER 20

FANTASIA

Godric leads me to an elevator that takes us up ten floors. When the doors open, the hallway we enter is dimly lit. The worn carpet has a mix of geometric patterns and stains. I wrinkle my nose as the scent of mildew and dust invades my nostrils.

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