Page 22 of Two Who Live On

“Because they’ve all been warlocks. Well, except the latest, which explains the sudden interest.” Images of blood and missing limbs flashed so instantaneously, I barely comprehended the horrors seen in photos he’d collected from the Chicago PD investigation.

I gagged at the sight, drawn back to the parking lot. The connection hadn’t waned, merely my nerves shaking the telepathy into something staticky. My chest heated. Why hadn’t Milo mentioned demons? Sure, he didn’t talk about work or visions, but all things considered—a true demon threat was something he should’ve brought up. I dug my nails into the leather of my seat, trembling to keep this link between us because I needed to know.

“It has nothing to do with the latest victim being a witch. Warlock deaths alone makes this situation a priority to me,”Enchanter Campbell said, her voice loud in Milo’s ears and helping draw me back to his office.

“You almost sound like you care.”

“Don’t test me, Milo. We’re on the precipice of change. Guilds aren’t collaborating, licenses have never been this easy to gain orlose, and our warlock population has finally settled since arresting that doctor and Theodore Whitlock. If those labeled as warlocks start dying left and right, and we don’t put a stop to it, what’s to stop them from illegally casting again?”

“Fines. Prison. Bad reputations?” Milo asked sarcastically, though it concerned him too—the dangers unchecked demons could cause, the federal oversight if this investigation wasn’t closed soon, and most of all, the lives ended.

“We rely heavily on rehabilitated warlocks to remain such. That happens best when guilds have a strong presence and offer security to all their citizens.”

I scoffed, almost drawn away. She spoke like it was actual rehabilitation. They’d been labeled a warlock, penalized for it, and in most cases, would never be referred to as a witch again. This was their life now and forever. What guilds and governmentsactuallyrelied on was the fear that punishments outweighed the desire for illegal activities.

“I’m on it. No need to worry yourself about another guild swooping in,” Milo said. “I’ll be following up on a lead soon. Just looking for the right team to assemble.”

“I’ll have one for you by the end of the day.”

“No, you won’t.” Milo propped his legs on the desk. “I’m not letting your stress over a position cost someone a limb or life. Or both in the cases so far. There’s a lot I can’t fix about this situation, and I empathize with the pain any death these demons cause. That said, I’m not concerned about you saving face with the board.”

He was, though. It circled his thoughts, ensuring the path he chose didn’t harm Enchanter Campbell. There was a faith he had in her leadership I didn’t grasp. Perhaps it made more sense wrapped into the visions guarded by his magic or the memories he held for her. That didn’t stop him from challenging her gaze with a wicked smirk.Just like me, she read his motives poorly. Whenever I thought he’d pivot left, he’d zigzag right. If I believed he had a plan in store, it’d be an improvised agenda.

Milo’s mind was a hive of endless directions, the bees in his head all working toward the collective good he wanted for everyone. It unraveled in different layers that I often didn’t see from him when we were together outside of work. Somewhere tucked away, he had a switch he knew to flip once off the clock. Even if he never truly clocked out, Milo kept his sanity by creating those barriers.

He’d accomplished what I’d never achieved, a separation between work and home, an understanding that while the world sometimes weighed down on him, he had to take a breath to enjoy the simple things. Everything out of his control would still be there, and if it shattered, he’d gladly sweep it up and put it back together.

The academy bell chimed.Shit.

I blinked away the link to Milo, rushing out of my car and through the hallways leading to my classroom.

I’d reached my door, where a few students stood outside waiting for history class right as the late bell rang. Gael coughed, gagging absurdly loud when he caught a whiff of the smoke wafting off my long-sleeved black shirt. To add injury on top of annoyance, the damn rooster joined in, clucking and coughing in an ear-bleeding pitch that was tenfold worse than any of his morning crows.

I wanted to return to Milo, figure out what he had planned, learn of the dangers these demons posed to the city, but I had to prioritize work.

“They’re so dramatic.” Tara held her stack of books high, covering the faint smile she struggled to share around others and watching Gael and his familiar pretend to choke to death on secondhand smoke. Every time I saw Tara, she had more reading material from books detailing magical overlaps to insighthighlighting things about the world she didn’t have experience with, all the way to fun fiction meant to offer a brief distraction.

I enjoyed when her thoughts reached far above the depths of her ocean of sorrow. It wasn’t something she’d escape soon, maybe not ever, but I was glad she’d found ways to come up for air every now and then.

“What’s with Mr. Frost’s face?” Tara raised her eyebrows. “You okay?”

I frowned, covering up whatever contorted version of a smile my face tried making. “Just realizing only one of you did the reading for today’s lesson.”

Glaring at them, I unlocked the door so my class could enter.

“Bawk.” King Clucks’ red comb jiggled as he nodded at Tara.

“Snitch.” Gael strutted into the room.

“Cl-cluck.”

I set up my laptop and projected our lesson for the day. What a fucking ironic twist of fate.

Demonic Energy & Dangers to Ascension

Maybe that was why my mind linked to Milo’s. I’d been focused on the history unit of demonology all week, and now Milo’s case had… No. My magic didn’t have this type of range.

“Last class, we were discussing the importance of separating guilds and government. Can anyone remind me why it’s important to keep these two separated?” I asked in my casual recap tone like I’d suddenly forgotten the information. Of course, today, I actually had gone completely blank on the lesson plan.

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