Page 26 of Basilisk

“Preternatural. That’s what we call ourselves.” Bain moved to sit in the chair he always picked.

“At your company?”

“All of us are.”

“They’re all basilisks?”

This time, the smile was pure kindness. “No. I’m the only one of those. There’s an elf, mages, demons. We even have an ogre.”

Clive raised his eyebrows. “Demons? Like from hell?”

“No. There’s no hell. Demons are just a different species.”

“No hell. So no heaven either?”

“Not that I’m aware of. We believe our souls move on to another realm. Or some believe they just go out like candles. Preternaturals live very long lives.”

“How old are you?”

“Two hundred and twelve.”

“Years?” Clive’s mouth dropped open.

“I’m nowhere near the oldest among my friends and coworkers.”

“And all of you use magic to blend in?”

Bain nodded. “Glamour spells. Xavier, our boss, is a very powerful sorcerer. He’s older than us all but will never admit just how much older.”

“Wow.”

“It’s a lot to take in.” Bain leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Tell me, did you ever tell anyone about the things you see?”

Clive nodded. “My parents took me to mental health professionals. A lot of them. They tried putting me on medication. I even told my first boyfriend, who dropped me right away.”

“I’m sorry. You aren’t alone, if that makes you feel any better. There are others who can see us, too.”

“That actually does make me feel better.” He lowered his legs and scrubbed his hands over his face. “If the person after me is one of you, what do I do?”

“You continued to let me protect you while you figure it out. Xavier is working on it, too. He has people going through your list of clients. Probably your files as well.”

“Wait, what? My files? How?”

“He has his ways.” Bain chuckled. “Why? Do you have some personal things in there? If it’s porn, don’t worry. We all have that.”

“I’m not worried about the porn.” Clive felt his cheeks warm because he definitely had that in his files. “I was thinking more of my clients. I promise complete confidentiality.”

“You can trust anyone in my company. You can trust Xavier. And Clive, you can trust me.”

Clive stared at him as he dug deep inside to figure out how he really felt, and the answer was easy. “For some reason, I do.”

“Then listen. I really feel, and Xavier agrees, that we should move you to a safe house.”

Alarm shot into Clive, and he started shaking his head. “No.”

“If you had hired a human bodyguard, he wouldn’t have been able to fight a wendigo. They’ll send more. And probably something more powerful.”

That did scare him.

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