Page 72 of Soul of Shadow
Bex nodded shyly, then followed Abigail over to the refreshment table. The vätte, who had ridden on the floor of the Bronco as they drove to the event, skittered out from under Charlie’s legs and made a beeline for the bleachers, where he could waddle up and get a good view of the whole dance.
Which only left Charlie and Elias.
“Just as I thought,” Elias said, folding his hands behind his back as he surveyed the space. “Absolutely awful. Not a single severed head in sight.”
Charlie shot him a bewildered look.
“Everyone in this room is too…” He made a face of disgust. “Happy. Absolutely no one is afraid. I’m nearly as weak as you are right now.”
She rolled her eyes. “God forbid.”
“Should we dance?” He gestured to the bodies bouncing up and down in the center of the room. “Or would you rather drink some watered-down fruit juice that someone has probably already spiked with vodka?”
Charlie surveyed the gym, weighing the possibilities. She needed to speak privately with Elias, and none of the options presented by the gym were particularly promising: jumping around to loud music, clustering together with the crowd around the punch bowl, getting in line for the photo booth, or sitting at one of the sparkling tables, most of which had two or three people already sitting at them. She could lead Elias over to the bleachers, but he would no doubt be suspicious of why she wanted to sit outside of the action, as far away from her friends as possible.
She couldn’t suggest anything without being too obvious. Charlie would have to bide her time, waiting for an opportunity to present itself.
Turning to Elias, she held out a hand. “Dance?”
A smile slid onto his face and he took her hand, gesturing toward the crowd. “After you.”
She pulled Elias out onto the dance floor, stopping a good ten or fifteen feet away from Lou and Mason. When Lou spotted Charlie, she tried to wave her over, but Charlie shook herhead. Lou gave a pleading face, jerking her head at Mason, who was flailing his body around like a wet rag. Charlie just smiled and shook her head again. Lou might pretend that she was here as Mason’s date against her will, but Charlie had a feeling her best friend secretly thrilled at her brother’s attention. Tonight was the perfect night to give Lou a chance to realize that.
“So,” Elias said, stepping back and forth as he bobbed his head to the poppy-techno song that was playing. “Lou and Mason, huh?”
“They’ve been at each other’s throats for as long as I can remember,” Charlie said with a small smile.
“Ahhh.” He nodded, holding out a hand. “Perfect fodder for a romance novel.”
“I wouldn’t know.” She took his hand, allowing herself to be spun in a circle. His skin was a nice, warm temperature, like paper fresh out of a printer. It made her want to press his palm to her cheek. “My mom is always trying to get me to read them, but they’re not really my thing.”
“Of course not.” He spun her to face him, catching her other hand in the crook of his palm. “So. What do you think of the dress?”
She let him lead her around, their steps lively on the wooden gym floor. “I wish I could say that I hated it, but to be honest, it’s beautiful. It reminds me of the outfits that Dorothy Dietrich used to wear.”
“Who’s that?” Elias asked.
“One of the most famous female magicians ever. I’m a little bit obsessed with her. With figuring out how she pulled off her tricks.”
“Obsessed, eh?” He raised an eyebrow, which made the word feel oddly suggestive. “Do you have a favorite?”
“Have you heard of the bullet catch?”
He raised one arm, signaling for Charlie to spin underneath. “Can’t say I have.”
She obliged, spinning in a tight circle. He caught her at the other end, dipping her slightly. “It’s an incredibly dangerous trick. One that has only been attempted by a few magicians, including my personal favorite, Dorothy Dietrich.” Elias raised her back to standing. “Someone fires a gun directly at the magician, and they catch the bullet between their teeth.”
“But that’s impossible,” he said. “The gun must be empty. And then they have the bullet already in their mouth.”
Charlie shook her head. “That’s the thing. Some magicians even set up glass in between the gun and themselves, so you know the bullet went through.”
“How do they do it, then?”
She eyed him slyly. “A magician never reveals their secrets.”
He looked delighted. “Then youdoknow how they do it.”
“I have my theories.”
