Page 8 of Cast in Shadow
“Just so we’re clear,” I said, holding up a hand. “Phineas said the director of Lexa attacked himandTheloneus at the same time, managed to send one primordial demon back through the veil and seriously wound another, and then this person, what, just walked away?”
Emerson went back to his narrowed assessment. “Yes. Which is just one of the many reasons you shouldn’t be working with them.”
I let out a sigh that started in my bones. “Someone’s lying to you. I get that Lexa’s tactics might not be palatable to some, but our mission is to take out the biggest threats. I can tell you, without a doubt, the Brethren isn’t on that list. Yet.” With that, I turned and headed for the door.
He made it across the room and caught me by the arm before my hand ever touched the knob. “Wait.”
I bristled at the command in that one word, as if he had any right to give me orders. “Get your hand off me, Emerson.”
I wasn’t about to turn around and face him when all I wanted was to escape. Freedom from his overpowering presence, his scent, the maddening brush of his energy over mine… it was just on the other side of that door.
“We’re not done talking.” When his power pulsed into my arm, I pushed back, releasing a current of raw energy that radiated out from that point of contact. He ripped his hand away like he’d been shocked. “What the?—”
I grabbed the door, yanked it open, and stalked out into the night.
“What the hell was that?” he yelled, but it didn’t sound like he was following me.
I owed a thank you to the gods for that little kindness.
With my heart twisting in my chest and my thoughts screaming in my head, it took me a few minutes to get my bearings. He’d frozen me with his magic, knocked me out cold, and transported me halfway across town to get me away from Megan.
What was he playing at?
Hell if I knew, but I wasn’t about to go back and ask.
When I rounded the corner, I broke into a run. His scent lingered on my clothes. His energy tingled across my skin. And I needed to get as far away from all of it as I could.
4
I ran along the sidewalks and through alleys until my lungs burned and my legs ached, but it did nothing to rid me of Emerson’s presence surrounding me. No matter how much some damaged part of me still wanted him in my life—damaged and fatally stupid, apparently—nothing between us had changed.
I’d already fooled myself into believing I could read him once. That wasn’t a mistake I would make again.
I slowed to a walk, sucking in stinging breaths but still not ready to stop moving. The swell of the ribbon was waning, swirling and curling out of my part of the world and into the next.
It would be back. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon. It never stayed away for long. In the meantime, I had work to do. Starting with questioning my team on how we’d managed to miss Megan’s latest acquisition of power. If I could find out more about the coven she’d murdered, maybe then I could figure out her endgame.
I stopped for a second, pulling my earpiece from my jacket pocket and slipping it into my ear. When I tapped the button, it crackled to life. “Dennis, you there?”
“At your service, boss. How’d it go? Is the Wicked Witch of?—”
“We missed something,” I said, cutting him off. I had too much on my mind, and I definitely wasn’t in the mood for a cheery exchange with my comms operator. “I’m on my way in. Round up Nguyen and Shayla. I need you all in the conference room when I get there.”
“Shit. You okay? Do I need to send?—”
“I’m fine.” Angry and confused, but still breathing. In my book, that counted as fine.
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few beats. “What do you need?”
“Just get the others. I’ll be there shortly.” I disconnected and checked up and down the quiet street.
This wasn’t a part of the city where taxis were a frequent sight at night, but there were certain perks that came with living in the modern age with a fortune at my disposal. I pulled out my phone, honestly a little shocked that Emerson hadn’t taken it, and pulled up the exclusive black label ride-hailing app. In five minutes, I was sinking into the plush leather seat of a late-model Audi with windows tinted as dark as night and a driver who knew the rules.
He was clean cut, dressed in a dark business suit, and he didn’t bother with the typical chatter that so many rideshare drivers were prone to. That was part of the service with the black label business. No muss, no fuss, and no questions.
I had him drop me four blocks from the historic hotel I’d remodeled into Lexa’s headquarters. Standard practice was to park in the structure down the block from the hotel and takethe secure underground tunnel straight to headquarters. Now that Emerson knew I was alive and well, I took a more circuitous route, just to be safe.
The hotel was a genuine business. High end, complete with luxury suites, three rooftop pools situated at different levels, a top-notch staff, and a healthy bottom line. Because of the clientele we attracted, it didn’t raise any eyebrows that our security was better than what you’d find in some banks. Which made it the perfect cover for the covert supernatural organization located beneath it.
