Page 17 of Hex and the City
I jerked at the sound of Leon’s voice. I hadn’t noticed him standing there behind me, peering over my shoulder. The electric kettle was bubbling merrily away, issuing clouds of steam.
“Oh. Big Gwen. Right. Well, look at her all you like.”
I gestured at the city’s low skyline, out at the tallest, brightest thing in Dos Lunas. Big Gwen was the city’s answer to Big Ben, a smaller, slenderer clocktower with a glowing face that stayed illuminated all through the night. The timeline didn’t check out — the city was named first, of course — but at times, Big Gwen’s presence really did make Dos Lunas seem like it had two moons.
“One of these days I’d like to see her in the flesh.” Leon came closer, pressing his hands up against the window, frowning as he looked down into the courtyard. “Damn. It’s like a zombie apocalypse down there.”
“Wasn’t always like this.” I drew the curtains shut. “Time was when there were people in this city who wanted the best for everybody. No future in something like Naranja Plaza, so they just let it all go to shit. Now it’s all about profit, especially since the bigger magical families started taking over.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Magical families?”
“Quite a few of them. Tons of money invested in the city, gives them plenty of control, especially in a place like Dos Lunas. The greatest magical dynasties hold more power than anybody. The Hemlocks, the Brillantes, the Nurs — the list goes on.”
Leon shrugged. “It’s all Greek to me.”
“Well, it’s still a worthy warning. You don’t want to get mixed up with them.” I wagged a finger at him. “You’ll only end up getting hurt, or worse. The great families are bad news. Every last one of them. The worst.”
He held his hands up, eyes wide. “Okay, I get it already. Don’t worry about it. These people sound scary. And rich. I don’t fit in with those types.”
I shook my head. “Fucking arcane politics. Forget I said anything. Why the boiling water? Are you making coffee, planning to stay up? This isn’t really a stake-out. We’re not sleeping in shifts. Vera gave a specific time and everything.”
“Instant noodles,” he explained, gesturing at the styrofoam cup peeking out the top of his backpack. “I was feeling kind of hungry. You want some of my noods, Max?”
I glowered. I knew what he really meant, but the innuendo stuck out more. I pushed past him to organize my things on my bed. He stumbled, then chuckled under his breath.
Vera’s source was more than likely someone with the ability to see beyond normal sight. A scryer, perhaps, someone who could look into a mirror, a pool of water, or even their mind’s eye to locate a distant target. That could be an object, another person, a location, an ability most popularly known as remote viewing.
Or maybe it was a seer, someone with the rare clairvoyant power to look into the future. Knowing how much the Jade Spider valued talented contacts, it could very well have been a combination of both. How else would she know about the exact time and place of another anomaly?
If nothing did turn up, I wondered if I’d have the balls to charge the room to Vera instead. But if an anomaly did manifest — at approximately three in the morning, like her text message said — then we’d have ourselves a chance to pounce on the thief, maybe even retrieve the stolen velveteen bag.
And hey — if nothing else, maybe I could get the satisfaction of punching them in the mouth, too.
“You sure you aren’t hungry?” Leon picked a bag of chips out of his backpack, shaking it like it was a bag of doggie treats. “I’m happy to share.”
My instinct was to react with something gruff and defensive, but I kept my cool. The guy was only trying to be nice. Not everything he did was an attempt to get under my skin.
“That’s okay, Leon. I’m not hungry. Thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” He ripped the plastic off the cup of noodles, heading over to the electric kettle just as it finished boiling.
“You know, it’s not really the best thing for you, eating all that junk food.” I sat on the foot of my bed, grimacing when it made another horrible squeak. “I know you’re young, but it doesn’t hurt to build good habits when it comes to this sort of thing.”
Leon gave me a tight smile. “I appreciate your concern. Really, I do. But some of us don’t have the luxury of eating healthy. Eating well can be pretty expensive, you know?”
“It doesn’t have to be,” I said, when I really should have left well enough alone. “Sometimes it’s a matter of scoping out a bargain at the supermarket. Cut out coupons if you have to.”
“Dude. I said don’t worry about it. You have your life. Let me live mine.” His tone was terser, more clipped than I was used to hearing. I must have struck a nerve.
“Sorry I asked.” I lifted both my hands to placate him. “I’ll drop it.”
He shook his head as he poured hot water into his cup, his expression still as hard as before. I should have known when to stop pressing him. It really wasn’t any of my business.
Steam billowed upward, obscuring his face, rising in clouds around his hair. When our gazes met, I flinched. The gleam in his eyes, the ferocity of his features, the wisps of steam that resembled smoke?
For the smallest fraction of a second, I thought I saw a dragon.
9
