Page 26 of Elixir of Strife
Max spooned up another mouthful of paella and grunted. “That how you got me, Alcantara? Snuck something into my food?”
Caught him. I couldn’t help sneering. “Oh, wow. You have it bad for me, Drake? You think I’ve been spiking you with love potion? Operative word being ‘love.’ Are you — ”
“Enough,” he said, holding one hand up to stop me, thumping himself in the chest with the other. I couldn’t tell if the coughing really was rice going down the wrong pipe, or just him trying to deflect. “There’s only so much sass I can take.”
Again with the faint tinges of red in his cheeks, that adorable blushing of his. I fully didn’t know that Max could be so vulnerable, back when we first met. He was searing hot, obviously, dark and brooding and handsome. Professional and put-together to a fault.
But this was nice, being privy to his softness, those irresistible smiles, the unexpected bashfulness that came when I said or did something to scandalize him. I liked knowing that I was allowed to tiptoe past the line, make him laugh and fluster. I loved seeing this side of him.
Oh, crap. Now he had me using the damn L word, too. Hoisted by my own petard.
Max dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, so proper, these shades of his wealthy upbringing rising to the surface. It shouldn’t have been so hot, the softness of it against his lips, the tight hardness of his wrist and the veins on the back of his hand. Why was that so sexy?
“I can’t take this,” he said, getting up from the table. “I’m going to snoop for a bit. You stay right here.”
“What? Now? Really?” I threw my hands up. “But we were having such a nice time.”
“And we can keep having a nice time, right after I come back from the — the toilet.” He looked around, checking for prying eyes and curious ears. “I’ll be right back.”
I wished I could be more pissed off about him pissing off to allegedly take a piss, but I couldn’t deny being a little curious myself. Who was I to deny Max’s nature, and mine? He was a finder, wasn’t he? How could I judge him for surrendering to his nature, for living his truth?
“Damn it,” I muttered, balling up my napkin, watching as Max scoped out the doors to the kitchen.
I rose from the table, surrendering to my nature, and living my truth.
12
MAX
Ipicked out the right place to get ready for my impromptu infiltration: a large plant. A particularly monstrous monstera, those things with the heart-shaped leaves that had big old holes in them. Pretty sure I saw a couple back at Succulence. Said leaves rustled menacingly as I squeezed into position, then settled again.
Oops. I’d just brushed against it. Not a secretly sentient carnivorous plant, after all. But this was perfect. Nobody was watching, which meant nobody would see me disappear. Quite confusing, perhaps, but watching a man cast a camouflage spell can be pretty disconcerting, to say the least, especially for normals.
Safe behind the privacy of a potted plant, I mumbled the spell word under my breath.
“Dissipate.”
Magic thrummed throughout my body, arcane essence blossoming from within my soul, working its way through my flesh. Where the spell passed, my very being metamorphosed into a material as clear as glass. As a diamond, in fact. Everything still worked as it was supposed to — blood, muscles, organs — but to everyone else, I was functionally invisible.
But only for a short while, a minute, if not less. The double doors to the kitchen swung open, a waiter carrying out a try of something that definitely smelled delicious. Damn it. What was Divina up to? I slipped in as he moved out into the dining area, holding the doors open long enough to avoid smacking myself in the head.
More delicious aromas wafted through the air as I entered the kitchen, accompanied by a blast of heat, the steam and swelter of a busy restaurant. The sounds of chopping, boiling, and frying drew me in, the clatter and bang of pots and pans.
Yet something seemed off. The staff. Why were they so quiet? No one barking customer orders. No requests to check in storage for more of that seafood broth, please. Not a blessed peep, nor a whimper.
I crept as close to the edge of the kitchen as I dared, so much steel I could pretend it was a medieval armory, an especially shiny one. Through billowing clouds of smoke and steam, the eerie silence as kitchen staff dressed in white passed each other like ghosts in the mist, I caught a better look at their faces.
My jaw dropped. I knew it. I fucking knew it. Divina was up to more of her devilry, after all. Those glazed eyes, those mouths that hung open as loose as mine. She’d enthralled these people, bound them to her will, using her dark magic for the purpose of evil once again.
She probably wasn’t even paying any of them, dominating their minds with her twisted gift. I knew she couldn’t afford to hire quality talent, but I never thought she would stoop so low. A man stirring a pot of something hot and bubbly wavered unsteadily on his feet. How long had she kept them working?
“What are we looking at?” said a voice behind my head.
I nearly jumped out of my skin. My first impulse was to turn on my heel, throw Leon over my shoulder, and run right out of the restaurant. Instead I smacked him a good one in the chest.
“Ow,” he whined, but softly enough not to draw too much attention. “That smarts.”
“What the hell are you doing in here?” I hissed, feeling the magic melt from my skin, my body reverting to its original appearance. “And how the hell did you find me?”
