“Yeah.” The word was clipped, and Gideon eyed me again.
“It’s great that House Tellier is so successful,” I said.
“It is,” Gideon said. “Is that all you wanted?”
“Well…” I paused, trying to wrack my brain for something else to say, when I felt a stir of magic.
That’s wizard magic. Is it Gideon or the House?
The House could be picking up on Gideon’s emotions and regard me as a threat—I wasn’t sure I’d be able to tell a difference between the two.
Gideon briefly turned to look back behind him, and I saw a wizard—the woman who had initially answered the door—peering down the hallway. Orange colored fire burned in her palms, and the stark black of the wizard tattoo stuck out against the paleness of her cheek.
Oh—that’s not good.
Whatever I’d stumbled on, it was bad enough to make the wizards raise their magic.
“I guess that is everything,” I said. “I just wanted to thank you for your service, so I’ll get going.” I took a step away, doing my best to rapidly disengage without raising any more suspicion—which would have been easier if I knew just what it was that I’d said to set them off in the first place!
The female wizard hurried down the hallway and stood at Gideon’s back, still holding a ball of fire as she peered past him to watch me.
“Thanks again!” I waved to them as I backed up, unwilling to put my back to them.
Gideon stepped outside the House—not a good sign. “Hey, what did you say your name was?”
“Oh.” I wasn’t panicked—I’d been drilled too much to panic over something like this—but I did start bracing myself for a fight as I kept backing up. “I didn’t say my name—it’s slayer practice not to.”
Hopefully, Binx is hearing this and has made the call for backup.
“I think you should share it.” Gideon held up his hand.
I made it to the stairs of the porch. “No,” I said. “I really don’t think I should.”
Fire engulfed Gideon’s fist and his wizard tattoo—which was spikey and more of a brown color than the typical black—spread across his cheek. “Let me put it this way, you will be making an exception.”
“Now that absolutely was a threat. I think it would be well within your rights to pull your gun and shoot him, Slayer.”
No.
I recognized that voice, that dark, smug, dangerous voice.
But how did he get here?
CHAPTER
TEN
Jade
Iturned in the direction of the voice and, sure enough, Ruin, aka Considine Maledictus, was seated on a wooden rocking chair positioned on the left side of the porch. His hood was pulled up and he had his legs crossed at the ankles as he lounged in the rocker, the image of deadly sophistication.
Considine lazily waved to me, and his chair creaked when he rocked.
Terror twisted my heart—not terror of Considine, but worse. Terror, because the second I saw Considine something in me eased.
He’s not backup! I can’t let my guard down!
“Who are you?” Gideon barked as he and his friend left the doorframe to stalk in Considine’s direction.
Considine stood—he towered over the wizard. “I’m not your concern. Consider me an audience member, who is very much looking forward to watching you be humbled by the slayer. Unless…” Considine cocked his head, and his voice turned a shade darker and more dangerous. “Were you planning on using your House magic? That’d certainly make things more interesting.”
“You,” Gideon fishmouthed. “Vampire?”
“Wow. You’re slow.” Considine turned to me. “Explain to me: why not pull a weapon? He’s got his magic—weak as it is—out.”
“I’m not trying to arrest him, yet” I said.
“Why not? He’s obviously criminally stupid. There must be some kind of charge for that.” Considine strolled over to me—something my instincts warred over responding to because being closer meant better defense, but it was Considine Maledictus!
“There’s not,” I said.
“Well. That’s disappointing,” Considine said. “And very shortsighted.”
Fire spread to both of Gideon’s hands, further proving he was the idiot Considine thought he was. “Are you with the Drakes? You’re here on behalf of Adept Medeis, aren’t you?” Gideon said several unrepeatable insults about the Adept that made me glad April had remained on the sidewalk or there would have been violence for sure.