“The hybrid talents that are surfacing are the reason we need to reacquire the female,” Amityville One stated.
“We need her if we wish to dominate the future,” his sibling agreed.
“Tez’s talent likely ain’t as useless as it seems,” drawled Slade, and I shot him a look. The vivid-blue gleam beneath half-lowered eyes put me on full alert. Did Slade know more than he was telling?
If he did, why wasn’t he passing it on to Victor?
To my dismay, Slade started counting off my virtues. “He’s young. He’s not yet well connected to us. He has a fuckin’ talent.He’s a damned good fighter.” My entire body tensed when he paused, but then his gaze transferred to me. “The info we need about the off-site locations will be locked up. How are you at breakin’ and enterin’?”
I clamped down on my relief. If he suspected, he was staying quiet about it. “How sophisticated are we talking?”
Slade grew a short claw from one fingertip and examined it. “From what I hear, keyed systems. No electronics yet.”
I shrugged. This venture sounded so fucking risky, but so was sparring with a guy who set people on fire. And if it earned me cred in this organization… “I can handle that.”
Slade’s gaze slid to Victor. “He’s as good a fit as we’re gunna fuckin’ get.”
Victor sheathed his sword. “Then I’d better not dent him.” He turned to Slade. “Put a call in to our favorite councilman. I want him in there as soon as possible.”
A few hours later, I stood in a hotel room and stared out the window at the town below.
Another realm, another town. Fortunately, Slade had tagged along, although he was currently keeping his distance. If he had just told me the location, I wouldn’t have had a clue.
It was a situation that couldn’t continue. Sooner or later, it would be obvious that I wasn’t a realm traveler. I’d been lucky to get this far. But I had no idea what I could do about it.
This mission extracted me from the dilemma, for a while, at least. A flicker of movement on the opposite roof drew my attention—the guy was good, sticking to the shadows. And another in the alley below was scoping out the hotel.
My guests had arrived, and were looking for a trap. Good thing Slade wasn’t lurking anywhere close.
Wouldn’t be long now, and it wasn’t. Fifteen minutes after I spotted the sentries, someone knocked on my door.
I opened it to a cloaked figure who towered over me and was at least twice my width. He pulled back his hood to reveal short-cropped hair so blonde it was almost white.
“You Tez?” he asked, and when I nodded, he said, “I’m Alistair.”
I stepped back to let him in, and it wasn’t until he moved that I realized he wasn’t alone. A small-framed, cloaked form followed him.
Keeping myself calm required effort. Who or what was beneath that cloak? Then slim hands rose to push back the hood, and I stared at a woman with inquisitive, gray eyes.
Those eyes bored straight into me, and then they flashed. When Alistair’s responded, I glanced from him to her.
Suddenly, he didn’t look pleased. “Well, Tez,” he said. “I am not comfortable with being told to recruit students for the academy, even if it is by a council member. I much prefer to find them on my own.” His pale gaze bored into me. “And now Faith here tells me she can’t read you at all. Considering she’s rarely stonewalled, it begs the question—who, or what, are you?”
My pulse raced, and I avoided looking at the woman. They’d communicated without speaking to each other. Just what was this woman? Andreadingme wouldn’t be a good thing at all. For more than one reason.
I settled for a shrug. “I can’t help that she can’t read me. I don’t know why the fuck that is—my talent is pretty minimal.” Okay, that was a lie, butI sprout metal feathers and scream at people until they diewasn’t likely to win me any popularity contests.
Although maybe this academy place liked lethal weirdos like me.
Then the woman tilted her head. “He’s not alone,” she said.
My gut clenched. No way she could sense Slade among all the other residents…
Then Nemi chirped and flew down from where I’d put her out of harm’s way. The hummingbird landed on my shoulder and pushed her head into my neck. I automatically raised a finger to scratch her.
Something softened in the woman’s expression, and her eyes flashed again. Alistair sighed.
“Very well, Birdman. I’m taking you to a Watcher, and she can decide if you’re worthy of the academy. Come with me.”
