Cold Burn of Magic
Page 40
“This isn’t over,” Blake hissed.
“You bet it isn’t,” I hissed right back at him.
He gave me one more hate-filled glare before turning, shoving through his own friends, and stomping away. The other five guys scurried after him, but Deah stayed behind.
“You just made a big mistake,” she said. “You have no idea what Blake is capable of.”
I probably knew a lot more about her big brother’s cruelty than she did, but I shrugged. “It’s not the first one I’ve ever made.”
Deah gave me a look that was almost pitying before shaking her head, turning, and following her brother and his friends.
Blake, Deah, and the rest of the Draconis rounded the corner and disappeared from view. The second they were gone, Grant whirled around and threw his hands up into the air.
“What was that?!” he demanded.
I shrugged again. “Just doing my job.”
Grant shook his head. “You have no idea how many problems you’ve just caused.”
Oh, I knew. I just didn’t care. Not when it came to Blake Draconi.
Devon moved over to Poppy. “Are you okay?”
She stared at the ground and rubbed her arm. The spot where Blake had grabbed her was already starting to bruise. “Yeah, I’m fine. But I think I should leave now.”
“Okay,” Devon said in a gentle tone. “Why don’t I walk you over to one of the Ito hotels?”
She nodded.
“I’ll go with you,” Grant volunteered.
“What about Felix?” Poppy asked.
We all glanced around, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight.
“I’m sure he’s fine.” Devon turned to me. “Can you find Felix while I walk Poppy across the Midway? Grant and I will meet you guys back at the SUV.”
I looked at Grant, who nodded his approval.
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll find him.”
Devon held his hand out, and Poppy stepped forward and took it. She looked at me.
“Thank you,” she said in a soft voice.
I nodded. “Anytime.”
The three of them headed toward the arcade exit. Devon glanced over his shoulder at me. At first, he looked utterly serious, but then, his face split into a wide, happy grin. He’d enjoyed seeing Blake get taken down a notch just as much as I had.
I grinned back at him, then headed off to search for Felix.
I moved from one section of the arcade to the next, my hand on my sword, looking at everything and everyone around me. Just because Blake, Deah, and their friends had left didn’t mean they couldn’t double-back and try to sneak up on me. If they did that and caught me by surprise, Blake would kill me.
Just like he’d killed before.
The memories rose up in my mind. A hot summer day. A small apartment. And blood—so much blood.
On the floor, on the walls, even spattered onto the ceiling. A few white stars flashed on and off in front of my eyes in warning, but I managed to blink them away, even if I couldn’t quite block out the hoarse screams they left ringing in my head—my screams.
I kept moving through the arcade, and I finally spotted Felix standing behind a cotton-candy cart—with Deah.
Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a small red bag dangled from her wrist. She kept shaking her head, while Felix held his hands out to his sides, as if he was arguing with her.
My fingers curled around the hilt of my sword, and my eyes cut left and right, but I didn’t see any of the other Draconis. Just Deah and Felix.
Deah spotted me and clamped her lips shut. She gave Felix a withering glare, spun around, and stormed away. Felix’s head whipped around, but when he realized it was me, his body relaxed. I walked over to him, still keeping a watch out for Blake and the other Draconis.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped. “Were you following me?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Devon and Grant took Poppy back to one of the Ito hotels. They’re going to meet us at the car. They sent me to find you.”
Felix deflated a little more. “Oh. Sorry.”
“What was that about? With Deah?”
He raked a hand through his black hair. “I was apologizing to her, trying to smooth things over.”
His explanation made sense, but something about seeing them together bothered me.
“You shouldn’t have done that. Blake was being a total jackass. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s him. Even though there’s no excuse for how he treated Poppy.”
“You really don’t know anything about how Family politics work, do you?” Felix said. “It’s the Draconis on top, and then everyone else below them.”
“I know that’s how it works. Believe me. But that doesn’t make it right.”
Felix shrugged. “Anyway, Grant’s right. We should leave before things get any worse. Come on.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked past me. And I realized what I’d missed before.
Felix wasn’t clutching his red gift bag anymore. When she’d left, Deah had been carrying it—and she’d had a red rose tucked into her long blond hair.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I didn’t say anything to Felix about my suspicions concerning him and Deah, and we walked back to the car.
Grant and Devon were waiting in the SUV with the engine running. Grant gave me another angry look when I climbed into the backseat, still pissed about what I’d done and all the problems it would cause, but I didn’t care.
“You bet it isn’t,” I hissed right back at him.
He gave me one more hate-filled glare before turning, shoving through his own friends, and stomping away. The other five guys scurried after him, but Deah stayed behind.
“You just made a big mistake,” she said. “You have no idea what Blake is capable of.”
I probably knew a lot more about her big brother’s cruelty than she did, but I shrugged. “It’s not the first one I’ve ever made.”
Deah gave me a look that was almost pitying before shaking her head, turning, and following her brother and his friends.
Blake, Deah, and the rest of the Draconis rounded the corner and disappeared from view. The second they were gone, Grant whirled around and threw his hands up into the air.
“What was that?!” he demanded.
I shrugged again. “Just doing my job.”
Grant shook his head. “You have no idea how many problems you’ve just caused.”
Oh, I knew. I just didn’t care. Not when it came to Blake Draconi.
Devon moved over to Poppy. “Are you okay?”
She stared at the ground and rubbed her arm. The spot where Blake had grabbed her was already starting to bruise. “Yeah, I’m fine. But I think I should leave now.”
“Okay,” Devon said in a gentle tone. “Why don’t I walk you over to one of the Ito hotels?”
She nodded.
“I’ll go with you,” Grant volunteered.
“What about Felix?” Poppy asked.
We all glanced around, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight.
“I’m sure he’s fine.” Devon turned to me. “Can you find Felix while I walk Poppy across the Midway? Grant and I will meet you guys back at the SUV.”
I looked at Grant, who nodded his approval.
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll find him.”
Devon held his hand out, and Poppy stepped forward and took it. She looked at me.
“Thank you,” she said in a soft voice.
I nodded. “Anytime.”
The three of them headed toward the arcade exit. Devon glanced over his shoulder at me. At first, he looked utterly serious, but then, his face split into a wide, happy grin. He’d enjoyed seeing Blake get taken down a notch just as much as I had.
I grinned back at him, then headed off to search for Felix.
I moved from one section of the arcade to the next, my hand on my sword, looking at everything and everyone around me. Just because Blake, Deah, and their friends had left didn’t mean they couldn’t double-back and try to sneak up on me. If they did that and caught me by surprise, Blake would kill me.
Just like he’d killed before.
The memories rose up in my mind. A hot summer day. A small apartment. And blood—so much blood.
On the floor, on the walls, even spattered onto the ceiling. A few white stars flashed on and off in front of my eyes in warning, but I managed to blink them away, even if I couldn’t quite block out the hoarse screams they left ringing in my head—my screams.
I kept moving through the arcade, and I finally spotted Felix standing behind a cotton-candy cart—with Deah.
Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a small red bag dangled from her wrist. She kept shaking her head, while Felix held his hands out to his sides, as if he was arguing with her.
My fingers curled around the hilt of my sword, and my eyes cut left and right, but I didn’t see any of the other Draconis. Just Deah and Felix.
Deah spotted me and clamped her lips shut. She gave Felix a withering glare, spun around, and stormed away. Felix’s head whipped around, but when he realized it was me, his body relaxed. I walked over to him, still keeping a watch out for Blake and the other Draconis.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped. “Were you following me?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Devon and Grant took Poppy back to one of the Ito hotels. They’re going to meet us at the car. They sent me to find you.”
Felix deflated a little more. “Oh. Sorry.”
“What was that about? With Deah?”
He raked a hand through his black hair. “I was apologizing to her, trying to smooth things over.”
His explanation made sense, but something about seeing them together bothered me.
“You shouldn’t have done that. Blake was being a total jackass. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s him. Even though there’s no excuse for how he treated Poppy.”
“You really don’t know anything about how Family politics work, do you?” Felix said. “It’s the Draconis on top, and then everyone else below them.”
“I know that’s how it works. Believe me. But that doesn’t make it right.”
Felix shrugged. “Anyway, Grant’s right. We should leave before things get any worse. Come on.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked past me. And I realized what I’d missed before.
Felix wasn’t clutching his red gift bag anymore. When she’d left, Deah had been carrying it—and she’d had a red rose tucked into her long blond hair.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I didn’t say anything to Felix about my suspicions concerning him and Deah, and we walked back to the car.
Grant and Devon were waiting in the SUV with the engine running. Grant gave me another angry look when I climbed into the backseat, still pissed about what I’d done and all the problems it would cause, but I didn’t care.
