Cold Burn of Magic
Page 71
Felix snorted. “You think?”
I forced myself to smile at him. Felix turned to Devon, and the two of them started talking again. The cold rage slowly faded from my body, but it was quickly replaced by a stomach-churning combination of worry, dread, and fear about what Victor, Blake, and the rest of the Draconis were up to.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The dinner wrapped up soon after that.
Devon went back over to Claudia, standing by her side in silent support, as she shook hands a final time with the heads of the other Families, including Victor.
I positioned myself off to the side of the crowd, away from everyone else, just trying to get through the rest of the night.
The Draconis left the restaurant first. Victor didn’t even glance at me as he swept outside. Of course he wouldn’t. I wasn’t a senior member of one of the Families, so I wasn’t important. A nobody, just like my mom had been to him.
However, Blake stopped long enough to sneer at me, a clear promise on his face that our little feud wasn’t over. I gave him the same sort of cold smile that Claudia had Victor.
Deah followed her dad and brother out of the restaurant, but her gaze darted away from mine before I could get a lock on her emotions.
Once the Draconis were gone, the tension level went down about ten notches, and everyone else left in a more leisurely fashion, talking and laughing with one another.
Felix split off to ride back to the mansion with Angelo, Reginald, and Claudia, while Grant, Devon, and I headed for our SUV. It was close to midnight now, although you wouldn’t know it by the lights and tourists still going strong in the Midway.
“I’m glad that’s over,” Devon muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets as we ambled down the sidewalk. “I hate those dinners. And Victor Draconi is a gigantic ass. Can you believe he wants to tax the mortals even more? Sometimes, I think he’s out of his mind.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Because he’s always pushing my mom about the mortals. Do this to them, do that to them, like they’re his own personal property or something. A lot of the Families don’t like the mortals, but Victor takes it to new levels, new extremes.”
“He’s just trying to do what’s best for the Families,” Grant said. “He’s right. We keep the monsters at bay for the rubes, we do all the hard, dirty, dangerous work, and they don’t pay us nearly enough for it.”
Devon gave him a sharp look, but Grant shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m not the only one in the Sinclair Family who thinks so,” Grant continued. “Everyone respects your mom, but they look around at what the other Families are getting, and they want the same things, too.”
Devon snorted. “You mean what the Draconis let them have.”
Grant shrugged again.
We started to leave the Midway and step onto the side street that would take us back to the car, when I saw a sharp movement out of the corner of my eye. Deah was standing by an ice cream shack. She gestured with her hand, waving me over.
“I’ll catch up with you guys in a few minutes, okay? I want to get some ice cream.”
Devon gave me an amused look. “You’re hungry again? Felix was right. You really are a bottomless pit.”
I managed another grin. Devon shook his head, but he and Grant walked on. I got in line at the ice cream shack, as though I really was going to buy a cone. When I was sure that Devon and Grant had disappeared into the crowd, I went over to where Deah was standing in the shadows.
“What do you want?”
She glanced left and right. I wondered if she was looking for Devon and Grant—or Blake. Finally, she stared at me again.
“Look, tell Felix that I’m sorry, okay?” Deah said.
“Sorry? Sorry that you treated him like dirt? You can tell him yourself.”
I started to walk away, but she reached out to me.
“If you so much as touch me, I will make you eat my fist,” I growled.
Her eyes narrowed. “I’d like to see you try.”
We glared at each other. After a moment, Deah sighed.
“Just tell Felix that I’m sorry, please?” she asked again. “He’ll understand. He knows what my brother is like.”
“Your brother is a complete monster, and so is your dad. You might not like what Blake does to other people, but you always go along with it. I don’t know what Felix sees in you.”
She gasped, and her face whitened with shock. “You know? About me and Felix?”
“Kind of hard not to, when he gave you a rose at the arcade. You two should be a little more discreet.”
Her hands curled into fists, and she took a menacing step forward. “If you tell anyone, anyone at all—”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll pull my guts out through my nose. I get it. Don’t worry. Your precious little secret is safe with me.”
This time, I was the one who took a menacing step toward her. “But Felix is a nice guy, and if you and your brother do anything to hurt him, anything at all, then you’ll be the ones who are sorry. Capisce?”
Deah jerked her head in what I assumed was a yes. She glared at me a final time, then stormed off in the crowd.
I stayed where I was, scanning the sights and sounds of the Midway, just in case Blake had decided to follow his sister and was waiting in some shadow for me to walk by. But I didn’t see anything suspicious, so I headed toward the parking lot. Grant and Devon were probably getting impatient—
I forced myself to smile at him. Felix turned to Devon, and the two of them started talking again. The cold rage slowly faded from my body, but it was quickly replaced by a stomach-churning combination of worry, dread, and fear about what Victor, Blake, and the rest of the Draconis were up to.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The dinner wrapped up soon after that.
Devon went back over to Claudia, standing by her side in silent support, as she shook hands a final time with the heads of the other Families, including Victor.
I positioned myself off to the side of the crowd, away from everyone else, just trying to get through the rest of the night.
The Draconis left the restaurant first. Victor didn’t even glance at me as he swept outside. Of course he wouldn’t. I wasn’t a senior member of one of the Families, so I wasn’t important. A nobody, just like my mom had been to him.
However, Blake stopped long enough to sneer at me, a clear promise on his face that our little feud wasn’t over. I gave him the same sort of cold smile that Claudia had Victor.
Deah followed her dad and brother out of the restaurant, but her gaze darted away from mine before I could get a lock on her emotions.
Once the Draconis were gone, the tension level went down about ten notches, and everyone else left in a more leisurely fashion, talking and laughing with one another.
Felix split off to ride back to the mansion with Angelo, Reginald, and Claudia, while Grant, Devon, and I headed for our SUV. It was close to midnight now, although you wouldn’t know it by the lights and tourists still going strong in the Midway.
“I’m glad that’s over,” Devon muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets as we ambled down the sidewalk. “I hate those dinners. And Victor Draconi is a gigantic ass. Can you believe he wants to tax the mortals even more? Sometimes, I think he’s out of his mind.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Because he’s always pushing my mom about the mortals. Do this to them, do that to them, like they’re his own personal property or something. A lot of the Families don’t like the mortals, but Victor takes it to new levels, new extremes.”
“He’s just trying to do what’s best for the Families,” Grant said. “He’s right. We keep the monsters at bay for the rubes, we do all the hard, dirty, dangerous work, and they don’t pay us nearly enough for it.”
Devon gave him a sharp look, but Grant shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m not the only one in the Sinclair Family who thinks so,” Grant continued. “Everyone respects your mom, but they look around at what the other Families are getting, and they want the same things, too.”
Devon snorted. “You mean what the Draconis let them have.”
Grant shrugged again.
We started to leave the Midway and step onto the side street that would take us back to the car, when I saw a sharp movement out of the corner of my eye. Deah was standing by an ice cream shack. She gestured with her hand, waving me over.
“I’ll catch up with you guys in a few minutes, okay? I want to get some ice cream.”
Devon gave me an amused look. “You’re hungry again? Felix was right. You really are a bottomless pit.”
I managed another grin. Devon shook his head, but he and Grant walked on. I got in line at the ice cream shack, as though I really was going to buy a cone. When I was sure that Devon and Grant had disappeared into the crowd, I went over to where Deah was standing in the shadows.
“What do you want?”
She glanced left and right. I wondered if she was looking for Devon and Grant—or Blake. Finally, she stared at me again.
“Look, tell Felix that I’m sorry, okay?” Deah said.
“Sorry? Sorry that you treated him like dirt? You can tell him yourself.”
I started to walk away, but she reached out to me.
“If you so much as touch me, I will make you eat my fist,” I growled.
Her eyes narrowed. “I’d like to see you try.”
We glared at each other. After a moment, Deah sighed.
“Just tell Felix that I’m sorry, please?” she asked again. “He’ll understand. He knows what my brother is like.”
“Your brother is a complete monster, and so is your dad. You might not like what Blake does to other people, but you always go along with it. I don’t know what Felix sees in you.”
She gasped, and her face whitened with shock. “You know? About me and Felix?”
“Kind of hard not to, when he gave you a rose at the arcade. You two should be a little more discreet.”
Her hands curled into fists, and she took a menacing step forward. “If you tell anyone, anyone at all—”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll pull my guts out through my nose. I get it. Don’t worry. Your precious little secret is safe with me.”
This time, I was the one who took a menacing step toward her. “But Felix is a nice guy, and if you and your brother do anything to hurt him, anything at all, then you’ll be the ones who are sorry. Capisce?”
Deah jerked her head in what I assumed was a yes. She glared at me a final time, then stormed off in the crowd.
I stayed where I was, scanning the sights and sounds of the Midway, just in case Blake had decided to follow his sister and was waiting in some shadow for me to walk by. But I didn’t see anything suspicious, so I headed toward the parking lot. Grant and Devon were probably getting impatient—
