Smoke and Mirrors (14 page)

She took her backpack back as they reached her last class for the day, not meeting his eyes.

Xander wouldn’t be following her inside; she was taking the optional high school equivalency and college admissions prep course. The student magi who didn’t need the class were either heading home for the day or heading to the library to check out whatever references they needed to cram over the weekend for their upcoming finals. Most didn’t bother; it was the “failsafe” course to ensure that any mage who couldn’t qualify for a job in a coven could still apply to mundane college to make something of themselves in the human world.

He chewed on his inner cheek, realizing too late what an awkward position he’d put Kimberly in and not sure how to pry his foot out of his mouth.

She gestured vaguely. “Maybe you can swing by my job for lunch tomorrow? I work at this café not far from here, Allegretto’s. I should know more then.”

“Oh, yeah, I know the place,” he said. “That’s perfect. I’ve got a family thing tonight, but tomorrow morning I can hit the books and see if I can find out something about that guy. I can also ask my parents. My dad works at the Great Neck Commune and my mom is a cop. If they don’t know anything, I’ll bet they can find out.”

“Hey, it’s not that urgent,” Kimberly protested. “Cormac hasn’t done anything wrong—”

“No, no, I just mean they might know what he is. I won’t have Mom bust down his door.” Xander grinned.

Kimberly gave him a wry grin in response, then a light punch on the shoulder. “Don’t scare me like that. The last thing I need is to freak him out and drive off my best lead for a familiar. Oh, and ask them if they know about an Other named Rieva, too. Or a Black Star Café.”

The first bell for the last period rang. Students were filing past Kimberly and Xander in a rush to get to their seats. Xander grabbed Kimberly’s arm as she turned away, holding her back.

“Before you go, it’s driving me crazy. Why are you looking for a dragon?”

“I can’t summon,” Kimberly admitted, pulling away as his grip loosened in surprise. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, I promise. I’ll see you later!”

Kimberly headed into the classroom, taking one of the last empty seats near the back row.

“All right, everybody. Butts in the chairs, eyes on me. That means you, Tony. Let’s do a quick refresher on Social Studies, and then we’re hitting the science chapter again.”

Kimberly pulled out her book, groaning along with half the rest of the class. Arnold Moore was a high ranking mage on loan from The Circle to meet the coven’s tithing requirements for Blackhollow. He was a good teacher, but tough. Despite that, she liked him far better than the guy who had been running the class last semester.

Blackhollow was one of five magic academies in the U.S. While some magi might take on apprentices, there was no guarantee for the apprentice to find a place in a coven once they completed their training. Most major covens would not accept magi without formal training and a letter of recommendation from one of the established academies as too many apprenticed magi relied on dark arts and black enchants to get results. All covens for the areas falling under the purview of their academy paid tithes to guarantee the service of tenured professors, and housing and materials for students like Kimberly who couldn’t otherwise afford tuition.

In addition to paying tithes in terms of materials, the covens were also expected to send a representative or two for each semester to assist with tutoring, seminars in advanced classes, and prep for non-magical subjects like taking the tests for the high school equivalency. It helped offset the burden on the local covens from supplying all of the training and tenured professors, and gave every coven in the academy’s territory an equal shot at wooing potential future blood infusions into their ranks.

Arnold was something of an anomaly in the mage community. He had multiple college degrees, but worked in security for The Circle. Having spent a great deal of time in the mundane school system, he was uniquely suited to preparing the next generation of magi not only to take the tests for their high school equivalency, but how to blend with mundanes should they choose to pursue higher education. That experience combined with his job in security added to his eye for good potential prospects, and led to him being a natural choice for teaching the closing class for the last semester for that school year.

It had only been a little over a decade since the Twin Towers fell and Others announced their presence to the world. It might have started with the Moonwalker werewolf pack offering to help dig survivors out of the rubble of the Towers, but magi didn’t take long to follow in their footsteps. Some covens, such as The Circle, took advantage of the instant fame and global interest in their kind, selling magical services to anyone who could pay their fees. Many smaller ones might offer simple services to locals—charms and the like—but those magi had a tendency to do those services on the side while working “normal” jobs to blend and pay their bills.

Kimberly had high hopes, but she had known before the end of her first year that she would need to take the extra classes and to be prepared to fill out a plethora of paperwork for student loans. If things went the way she hoped, filing that paperwork would be unnecessary. If The Circle turned her down, or all she could get was an internship, she would still pursue a college degree. No matter what happened, she refused to be stuck working in diners and cafes, struggling to make ends meet, for the rest of her life.

She refused to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Cormac was waiting for her on a bench near the Gate on 81st when she got out of class. This time he wore dark sunglasses and was dressed in a high-collared woolen frock coat, one leg slung casually over the other. She was just a teensy bit surprised to see he had foregone the usual cravat for a slightly less conspicuous white formal shirt with a point collar and dark tie threaded with gold. Despite how enormously frumpy she felt next to him in her jeans and plain T-shirt, she had to admit he cut a striking figure, with or without the odd suits.

He held out a coffee cup for her when she reached him, taking a sip from his own. She lifted it to check out the midnight blue logo, curious since it wasn’t instantly recognizable. Then suppressed a shiver when she spotted the text under the silhouette of a coffee cup with an eight-pointed star above it. Just like the neon sign she’d seen the other night.

The Black Star Café.

“I hope I put in the right amount of cream and sugar,” Cormac said.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” she responded faintly. She could swear power was radiating through the thin paper cup, sending a strange tingle up her arm. “Is this stuff safe? It made my vision funny last time and I barely slept a wink last night.”

He rose from his seat, falling into step beside her as they headed toward Allegretto’s. The sly smile he gave her was all too pleased. “Did it? Excellent, that means it’s working.”

She shot him a look, but he didn’t elaborate. They continued for a little over a block before Kimberly blew out a frustrated breath and turned her gaze heavenward.

“You’re driving me crazy.”

That drew a surprised glance from Cormac. “Am I?”

“Can you let me in? Just a little bit? Seriously, what is this stuff doing to me?”

He tapped the cup lid lightly with a fingertip, the hollow tap sending ripples of stronger tingles crawling up her arm.

“You said you had trouble with elemental magic. You’re drinking it in a distilled form. Since you’re not used to it, I’m sure it might feel a bit strange at first, but it should be helping wake up any dormant senses or abilities you might have.”

She pursed her lips, considering that. Then sighed again before taking a long pull from the coffee cup. If only she had heard about this stuff four years ago, back when she was first starting out as a Blackhollow student, she might have saved herself a great deal of grief and difficulty. Using her magic during most practical assignments in class had been like trying to force a square peg through a round hole. The only way around the endless frustration had been to make it look like she’d achieved the results of the spells using her illusions, leading to her little teacher-student conference with Professor Reed the other night.

As the strange, warm tingle seeped into her limbs, she examined the cup again, focusing on using her second sight. It was so full of fae water-based energy, ranging from robin’s egg around the edges, deepening to indigo and then midnight blue in the center, it was like holding a tiny, pulsing star in her hand.

Cute. The café name made a bit more sense.

“I guess I owe you another thank you,” Kimberly said, tipping the cup at him in salute.

He nodded in reply. If she hadn’t been so close, she might not have noticed that his gaze kept flicking around behind those sunglasses, searching for something. Or that his own aura was sparking today, so bright and hazy with power that it was too blinding to look at directly. Different from last night. It looked more like that of a mage this time. Albeit, one who outclassed every mage in terms of raw power that Kimberly had ever encountered.

She looked away, and was immediately overwhelmed by a bewildering array of magical auras on the street around them. Oh, they were still outnumbered by mundanes. But there were nearly a dozen magical creatures on the street around them, more hazy outlines visible through the walls of the surrounding buildings, and even one strange, big shape on the rooftop of a brownstone across the street.

She shook her head and dispelled the Sight, not wanting to see every passing Other for what they were. Not to mention lingering enchantments and the swirling, multihued ley lines all around them. In the middle of a major city like this, the Sight was as dizzying as a kaleidoscope when one was standing perfectly still. Trying to See while walking was giving her a headache.

That stuff in the coffee seemed to be making her Sight stronger than she remembered, too. Better to focus on something a little less likely to give her a raging case of vertigo.

“Any chance I can get you to spill what you are yet? You know I’m going to find out eventually.”

That sly smile of his faded. “Someone who went through a rough patch, somewhat like you. I admire your talent, your bravery, and your perseverance. If you believe nothing else, trust that I am doing what I can to help you.”

“I don’t doubt that,” she said. “What I’m worried about are how all the things I don’t know might come back to bite me on the ass. Like this morning. Who was that guy? Viper?”

Cormac tossed his empty coffee cup into a trash can as they passed, then put a hand on her arm to stop her. He tugged her body flush against his as he leaned against the brick façade of the brownstone on their left, leaving her gasping and dropping her drink to grip the lapels of his coat to steady herself. This close, she couldn’t help but notice how warm he was, and some kind of exotic, spicy scent on his skin. It wasn’t the incense from his shop, though there was some hint of it clinging to his clothes. Whatever it might be, like his aura, Kimberly had never encountered anything quite like it before.

He leaned down until they were cheek to cheek, whispering in her ear.

“Don’t speak his name again. He’s too close.”

She shivered, tightening her grip on his coat as she whispered back. “Is he dangerous?”

“Until you find someone to bind, yes. He’s the only Other I’ve ever heard of who successfully made a mage his familiar. If you don’t have one of your own, you’re fair game, and he’s been looking for another to take the last one’s place for decades.”

Shocked immobile, Kimberly stiffened against him as a wave of terror jolted through her. Cormac lightly tugged a lock of her hair, his voice lowering to a throaty growl.

“He’ll never touch you. Not while I’m here.”

After the initial shock wore off, she pulled back, searching his face. With the sunglasses, it was a little hard to figure out what he was thinking, and his closeness was terribly distracting. The moment she realized just how tightly pressed she was against him, she pulled back, flushing.

“There’s nothing he can do to me. The binding spell won’t work without my consent. I’d never agree to that. Ever.”

“We can’t be sure of that. There’s no guarantee he would play fair, and your teachers have left a deliberate gap in your education if you believe that rubbish,” Cormac said. “It’s my fault he’s after you. Until we get you what you need, I’ll be shadowing you to keep you safe.”

Kimberly voiced a half-hearted curse under her breath, then gestured in the direction they’d been headed. She couldn’t quite bring herself to completely break their body contact.

“We should keep moving. I can’t be late.”

He slid an arm around her waist, keeping her close as they resumed their trek to the café. Though she felt silly doing it, she leaned into him, enjoying the warmth of his touch.

She knew she should have been angry with him for his cagey responses and for making her problems worse, but his calm reassurances and closeness made her feel better. Not totally safe—but better.

“You said he’s close,” she said, keeping her voice low. “How close?”

He flicked his fingers to indicate the rooftop where she’d seen the odd shape. The scarily large, very inhuman shape.