Cold Burn of Magic
Page 10
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Because I could also see into people.
All I had to do was stare into someone’s eyes, and I knew exactly what they were feeling at that moment, whether it was love, hate, anger, or something else. Not only that, but I could actually feel the emotion in my own heart, just like the person who was experiencing it. Soulsight, it was called. A major Talent and one that I could have done without. Most people didn’t have a lot of nice thoughts, feelings, or emotions, not even toward their own so-called friends and family.
But this guy . . . he radiated cold sorrow, as though he was carrying around a heavy burden that he could never, ever be free from. Still, there was a rock-hard strength mixed in with his sorrow, along with a flicker of something else buried deep, deep down . . . a hot spark that I couldn’t quite identify.
I knew in an instant that he was the sort of guy who was exceedingly loyal to his friends. Who felt responsible for others. Who tried to help people as much as he could even if they didn’t deserve it, and he ended up being the one who got hurt instead. The sort of guy that others saw as a leader and naturally flocked to. The sort of guy who was just so disgustingly fascinating that you couldn’t help wanting to know more about him.
The guy kept smiling, although his expression grew thinner and fainter the longer I stared. But I couldn’t help it. For the first time in a long time, I was completely captivated by another person. In that moment, all I wanted to do was peel back the cool exterior of his emotions and see what really lay beneath—and especially see what would happen when that hot spark inside him flared to life and he finally let out his true feelings.
But there was also something disturbingly . . . familiar about him. As though I’d met him someplace before, although I couldn’t quite remember where. I kept staring into his green eyes, hoping that my soulsight would kick in a tiny bit more and bring the knowledge, the memory, along with it . . .
The older girl, the bodyguard, stepped over to us, her hand dropping to her sword in a clear warning—to me.
“What are you doing, Devon?” she asked.
Devon. Even his name was disgustingly fascinating. Of course it would be. And it caused him to seem even more familiar, like I should know exactly who he was—
Devon sighed and looked at her, breaking my connection to him. “Nothing, Ashley. Just talking to . . .”
“Lila,” I replied, shaking my head to get rid of the last of his emotions.
Devon nodded. “Lila.”
The first guy moved over to the counter where the three of us were standing.
“Lila?” he said, his voice a sly, flirty drawl. “A pretty name for a very pretty girl.”
He flashed me a wide, mischievous grin that no doubt caused girls to swoon and write a second poem about him, this one focused on his dreamy smile.
Devon sighed again. “Felix, this is Lila. Lila, Felix, and this is our friend, Ashley.”
Felix winked at me, then wandered on, continuing with his aimless browsing. I wondered what Devon had done to get him to come here. Birthday present shopping for your friend’s mom wasn’t exactly a big male bonding ritual. Or maybe they were going to go flirt with the tourist girls over at the Midway after this. Yeah, I could totally see Felix doing that.
Ashley gave me another suspicious look. “Come on. I saw some antique perfume bottles. Maybe your mom would like one of those.”
Devon nodded at me again, then moved off with her. I wondered if he realized that Ashley was doing the smart thing and steering him away from me, a total, and perhaps dangerous, stranger. I stayed where I was and watched them, but they continued with their browsing, so I looked out through the windows at the front of the store.
People moved back and forth, in and out of my line of sight, as they roamed from shop to shop, through the park, past the food carts, and from one side of the square to the other. In the distance, the fountain kept spewing water. A few of the tourists were taking photos of it. Of course they were. I rolled my eyes.
Everything was perfectly normal—until a guy stopped at the windows and peered into the shop.
At first, I thought he was examining the wooden pixie houses that Mo had set up in the windows like birdfeeders. Then I realized the guy was looking past the houses and deeper into the store. Nothing unusual about that—except he was staring straight at Devon.
I straightened up, dropped my hand to my belt, and rubbed my fingers over one of the stars hooked to the leather. The throwing star was small and thin, but it was made out of bloodiron, and it would cut through anything—or anyone.
I didn’t have to use my Talent for sight to know I didn’t like the look of the guy outside. But I didn’t pull out one of my throwing stars. I had no desire to get into a fight with Ashley, the bodyguard, because she mistakenly thought I was a threat to her charges.
The guy watched Devon for several seconds before his gaze moved over the rest of the shop. Whatever he saw must have satisfied him, because he stepped out of sight of the windows.
In the store, Felix kept right on with his relentless rambling. Ashley was still standing next to Devon, but she was staring down at a perfume bottle on top of the counter instead of keeping an eye out for trouble. I stayed where I was, my hand on my belt, watching the windows and wondering what the guy outside was up to.
A second later, he reappeared, pulled open the front door, and strode inside.
But he wasn’t alone.
Four other guys stormed into the shop behind him—all armed with swords.
CHAPTER FOUR
The mystery man reached Felix first, since he was the closest to the door. He rammed his fist into Felix’s face, and Felix dropped like a stone to the floor, unconscious. My eyes narrowed. The guy had to have some serious training to swat at Felix like he was a fly and get that kind of immediate result.
All I had to do was stare into someone’s eyes, and I knew exactly what they were feeling at that moment, whether it was love, hate, anger, or something else. Not only that, but I could actually feel the emotion in my own heart, just like the person who was experiencing it. Soulsight, it was called. A major Talent and one that I could have done without. Most people didn’t have a lot of nice thoughts, feelings, or emotions, not even toward their own so-called friends and family.
But this guy . . . he radiated cold sorrow, as though he was carrying around a heavy burden that he could never, ever be free from. Still, there was a rock-hard strength mixed in with his sorrow, along with a flicker of something else buried deep, deep down . . . a hot spark that I couldn’t quite identify.
I knew in an instant that he was the sort of guy who was exceedingly loyal to his friends. Who felt responsible for others. Who tried to help people as much as he could even if they didn’t deserve it, and he ended up being the one who got hurt instead. The sort of guy that others saw as a leader and naturally flocked to. The sort of guy who was just so disgustingly fascinating that you couldn’t help wanting to know more about him.
The guy kept smiling, although his expression grew thinner and fainter the longer I stared. But I couldn’t help it. For the first time in a long time, I was completely captivated by another person. In that moment, all I wanted to do was peel back the cool exterior of his emotions and see what really lay beneath—and especially see what would happen when that hot spark inside him flared to life and he finally let out his true feelings.
But there was also something disturbingly . . . familiar about him. As though I’d met him someplace before, although I couldn’t quite remember where. I kept staring into his green eyes, hoping that my soulsight would kick in a tiny bit more and bring the knowledge, the memory, along with it . . .
The older girl, the bodyguard, stepped over to us, her hand dropping to her sword in a clear warning—to me.
“What are you doing, Devon?” she asked.
Devon. Even his name was disgustingly fascinating. Of course it would be. And it caused him to seem even more familiar, like I should know exactly who he was—
Devon sighed and looked at her, breaking my connection to him. “Nothing, Ashley. Just talking to . . .”
“Lila,” I replied, shaking my head to get rid of the last of his emotions.
Devon nodded. “Lila.”
The first guy moved over to the counter where the three of us were standing.
“Lila?” he said, his voice a sly, flirty drawl. “A pretty name for a very pretty girl.”
He flashed me a wide, mischievous grin that no doubt caused girls to swoon and write a second poem about him, this one focused on his dreamy smile.
Devon sighed again. “Felix, this is Lila. Lila, Felix, and this is our friend, Ashley.”
Felix winked at me, then wandered on, continuing with his aimless browsing. I wondered what Devon had done to get him to come here. Birthday present shopping for your friend’s mom wasn’t exactly a big male bonding ritual. Or maybe they were going to go flirt with the tourist girls over at the Midway after this. Yeah, I could totally see Felix doing that.
Ashley gave me another suspicious look. “Come on. I saw some antique perfume bottles. Maybe your mom would like one of those.”
Devon nodded at me again, then moved off with her. I wondered if he realized that Ashley was doing the smart thing and steering him away from me, a total, and perhaps dangerous, stranger. I stayed where I was and watched them, but they continued with their browsing, so I looked out through the windows at the front of the store.
People moved back and forth, in and out of my line of sight, as they roamed from shop to shop, through the park, past the food carts, and from one side of the square to the other. In the distance, the fountain kept spewing water. A few of the tourists were taking photos of it. Of course they were. I rolled my eyes.
Everything was perfectly normal—until a guy stopped at the windows and peered into the shop.
At first, I thought he was examining the wooden pixie houses that Mo had set up in the windows like birdfeeders. Then I realized the guy was looking past the houses and deeper into the store. Nothing unusual about that—except he was staring straight at Devon.
I straightened up, dropped my hand to my belt, and rubbed my fingers over one of the stars hooked to the leather. The throwing star was small and thin, but it was made out of bloodiron, and it would cut through anything—or anyone.
I didn’t have to use my Talent for sight to know I didn’t like the look of the guy outside. But I didn’t pull out one of my throwing stars. I had no desire to get into a fight with Ashley, the bodyguard, because she mistakenly thought I was a threat to her charges.
The guy watched Devon for several seconds before his gaze moved over the rest of the shop. Whatever he saw must have satisfied him, because he stepped out of sight of the windows.
In the store, Felix kept right on with his relentless rambling. Ashley was still standing next to Devon, but she was staring down at a perfume bottle on top of the counter instead of keeping an eye out for trouble. I stayed where I was, my hand on my belt, watching the windows and wondering what the guy outside was up to.
A second later, he reappeared, pulled open the front door, and strode inside.
But he wasn’t alone.
Four other guys stormed into the shop behind him—all armed with swords.
CHAPTER FOUR
The mystery man reached Felix first, since he was the closest to the door. He rammed his fist into Felix’s face, and Felix dropped like a stone to the floor, unconscious. My eyes narrowed. The guy had to have some serious training to swat at Felix like he was a fly and get that kind of immediate result.
