Cold Burn of Magic
Page 9
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He waved his hand. “Fine, fine. But I’ll have to go into the back to get the rest. It’s been a slow day.”
Mo grumbled about my robbing him as he pulled a key ring out of his pants pocket, flipped through the keys, and plugged one into a hole that was embedded in a door in the back wall. He cranked the key, and the door popped outward, swinging open. More glass cases featuring all sorts of goods lined the hallway on the other side before the area opened up into a crowded living room. Since the Razzle Dazzle was at the back of the square, Mo had some extra space that doubled as his home behind the storefront.
“Stay here. I’ll be back.”
I snorted. “As if I’m going to leave without the rest of my money. I’m sure you’d conveniently forget all about the extra cash you owe me the second I walk out the door.”
“Would I do something like that?” he asked in an indignant tone, puffing up his broad shoulders in protest.
“Absolutely.”
He grinned before disappearing. Sometimes, I thought he enjoyed haggling and trying to pull one over on me more than anything else. We had played this game ever since I was a kid trying to con him into buying me two ice cream cones instead of just one. Still, despite his grumblings, Mo had been good to me. He was the only one who’d really cared when my mom had died, and he was the only one who’d tried to help me after she was gone. I owed him for that.
Mo had just closed the door behind him when the lochness bones over the front door rattled, and a girl stepped inside the shop.
She was a brunette, prettier, taller, and older than me, with a long, lean body. She entered the shop and stood in the doorway, as if she expected someone to leap out from behind one of the glass cases and attack. Her brown gaze flicked over the store, analyzing everything inside, and she had a sword strapped to her waist. So she was protection then, a bodyguard dragged along for some rich kids’ shopping spree.
The girl stepped to one side of the door so that two guys could enter. The first guy was undeniably cute, with wavy black hair, bronze skin, and the kind of dark, soulful eyes that girls write poems about. He started wandering through the aisles, looking at everything and nothing in particular.
But it was the second guy who caught my eye. Like the girl, he, too, paused by the door, seeming even more wary than she looked. The sunlight streaming in through the windows highlighted the rich honey in his dark chocolate brown hair, even as it cast his face in shadow. The tan skin of his arms resembled marble—hard, but smooth and supple at the same time.
He must have passed through the mist spewed up by the fountain outside, because his black T-shirt was wet in places and the damp patches clung to his skin. The wetness allowed me to see just how muscled his chest was. Oh, yeah, I totally ogled that part of him, right up until I spotted the silver cuff on his right wrist.
Given the angle, I couldn’t tell what crest was stamped into the metal, but I glanced at the others, who also wore cuffs. I sighed. So they belonged to some Family then. Wonderful. This day just kept getting better.
I stayed at the counter and watched the three of them walk deeper into the store. They passed by all of the junk in the front, only slowing down when they reached the back half and the beginning of the genuine, expensive items. Then they started roaming through the aisles, going from one case to the next, whispering to each other.
Well, actually, only the girl was whispering. The first guy looked bored, although he did perk up when they passed by a case that contained some old chemistry sets.
The bodyguard noticed me watching them, and she gave me a suspicious look, taking in my cheap clothes and casual stance, as well as my battered backpack sitting on the counter. She kept her hand on her sword, but she relaxed when she realized I didn’t have a weapon. Her mistake. I couldn’t carry a sword with me to the rube high school, but I always wore a thick, wide belt around my waist—one that had several hidden slots and was studded with three stars. They might look like pretty decorations, but they were actually black blade throwing stars, and I had excellent aim.
I was so focused on the bodyguard that I lost track of the second guy. I didn’t see him approach me until he was standing next to my elbow.
“Excuse me.”
I turned my head to him. Once I did, I didn’t want to look away.
His face was as hard and chiseled as the rest of him, and his eyes were an intense green that was completely mesmerizing. He drifted a little closer to me, and I caught a whiff of his scent, sharp, fresh, and tangy, like pine needles. It suited him. In a strange way, he reminded me of the forests that covered Cloudburst Mountain—deep, dark, and utterly mysterious.
“Do you know where Mo is?” he asked, his voice low, deep, and melodic, like a river rushing by.
“You know Mo?”
He nodded. “I met him over at the Midway a few days ago. He had a booth next to one of the fountains. I need a birthday present for my mom, and he said he might have something here that she’d like.”
Something that I’d stolen or he’d conned from someone was more like it, but I decided not to ruin Mo’s potential sale. Maybe he’d give me a bonus for keeping the guy here until he returned.
“Mo’s in the back,” I said. “He should be out soon.”
“Thanks.”
The guy smiled at me, and I glanced at him again just in time to look directly into his eyes.
My mistake.
Sight was a common Talent, but my magic went beyond seeing the world with crystal clarity or being able to navigate through the dark like it was daylight.
Mo grumbled about my robbing him as he pulled a key ring out of his pants pocket, flipped through the keys, and plugged one into a hole that was embedded in a door in the back wall. He cranked the key, and the door popped outward, swinging open. More glass cases featuring all sorts of goods lined the hallway on the other side before the area opened up into a crowded living room. Since the Razzle Dazzle was at the back of the square, Mo had some extra space that doubled as his home behind the storefront.
“Stay here. I’ll be back.”
I snorted. “As if I’m going to leave without the rest of my money. I’m sure you’d conveniently forget all about the extra cash you owe me the second I walk out the door.”
“Would I do something like that?” he asked in an indignant tone, puffing up his broad shoulders in protest.
“Absolutely.”
He grinned before disappearing. Sometimes, I thought he enjoyed haggling and trying to pull one over on me more than anything else. We had played this game ever since I was a kid trying to con him into buying me two ice cream cones instead of just one. Still, despite his grumblings, Mo had been good to me. He was the only one who’d really cared when my mom had died, and he was the only one who’d tried to help me after she was gone. I owed him for that.
Mo had just closed the door behind him when the lochness bones over the front door rattled, and a girl stepped inside the shop.
She was a brunette, prettier, taller, and older than me, with a long, lean body. She entered the shop and stood in the doorway, as if she expected someone to leap out from behind one of the glass cases and attack. Her brown gaze flicked over the store, analyzing everything inside, and she had a sword strapped to her waist. So she was protection then, a bodyguard dragged along for some rich kids’ shopping spree.
The girl stepped to one side of the door so that two guys could enter. The first guy was undeniably cute, with wavy black hair, bronze skin, and the kind of dark, soulful eyes that girls write poems about. He started wandering through the aisles, looking at everything and nothing in particular.
But it was the second guy who caught my eye. Like the girl, he, too, paused by the door, seeming even more wary than she looked. The sunlight streaming in through the windows highlighted the rich honey in his dark chocolate brown hair, even as it cast his face in shadow. The tan skin of his arms resembled marble—hard, but smooth and supple at the same time.
He must have passed through the mist spewed up by the fountain outside, because his black T-shirt was wet in places and the damp patches clung to his skin. The wetness allowed me to see just how muscled his chest was. Oh, yeah, I totally ogled that part of him, right up until I spotted the silver cuff on his right wrist.
Given the angle, I couldn’t tell what crest was stamped into the metal, but I glanced at the others, who also wore cuffs. I sighed. So they belonged to some Family then. Wonderful. This day just kept getting better.
I stayed at the counter and watched the three of them walk deeper into the store. They passed by all of the junk in the front, only slowing down when they reached the back half and the beginning of the genuine, expensive items. Then they started roaming through the aisles, going from one case to the next, whispering to each other.
Well, actually, only the girl was whispering. The first guy looked bored, although he did perk up when they passed by a case that contained some old chemistry sets.
The bodyguard noticed me watching them, and she gave me a suspicious look, taking in my cheap clothes and casual stance, as well as my battered backpack sitting on the counter. She kept her hand on her sword, but she relaxed when she realized I didn’t have a weapon. Her mistake. I couldn’t carry a sword with me to the rube high school, but I always wore a thick, wide belt around my waist—one that had several hidden slots and was studded with three stars. They might look like pretty decorations, but they were actually black blade throwing stars, and I had excellent aim.
I was so focused on the bodyguard that I lost track of the second guy. I didn’t see him approach me until he was standing next to my elbow.
“Excuse me.”
I turned my head to him. Once I did, I didn’t want to look away.
His face was as hard and chiseled as the rest of him, and his eyes were an intense green that was completely mesmerizing. He drifted a little closer to me, and I caught a whiff of his scent, sharp, fresh, and tangy, like pine needles. It suited him. In a strange way, he reminded me of the forests that covered Cloudburst Mountain—deep, dark, and utterly mysterious.
“Do you know where Mo is?” he asked, his voice low, deep, and melodic, like a river rushing by.
“You know Mo?”
He nodded. “I met him over at the Midway a few days ago. He had a booth next to one of the fountains. I need a birthday present for my mom, and he said he might have something here that she’d like.”
Something that I’d stolen or he’d conned from someone was more like it, but I decided not to ruin Mo’s potential sale. Maybe he’d give me a bonus for keeping the guy here until he returned.
“Mo’s in the back,” I said. “He should be out soon.”
“Thanks.”
The guy smiled at me, and I glanced at him again just in time to look directly into his eyes.
My mistake.
Sight was a common Talent, but my magic went beyond seeing the world with crystal clarity or being able to navigate through the dark like it was daylight.
