“Certain magical people can do their own thing, sure. But some don’t have the power to do so. Donna was trapped in a pack with a beta—the second in charge—who was giving her unwanted attention. She didn’t feel safe and the alpha wasn’t handling it because she was different. The beta wouldn’t let her leave. I made him see reason.”
“You went and got her?”
“No. She made it to my territory and I stood in the beta’s way. The beta tried to push the issue, and I gave him a better option.”
“What option was that?”
“To leave peacefully,” he said, getting another glass of wine.
Donna barked out a laugh, spraying spit everywhere. “Sorry,” she said, hurrying to wipe it up.
“What am I missing?” I asked.
Austin swirled his wine.
“It was only peaceful after he ripped the beta’s tail off and permanently crippled his hind leg,” Donna said. “Which is not easy to do with a shifter. We can heal almost everything.”
“Wow. And…you don’t get in trouble for that? No one calls the cops?” I asked.
Austin straightened up as though he were stretching his back. Donna, on the brink of answering, tightened her lips instead.
“The magical world is…complicated. The slice of government that keeps knowledge of us secret also makes sure local police don’t get involved in certain magical issues. For that, we have territories. Each territory, large and small, is ruled by a magical group, like shifters or a hierarchy of mages. Most of the territories are fair and actually leave most of the law enforcement to the Dicks and Janes. It’s easier, cheaper, and let’s be honest, the slice of government that is supposed to be working for us is still government—it has its inefficiencies and bureaucracy problems. It has become more effective to let the Dick and Jane laws be our guiding light. But for some things purely magical, like shifters fighting for placement within the pack, for example, the territory leaders govern. And if those leaders are less than savory…well then, things can be dicey for the justice within that territory. It’s sad but true.”
“So what do you do if a magical situation gets out of hand but the…Dick and Jane government don’t step in?” I asked, a memory of a man in a cape feathering my mind. It wasn’t Mr. Tom. “Who do you turn to?”
“Here…it’s me,” Austin said. “Police in this town have very little to do. They usually only deal with Dicks. I take care of the rest. I’d like to think I’m fair and equal.”
Donna nodded adamantly. “Fairer than the law, easily. Because the law is upheld by those with prejudices. Austin Steele doesn’t give a crap who you are—if you cross the line, you’ll have to deal with him.” Lust sparked in her eyes. She busied herself with another bottle. “Virtually no one crosses the line anymore.”
“No,” Austin said, but he didn’t say it with pride. It was said in reflection as he strummed the stem of his glass.
“It’s cool that people have such faith in you,” I said, nudging him with my knuckles.
“And that is my dilemma with you, Jacinta. That is why I wanted you to fail—might still want it.” He must’ve seen something on my face because he held up a hand. “Remember that I don’t mean fail at life. At present, I am keeping this town safe. I am enough. But there are people out there who are more powerful than I am. More vicious than I could ever be. For the moment, they don’t care about this small town. We’re nothing to them. If nothing changes, this town will remain safe as long as I’m able to protect it.”
“And this is where I come in,” I said.
“This is where you come in.” He nodded. “I mentioned Tamara Ivy. She was an incredible sorceress. Her magic was exceptional, or so the records indicate. Powerful beyond compare. Robust and diverse. Very few magical people have ever possessed magic such as hers.”
“And that’s the magic you’re saying she put into the house?” I amazed myself that I was only sweating a little bit as I tried to keep up with these completely fanciful ideas. It was easy if you pretended you were talking about a movie you watched, or a book you were reading. I wondered when my grip on reality would wobble.
“Yes. That is the highly sought after magic that was transferred to the house. Only the one selected by the house can wield the magic, but there are powerful people out there with candied words and an affinity for manipulation. They may not be able to wield the magic themselves, but they could wield the magic holder. They can direct the magic, so to speak. Or so rumor has it.”
“And you said somehow…the magic leaves the house and…gets into another person? An heir?”