“My mother seemed to think otherwise.”
“How do you know?”
His head tilted a little, a silent gesture telling me not to insult his intelligence. It had been worth a shot.
“Fine. But your mother was only focusing on my ability to see and hear her. Like I just told you, that isn’t enough. You might need someone with different magic. Or someone who’s good at detective work.”
“You just mentioned that you researched the matter. Someone who wasn’t at least curious, who could tolerate unanswered questions, wouldn’t have bothered. You want to know for your own benefit. I can see the frustration in your eyes—”
“That frustration is from trying to explain logic to a blockhead.”
“You want to help. You want to solve this riddle. And I want peace for my mother. Not to mention the fact that you have no job, I pay well, and I can help cure your ward. There is no reason for you not to take this job.”
“Oh my God,” I said, exasperated. “No one is this arrogant.” I finished my Guinness and raised my hand to Cindy at the other end of the bar. “There are plenty of reasons not to take this job. The main one is that I don’t trust you. You won’t even tell me your name, so I’m not sure what other actually important details you might hold out on me. You nearly ran me over, and have been stalking me ever since. News flash: that’s not normal, balanced behavior. You’re dangerous, you’re unhinged, and I want nothing to do with you.”
“You’re lying,” he said, and just like that, he turned on a dime. His sexy magic slid across my skin, warming me instantly. Inviting me into his embrace.
“I stand corrected. I want to soak in your magic. But I’d want to do that if it was attached to Mick. So let that sink in for a moment.”
His stupid eyes glittered again. He pushed his seat back and slid off his barstool. “I have you cornered, Alexis,” he said in that rich, deep tone. “I have everything you need. Everything. All it’ll take is for you to give in.”
I sniffed. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. I run a democracy at my house, and I’d need to run something like this by the kids. They’ll say no, Mordecai especially. Without question, they will say no, and then they’ll tell me to hurry up and get that blanket back to you so you have nothing on me.”
“I have plenty on you, and tomorrow, after you are forced to reveal the magic you’re hiding in that sexy little body of yours, I’ll have everything I need to escalate this to the next level. I am your only option, Alexis. I’m the miracle you’ve been waiting for.”
He swaggered out of the bar, supremely confident in his control over the situation. Over me.
“That smug bastard,” I said, only then noticing that Mick had his forehead on his arms, sleeping on the bar. How the guy didn’t roll off was beyond me. It was talent. Or just a lot of practice.
Cindy brought a fresh Guinness and a wide, excited smile. “Can. You. Believe it?”
“No. I can’t believe it, no.” I ran my fingers through my hair, dread pinching my gut.
Would it really be so bad working for him? He’d stalked me, but he hadn’t hurt me in any way. Actually, he’d helped and protected me. Surely that couldn’t be all bad.
“What made him wander in here, I wonder?” Cindy widened her eyes at me again, turning a little so she could gaze across the bar at the door. “And chatting with you like you were on his level? I’d heard he was stiff and closed off, but he was as chatty as you please. A real gentleman.”
“You know that guy?” I asked, suddenly all ears. I’d known I could count on Cindy.
“Do I know that guy?” She looked at me like I was too dense to function.
“Yes. The big one who just left.”
She spread out her hands, leaned forward, and opened her mouth wide. The dramatics were strong with this one. “Yes, I know that guy! That’s Kieran! When I told Miles he was here the other day, he absolutely flipped. He keeps missing him, though. He’s in a meeting with a vendor. He’ll be livid he missed Kieran again.”
“Kieran?” The name held no relevance. “What does he do in the magical community?”
“The rock you’re hiding under is enormous, Alexis.” Cindy rolled her head. Not her eyes, her entire head. “Demigod Kieran. He’s Demigod Valens’s son, sure.” She paused while my world bled of color. “He’s been in town for a couple months. And he came here! Can you believe it? I wanted to ask for his autograph, but I didn’t want to anger a god, you know what I mean?”
Cold dread trickled down my spine. A sensation like biting fire ants spread across my skin. Fear that I had never known threatened to stop my heart.
“Did…” I swallowed through a suddenly parched throat. “Did you just say he’s the…Demigod’s son? Valens’s son?”
She laughed, my reaction tickling her. “Yes! Kieran. The uncrowned Demigod of Ireland. He wasn’t in power there, you know. His mom was sick, so he mostly took care of her. He deferred to their governing body. She passed not long before he came here. I heard…” She moved a little closer and lowered her voice. “I heard he was here to learn from Valens so he can go back and claim his mantle. I mean, Kieran is from Poseidon’s lineage, and Poseidon is one of the top three gods of power. It would be a shame for him not to take charge of a territory. All that power would go to waste.”
Bladder weakening with each word and legs shaking so badly I didn’t know if I could stand on them, I rolled through my memories. Each of my dealings with Kieran rose to the surface like a dead body—things I’d said, threats I’d made, my extreme attitude. This new information cast each horrible deed in a whole new light.
“Just so I’m clear…” I held up my hand. This could not possibly be true. “That man, the handsome one who just walked out, is the Demigod who lives in the castle in Ireland? The guy who was just right here.” I pointed at the empty chair next to me. “He is a Demigod. He is a Demigod.” I wanted to be absolutely clear about my incredible, unbelievable stupidity.
“Cindy,” the guy at the other end of the bar called.
Cindy’s jowls wiggled when she nodded at me in delight. “Exciting, right? To be this close to greatness?”
She winked and moved away.
No. No, it was not exciting. It was freaking terrifying.
Valens probably would’ve killed me on the spot if I’d walked out in front of his car. He would’ve killed my whole family if I’d tried to mace him.
Denying him? Calling him names?
A cold sweat broke over me.
No wonder Kieran had followed me that first time. He’d probably been completely blindsided by my attitude. He’d had to catch up with me and set matters to rights. After that, he’d probably only played nice to get the skinny on my magic so I would help his mom.
I’ll have everything I need to escalate this to the next level.
For once, my magic had saved me. For now.
It was safe to say that Valens, the Demigod of San Francisco, was above the law. Hell, he created the law. By rights, the man was a god wandering through the lives of mortals. Not all Demigods could live forever, but Valens, I knew, would live, and had lived, for a very long time.
His son thought he’d cornered me. That he’d force me to get my whole life on the books, and then strong-arm me into doing his bidding.
Could he force me into his bed, too?
I wasn’t sure. He could certainly coerce me with magic. Valens had been rumored to do that as often as he pleased, though it wasn’t like women ever said no to him. His son probably wasn’t any different. He’d merely been playing with me like a cat plays with a mouse.
I blew out a breath as tremors ran through me. Working for the Demigod would be suicide. When I couldn’t figure out how to help his mother, he’d likely decide I knew too much about his problems. He could dispose of me and say it was an accident. Or wild dogs run amok.
Hell, he could just say he accidentally killed me in bed with his awesome powers. Oops, he’d say, then flash that perfect smile.
“Oh God,” I said, hardly able to breathe.
If you didn’t have bad luck, Alexis, you’d have no luck at all.
27
Alexis
“He can force us to register our magic,” Mordecai said the following day as we drove toward the magical governing body building, “but he cannot force you to work for him and he can’t force you to live in one of the magical zones. I looked it up. It’s against the law. He certainly can’t force you sexually. That’s a federal law, and it applies to everyone, in all zones and territories and holes and whatever.”
As expected, I’d told the kids everything, and they’d given me an absolute no. They didn’t want me to work for that man for any price, even a possible cure for Mordecai. An all-powerful Demigod could crush my life in his large, strong hands. Mordecai had pulled up stats—Valens kept everything in check and running smoothly, but he ruled with an iron fist, and if you displeased him or broke the rules, you were dealt with viciously.
I remembered the deadly glint that was often in the stranger’s—Kieran’s—eyes. Sure, he looked a lot like his mom, but he had the power and ruthlessness of his dad. I could see it.