Jess slowly lowered into the chair. She didn’t comment.
Her people filed into the room, spreading out, choosing tables alone or in pairs. Niamh sat across from one of Kinsella’s people, and his brow lowered in annoyance. She winked at him. Only two tables were left vacant.
Kinsella observed them as they came in and sat, his eyes narrowing at Cyra. Fire puffed in her wake.
“Is that actually a phoenix?” he asked. “Wow. What do they cost? I don’t know anyone else who has one.”
“She is actually a phoenix, yes.” Jess clasped her fingers in her lap. “They’re free, if you believe in fables.”
Kinsella watched her for a beat, and Austin pulled out the chair next to her, half wondering if maybe he should find somewhere else to be. This mage would make an issue of having Austin so close. Kinsella’s body language indicated he was trying to ignore the fear racing through him at Austin’s power and proximity. Trying to assure himself that his magic and/or his people would—could—subdue Austin if anything went wrong. He was desperately trying to put on a brave face.
The foolishness of it made Austin appreciate Sebastian, who’d never tried to conceal his fear. Somewhere along the way, he’d stopped being wary of Sebastian, and clearly for good reason. He didn’t seem to be like this mage at all.
Pretend all you want, but we both know the status quo, and we both know I am no fable.
“Peculiar, your situation, isn’t it?” Kinsella rested his forearm on the table.
Jess cocked her head, listening. If these mages could see Sebastian, they gave no sign of it.
“If you plan on breaking custom, so will I.” Jess put a hand on the table as well.
Kinsella’s eyes twinkled, but he kept his hand where it was. He thought he was the bigger player here, and the hand thing was an intimidation tactic if Austin had ever seen one. He thought he could get a spell off before Jess could counter. He was an utter fool.
“You were a Jane, and a magical house gave you a little power.” His smile was insulting. “Lucky you. But you’ll always be a Jane at heart.”
Anger throbbed within Austin as he sat down. He pushed it away. Forced it back. He needed to let Jess handle this.
“Clearly you don’t think much of Janes,” Jess said as the waitress approached.
The woman handed out menus and asked, “May I get you something to drink?”
After they ordered, Kinsella said, “Dicks and Janes are inferior. It’s nothing personal.”
“Ah, but I did get a little magic, so…”
Kinsella narrowed his eyes, looking at her as though he wanted to tilt back her cranium and get a peek at her brain.
“Yes, you did. I looked the house up. Back in the day, it had much status. Its mistresses have always had large quantities of power. How far it has fallen now, hmm? It had to elevate a Jane so that it could be said to have elevated someone at all. When you start below nothing, rising up is not hard.”
“This is true,” she said, and Austin’s anger throbbed. He wanted to reach over the table, rip this fool out of his chair, and tear him apart.
“Tell me, why is Elliot Graves interested in you?” Kinsella asked. “Don’t get me wrong, the joke was a nice touch, sending a team of animals at you when you employ animals. He’s always had a strange sense of humor.”
“Do you know him, then?”
“I’ve met him a time or two. If he didn’t have so much magic, he’d be a laughingstock. He might have had high status for a while, but he fell into obscurity. He’s a has-been.”
“Then why do you care that he’s interested in me?”
Kinsella shrugged. “Curiosity. He has never been interested in anyone. Why you? What am I missing?”
“Fashion sense. Tact. Manners. A good barber…” she murmured, so softly that Austin could barely hear. Given a mage’s hearing was nothing compared to a shifter, Kinsella wouldn’t be the wiser.
It took everything Austin had not to bark out a laugh.
“Is it the money?” Kinsella wondered aloud. “That house had wealth back in the day, correct? It’s been a long time. Does it still have holdings?” His gaze dipped to the necklace adorning her neck.
“Austin Steele gave me this, actually.” Jess touched his shoulder as she said it.
Kinsella laughed. “Sure, sure. Why not, huh?”
Jess frowned, not understanding the joke. Austin didn’t require clarification: Kinsella thought the notion of a shifter with money preposterous.
He leaned forward a little, as though getting intimate. “Why don’t you send away your lap dog? You’re perfectly safe.”
Austin didn’t need the link to know the rage Jess had barely been keeping at bay was finally crashing over her and dragging her under. It rolled across her face and screamed through every line in her suddenly tense body. Her beast was emerging. The female gargoyle was indeed a violent species where it concerned her intended mate.