"I'm actually looking for a census from eighteen years ago, around March of that year," I said quickly, my eyes already scanning the directory to see if we could just start looking. The nerves and anticipation had me practically jumping out of my skin.
"Let's see what we can find," she said, a bit perkier now that we'd given her something to do. She waved a hand at the computer monitor to wake it up, before her eyes took on a neon green glow. The screen started changing on its own, words typing into the search engine and pages scrolling through, without her lifting a finger. I studied her as she worked, noting how her eyes had become unfocused and her body still as she faced the screen. That skill will probably come in handy someday, I noted, hoping my mimic ability would pick it up.
"She's a digimage. It's a ridiculous name they came up with for mages who operate within the virtual world. They usually specialize in computers and are fairly rare," Evander explained in my ear as he pressed his body closer. My thoughts drifted away as I focused on the feel of his hard muscles and warmth pressed against me.
"They usually work for The Regency," Lachlan finished for Van, absently running his finger along my knuckles as he held my hand, not helping the situation.
"It looks like they are on LL4. Just take the elevator in the back down to that floor, then head straight for the directory, where you'll make a left. Follow the path until you find the red section. They are sorted by month," the clerk recited, her eyes slowly fading back to a more normal, hazel color.
"Thank you," Lachlan answered for us, leading us toward the elevators she’d pointed out. The elevators were ridiculously small, barely fitting my huge boyfriends inside with me. I ended up sandwiched between them, since nobody wanted to go down alone.
"Where's Aeson and his ridiculous, flirty jokes when you need them?" I laughed, sliding out from between them as soon as the doors opened. Despite my night with Calev, I was ready to climb them right there in the elevator, though I didn’t think The Regency would look kindly on that.
"I can think of some, if you want," Lachlan joked as we wound our way through the dim rows of shelves, which were stacked so high they blocked out the bright lights and gave the entire room a creepy, basement glow.
"I'm good. Though if you're missing it, I could tell you that your ass looks amazing in those jeans," I said, slapping him on the ass as I slipped past and sought out the red shelf.
"You love to play with fire, don't you?" Lachlan growled as he stepped up behind me, kissing the back of my neck and sending a shiver down my spine. "You're lucky we aren't alone."
"Watch out, shorty," Van teased, ignoring our flirting as he reached up for the binder we needed. The dusty tome was almost out of reach for him on the high shelves, and he had to stand on his toes just to graze it. As his heels touched the ground, he faltered for a moment, stumbling into the shelf and grasping it for support.
"Van, when's the last time you ate?" Lachlan asked, his voice suddenly serious, making my heart stop. What happens if he doesn't eat often enough?
Van's voice was barely over a whisper as he answered, letting himself slip to the floor as he turned. "It wasn't that long ago. I shouldn’t be having any hunger effects yet." The more I looked, the more I noticed how rough he looked. His cheeks were a bit gaunt, his skin was paler, and even his eyes were dull.
"Fuck, what is this?" Lachlan asked, slipping down next to Evander looking just as rough. "Something isn't right."
"Here, Doll," Van whispered, pulling a dagger out of his shoe and handing it over. "I use obsidian so it doesn't show up on those stupid scanners." With that he started to cough, blood spattering in his hand as his whole body convulsed. At the sight, my heart pounded in my chest. I should have been affected too, right? What the fuck?
"Hide," Lachlan choked out as his body started to shake on the ground. A sob escaped me before I could stop it, my eyes scanning the room as I strained to hear any hint of noise. The room was silent except for the low whir of the ventilation system. My pulse thundered through my veins as I stood in a defensive stance over my guys, the obsidian dagger clutched in my hand.
"Well, well, well, you must be the girl the bounty is for. I've never seen anyone look at this building with such awe, it made you easy to spot. We don’t exactly get tourists in our community. I guess the Doc’s description was accurate," a cold voice echoed in the room, footsteps finally reverberating around the open space as a man turned the corner. His tailored white suit and long white hair made him look like someone who loved to flaunt their status and wealth.
"Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing?" I seethed, holding the dagger in front of me so he could see I wasn't planning to play. The thought of using shadows passed my mind, but it was a bit too late for that. Maybe I could channel Lachlan's strength?
"I am a man who could gain a lot of status by turning you in. A bounty is on your head, little girl, a hefty one. My benefactor doesn't tend to play around. My magic is tearing up your friends’ insides as we speak, so I suggest you cooperate, before it’s too late to save them," he threatened, coming closer like I wasn't holding a sharp dagger at chest height.
"He's a physiomage, be careful," Evander managed before he choked on blood again.
"I said, let them go you fucking bastard!" I screamed, throwing my body over my guys.
"I will, you just have to come with me. Once we're on our way, they're free. Scout's honor," he said with a mocking sincerity that made my skin crawl.
"If you touch her, you die," Lachlan growled out weakly. His skin was vibrating with an attempted shift, until his back arched and he screeched out in pain, his eyes rolling back in his head. I wrapped my arms around his torso and tried to use Aeson's healing magic, but it didn't seem to work.
"Your magic is too weak, sweetling," the man taunted, coming forward yet again. I turned on him with a withering glare, but he only laughed at me.
I took a deep breath before giving each of my guys a kiss. "Let me go, I can't let you die. I'll be fine. I have your magic with me," I promised before standing and squaring my shoulders as I faced him. "Fine, I’ll go with you." I knew I should say something more to them, but they were too weak to hear me now anyway, and their emotions and pain would only distract me from forming a plan.
"Ah, I knew you'd come around. I can be mighty persuasive," he said in excitement, coming towards me and wrapping an arm around mine. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate, hoping he’d mistake my reaction for fear. Remembering what Lilah said about touch and learning new powers, I stilled my mind, trying to buy enough time for my mimic heritage to kick in. I didn’t take the time to overthink, simply working through it and reacting.
Physiomage… if he’s shutting their bodies down from the inside, then physiomages can probably manipulate any biological system. With that knowledge, I focused on the man next to me, willing my magic to take the breath from his lungs. He stumbled into to me before he pitched forward, scraping at his neck like he was trying to pull away an invisible hand. He kept fighting as I held my concentration on his throat, constricting it slowly and willing him to pass out. The moment his body dropped to the floor, I let go of the magic. His chest rose in shallow breaths as his body’s instincts took over, but I didn’t have much time. I turned and ran back to my fallen men.
Both of them were passed out, leaning hard against one another. I collapsed next to them, pulling out my phone and calling Calev. His voice boomed through the phone on the first ring, as if he knew we needed him. "What's wrong? I can feel it," he huffed out, sounding like he was mid sprint. "We're almost there."
"LL4,"
I choked out, disconnecting and closing my eyes.