kinds
of magic the Authority kept hidden. And other things, like the magically
half-man, half-beast Greyson, who had been using Tomi to try to trap me, and
dig my dad out of my brain. Zay was careful not to use much magic around Davy,
and I was trying my best to keep who knew what straight.
Blood magic had been used to hurt Davy. And Blood magic was . . . intimate. It
dug into your body and senses, deep and hard, and offered you pleasure—so long
as you did everything the caster wanted you to do. It tied you to the caster in
ways other magic disciplines did not.
There was a reason people mixed it with drugs and sex.
And there was a reason it was illegal.
Davy might know some of that, but I couldn’t tell him that Blood magic could be
mixed with dark magic to do very bad things. Things that were done to him.
Things that stained your soul.
I glanced over at Zayvion. He was frowning, staring at the back of Davy’s head.
I was pretty sure he couldn’t actually see inside Davy’s brain, but for a
minute I kind of wished he could.
“You gonna call the psych ward?” Davy asked.
“What? Why would I do that? You’re no crazier than the rest of us.”
Davy relaxed a little.
I couldn’t believe he’d really been worried I’d do that.
“Blood magic is pretty rough stuff,” I said. “And Tomi was using it. That . . .
man she was working for made her use it. I know she doesn’t remember that.” I
didn’t tell him I knew she couldn’t remember what she had done to Davy—what
Greyson had made her do to him—because someone in the Authority had taken away
her memory of it. “But I’m the one who found you in the park, and there was
definitely Blood magic involved. It can take a while for the effects of that to
fade.”
This is where living three different lives is tricky.
Spreadsheet. Still needed one. Because a woman with as many holes in her memory
as I have should not be allowed to try to juggle all these secrets.
“You think that’s it?” he asked.
“Yes. I mean, it’s possible you’re just the sensitive sort, lonely and all
that.”
He grinned. “Right.”
“It’s more possible magic messed you up a little. Tomi hit you pretty hard.
Magic hasn’t been in use long enough for us to know everything it can do to a
person. You might be sensitive to Tomi, to her pain for a while.
“If you want, I could find a doctor who might have some experience with this,”
I said. “There’s no end to what my father’s fortune can buy.”
“Maybe. I’m not ready to mess with it . . . yet.”
He meant he wasn’t ready to give up feeling Tomi yet. Poor kid had it so bad
for her that even if all he could feel was her pain, he was going to keep it.
I guess Anthony wasn’t the only one who needed counseling.
I wondered if anyone in the Authority would know why he was able to feel Tomi’s
pain. I made a note to ask. I knew there were doctors in the Authority who
specialized in magical wounds.
“Sleep might be a good idea,” I said.
He ran his hand back over his hair, leaving it stuck up on one side. “Yeah.
That’s not working so good right now.”
“How about sleeping pills?”
“I hate pills.”
Funny, for a Hound who used booze to cut the pain from magic, it was a little
high-handed for him not to want to take a drug that might actually be good for
him.
“Then try some warm milk. Eight hours. Sleep.”
“Warm milk? What are you, my mother?” He smiled again, looking for a moment
like the Davy I knew.
“I’ll know if you lie about it,” I said.
“Would I lie to you?”
“If you thought you could get away with it.”
I stood and so did he. “You staying?” I asked.
“No. I’ve had enough of this place for one night. I’m going home. I have sleep
to catch up on, apparently.”
Zay stood too, and we all walked out the door and were down on the street in
the rain in no time. We didn’t say anything else, even though a hundred things
were going through my head. All one
of magic the Authority kept hidden. And other things, like the magically
half-man, half-beast Greyson, who had been using Tomi to try to trap me, and
dig my dad out of my brain. Zay was careful not to use much magic around Davy,
and I was trying my best to keep who knew what straight.
Blood magic had been used to hurt Davy. And Blood magic was . . . intimate. It
dug into your body and senses, deep and hard, and offered you pleasure—so long
as you did everything the caster wanted you to do. It tied you to the caster in
ways other magic disciplines did not.
There was a reason people mixed it with drugs and sex.
And there was a reason it was illegal.
Davy might know some of that, but I couldn’t tell him that Blood magic could be
mixed with dark magic to do very bad things. Things that were done to him.
Things that stained your soul.
I glanced over at Zayvion. He was frowning, staring at the back of Davy’s head.
I was pretty sure he couldn’t actually see inside Davy’s brain, but for a
minute I kind of wished he could.
“You gonna call the psych ward?” Davy asked.
“What? Why would I do that? You’re no crazier than the rest of us.”
Davy relaxed a little.
I couldn’t believe he’d really been worried I’d do that.
“Blood magic is pretty rough stuff,” I said. “And Tomi was using it. That . . .
man she was working for made her use it. I know she doesn’t remember that.” I
didn’t tell him I knew she couldn’t remember what she had done to Davy—what
Greyson had made her do to him—because someone in the Authority had taken away
her memory of it. “But I’m the one who found you in the park, and there was
definitely Blood magic involved. It can take a while for the effects of that to
fade.”
This is where living three different lives is tricky.
Spreadsheet. Still needed one. Because a woman with as many holes in her memory
as I have should not be allowed to try to juggle all these secrets.
“You think that’s it?” he asked.
“Yes. I mean, it’s possible you’re just the sensitive sort, lonely and all
that.”
He grinned. “Right.”
“It’s more possible magic messed you up a little. Tomi hit you pretty hard.
Magic hasn’t been in use long enough for us to know everything it can do to a
person. You might be sensitive to Tomi, to her pain for a while.
“If you want, I could find a doctor who might have some experience with this,”
I said. “There’s no end to what my father’s fortune can buy.”
“Maybe. I’m not ready to mess with it . . . yet.”
He meant he wasn’t ready to give up feeling Tomi yet. Poor kid had it so bad
for her that even if all he could feel was her pain, he was going to keep it.
I guess Anthony wasn’t the only one who needed counseling.
I wondered if anyone in the Authority would know why he was able to feel Tomi’s
pain. I made a note to ask. I knew there were doctors in the Authority who
specialized in magical wounds.
“Sleep might be a good idea,” I said.
He ran his hand back over his hair, leaving it stuck up on one side. “Yeah.
That’s not working so good right now.”
“How about sleeping pills?”
“I hate pills.”
Funny, for a Hound who used booze to cut the pain from magic, it was a little
high-handed for him not to want to take a drug that might actually be good for
him.
“Then try some warm milk. Eight hours. Sleep.”
“Warm milk? What are you, my mother?” He smiled again, looking for a moment
like the Davy I knew.
“I’ll know if you lie about it,” I said.
“Would I lie to you?”
“If you thought you could get away with it.”
I stood and so did he. “You staying?” I asked.
“No. I’ve had enough of this place for one night. I’m going home. I have sleep
to catch up on, apparently.”
Zay stood too, and we all walked out the door and were down on the street in
the rain in no time. We didn’t say anything else, even though a hundred things
were going through my head. All one
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