Magic in the Shadows ab-3 Page 2

  Or the memory of your lover’s name.

  Exhale. Good. Calm? Check. I leaned against the doorframe and sniffed. I didn’t draw magic up into my sense of smell, though I was good at that too. Smelling, tracing, tracking, Hounding the burnt lines of spells back to their casters was how I made my living. But I couldn’t smell anything over the oily tang of WD-40 I’d sprayed on the lock the other day.

  I peeked through the peephole.

  The woman in the hall was dressed in jeans, a knitted vest, button-down blouse, and a full-length coat. Blond, about eight inches shorter than my own six feet, she was a little wet. Portland’s good at wet. The best. But even in the unglamorous warp of the peephole, she looked like a million sunny days to me.

  Nola Robbins, my best friend in all the world.

  I slipped the locks, which slid smoothly-thank you, WD-40-and threw open the door.

  “Oh, thank God,” she said. “I thought I heard you yell.”

  “I did. I’m fine. It’s so good to see you!” I practically flew out of my apartment and into her arms.

  Nola hugged me, and I caught the scent of honey and warm summer grass even though it was the middle of winter. The familiar comforting scents of her brought up memories of her nonmagical alfalfa farm and old nonmagical farmhouse. I inhaled, filling myself with the scents and memories of pleasant days. I did not want to let her go.

  She patted my back, and I gave her one last squeeze.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “I don’t think so,” she hedged. “What’s up with the hammer?”

  I dropped it on the little table by the door. “Just, you know. It’s the city.”

  She shook her head. “You could get a dog.”

  “Don’t start with me. Come on in.” I belatedly noticed she had a suitcase with her. “Let me help.”

  “I got it.” She strolled into my apartment, wheeling the suitcase behind her.

  Out of habit, I looked up and down the hall. No one. Not even a shadow on the wall, watching us. I hoped. I wasn’t the only Hound in the city, and Hounds knew how to be quiet when they wanted to be.

  I relocked the door.

  “Allie,” she said, scanning my overcrowded bookshelves and my undercrowded everything else. “Have you even unpacked since you moved?”

  “Pretty much,” I said. “This is all that’s left.” Or at least it was all I could stand having. Whoever broke into my old apartment had not only tossed everything I owned; he or she had left a scent on it. The stink of iron and minerals, like old vitamins, not only kicked up half-remembered pain, but was also a bitch to scrub out of the upholstery.

  And underwear. Not that I tried for long. Some things aren’t worth saving.

  Nola shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?” She gave me that sisterly smile that made her look ten years older than me, instead of my age. “How are you feeling? Are those bruises on your neck?”

  “Good, and no. Not really. It’s. .” I was going to say nothing, but Nola could see right through my lies. “Well, maybe not fine, but. . you know.” I waved at her to sit on my ratty couch, which she did, and I sat on one of the chairs by the little round table at the window. “What are you doing here?” I asked again.

  “You know I’m trying to get custody of Cody Miller?”

  I laced my fingers together and rubbed my thumbs over the marks on my right and left hands. Marks put there in part, I was told, by Cody using me as a conduit for magic. A lot of magic.

  “Is that his last name?” I asked.

  “Yes. I’m running into a little bit of trouble getting him released. He was put in the state mental health hospital for criminal use of magic-forging signatures with magic.” She shook her head. “He must have been eighteen when that happened. They said he suffered a mental break during his trial and has never been the same. But now it’s been determined he needs to undergo more psychological exams.” She shook her head. “They’ve had him for two years; I don’t know what they haven’t tested by now.”

  “Wait, Cody’s twenty?”

  “Right.” Nola dug in her purse, pulled out a photo of a young man with delicate, almost fragile features. He was smiling, but his blue, blue eyes held the kind of simple intelligence I’d expect from a child.

  “He’s twenty on the outside, but not mentally,” Nola said. “I decided I might be able to talk to some people personally, and find out why he hasn’t been released into my custody yet. I’m hoping to take him home with me in the next few days.”

  “Want me to see if I can pull some strings for you?”

  “Can you?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. I still haven’t talked much with my dad’s lawyers. But Violet basically told me the fate of Beckstrom Enterprises is mine to decide. And I’m sure Beckstrom Enterprises has string-pulling capabilities.” I grinned. “Power in the palm of my hand. Pretty cool, huh?”

  “Mmm,” she agreed. “How are you doing with that?”

  I opened my mouth to say I was fine, I could handle it, it was no big deal. But there was something about Nola that negated my bullshit ability. I’d never been able to lie to her, so I didn’t even try.

  “I’m worried. I’m not sure what I should do. Violet has done a really good job running the business since his, uh. . death. She’s still working on developing magic-technology integrations. She. . she has reasons to keep things running.”

  I didn’t tell her Violet was pregnant with the child of my powerful and not-nearly-dead-enough father. My one and only sibling. Violet said Dad didn’t know about the baby before he died. I didn’t know whether he’d hear me if I said it out loud. The idea of having to deal with his ghostly fit when he found out sounded like a joy I wanted to save for later.

  The flutter started up in the back of my head and I rubbed my forehead until it stopped.

  “Allie?” Nola asked.

  “I’m fine. My head still feels weird after everything.”

  “Pike?” she asked.

  I nodded. And before her concern could turn to pity, I said, “I don’t have the training to run Beckstrom Enterprises the way it should be run. I’ve hated it for so long. Still, there might be someone there who could help with Cody. I can call Violet and find out who I should talk to.”

  “Are you and she getting along okay?” she asked. “It must be really hard to work together with your dad’s business and money, so close to his death.”

  Oh, she had no idea how close to his death I was. Time to change the subject.

  “You didn’t get a hotel, did you?” I asked. “You should stay here with me.”

  “I did make reservations, just in case.” She glanced over at my answering machine. “I called, but you never answered.”

  I looked over at the machine too. The light was green. No messages waiting. “Maybe I forgot.”

  She nodded. “Still keeping your journal, honey?”

  “Yes. But I’ve been having some problems with phones and stuff.”

  “And your computer?” she asked.

  “No, that’s been fine. But anything electric I keep on me-cell phone, watch-wears out fast.”

  “So your landline is okay?” she pressed.

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you and I had a deal about your checking in every day for a little while. I even had a phone installed for you.”

  “What are you, my mom?”

  “No, I’m your extra memory, remember? You, my friend, have holes in your head.” She held up a finger at my faked shock. “If you want me to tell you what’s been happening in your life when magic eats up your memory, then you need to tell me what’s going on. So, what’s been going on?”

  I glanced at the clock on the wall.

  “Well, for one thing, I have a date tonight.”

  She didn’t even fight the smile that made her face light up like she was made of sunshine.

  “With Zayvion?”

  I nodded. “We haven’t had much
of a chance to really talk since I came back to town. Or at least not about normal things. Not about us. He remembers. . things about us I don’t remember. Which is weird. So we’re going to try a date-a real date. Get to know each other a little better.”

  “When is he supposed to be here?” She stood and looked me up and down, obviously not impressed by my wet-cuffed jeans and sweater. “Are you going to dinner? How fancy is the restaurant?”

  “Less than an hour. And yes, superfancy. He made reservations at the Gargoyle.”

  “Tell me you’re not wearing that.”

  “Excuse me? Did I just hear fashion attitude from a woman who wears overalls and men’s boots every day?”

  She made a face at me. “Only on the farm. Do you even own girl clothes?”

  “These are girl clothes.”

  “Dress? Skirt? Heels?” She said each word slowly, as if I’d never heard them before.

  “Maybe. I think so. I haven’t really looked through my closet. There’s a couple boxes of stuff I haven’t unpacked.”

  “Oh my God, Allie. Your date is in an hour and you haven’t even started to look through your clothes?”

  “It’s been a weird day,” I drawled.

  She laughed. “All your days are weird. Let me help. You go take a shower. Want me to dig through your closet or make coffee?”

  “Coffee. You are staying with me, right?”

  She was already moving toward my kitchen. “If I’m not in the way.”

  I got as far as the bathroom door before I heard, “Oh, Allie!”

  “What?” I yelled.

  “Roses. Everywhere.” She came out of the kitchen, a single pink long-stemmed rose in her hand. “You do know your kitchen is filled with them, right?”

  I smiled. “There are a few irises in there too.”

  “Bargain at the flower shop?”

  “Nope.”

  “Secret admirer?”

  “No.”

  “Spill.”

  “Zayvion.”

  The sunshine smile was back, and she got that goo-goo softy look. “Then you definitely need to put on girl clothes. Go. Shower.” She waved her hand at me. “I’ll arrange the flowers too.”

  I grinned. Nola never asked; she always just told me what she was going to do for me. I’d gotten pretty used to it, and she’d gotten used to my telling her if I didn’t want her to boss me around.

  I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. The flutter winged behind my eyes again. Dad.

  Find the disks

  , my father’s voice breathed.

  Find my killer

  .

  I cupped my hands over my ears. “No, no, no. Get out. Get dead.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut and the flutter, the voice, was gone.

  Sweet hells. What was I thinking, going on a date? My father was alive in me. Aware.

  Or maybe he wasn’t. Maybe I was just imagining him, his voice, the flutter of his thoughts in my mind. Maybe I was going crazy.

  A chill washed down my arms, and I took a deep, shaky breath. It was possible. Possible I was going insane. I’d used a lot of magic lately. Enough to do damage to my body and mind.

  And sure, I liked to think of myself as someone who met any bad situation-like insanity and ghostly possession-straight on. But not tonight.

  For just a few hours, for just this one date, I was going to ignore my father in my mind, ignore the state of my sanity, and ignore the entire city lousy with secrets and magic and brewing wars. Even if it killed me.

  Chapter Two

  I ducked under the warm stream of the shower and couldn’t believe that this morning I’d been at my father’s grave. Only Violet, his newest-well, his last-wife had cried. I didn’t know how I felt about his death. Sad, I think.

  But it was getting pretty hard to grieve someone who wouldn’t just get on with the dying.

  The disks

  , my dad whispered in my head,

  must be found. The disks. My killer must be found. .

  “La la la,” I said. “I’m not listening to you.”

  I rubbed soap over the burn marks left from the Veiled, the incorporeal bits of dead magic users who had gotten a taste of me they couldn’t resist. The burn marks still itched in a sore kind of way, but the bruised-fingerprint look had faded. I checked my legs. Pale, long, a little bruised and scratched, but worth shaving. If I wore nylons I could probably even try a skirt above my knees.

  Nola opened the bathroom door. “I’m going out. Need anything?”

  “No. Wait. . nylons.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Is there something I’m forgetting?” Open mouth, exhale dumb question. Nola, of all people, knew there were probably a million things I was forgetting. And not just about how to get ready for a date.

  “Do you have a nice bra?”

  “Of course I have a nice bra.” At least I thought I did. Cotton counted as nice if it had lace on it, right?

  “Not cotton,” she said.

  “I own a bra that isn’t cotton, not that it is any of your business.”

  She smiled. “I’ll be back soon.”

  I rinsed, got out of the shower, and spent some time looking for remnants from my college dating days. Things such as hair spray, gel, and makeup.

  The drawers under my bathroom sink gave up a few useful items. A tube of mascara, lip gloss, cover makeup, blush, and some goo I used to think made my hair look sexy. I applied everything with some degree of caution and stared at myself in the mirror for longer than I wanted to admit.

  I looked. . well, if not soft, much more feminine. It was strange to see myself that way, as a woman out on the prowl for sex instead of a Hound out on the prowl for the scent of illegal magic.

  I dug my fingers at the roots of my hair again, letting dark strands slide down the side of my face, covering the marks of magic along my jaw and catching on the corner of my lips. This was who I was. At least for tonight. No, this was who I always was, whom I hid behind the lack of makeup, behind the hard edge of being a street Hound, behind the torn blue jeans and Tshirts. This was the woman who had been hurt, betrayed, loved, dumped. This was the woman who hadn’t found a man who could look her in the eye. A woman who didn’t like to admit her own power. This was the me even I didn’t know how to deal with.

  It was going to be interesting to see what Zayvion, the unflappable master of Zen calm, was going to do about it. Maybe he’d do nothing.

  Maybe that worried me most of all.

  I tucked the corner of the towel tighter around me, then bare-footed it out into my bedroom across the hall. My closet wasn’t exactly full. Unpacked boxes took up half the closet, and the other half held a couple suit jackets, some slacks, more sweaters, and not a lot else. I didn’t see my red dress. For all I knew I gave it away, burned it, lost it in a wild night of magical abandon. That subtle reminder that magic had burned holes through my memories made me angry. But it was a familiar anger, and one I knew I could do nothing about.

  All I could do was go forward. That’s all I’d been doing my entire life. Let go of the past, of the things I wanted, of the people I loved, and move forward.

  I glanced at the clock. Still forty minutes before Zayvion showed up. I could put together something suitable for a French restaurant by then.

  Maybe a nice pair of slacks. I pushed hangers around again, looking for my gray tweed pair. Found them, considered my nice jade jacket. Even though it was silk, it looked far too much like business wear. I wanted to date Zayvion, not interview him for a job. I fingered the inside of the jacket collar and a flash of red caught my eye.

  My dress?

  I unhooked the hanger. Beneath the jade jacket, red shone like a winter fire. My dress.

  I shucked out of the towel, put on my good bra (silk, lace, black) and panties, then slicked into the dress. It fit me a little looser than the last time I’d worn it and I made a mental note to eat three meals once in a while. I smoothed my hands over the silky f
abric-what there was of it-but stopped that pretty quick. My hands sounded like industrial sandpaper over the silk, and I didn’t want to snag it up.

  Shoes next. I found my high-heel black boots, sexy if you were into the straps and well-placed buckles look. I wondered how stupid they’d look with the dress, waffled when I came across a nice pair of high-heel sandals, and went back to the boots because it was January in the Pacific Northwest. Icy rain out there. Lots of wet. Sandals just weren’t going to cut it.

  Nola hadn’t returned with the nylons yet, so I carried the boots back into the bathroom to get a look at myself in the full-length mirror.

  What do you know. I was still a girl.

  The dress slipped low and wide in the front, giving off a maximum view of my collarbone, and the whorls of magic that painted down to my right breast, but mostly covered my cleavage, and the shiny pink bullet scar over my left breast. The sleeves were short and the skirt was shorter, body hugging but with a little swing at the hem.

  The whole look, from dark, messy hair that I tucked behind my ear on the left side and left loose on my right, pale skin beneath bloodred curves, painted a version of myself I hadn’t seen in years.

  Standing there in front of the mirror, in a dress-in a sexy dress-made me feel more naked than I’d been in the shower. For a second-just that long-I wanted to crawl back into my jeans and heavy sweater and leave the whole femme fatale stuff to girls who liked dressing up and didn’t get dumped every time they tried to fall in love.

  The door opened. “I’m back,” Nola called out over the rustling of plastic bags. “Are you in the bedroom?”

  “Bathroom,” I yelled.

  More rustling as she neared. “I wasn’t sure what color for your nylons. Decided nude would be best. .” She stopped at the open bathroom door.

  “What do you think?” I asked when she didn’t say anything. “Too much skin? Maybe it needs a sweater? Or a parka?”

  “Turn around,” she said.

  I did.

  “Are you wearing those with it?” She pointed to the boots in my hand.