Devils & Thieves (Devils & Thieves #1)(23)

“Careful, little sis.” Now his teeth were gritted. “I’ve had a shitty day and if you add more shit to it—”

“You’ll leave scorch marks all over our houses?” she countered.

Crowe glanced at me, and I was glad he was wearing the sunglasses. I was glad I was wearing sunglasses, so I could pretend I wasn’t looking right at him. Secrets were paramount with Crowe, and apparently this had been one he thought we’d silently agreed to keep. I hadn’t told anyone, but somehow everyone seemed to know. Why? Because the scorch mark was evidence I couldn’t hide. That was Crowe’s fault, not mine.

Still, somehow, in some way, I felt like I’d betrayed him.

“Come on,” I said, and grabbed Alex by the arm, dragging her from the tent and into the daylight.

Crowe followed us out. “You’re pissed,” he said. “I get it. But you have no one to blame but yourself. And pulling something like that on Katrina in the first place? That was just shitty.”

Alex set her hands on her hips. Her dark hair, caught by the wind, whipped around her shoulders. She looked fiery and dangerous. I loved her when she was like this, like a storm cloud threatening to rain hell. And I had no doubt she could pull it off, if raining hell was what she wanted.

“Why do you care so much about Katrina’s feelings?” Alex challenged. “She’s just one of four or five you’re stringing along, am I right?”

Crowe ran his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip, and I took a step back.

Sometimes I wondered if there was more behind Crowe and Alex’s animosity, some other discord between sister and brother that I wasn’t privy to, that Alex stoked by defending me. Crowe seemed to have an ongoing feud with everyone right now. Or at least everyone who wasn’t his subordinate. The Devils’ League members were in his good graces because they took his orders without question. Alex and me, not so much.

Finally, Crowe shifted, moving away from his sister, and the friction dissipated. He started to leave, but not before leaning into me and saying, in a low, throaty voice, “You really need her to fight your battles for you?”

Bitterness flared inside me. “This isn’t my battle at all. Who you sleep with has absolutely nothing to do with me.”

For a moment, he was completely still, like his own magic had locked all his muscles and bones into place. “You don’t understand at all,” he finally said, very quietly. And then he left, the sledgehammer hoisted over his shoulder like it weighed nothing at all.





Alex and I ambled through the paths created by the lines of tents. I wasn’t sure where we were headed, but it seemed like Alex was. I caught a glimpse of Katrina coming out of the Niklos tent, wearing a lace tank and looking confident and undeniably gorgeous. It only served to remind me of what had happened at the mall, and how Alex targeted Katrina in part out of loyalty to me.

“Crowe was right—I do let you fight my battles. Does sticking up for me bother you?” I asked, anxiety trickling in and threatening to extinguish the pleasant buzz from my Jack-infused coffee. I tossed the empty cup in a trash bin that had been set up next to the path. “I’m sorry if—”

“You don’t have to apologize. I’m just happy you put up with my antics.” She gave my arm a little shove. “And I’d punch the pope if he looked at you funny. You know that.”

More likely, she’d curse him, as long as her magic wasn’t bound. “I do know. I just wish…” I wished I could use my power like she did. I wished for once that every time I was around magic, it didn’t make me feel like I was going insane. I craned my neck, looking for the beer tent. I found it right down the lane, radiating music and magic that hung in the air like a shattered rainbow.

Alex followed the line of my gaze. “You know I’m the biggest partier there is, so I’m not judging, okay? But I’m worried about you. I’m not going to be an asshole about it like Crowe is, but I needed to say that.”

I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to look at her—or the magic. “Just to take the edge off.”

“The edge of what, Jem? You’re among family. You belong here.”

I opened my eyes and met her gaze. “Do I?”

“Of course you do. And if you’d actually use your powers like you did last night, you might realize that.” She threw an arm around my shoulders. “If you ever want to practice on me, let me know.”

I should totally take her up on her offer. She’d never laugh at me. Maybe I could even tell her about my weird reaction to magic. But I knew I wouldn’t. As much as I thought about leaving the kindled world, I didn’t want to be pushed out of it. If Alex knew magic made me feel sick, she probably wouldn’t want to go to the Schoolhouse with me. She probably wouldn’t even want to be here with me right now. She’d want to protect me, just like she always did. Maybe, though…

“You know what? Yeah,” I said. “Tomorrow? No promises, but I’ll give it a try—right after I unbind your magic.”

I sounded a lot braver than I felt, and Alex rewarded me with a grin. “It’s a date, and if you stand me up, well, I’ve got another smelly charm tucked away for a special occasion.”

With a spring in her step, she started walking again, tugging me inside a red tent, the flap embroidered with golden filigree. A hand-painted sign staked into the ground read WARES. Because the festival wasn’t really yet open for business, we had the place to ourselves, though Lori already had it all set up. Two long rows of tables dominated the space, with cuts organized for sale on the tabletops. Even if they hadn’t been labeled, I would have known what they were by their scents alone, if not by the telltale wisps that rose from their intricately carved surfaces. But none of them was too strong, so I breathed through my mouth and cautiously walked deeper into the tent.