Boundary Crossed (Boundary Magic #1)(28)

“What do you mean?” I asked, startled. “We know it was Victor and Darcy.”

“And Darcy is still out there,” Itachi countered, his voice sour.

“At any rate,” Maven added, “I am inclined to believe someone else sent them to collect your niece. Trying to take Charlotte behind Itachi’s back, before he was aware of her—they might have gotten away with that on a technicality, as they say.” She smiled without mirth. “But to go after her again, once he was aware of her existence, was a very brazen move.”

“And those two were never known for being brazen,” Itachi broke in, as though he just wanted to edge his way into the conversation.

Maven nodded her head slightly, agreeing with him. “I’m afraid someone may have . . . motivated them.”

“That’s it?” I asked, trying not to sound as incredulous as I felt. “You just want me to find out who’s after Charlie?” Hell, I was going to do that anyway.

But Maven held up a hand. “In addition to that, we’d like for you to seek counsel from Clan Pellar on how to use your magic.”

“My magic?” I echoed dumbly. In my concern over keeping Charlie safe, I had nearly forgotten that I could theoretically do . . . something. Magic, I guess.

Maven arched an eyebrow in a way that suggested this was a deal breaker. “If you are to become our ‘daytime Quinn,’” she said, “we want all the use we can get out of you.”

I nodded slowly. I didn’t want to f*ck around with witch powers, but I could learn a couple of spells, or whatever the witches called them, to pacify Maven and Itachi. Maybe I could learn something that would help me protect Charlie. “And then we’ve got a deal?” I persisted, working to keep my voice light and respectful. I wasn’t sure I succeeded.

“These two tasks should determine whether you truly are who and what I suspect,” she told me. “If you swear loyalty to us and can prove your value, then we have a deal. We will make sure the Old World stays away from your niece until she turns eighteen, or until you terminate your service, whichever comes first. No one in our enclave will touch her.”

I opened my mouth to ask for more time for Charlie, but before I could speak, Itachi said firmly, “That is our only offer.”

I closed my mouth and nodded tightly. Seventeen years of service, and no guarantee that Charlie would be safe once she was no longer a minor. It wasn’t the greatest bargain I’d ever made, but I didn’t see a lot of alternatives, short of moving into Charlie’s bedroom or trying to convince John to move to Belize. Neither seemed very viable. If I worked for Itachi, at least I could ensure that Charlie got to have a childhood.

“Oh, and Lex?” Maven added. “In the interest of fairness, you should know that if you don’t perform to our satisfaction, there is no deal. Itachi will do whatever he wants with the child, and we’ll kill you if you interfere.”

She said it in a completely reasonable, “just so you know” kind of tone, which somehow made it worse.

“You can try,” I said quietly. Itachi chortled with laughter at that, but Maven just smiled, almost sympathetically.

I rose from the chair and held out my hand, with my wrist still encircled by the delicate handkerchief. “I believe we have a deal.”



After we shook, Maven called for Quinn. I didn’t think anyone would be able to hear through the thick office door, but vampires must have good hearing. He popped his head in, his eyes widening slightly as they took in our new positioning in the room. “Ma’am?” he said to Maven.

“We have a task for you, Quinn.” She nodded toward me. “We’d like you and Lex to locate Darcy. Find out if she and Victor were sent by a third party. Then kill her.”

A sputter of shock came out of my mouth, and Maven turned her head to look at me. She raised an eyebrow. “This is the Old World, Lex,” she said matter-of-factly. “If you truly plan to work for us, you’ll need to understand the way we do things. I accept your stipulation against killing, but Quinn has no such condition.”

I looked at Quinn, but his face was completely unreadable. Maven continued, “Lex, you’ll work with Quinn at night, hunting for Darcy. During the day you’ll work with the Pellars to advance your magic. Quinn will set that up for you. Begin tomorrow.”

I stepped away from the chair, but paused and looked back at the vampires. “And Charlie?”

“I’ll put the word out,” she promised. Itachi gave me a polite, dismissive nod.

Feeling a little dazed, I followed Quinn into the hallway, where I stumbled and had to lean against a wall. He stopped a few feet ahead of me and retraced his steps. “You okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” I said, working to control my voice. “Just a little lightheaded.” It wasn’t the blood loss. I had bled more while shaving my legs. For some reason leaving Maven’s presence felt like moving from strong sunshine into the shade again—not necessarily a bad feeling, but definitely an adjustment.

I suddenly felt very young, and very naive. It reminded me of my first deployment to Iraq, where the customs, language, government, and daily risks were so different that it felt like I was on another planet. But now the displacement was happening in my hometown. A mile from the hospital where I was born.

Quinn waited patiently until I straightened up again, a question on his face. “Sorry, this is all just happening really fast,” I mumbled. “I think I just agreed to go vampire hunting. With a vampire.”