Ancient Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Huntress #1)(34)

It was that wariness that kept my friend alive. Claire was one of the best mercs in Magic’s Bend. Mercenaries were hired for all kinds of jobs—not just killing. Though she did that too, as long as she thought the client deserved it. No kids or innocents. Our world was full of all kinds of dangerous jobs you could hire a mercenary for. It was Claire’s selectiveness that kept her alive.

“Be safe,” I said.

“Always.” She grinned, then headed out the door, straightening her ponytail as she went.

A pair of pink-haired old ladies walked in after she left, no doubt out for a day of antiquing at the shops down the street from my own. Those antiques had no magical charms, however.

“Good luck with your tracking spell,” Connor said as he went to help the women with their order.

I turned to Aidan. “I’m beat. I’m going to go get cleaned up and hit the hay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“We have more to talk about.” His voice was commanding.

“Not now, we don’t.” I stood, trying my damnedest not to sway. The last thing I needed was him carrying me down the street.

Aidan surged to his feet and put a steadying hand on my shoulder. “Fine, not now. Go rest. I’ll see you later.”

“Pick me up at seven.” Though I wanted to try to beat him to Mordaca, it was highly unlikely that I could afford her fee.

We parted ways outside P & P. I had to insist that he not carry me back to my apartment, but by the time I walked in front of Ancient Magic, I was about ready to fall over. The door weighed a hundred pounds as I pushed inside.

Nix looked up from behind the counter. “Whoa, you look rough.”

I leaned against the door. “I feel it. Will you help me up to my place?”

“Yeah. It’s almost five. I’ll just close up.”

It only took her a second to grab her phone and her book, then she was at my side, her arm wrapped around my ribs.

“No luck with the scroll?” she asked as she locked the door. I leaned against the wall as she ran her hands around the edge, triggering the enchantment that would protect the shop from thieves while we were away.

“Not yet. I’ll tell you about it up at my place.”

The walk up the three flights of stairs felt like climbing the monks’ island mountain again. By the time I got to the top, my lungs burned and my thighs ached.

“What the heck is wrong with you?” Nix asked as she dumped me on the sofa. “You’ve never been this weak. Did you get hit by something?”

“No spells. Unless you count my own.”

“What do you mean?” Her eyes widened.

“I used my magic.”

“What?” she gasped. “You’re joking. Did Aidan see you?”

“Yeah.” I buried my head in my hand. “I was an idiot.”

Nix paced my small living rom. “No. You weren’t. You haven’t used your magic in ten years. You’re careful. You must have had a good reason.”

Her support warmed me. “I thought Aidan was going to die.”

“That’s a pretty good reason. Was he?”

“Yeah, maybe a sixty, seventy percent chance. Though it felt like more at the time. I freaked out.” The memory of the rock hurtling toward him still gave me the shakes.

“You like him.”

There was no question in her voice. To protect my deirfiúr’s secret, I would let someone I didn’t care for die—I’d kill to protect their secret. It was my secret too, but like with most things that involve a threat to oneself, it didn’t feel quite as real. But the threat to them felt very real.

Apparently I cared enough for Aidan to try to save his life, even though it meant possibly revealing what we hid.

“I’m sorry,” I said. My throat tightened with tears. I never cried. Not much was worse than waking up in a field as a kid with no memories and no parents. After that, tears seemed a bit silly.

“Don’t be. We can take care of ourselves. And I have a good feeling about Aidan.”

“Really? Because I don’t.”

“Yeah, you do.” Nix looked at me like I was an idiot. “You saved him. You obviously have a good feeling about him.”

“I did. But he knows something’s up with me. He’s suspicious of why I don’t use my powers. And when I finally did use them, I overdid it. He knows I’m powerful. I’m afraid he’s going to keep digging until he figures things out.”

“He might, yeah. Just keep your guard up.”

Easy for her to say; she wasn’t faced with hanging out with him all the time. She didn’t have to watch him fight or resist his kisses. I did, and it was hard to remember why I shouldn’t like him.

Especially since I didn’t want to live a life of secrets and lies. For once, I’d like to be honest with someone besides my deirfiúr. I loved them, but it wasn’t the same.

“So you didn’t find the scroll?”

Nix’s words jerked me to attention. “No. And it’s worse than that. Demons took it. The same kind of demon who called me a FireSoul the other day.”

Nix abruptly stopped pacing. “What? Did they say anything else?”

“No. I tackled one and demanded that he tell me what he knew, but he just looked at me.”