Magical Midlife Meeting (Leveling Up #5)(50)

Guild doesn’t get you first.”

“Hmm,” Elliot said as Burke stormed out of the room, his poison-control person hustling behind him. “Anyone else want to acknowledge their lesser magical stature?”

“I’ll acknowledge my sanity, how’s that?” Rubber Band Face rose. “I’m not going to stand against Momar. I don’t want that kind of heat.”

“And that is why you have never risen above your paltry station.” Elliot was taunting him, no doubt trying to get him to change his mind, or apply pressure to the mages who hadn’t spoken up yet.

It worked on Chambers. “I’m in. Screw it.”

“Mhm.” Elliot nodded. “You would certainly work.”

The table was quiet, just the chubby man and me left.

Cyra, who’d eaten about half my roast beef, dropped my plate back and pouted when she saw that Austin’s had been cleaned. She nudged me to get me to answer.

“Nah,” the chubby man said, standing, and I wondered why these people went through the action of walking out when they could surely just blink away like Elliot had earlier. “No disrespect, Mr.

Graves. I would love to work with you. I think you are heads and tails smarter than Momar, and twice as cunning. But I can’t compete with these guys at the table. There wouldn’t be a point in trying.”

“I completely understand.” Elliot nodded as the man left. His gaze settled on me.

“Did you bring her here for lion food or something?” Noah asked.

Elliot barked out a laugh. “How could I, when it is she who brought the lions? Or whatever animals her shifters turn into.”

“Yes, but way back when they brought lions into the—”

“We knew what you meant, Noah,” Elliot said. “It is our patience that is lacking, not our intelligence.”

“Speaking of patience, this is no place for a Jane,” Chambers said, “and even less of a place for her circus animals.”

I stared into Elliot’s hologram eyes. I felt Austin’s steady encouragement and the confident impatience of Cyra. The only way we were going to get in front of Elliot was by winning these games.

If I didn’t take Elliot out, he could capture me at will, and when I refused to work with him, if that was what he wanted, he’d probably kill me and my people. Even if he let me leave, he’d continue to mess with me until I finally gave him whatever he wanted.

I didn’t have much of a choice.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m in.”





EIGHTEEN

“OKAY, THEN.” Elliot gave me a little smile. “We have our contestants. A schedule will be delivered to your rooms tomorrow. We’ll waste no time. I suggest you get your beauty sleep.”

He waved his hands, and the holograms of the others blinked out, leaving only the Elliot hologram, Austin, and me at the table.

“You can make them disappear?” I blurted.

“My ward can keep them out, or toss them out. The power is mine. Speaking of which, I suggest you erect one outside of your door. A tripwire won’t stop these mages from having a look around.”

The server took my plate, and I lifted my napkin, getting ready to go.

“No dessert?” Cyra asked, disappointed.

“Of course dessert. What do you take me for?” Elliot flicked his hand, and the server bustled away with the dirty plates. “Now, down to business. Let me see this watch of yours, Mr. Steele. You are clearly showing off.”

Austin pushed his chair back gracefully and walked toward the hologram, sticking out his wrist.

“Yes, I knew it.” Elliot laughed and shook his head. “Who did you steal that from? Because that is not a collector’s item anyone would willingly sell.”

“I took it from my father, a long time ago.”

“He didn’t ask for it back?”

“He didn’t know I’d stolen it until it was too late. By then, he had too many of his own problems to get it back. Problems that took him to an early grave.”

“Hmm.” Elliot looked me over. “It seems Miss Ironheart didn’t like the gifts she received.”

“How do you know that name?” I asked.

“I know many things about you, Jessie. I do my homework. Rest assured, you’ll do well in the games. I wouldn’t have made them a requirement if I’d thought you’d suffer.”

“Wouldn’t you? Hmm.” I leaned back as the server came back with three dessert glasses filled with chocolate mousse and topped off with puffs of whipped cream sprinkled with chocolate shavings. Apparently, Cyra was now free to join us.

“We’ve had our differences, Jessie,” Elliot said as Cyra sampled our dishes and then started in on hers. “But we don’t have to be enemies. There is room in the magical world for the demon and the angel to coexist.”

“Not happily,” I replied.

“Well. That remains to be seen.” Elliot stood, and I noted that he didn’t have to push his chair back to do it. “Please, bring in your people and use the room for as long as you would like. No one will bother you here.” He stepped away from his place. “You’ll be going first, by the way. I’ll pair you with that fool Noah. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.”