Magical Midlife Meeting (Leveling Up #5)(44)

“You aim to make a fool out of me, then?”

“Hardly.” He chuckled. “I would like to inform you, however, that you will be the only female head mage at this gathering. That was an intentional decision. I fully intend to demean many of the mages here, one way or another. To taunt or condescend to them. Since female mages are routinely treated that way in the magical world, I didn’t want to add to their…misfortunes. They’re also better at ignoring such behavior, which makes them more dangerous. It’s also simply more fun to taunt those who are not used to being taunted. They get angry and flustered. It’s comical.”

“Then why am I here?”

“Not because I thought I could get one over on you, that’s for sure.” He paused, and I just blinked at him, waiting for the answer. His smile told me he knew what I wanted and didn’t intend to offer it up. “All the other mages have only been granted one seat at the table. You get two, one for you and one for your shifter. This is because you treat him as your equal, do you not?”

“Yes, I do.”

“It’ll raise contention with the others. Make you look weaker. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes. He’s my date.”

“I thought as much. You don’t care how people perceive you…”

I shifted from side to side, frustrated. After all these months, I’d actually gotten an audience with the guy who’d been plaguing me, and he wasn’t physically in front of me. Worse, he was one hundred percent leading this conversation. He held all the cards.

I pointed at the wall. “Kinsella.”

“Ah, yes.” He took a step closer. “He gave you some trouble, I believe.”

“What is this wall?”

“That wall represents my illustrious status as the Mage Most Wanted. I am claiming my kills to serve as proof that I have done what the Anal Repository Guild, as some call it, says I did. One of the mages that walks these halls is on the cusp of financial ruin. Given the repository has a huge price on my head, I suspect our greedy little mage will try to cash in.”

“You’re intentionally painting a target on your back?”

“I always have a target on my back, Miss Ironheart. All powerful mages do. You will have a larger target than I do, just you wait. Your power level, your power type, and your dirty little fetish for laying animals…”

His eyes glinted, and a deep, dark rage washed over me, followed by a powerful undertow, sucking me under. My magic stuffed the tunnel, churning and spitting and electric, a hairsbreadth from being unleashed.

“Not here,” Austin said softly, and I felt his calming touch on my back and through the link. “Don’t unleash whatever that is, babe. I hate to say it, but he’s right. It could jeopardize the structure of the tunnel.”

With incredible effort, I forced down the blackness seeping into my blood. The rage. The disgust. I blinked, trying to clear the red haze from my vision.

“I apologize,” Elliot said, his smile dripping off his face, his eyes laser-focused on me. “I was just testing your…closeness to your alpha. I didn’t mean the last. Don’t get me wrong, that will be a common thought, but it isn’t shared by me. As I said, I think shifters are my favorite magical type. I would’ve liked being a shifter. Anyway, yes, Kinsella was one of the mages that I took out. Quite recently, in fact, as I’m sure you know. You just met him, didn’t you?” He touched his pointer finger to the edge of his nose. “I’m well informed.” He surveyed the wall again and slipped his hands back into his pockets. “There are many, many more faces that could go on that wall, but the repository doesn’t care about lesser mages, or those without money. It’s a pay-per-play system, you see. Bribe them, and get protection and what passes for justice. Ignore them, and if you’re small potatoes, you are also ignored. But if a wealthy, powerful mage like me ignores them, they won’t stand down so easily. You might want to establish that professional relationship soon. It’s easy for bodies to pile up in this business.”

“Why did you kill him, though? Where did you even find him? He ran away from me.”

“Maybe someday I will explain. Maybe I won’t. We shall see.”

Frustration still ate at me. “And Sebastian? Why isn’t he on that wall?”

Elliot’s grin faded. “He was just a kid who liked doing magic. The Mages’ Guild crunches up people like that. They don’t respect them, and they certainly don’t waste time looking into their murders. They are the small potatoes I spoke of.”

“You also crunch up kids like that. Since, you know, you killed him.”

“He chose his path. He accepted what came. As we all will. It’s been really lovely talking with you, Miss Ironheart. Don’t bother looking for those exits—if you break through the wards, I will know, and you’ll be in a world of hurt.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brochan tense. His fists clenched.

“My goodness,” Elliot said, his gaze slipping to Brochan. “Broken Sue is a good name. His leash will prove faulty. I don’t envy the person who gets on the business end of that wrath.”

“When do I get to see you in person?” I asked him, anger brimming.

He took a step back. “You’ll find out this evening. Goodbye.”