Risk (A Mageri World Novel) (11 page)

One I can’t answer. Anything else?

“You’re deaf, not mute. I know you have a voice. Why don’t you speak?”

Because I can’t hear myself, and I’ll sound stupid. People will laugh
, she whispered quietly in his head.

Simon was certain that reply had slipped out by accident.

He rethought his strategy. “It would be a shame if I had to tell Hannah we hit a roadblock and you had to go back to your lonely life at the castle. Nothing you tell me leaves this room. I may have an arrangement with your Creator, but I also establish a relationship of trust with my pupils. People prefer to hire men who know how to keep their mouths shut.”

And yet your mouth has been open since the moment we met
.

Simon stopped talking and concentrated. Beyond the wall she’d put up, he heard a flurry of whispers circling like a cyclone. Not only that, but he sensed a bend in her mood. Her emotions were like two butterflies caught in a breeze—each unable to take direction.

“Come on, love. It can’t be that terrible.”

She told me not to talk about it with anyone
. Ella moved his hand off her shoulder and turned to face him, her eyes sorrowful. A familiar look he recognized from his own mirror on occasion.

He took her hand. “I’ll never repeat whatever deep dark secret you’re hiding. You’re quite naïve to think your story is darker than anyone else’s. Did someone trade you off? Were you one of those human pets that Shifters love to keep around the house?”

I tried to kill myself
.

His heart almost stopped.

Ella tucked her hair behind one ear and averted her eyes.
She said she’d been watching me. I don’t know how or why; she made it seem like such a mystery as to how a Creator chooses their progeny. Anyhow, I was the ideal candidate, I guess. No family, no friends, nothing to live for. She made an offer, and I had to make a choice.

He scratched his forehead absently with his left hand, trying to shield his thoughts. When he found he couldn’t, he pulled his hand away.

Simon was startled out of his wits when a fist pounded on the door. “Who the hell!” he exclaimed, leaping off the couch.

His building had tight security, and no one got in unless they lived there or were buzzed in by a resident.

“Better not be you, Miss Havers,” he grumbled, swaggering toward the door. “Years of ogling my ass and you’ve finally cracked.”

When he unlocked the door and swung it open, a large Chitah pushed his way in. “Got a beer? Man, I’m parched,” Levi said, already heading into the kitchen.

Simon slammed the door with a dramatic swing of his arm. “Shall I point you to the bottles, or would you prefer a keg?”

Simon heard the sound of the fridge opening and closing as he went in the living room and sat down in the chair opposite Ella. Her eyes were saucer-wide as she looked at Levi.

It could hardly be helped because of their predatory behavior and unusual eyes. Most Chitahs were over six feet, and Levi was as beefy as they came. Not so much muscles as just a thick frame, like a soldier. Levi kept his blondish hair short and usually had stubble, as if testosterone grew out of his face.

Levi tilted his beer bottle and settled his golden eyes on Ella. He had a way of looking at people, and not just because of his piercing eyes. Levi used to work in the Breed jail as one of the guards, and now he cleaned up the streets. He enjoyed sizing people up. “Who’s your friend? Kind of rude to have me standing here without introductions.”

Simon snorted. “It’s not as if you’ll shag her.”

Levi sliced him an intolerant glare. “That’s a little rude, brother. Maybe you should apologize.”

“I’m not apologizing to you.”

He set his bottle down. “No, to her.”

Simon crossed his legs. “She’s deaf. I doubt she’s offended, unless it’s by your body odor.”

“Deaf? Is she a Mage?”

Simon shouldn’t have mentioned her disability, but he trusted Levi. Not because he particularly liked him, but Chitahs kept their word. Maybe it was something drilled in their genetic code, but when they gave their word, they kept it.

“Levi, I can’t have you telling anyone about her condition. It’s a need-to-know basis, and no one needs to know. It would put her life in danger.”

“On my word as a Chitah, I won’t say a thing about your friend,” he said with a heavy sigh. “So, introductions?”

Simon tucked his fist against his cheek and watched Levi with mild interest as he bowed in front of Ella.

“I’m Levi!” he shouted. “Leeevi.”

“She’s not hard of hearing, you knobhead. She’s deaf.”

Ella seemed to pick up on the fact they knew each other. Simon wondered how she was going to introduce herself to people without them figuring out her impairment. What kind of life could she have as a Mage?

Levi made himself comfortable on the sofa, right next to Ella. He nestled his ass in Simon’s favorite spot, widening his legs and stretching his right arm over the back of the couch.

Watching Levi snuggle next to the ginger-haired woman shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did. Simon had no business feeling one way or the other about it. She was just his pupil, like every other man he’d trained.

Only she wasn’t a man. She had poise, straight shoulders, a slim frame, copper hair, and a mouth made for sin. Simon took pleasure in the way she’d swipe her tongue across her bottom lip to wet it. He liked the way her lips would briefly glisten a natural pink shade that made his eyes slide down to where the cleft between her legs…

“Something on your mind?” Levi asked with a knowing smirk, his nostrils flaring. He bent forward and lifted his beer.

“Only why your caboose is planted on my sofa.”

Just as the tip of the beer bottle touched Levi’s lips, he muttered, “
Sure
.”

“Was that your boyfriend you were chasing after earlier today? Desperation doesn’t look good on a man.”

No matter what Simon said, Levi never let the insults get to him. In fact, he’d just smile and play the game. Maybe that’s what irked Simon more. Levi made him uncomfortable for the simple reason he was gay. Simon didn’t like being leered at, touched, or having his personal space invaded by any man.

“I’m gonna let that slide because you’re a dickhead and it can’t be helped,” Levi said. Then he swallowed the rest of his beer. “It feels rude to sit here yapping away when she can’t hear anything we’re saying.” He tucked the bottle between his legs and circled his finger around the rim.

“So who was the bloke?”

“Well, I don’t know what the fuck you’re up to sending her into an alley with a bunch of juicers. I could smell the intent on those assholes, and I don’t like seeing a woman fighting off a group of men while you stand around and watch.”

“Training. Continue.”

Levi snorted, but not in an amused way. He scratched his jaw, assembling his thoughts. “I spotted him just before you came out of the bar. I know that district, and he’s an interloper. He just had that look about him. You know the kind. I thought maybe he was just watching the fight, but he kept ducking behind buildings while you two were eating. Something didn’t look right, and then he noticed me. Took off. I waited to see if he was just changing positions again, but he got in his car. That’s when I ran after him.”

“And I thought a bullet train couldn’t outrun a Chitah.”

“Oh, Jesus,” he grumbled. “This body is built for strength, not speed. The fast ones are usually leaner, like my bro. Anyhow, I got his plates. Sometimes it’s pointless to run them through if they’ve been switched out, but I have a friend who owes me a favor, and it only took him an hour to come up with a name.”

Simon watched Ella’s eyes close and her body slump against Levi. He was surprised she’d lasted this long after the fight this morning—another testament to her strength.

“You seem to have a narcotic effect on women,” Simon remarked.

Levi glanced down and wrapped his arm around her, the one that had VERITAS tattooed on his forearm. “Yeah, the girls really dig guys like me; we’re cuddly and shit. So, you want to tell me what mess you’re in now? I have a right to know. You were ass-deep in my turf, and my men like to keep things in line down there. And yeah, it could be a hell of a lot worse, so don’t bother with a retort.”

Simon rolled the ball of his piercing around the roof of his mouth. “Who is my shadow?”

“Some little turd that goes by James Dmitry. He’s a Learner, so it looks like your little cuddlebug has an admirer,” Levi said, snuggling against her.

Simon could hardly sit still, and not so much because of the name. He shot to his feet and folded his arms. “I think it’s time you peel yourself off my pupil and head out.”

“Sure thing. You still need me to… watch your ass?” he said, pulling in his bottom lip and wetting it.

“I have what I need. Go back to sweeping the streets with your broom of justice.”

After Levi rose from his chair, he walked by Simon and glanced over his shoulder. They were nearly the same height, but Levi had him by a fraction of an inch. He touched the dimple on his chin. “Sometimes I can’t figure out your scent.”

“Perhaps you should shower and cleanse the sinuses. Bugger off.”

Levi’s upper canines slid down and pressed against his bottom lip.

Damn Chitahs and their peculiar marks of arousal
.

“I love it when you talk dirty.” Levi winked and made a clicking sound with his tongue before swaggering out the door.

Simon plunked down next to Ella and roused her from her sleep.

She lazily reached over his lap and took his hand. Simon used every shred of willpower he possessed to deny entry of blood to his groin.

What did your friend want?
she asked in a sleepy voice.

“What happened between you and James? I got his version of the story, so tell me yours.”

Ella rubbed her eyes before putting her hand on his lap, palm up. Just inches from his…

Bloody hell
. He took hold of her hand and moved it away.

James has a big mouth, but that doesn’t surprise me. We slept together, and the sex was all right, but he wanted to be on top and we pushed and shoved a lot
.

“Ah. A control freak.”

Yep
.

“Not him. You.”

Ella tightened her grip.
Maybe it’s what I like. Who are you to judge? Anyhow, I wasn’t ready to share my light, and he was. He tried to force me, and no one forces me to do anything I don’t want to do. It bruised his ego that I was the one to walk away, leaving him with a hard-on. He yelled, and then he mocked me and called me a mouse. That much I understood. I guess he’s still holding a grudge
.

Maybe James was the kind of arrogant prick who didn’t like the woman to have the last laugh, but why would he risk his reputation by stalking the Learner of a Councilwoman? His own Creator would lash him five times over for that. If they hired a Vampire to charm him and discovered malicious intentions, it would be deemed a traitorous act. You don’t fuck with anyone who works for the Mageri.

What are you thinking? You’ve blocked yourself off
, she said.

“Perhaps when your wall comes down, mine will too.”

The outside light dimmed, and he needed to get her home. Now that he knew who was on their tail, he felt at ease. James was no threat to a man like Simon Hunt, who had fought some of the most skilled immortals in recent history.

What did your friend want?
she pressed.

“Nothing, love. Focus on your training, not what I’m doing. Go home and rest—our sessions begin early. Every day will be a new location, and we’re going to spend three hours each afternoon working on your lip-reading skills. No arguments. You may never master it, but you need to learn enough to get by. Perhaps later we’ll work on getting you to speak. Don’t play the role of the mute if you’re not. People will pick up on your defect a lot quicker if you remain silent.”

I can’t speak
.

Simon thought about the way she’d moaned when she took a bite of his bruschetta during their game, how it made him hard, how he kept feeding her just to hear her voice relax. It didn’t seem like she was aware that she’d been making noises. He’d never seen a woman put away so much food, but he rather enjoyed watching her eat something besides rabbit kibble.

Ella was slim. A ton of bruschetta might do her some good.

T
wo weeks
of nonstop training had worked like magic on Hannah’s Learner. Not that Simon let it get to his ego.

Who was he kidding? Of course he did.

She needed to sharpen her other senses to compensate for the hearing loss. He taught her not to search for a fallen knife, but to watch her opponent’s eyes because he’d be the one to give away its location.

Ella was timid about speaking, but she’d finally learned to say her own name. He taught her to place her hand in a gracious manner across her throat as she bowed her head, allowing her to use her fingertips to determine the volume of her voice. That would at least get her through introductions.

There would be times in the coming years when she would need to crawl out of her hole and put on her party hat. If she could understand the conversations, then it would throw off any suspicions. That meant Ella could no longer avert her eyes or get lost in her head. Paying attention to lips, body language, smells, shadows, and Mage energy was crucial. She would be able to assess a crowd’s reaction and determine the difference between a gun firing and a tray of dishes crashing to the floor.

Eventually, either at her choosing or not, the secret would be out. Simon’s job was to make sure she had the tools to survive in her current situation. It was possible that her gift of reading thoughts might work on others, and time might also reveal more rare gifts. When he asked about the Council measuring her abilities, she said Hannah had done it alone, which was peculiar. Measuring was a rite of passage in their world. The Council would assess the Learner’s natural abilities along with any special gifts and then record them in their books. Usually there was a ceremony with robes and trite dialogue. She’d met with two members of the Council afterward, but it was unofficial.

What a mystery. He couldn’t work out why Hannah would randomly select a suicidal human. Then again, maybe her inadequate powers had made her desperate.

The hand-holding was getting too personal, so Simon only initiated contact when communication was necessary. The less they touched, the more effort she made to read lips.

Ella didn’t want any of his healing light either. Whenever she fought against him or someone on the street, she pulled from the sun. He much preferred it that way, but a tiny smidge of him felt guilty for not helping.

“I’m making another beer run,” Adam said, looking for an excuse to mingle with the crowd in Novis’s mansion. “Anyone thirsty?”

Simon raised his empty bottle. “Don’t bring me any of that sludge. Imported only.”

Silver patted his chest. “I’m so relieved you dressed like a human being for the party. You look so handsome in a vest.” She was plastered to the corner wall where their little group stood, using it to hold herself up.

“Ah, but you fell for me in leather,” he pointed out, remembering when they’d first met and how her eyes had devoured him like a starved animal.

She snorted and took another sip of vodka. “Who dresses like that every day?”

“Your Chitah wears T-shirts and jeans all the time.”

She smiled and brushed back her hair. “Logan makes casual look sexy. There’s nothing wrong with jeans and a T-shirt, but you look like you washed yours with a lawn mower. Damn. Remember when Logan wore those leather pants? I wish he still had those…”

Simon snatched her glass and set it on the table. “I’m cutting you off.”

Sunny lifted the glass and handed it back to Silver. “It’s my party, Simon. If my best friend wants to get trashed, then we’re getting trashed. The kids have a sitter for the night, and we haven’t had a girls’ night out since—”

“Last month.” Justus swaggered up to their little group in his usual dressed-up attire. Blue silk tie, dress shirt, expensive slacks, and Italian shoes. He put his hands in his pockets and gave Silver a scolding glance. “You returned my woman in an inexcusable condition.”

Simon patted him on the shoulder. “I could have said the same about you after you knocked her up.”

Everyone laughed, and the classical music switched to something upbeat. Novis often hosted parties to maintain relationships and build new ones, but he’d hosted fewer events in the past few years since Sunny had moved in.

Adam returned with beers and handed one to Simon.

“And where is our songbird this evening?” Simon asked, referring to Sadie, Logan’s sister.

Adam’s eyes lit with interest, but he drank his beer and looked about the room.

Silver blew a strand of hair out of her face. “Sadie had a gig tonight. Levi’s playing bodyguard since it’s a club she’s never been to on the Breed side of town. She’s been trying to get a job at this place for ages because of how much they pay. At first they said no because she’s a human, but Leo has connections and Logan has a temper,” Silver said with a drunken chuckle.

Simon peered over his shoulder to see what had caught Adam’s attention. Three attractive women were speaking in low whispers, scoping out some of the handsome men in the room. They didn’t spare Simon a second glance since he was wearing civilian clothes that made him blend in with the herd.

Sunny touched Adam’s arm. “Adam, why don’t you go over and introduce yourself? The two blondes are ancients, but the brunette was recently brought over. You two might have a lot in common.”

Adam’s emotional energy shifted. He had charisma and could probably have any woman in the room he desired if not for the prominent scars on his face. It was the sort of thing that made people question whether or not he was a capable fighter.

“Maybe after I spend some time with my best girls.”

She laughed. “Please. I see you almost every day.”

He took Silver’s drink and kissed her forehead, then put his arm around her. “How’s he treating you? Are you happy?” he asked, his dark brows drawing together.

Silver grinned. “Everything’s just purrrfect.” A wistful look flickered in her eyes, one everyone noticed.

He peered down at her. “What’s that look all about?”

“Nothing.”

“Not nothing, woman. Spit it out.”

Silver shrugged him off and shared a private look with Sunny. Women were always elusive and full of secrets. Silver wasn’t about to reveal whatever was on her mind—not in this setting—so she began moving her hips to the music.

Logan snuck up behind her and splayed his fingers across her stomach. His nostrils flared, and then he frowned. Despite the amorous movement of her body, he must have picked up an emotional scent that bothered him. He dipped his head low and whispered in her ear. Silver’s face went serene, slightly doleful, and then all that erased when she turned around and gave him a kiss.

“Female, you have hit your limit too early in the evening,” he said with a soft growl. “Let’s take a walk. Perhaps we can find a tree to sit under.”

“I like the sound of that,” she said, her voice fading as they headed toward the back door. “Maybe you can pin me to one, just for old times’ sake.”

“Careful not to tempt me, Little Raven.”

As soon as the door opened, Silver flashed out of sight. A wicked smile lit up Logan’s face, and instead of running after her at Chitah speed, he merely swaggered in the direction she’d gone, looking like a man who had just won the lottery.

“Gosh, they make me sick sometimes,” Sunny chimed in. “They still act like a couple of newlyweds.”

“Jealous?” Adam arched his dark eyebrow. “Maybe it’s time you get back into the saddle again.”

Simon gripped the lapels of his vest. “He’s right. You can’t live the rest of your life hiding away in this house as if it were a nunnery. Have some fun and flirt with some of these sorry bastards. They all know you’re human, and half these blokes can hardly take their eyes off you.”

“Just what every guy wants: a human woman with two young children.” She touched the short waves of her soft blond hair. “I’ve got too much going on in my life to get wrapped up in dating again. Tonight I just want to mingle and have some fun.”

She couldn’t fool anyone. Simon noticed the sparkles around her eyes from makeup, the blush on the apples of her cheeks, and expensive perfume that turned heads. Her black heels had straps studded with what looked like diamonds, and if Novis was behind the purchase, they probably were.

“If you continue to make this a habit, I’m going to think you’re stalking me,” Boris said, easing up to their little group.

An old song from the twenties came on, and Adam looked at Sunny and held out his hand. “How about a twirl on the dance floor with an old dog like me?”

“Why thank you, kind sir.”

She took his hand, and they joined a few people behind Simon who had already seized the moment. How a man like Adam knew how to do the foxtrot was beyond understanding, and Simon chuckled as Sunny struggled to avoid getting trampled.

Boris crossed in front of Simon, his cheap aftershave wafting behind him. He stood with his back to the window and inserted a few peanuts into his mouth, barely chewing as he ground them between his little teeth. “I do enjoy a good party. You seem to have made a lot of connections. How long have you been in the States?”

“When’s the last time you were shagged? Probably the same.”

Boris looked like he’d plucked and dyed his eyebrows into a sinister arch. “I’ve spent the past decade in Paris, but the tourists were beginning to bore me. It seems like all the action has moved west, so here I am. Again. I came out a few years ago and bought a place, but I traveled back and forth, trying to decide if I wanted to settle here or New York. Times have changed since the early nineteen hundreds; New York isn’t what it once was.”

Simon swallowed a mouthful of beer. “Since when did you become the social butterfly?”

Boris traced a finger across his skinny mustache, smoothing out the hairs. “It’s not easy to find a good selection of Mage women. I’ve learned a thing or two in my time about coupling with old blood. Rumor is that some of the Creators over here are bringing in young women.” His gaze traveled around the room. “They’re so easy to spot. So much eagerness in their eyes.”

“Eager to get away from the likes of that critter on your lip.”

Boris looked toward the entranceway, distracted. “You always were a crass man.”

Novis practically floated into the room on a regal breath of air. Simon laughed at how someone who looked so young could be so bleeding old. Novis had never revealed his true age, but he was definitely over a thousand. You could always guess a Mage’s age by looking into their eyes. Sometimes the light nestled deep in the irises—flickering at odd times.

After running a hand through his spiked hair, Novis gave Simon a close-lipped grin. “Gentlemen,” he said in a warm greeting. “Thank you for accepting my invitation, Simon. You brought a friend?”

Simon shifted his stance. Novis’s parties were by invitation only, so if he didn’t know who Boris was…

Boris stepped forward and bowed. “Boris Dmitry. My apologies for not introducing myself.”

Novis clasped his hands in front of him and kept a pensive stare. “I greet all my guests at the door and have no recollection of seeing you come in.”

“I’m afraid I’m crashing your party, but with good intentions. I’m new in town, but I come from the Old World. I’ve just recently purchased a home in Cognito and would like to rekindle some old relationships, as well as establish new ones. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you, Novis. I’m impressed with your reputation working under the Mageri and all you have accomplished. You’re the kind of man who makes a lasting impression,” Boris said, wagging his finger with a jaunty smile. “You and I have much in common, including a shared acquaintance.”

“And who might that be?”

“Boris,” Hannah said tersely, joining them.

Simon raised his brows when he got a look at her dress. Hannah was wearing gloves straight up to her shoulders—all white—and a silly hat that almost looked like a loose beanie drowning in sparkly stones.

She kept her eyes on Boris while speaking. “Novis, I wasn’t aware he was on your list.”

Simon set his bottle on a nearby table and tucked his hands in his pockets, watching how old immortals showed displeasure. They were so caught up in formalities that it became a dance of words.

“He wasn’t,” Novis replied.

“Nor was he on mine.” Hannah sharpened her gaze at Boris. “Still trying to weasel your way into high society?”

“Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your—”

Hannah grabbed hold of his wrist and dragged him out of sight.

Novis and Simon simultaneously turned to watch them.

“I’m going to find out who let him in, and that guard will be lucky if I don’t press charges,” Novis said quietly. “Sometimes you can’t trust these guards as far as they can throw themselves.”

Simon didn’t bother correcting him. Novis botched idioms like lumberjacks cut down trees.

Novis briefly watched Adam and Sunny dancing before he turned away. “Hannah told me you’ve accepted her offer. Again, I can’t thank you enough. Is everything going smoothly?”

“Have you ever met her Learner?”

Novis pinched his lower lip. “Twice. She’s a reclusive, quiet young woman—a curious choice for Hannah. But then again, Hannah’s a Mage who prefers absolute obedience, so the Learner’s demeanor is a compatible trait. She’s more restrictive than I am with mine, but we walk different paths. I do hope she’s compensating you well.”

Simon couldn’t complain there. “A fair sum, all things considered.”

“How do you know this Dmitry fellow?”

Simon didn’t feel like going into the deets about a failed business venture with Boris and his occasional run-ins with him every other decade. He wanted to distance himself from that man as much as possible. As big as this world was, sometimes it seemed infinitely small when you continued to bump into the same immortals century after century.

He patted Novis on the shoulder. “Loosen up. Let your hair down and get laid. It’s a party!”

Before Novis could respond, Simon hurried away.

He snatched a couple of grapes from a plate and tossed them into the air, attempting to catch them in his mouth. The second one bounced off his bottom teeth, and he lowered his eyes to the ground in search of it.