Smoke and Mirrors (36 page)

“Really?” Kimberly peeked over the top of her menu. “I would think you could toast anybody who tried anything you didn’t like, seeing how you can go all scaly and whatnot.”

“Very funny. That wouldn’t help when I’m limited to this form and might end up inadvertently walking into somebody’s binding circle with no room to shift.”

“We can only hope,” Rieva said, giving one of the spikes of hair at the nape of his neck a tug before she settled into a seat at the table with them. “Might teach you some humility, eh? Don’t worry, Kimberly. I’ve got a mundane friend or two who might be willing to pay them a visit on your behalf.”

“Thank you so much, Ms. Ke’rin!”

“Oh, please. Rieva, if anything. Or Rie, if you like. Nobody calls me Ms. Ke’rin unless they’re selling me something.”

Kimberly grinned. “Thanks, Rie. I thought about your offer. I’d like to take you up on it.”

Cormac frowned, but didn’t object, much as he wanted to. Rieva gave him a look that said she was daring him to speak up. After a few moments of tense silence, she shrugged and returned her attention to Kimberly as though nothing had happened.

“Excellent. I’ve got another offer to make as well. I heard through the grapevine that your mother is a waitress. I’m in a tight spot and could use another set of experienced hands around here. Do you think she’d be interested?”

Kimberly shot a look at Cormac. He cleared his throat and studiously turned his attention to his menu. Staring hard at him, Kimberly gritted out an answer through her teeth. “I can’t imagine who you might have heard that from, but… well, I don’t know. I can ask.”

Rieva pulled a small sheaf of papers from the stack of menus and tossed them in front of Kimberly with a grin. “Thanks, chica. You’ll be doing me a solid if you get her to apply in the next couple of days. I have an immediate opening for the right person. Now, tell me what I can get you. Let me guess—pancakes for the lady, crescent rolls for the gentleman.”

While Rieva headed to the kitchen to get their food, Kimberly scanned the application and attached job description. Her eyes bugged at the hourly figure listed under the salary, wondering if it was a typo.

After a quick glance at some of the prices on the menu, she realized no, it couldn’t be.

The Others were just about going to kill her with their kindness. Assuming her mother didn’t first.

Once Rieva brought them their coffees, Kimberly thanked her yet again.

“Don’t worry about it. That reminds me…” Rieva dug around in the pockets of her white slacks. With a jingle of metal, she withdrew a silver cross on a matching chain. It looked just like the one the changeling wore; the only visible jewelry aside from the metal collar. Tiny runes were aglow with dark blue light on the cross, sparking briefly, then fading into the metal to leave nothing but a smooth, silver surface. “This is your Get Out of Jail Free card. Wear this and you won’t need him to be your babysitter when you want to pay a visit to the Black Star.”

Kimberly nodded, going still as the changeling moved behind her to place the necklace around her neck, then moving to take a seat at the table with them again.

“It’s keyed to you, and only you, so don’t try fooling around and letting any friends borrow it. I’ll know, and they’ll be toast. Got it?”

“Got it,” Kimberly said. “Will my mom need one?”

“If she’s a mundane like Cormac tells me, then no. She might need you to show her the way since you can’t exactly trust things like Urban Spoon or Google Maps to find us, but aside from that, she’ll be fine.”

“You think of everything, don’t you?”

“Most of the time. Not always. If I were perfect, Viper wouldn’t have had his shot at you.” Rieva frowned, her icy blue eyes narrowing as she looked away. “He’s still alive. He’ll try again. As much as I like the idea of partnering with you for temporary familiar services, you’ll be better off once you find a permanent solution.”

It was Kimberly’s turn to frown. “Did Cormac put you up to saying that?”

He snorted, fingertips drumming an impatient rhythm against the table. “Of course not. I don’t need to resort to using Rieva to act as my messenger. Besides, I’ve told you myself that I would be your best option.”

“You have, but I’m not entirely ready to trust you again. Not yet. After I graduate, then we can talk about it again.”

Rieva held up a finger. “If I might be so bold as to interject, as much as this giant snake in the grass gets under my skin sometimes, he’s still far and away better for you than Viper. He’s one of the few of us in the Tri-State Area who has the strength to deal with him.”

“I’ll be okay. I know how he found me before. He won’t be able to pull that trick on me anymore.”

“Don’t underestimate him. Sorcery might be a hardier type of magic than they tell you in that mage school of yours, but it isn’t infallible, and Viper has more tricks up his sleeve than most.” Rieva’s icy blue eyes flared with fae light, much like Cormac’s had the night before. As Kimberly recoiled, the changeling shook her head, though her expression was still full of annoyance. “I’m not angry with you. Or him, really. He chose what he thought was his best option, even if it wasn’t what was best for anyone else. What pisses me off is that you’re in a position I’m very familiar with. It’s no wonder the few of you left were too afraid to so much as show your faces for the last few centuries. If the magi hadn’t been so dead set on hunting down all the sorcerers, you might have spent these last few years learning how to use what you have to protect yourself instead of how to pretend to pass as something you’re not.”

Cormac growled, the sound driving a few of those seated nearby to scoot their chairs back or hide behind their menus. Kimberly gave him a pointed look. He stopped growling, but his tone was still sharp.

“Viper’s desperation to follow that misguided quest of his will never work. And there’s no need to scare her with stories of the past. They wouldn’t have her in that mage school if they were still carrying out that witch hunt for sorcerers.”

“Tell that to the one who died in that vampire’s restaurant a few months ago. I heard The Circle had a hand in that.”

“Wait, what?” Kimberly said, her tone flat with disbelief.

“Yeah, well, he signed his own death warrant when he started summoning demons.”

Kimberly made a choking sound, her eyes bugging. As Cormac lightly thumped her on the back, she waved him off. “De-demons? D-d-did you say… demons?”

“Yes. Don’t tell me they don’t teach you the basic differences between sorcerer and magi powers—oh, for heaven’s sake.” Rieva threw her hands up, eyes rolling heavenward once she saw Kimberly’s expression. “What in the hell do they think they’re doing, calling that place a school when they don’t even teach you your own history? I doubt you’ll be figuring out how to manage it on your own, but that’s what drove magi to hunt down and kill sorcerers in the past. Your kind has a talent for it that they don’t. Not that they should be throwing stones, considering what they summon for familiars, but that’s a subject for a different day.”

Cormac’s thumps on Kimberly’s back shifted to soothing stroking up and down her spine as she slumped forward. “This is another reason you’d be better off with me as your familiar, Kimberly. That is a road I never want to see you walk, and I can help you learn more about how to use your powers instead of what the teachers at Blackhollow think your powers should be.”

Kimberly rested her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands. Rieva tsked, pushing her seat back and rising with a lazy stretch that caused her white silk shirt to ride up and gave a brief glimpse of the slashes of scars on her pale skin.

“Stop pressuring the girl,” Rieva said, nudging the chair back into place with her foot. She started toward the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, “Do what you feel is right, Kimberly. Don’t let him—or anyone else—walk all over you. No matter what path you choose, remember, ultimately you’re the one who has to live with the consequences of those choices.”

Kimberly couldn’t find it in herself to reply.

CHAPTER FORTY

Though Kimberly wasn’t thrilled to have Cormac tagging along for her study date with Xander, she preferred to have him by her side. After hearing that Viper was still after her and that The Circle had a hand in killing one of her kind, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

One lone sorcerer against an entire coven didn’t sound like good odds. Even with a dragon protecting her, she wasn’t sure about her chances. The Circle’s power was legendary.

How foolish she had been for thinking they might accept her into their ranks. Even if she could join them, she was no longer entirely certain that was what she wanted. Much about what she had wanted had been called into question by the things she had learned since her first meeting with Cormac Hunter.

He moved beside her like a great prowling jungle cat, strides long, smooth, and hinting at his predacious nature. His pale blue eyes were constantly roving, taking in his surroundings, one hand pressed to the small of her back as they walked. Though she had planned to take the subway to get to Xander’s neighborhood, Cormac had insisted on taking a cab instead. Though she argued that it would no doubt cost a small fortune, he had said that he would sooner walk into The Circle to be bound by the first mage to come along than be stuck with a bunch of humans in close quarters in a stinking, sticky, moving metal tube underground.

Considering his tone, Kimberly thought it best not to argue the point.

Xander’s house was in Bellaire, part of Queens Village. Kimberly wasn’t familiar with the area, but between the cabbie’s cheerful banter and Cormac’s sense of direction, they found it without too much trouble.

It turned out to be a lovely cream-colored Dutch colonial-style building with white trim and slate-colored shingled roof, punctuated by a pair of shed dormers on the second story. It immediately put Kimberly in mind of the country. The front yard was small but neatly manicured, a wrought iron fence surrounding the property and leading up to the small, gabled porch.

Xander was hanging out on the front steps when they arrived, rising with a wave when he spotted Kimberly. His easy smile faltered when he saw Cormac. Or, rather, when he saw the fierce gleam in the dragon’s eyes.

“Hey, hope you don’t mind I brought a friend,” Kimberly said, giving Cormac a nudge in the ribs with an elbow to give him the hint to settle down. He blinked the glow out of his eyes and frowned down at her. “Xander, I know you guys weren’t really introduced before. I’d like you to meet Cormac. Cormac, this is my study partner, Xander.”

“Hey, no problem,” Xander said, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you. Any friend of Kimberly’s is a friend of mine.”

Cormac cocked his head, eyes narrowing, then slowly extended his own to shake the offered hand. “Ah, yes. I remember you. Trying to drive off the wyvern with some kind of fire-based shield right in front of the museum. Foolish, but very brave. You have my thanks for keeping her safe.”

Xander blinked. “You saw that?”

“I imagine anybody with Sight for a good distance near the museum did that day. Not subtle, by any means, but you’ve got a powerful spark.”

The way Xander’s chest puffed with pride had Kimberly rolling her eyes. “You’re not one to talk about subtlety, mister.”

“Perhaps not where you’re concerned. You do seem to bring out the worst in me.”

At Xander’s look of confusion, Kimberly coughed. “Remember the whole dragon incident?” She hooked a thumb at Cormac and gave Xander a weak grin. “Surprise.”

His eyes bugged in shock. His mouth moved, but not a sound escaped.

Cormac snorted, folding his arms. “I go for centuries with only a handful of people learning what I am but in a matter of days within meeting you it feels as though half the city knows.”

“Well, if you’d stop giving off those rawr vibes and, say, not shapeshift in the middle of Central Park, for goodness’s sake…”

“Yes, yes,” he replied testily, “but I believe I was understandably upset—”

“Sure, fine,” Kimberly replied, just as testy, “but we don’t have time for this right now. Xander, can we get started? We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

Though he was still a trifle shell-shocked, Xander nodded, swallowing hard a few times before leading them inside. He had already set out a pile of school books on the kitchen table in preparation for Kimberly’s arrival. “Mr. Cormac, I hope you don’t mind my saying, but it is so freaking awesome that you are going to be her familiar. I mean, a dragon. So cool!”

Cormac grinned, while Kimberly muttered something darkly under her breath.

“Would it be too much to ask to be introduced to any dragon friends you have? You know, anybody else in the market to be a familiar?”

Kimberly glared lasers at Xander, who was utterly oblivious. He only had eyes for Cormac at that moment, who was chuckling. “I’ll be sure to tell any I meet where to find you.”

“So. Freaking. Awesome.”

“Yes. Awesome. Hurray. Homework?”

Xander cleared his throat and turned his attention to the books. “Yes. Homework. Enchantments or summoning first?”

“Enchantments. I have the feeling summoning is going to be a lost cause for me.”

Cormac watched on with interest as the two pored over their texts together. Kimberly quizzed Xander on some of the basics but it wasn’t until she scanned his sample sketches of runic enchantments before she could pinpoint where he was having difficulty. It wasn’t a problem with the theory. He had confused some of the ones that shared common symbols and tangled up their meanings, which naturally led to a confusion on which runes to use in which situation and a fizzled enchantment or one that ended up with far different results than he intended.