“What?” Nick asks. He sounds morbidly curious.
Director West, on the other hand, seems much more concerned when she says, “You killed people?”
I want to slap my hand over my face. Wrong thing for him to say in front of a whole group of people that happen to be the underworld police. No wonder he seems so distressed. His face goes green as he glances up at his boss. “I didn’t mean to.”
Poor guy. There’s no way I’m going to let him get in trouble for that. “I’m glad he did. Those bastards deserved a lot worse than they got.”
There’s silence for a few moments, until Director West says, “Would you two care to explain?”
I really don’t want to explain, but it sounds more like a gentle command than a request, so I take a deep breath before launching into one of the most horrific memories of my life. “I was thirteen, living with a foster family up in Chaldean Town. Sometimes my foster dad would drink, and when that happened, it was better for me to not be around, so I’d duck out of the house and wait him out in the park nearby.”
“A thirteen-year-old girl wandering alone in Chaldean Town after dark?” Nick mutters. “Were you crazy?”
“It was usually the safer option,” I murmur as I fall, unavoidably, into the memory. “Just not that night.”
Several people in the room curse under their breath.
“What happened?” someone asks gently. I don’t know who, because I’ve got my eyes closed, and I’m fighting to stave off the PTSD panic attack.
When I can’t answer the question, Oliver speaks up. “It was late in the evening, and I was out in the park practicing my control of my magic. I had a hard time containing my power back then. But anyway, I was on my way home cutting through the playground when I saw two human men…um…”
“Attacking me,” I finish, my voice a ghost of a whisper.
The energy in the room grows heavy with friction. A low snarl breaks the silence that’s so menacing the hairs on my arms stand up. I’ve heard that growl before. Terrance’s eyes have gone black, like they did back at the club. The entire group seems just as shocked by his change as those at the club had the first time.
I understand this is some kind of reaction to the news that I was hurt like that, because Terrance feels protective of me. I’m a little baffled that the troll cares so much, but it punches me in the gut at the same time. I’ve never had a true friend before. Never had anyone to watch my back. My chest burns at the thought of the treasure I’ve acquired in my acquaintance with Terrance.
I hate touching people, but I place my hand on his arm anyway. I’m plunged straight into his thoughts because they’re so close to the surface. He’s so beside himself with rage that he’s having a hard time not tearing apart the people in this room. The only thing keeping him from rampaging is the thought of figuring out who those men are. When he does, they’ll be dead for what they did to me.
“They are dead,” I assure him. “Oliver took care of them that very night. I’ve been safe from them for years now. It’s okay, Terrance.”
Terrance takes a deep breath. His eyes morph back to their normal brown, but he’s still trembling slightly. “It’s okay,” I promise him again. “It was a long time ago, and Oliver saved me.”
It hasn’t been long enough—will probably never be long enough—but I’m not going to admit that to Terrance right now.
“I didn’t mean to kill them,” Oliver whispers. His voice sounds as haunted as mine. “I was just so angry and scared. And I didn’t have control of my magic yet. One minute they were terrorizing Nora, and the next they were on the ground, charred beyond recognition. Nora was still conscious, and I was afraid she would tell people what happened, so I spelled her to forget what she’d seen and took her to the hospital.”
I don’t realize I’m shaking my head until Director West questions me. “His spell didn’t take?”
I glance up at her, startled. “Sorry. No, it did. I did forget how they died, but…” I meet Oliver’s gaze. My eyes start to glisten, and I take a deep breath to keep from crying. “But when you took me to the hospital, you carried me in your arms. We were touching, so I could hear your thoughts.”
Everyone in the room except Parker and Henry gasps, but I barely notice. My gaze is locked on the man I’d remembered as my savior for the last nine years. The scared but brave boy who made the horror stop and got me help. “You thought about it all the way there. I could see what had happened in your mind, and I felt your fear that you’d be in trouble for killing them.”
Seeing his fear even now, I offer him my sincerest smile. “I would never have told anyone on you, Oliver. You saved my life that night. You were a hero.”
Oliver swallows hard and then gives me the faintest smile. When he looks away, I glance up at Nick and Director West. “He saved me. You can’t punish him for that.”
Director West gives me a gentle smile. “Oh, don’t worry. It sounds like there’s no need to look into that. We know Oliver’s character, and we know he’s got control of his magic now.”
“Of course, now we understand why he won’t use it,” Nick grumbles.
My head snaps toward Oliver. “You don’t use your magic? Because of that night? Those men were evil, Oliver. Your magic saved me. It’s a gift. And you must be powerful to have done that kind of damage accidentally at such a young age.”
“Extremely powerful,” Nick says. “There’s only one other sorcerer with as much power as him in all of the Midwest.”
“But he’s always refused to use his magic,” Director West adds. “We originally hired him hoping we could eventually teach him to trust himself. We could really use a sorcerer like him.”
He’s the most powerful sorcerer in Detroit? Suddenly, something in my mind clicks. “Wait!” Oliver’s eyes snap to mine. He knows what I’ve just figured out. “You’re SorcererX?”
He meets my eyes and gives me a crooked grin. It’s so adorable I find myself grinning back.
“Who’s SorcererX?” Nick asks.
“He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real friend. SorcererX is a guy I met in a paranormal chat room when I was desperate for answers about the underworld. Once I decided he was legit, I started asking him questions. He’s been feeding me bits of information ever since.”
“Nothing illegal,” Oliver says quickly at all the raised eyebrows. “I never outright gave up our secrets. I only ever cleared up some of her confusion when she learned something new, or corrected her misconceptions. I cautioned her about things, but I never told her anything she didn’t already know.”
I slump against my seat. My mind is so blown right now. “You’re SorcererX. The closest person I’ve ever had to a real friend is also the boy who once saved my life. I can’t even…”
Oliver lets out a long breath. “I’ve wanted to introduce myself to you for so long, but you’re so skittish.”
I cringe, remembering the way I’d blown him off when he tried to help me on the bus. “Sorry about on the bus last night. It wasn’t personal.”
Oliver shrugs. “It’s okay. I didn’t blame you. I know you’ve had a rough life. I’d be wary of strangers, too.”
I start to tell him he’s not a stranger anymore, but another question rises. “Wait. How did you know it was me online? And how did you know I had powers? Have you really been watching me all these years?”