She shook her head. This was the truth she really didn’t want to admit, but she owed Josiah an explanation. “With the demon, I saw fear in his eyes. And he seemed human. But with the shadow mage… I was afraid. I thought if he sensed I might hurt him, he’d murder me with his mind. His aura was immensely powerful. And when he first showed up, I was certain he was there for vengeance.”
“Vengeance for what?”
A wave of guilt washed over her. “I mean, because of what we did in the interrogation room. His eyes looked so much like the inc—”
“You did nothing wrong in that interrogation room,” Josiah cut her off. “The Brotherhood need us to act quickly. The mages have infested half of New England now, and something terrible is coming. Worse than the Boston Slaughter. If we show them weakness, they win. It’s that simple.”
A sigh slid from her. “Something is definitely coming. And I want to be on the side of the Brotherhood when it comes. It wasn’t just the shadow mage on our campus tonight. There was a sea mage, too.”
“Did you see him?”
She shook her head. “No. He must have been further away, but his magic smelled of the ocean.”
He swore under his breath. “I shouldn’t have allowed you go out alone tonight.”
The comment hit her like a slap in the face. “Of course you should have. I’m a Hunter. Going out alone is part of the job, and you know I can fight.”
“Your combat skills are incredible, but mentally you’re not battle ready. You can’t let your emotions get the better of you.” He shook his head. “You need to master your fear, or the demons will see you as prey.”
She flinched. “We’ve been over this. It’s why you singled me out for that special session downstairs.” She took a deep breath. She had no clue why she’d made it out alive at all, and now, she just needed Josiah to get to the point. “So what’s the deal. Am I fired?”
“The Chamber will review the case, but it’s not as if you’re the first novice to screw up. The Brotherhood won’t want to lose you. You’ll be giving them intel about two mages on the Thorndike Campus. No one else can sense them from so far away, or with such precision.”
“I’ve had an excellent teacher.” She exhaled slowly. He wasn’t an unreasonable Guardian, and he always seemed to have her back. On top of that, Josiah was one of the best Hunters the Brotherhood had ever trained. Randolph Loring had promoted him to Guardian at only twenty-three years old.
Her relationship with him should have been awkward after the break up, but she’d quickly stopped thinking of him in a romantic way—even if his chiseled physique excited all the other female novices.
“It’s not just your hunting skills that make you valuable,” he said, eyes flicking to her neckline. “With your Computer Science degree, the Brotherhood will want you to work on their security systems.” He pulled out a small, iron pendant, inset with rubies. “I still have your chalice.”
“Next time.”
His eyes met hers, and he handed it over. “Take it. You’ve earned it, anyway.”
She forced a smile. It was sweet of him to try make her feel better, though she didn’t deserve this. “Thank you, Josiah.”
He pulled out an iron flask, etched with Latin phrases, and handed it to her—ambrosia, the sacred drink of the Hunters. “This will help clear you of the stain of magic.”
She took a sip of the sweet liquid, and instantly her aching muscles relaxed. The stuff was addictive.
“Better?” He lowered his eyes. “You know I only had to end it with you because the Brotherhood wouldn’t allow us to be together.”
She handed him the flask again. “I know, Josiah.”
“I’ll still protect you.”
Her father’s message flashed in her mind. I can’t protect you. “That reminds me.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket, bringing up Mason’s text. “Any idea what Mason is talking about?”
His brow furrowed, Josiah stared at the phone. “How should I know? Why don’t you ask him?”
“He’s not answering. He shut off his phone.”
Josiah arched an eyebrow. “Great parenting.”
“He’s not really a… parent,” she muttered.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about, but like I said, I’m here to protect you. Get some rest. I’ll let you know when you need to come before the Chamber.”
The blood drained from her head as a horrible thought struck her. “Will I need to go in front of Randolph Loring and everything?” He was the flame-haired leader of the Brotherhood. His family’s power stretched back centuries. The man was at least ten times as intimidating as Josiah.
“Relax. Randolph has better things to do than listen to a novice.”
Rosalind rose, but Josiah touched her hand. “Don’t think about the mage. Whatever he said to you, he was just trying to screw with your mind. And stay out of trouble tonight. If a mage has marked you for some reason, you need to stay hidden. You know how much they’d love to take you as a slave for their own disgusting purposes. He’ll want to rape and feed on you. Or turn you into a monster like him.”
She winced, thinking of how easily the shadow mage could lure someone into a trap. His beauty and sensual aura were all the weapons he needed. “I’ll be safe. Thanks, Josiah.” She curled her fingers around the chalice pendant.