Grant shrugged. “You don’t know what it’s like, always taking orders from somebody else. Just because Claudia Sinclair and the heads of the other Families have a little bit of magic and a whole lot of money, they think they’re better than the rest of us. Even though we’re the ones who do all their dirty work. Who keep the monsters under control. Who keep the rubes in line. Who save their sorry asses from the other Families’ plots and assassination attempts time and time again. Well, I’m sick of it. I worked so hard and so long to move up in the Family, but Lawrence still chose Devon over me in the end. When I heard about Devon’s power, I finally figured out a way I could get my revenge—a way that I could get everything, including my own Family. People who follow my orders.”
He swung his dagger in a vicious arc. Behind him, the two guys with swords crossed their arms over their chests, nodding their heads, agreeing with him. Bronze cuffs with a hacienda stamped into them flashed on their right wrists. So Grant had hired Salazar guards this time. I’d always thought that he knew everyone, and now I realized why—so he could have more people to use for his schemes when the time was right.
“You didn’t have to stay. You didn’t have to take orders. You could have quit. Left the Family. Gone somewhere else. Done something else.”
Grant let out a bitter laugh. “Like what? My father was stupid enough to gamble away my trust fund, which is why I ended up working for the Sinclairs in the first place. At least I got to live in a mansion again, even if it wasn’t my own. Besides, being part of a Family let me learn all sorts of secrets.”
“And Lawrence, Devon’s dad?” I asked. “Why did you kill him?”
Grant shrugged again. “Because he passed me over. Actually, I was trying to kidnap Devon that night. Killing Lawrence was just a bonus.”
Devon made a snarling sound deep in his throat, and Grant glanced at him.
“Oh, don’t worry, Devon. Your daddy didn’t suffer— much. Not like you’re going to suffer when I cut you open.”
He slashed out with the dagger. Devon snarled again, but Grant just laughed at his anger.
“You know, maybe I won’t even bother getting your mom to promote me to bruiser. Maybe I’ll just go ahead and take over the Family myself. Once I have your compulsion magic, I’ll be able to make anyone do anything I want them to, even Claudia Sinclair herself.” He paused. “What do you think, Devon? Wouldn’t you like to see your mom bowing her head to me for a change? I certainly would.”
Devon couldn’t say anything, but the look he gave Grant radiated hate. Yeah. I knew the feeling.
“But how did you do it?” I asked, still trying to keep him talking.
Grant turned back to me. “Do what?”
“You said that you were in the pawnshop and the library. You said that you killed Ashley. But you don’t look anything like that guy, the mystery man. So how did you do it?”
Grant stared at me. I thought he wasn’t going to answer, but then, his face began to . . . ripple.
And I watched while Grant’s features slowly changed.
His perfect nose, his chiseled cheekbones, his square chin, blue eyes, and golden hair. In an instant, they all softened, dulled, and disappeared, replaced by brown hair, brown eyes, and the other plain, average features of the guy I’d seen twice before. The mystery man who’d taken such delight in killing Ashley, trying to kidnap Devon, and attacking me.
But as quickly as the change came over him, he reversed it, and a second later, I was staring at the perfect, polished, handsome Grant that I knew. A faint chill of magic radiated off his body, and I finally knew what he was using his power for—what he’d been using it for all along.
“You have a Talent for illusions—for changing your appearance.”
Grant sneered. “Way to state the obvious, Lila.”
“The brown hair and eyes . . . that’s the real you, isn’t it? The pretty boy face you have on now is just what you let everyone else see. What you want them to see.”
“Of course it is.” His voice escaped in an evil hiss. “You think that anyone would look at me twice with a nobody face like that? You think anyone would notice me, pay attention to me, take orders from me? Of course not. Especially not with him around.”
He stalked over and bent down so that he was face to face with Devon. “It wasn’t enough that you were born with compulsion magic, was it, Devon? Oh no. You had to get good looks, too. Muscles, fighting skills, a rich Family, an adoring entourage of friends. I guess some people really do have all the luck.” Grant’s mouth twisted more. “Well, I don’t need luck.”
He straightened up and looked down his nose at Devon. “And I think it’s high time your luck ran out—permanently.”
He twirled the dagger in his hand, moving it into a better position so he could stab Devon with it—
“Wait !” I yelled, desperate to save Devon. “Wait!”
Grant looked over his shoulder at me. “And why should I do that?”
“Because what if you get it wrong?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Have you ever taken anyone’s Talent before? Ripped their magic out of them?”
His silence told me that he hadn’t. Behind him, the two guards exchanged a surprised, worried look. Apparently, Grant hadn’t told them he’d never swiped someone’s Talent before.
“What if you do something wrong?” I asked. “What if you mess up? Then you won’t get Devon’s magic, and you’ll just have a dead body on your hands.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
I opened my mouth, then clamped my lips shut, like I’d just realized the huge mistake I’d made.
Grant gave me an evil grin. “You know, you’re absolutely right. It would be better if I practiced on someone else first—you, Lila. After all, your sight Talent will let me see all of Devon’s suffering in supersharp detail. And won’t that be so much more fun?”
I made my eyes bulge as wide as they would go and started thrashing against my bonds, as though I were completely terrified. Not too hard to do. At the very least, I was moderately terrified.
I didn’t want my Talent to be ripped out of me, and not just because it would kill me. My soulsight and transference power were as much a part of me as my mind, body, and heart were. I didn’t want to lose them because I didn’t know who I was without them.
But it had to be this way. Because I had to break free of my bonds if I had any chance of saving myself, much less Devon, and there was only one way to do that.
“Oh yes,” Grant purred. “This will be so much better. And Devon will get to see exactly what I have in store for him.”