Magic Slays

“What, of some fancy boy on the screen? Inconceivable.”

 

Oh, this was going to be good.

 

We took our plates to the coffee table by the couch, and I slid Saiman’s disk into the player. The warehouse full of cars solidified on the screen. Curran’s face went blank.

 

When the first notes of the song sounded through the living room, he looked at me. “He set it to music?”

 

“His exact words were, ‘It begged for a soundtrack.’ ”

 

A Ferrari flew across the screen and crashed into the wall. Curran looked impassive.

 

I chewed a piece of my steak. It had to be the best steak I’d ever had. “I seem to recall a certain man boasting about his ‘superhuman’ restraint.”

 

“I did show remarkable self-control.”

 

“You destroyed five million dollars’ worth of luxury cars.”

 

“Yes, but none of them are wearing human heads as hood ornaments.”

 

I dropped back onto the pillow. “So you want credit for not repainting the place with blood?”

 

“The guards walked away. Saiman walked away. Tell me that’s not superhuman.” Curran pulled me close to him and kissed my neck where it joined my shoulder. Mmm.

 

“Where did you get this?” His voice was entirely too casual for comfort.

 

“That source Jim keeps referring to is Saiman. He is knee-deep in this whole thing. He left some evidence at Kamen’s place, and I tracked him down.”

 

“Did you go to see him?” Curran asked.

 

Warning: danger ahead. Rocks fall, everyone dies.

 

“Yes.”

 

“At his apartment?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Where is Saiman now?”

 

“I’m not sure. Under the bed? Maybe you should try the closet.”

 

“Kate!”

 

 

 

I laughed. “You should see your face. Don’t you trust me?”

 

“I trust you,” he said. “I just need to talk to him.”

 

Aha. Talk. His Majesty, Master of Negotiation. “I took Derek with me when I went to see him. Saiman is so scared of you, he didn’t even want to let us in. And the Keepers sent a team into the place to finish all of us off. How can you be jealous of him? It’s like me being jealous of Myong.” Not that his latest ex-girlfriend didn’t inspire jealousy. She was a stunning woman, elegant, beautiful in an exotic way. She was also fragile like a delicate glass ornament.

 

“Nothing ever happened between me and Myong,” he said.

 

I rolled my eyes. “Right.”

 

“I’m serious. Not that I didn’t want to at the time, but I tried to kiss her once, and she got a deer-in-the-headlights look. I got a feeling that if I went any further, she’d shut her eyes and pray for it to be over, so I backed off.”

 

“Maybe I should check the closet to see if the beautiful Myong is hiding in there, since you are so hot for her . . .”

 

He blinked. How does that foot taste?

 

“Blah-blah-blah.”

 

“You’re so eloquent, Your Majesty. So kind and generous to your subjects. So full of snappy comebacks.”

 

“Don’t forget brutally honest. To my own detriment even.”

 

“Oh, yes. Honest to a fault.”

 

“You never told me where Saiman’s hiding.”

 

I took my plate into the kitchen.

 

He followed me. “You like to screw with me, is that it? Saiman, that Russian mage, that merc . . .”

 

“What merc?”

 

“Bob.”

 

I racked my brain. I’d barely said two words to Bob. “He stopped by our table to ask me which way I’d vote in the Guild elections. They still haven’t figured out who is in charge, and I’m technically on the roster.”

 

“Yeah. Did he have to lean over you while he was talking?”

 

 

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