“Yeah.” The word was clipped, and Gideon eyed me again.
“It’s great that House Tellier is so successful,” I said.
“It is,” Gideon said. “Is that all you wanted?”
“Well…” I paused, trying to wrack my brain for something else to say, when I felt a stir of magic.
That’s wizard magic. Is it Gideon or the House?
The House could be picking up on Gideon’s emotions and regard me as a threat—I wasn’t sure I’d be able to tell a difference between the two.
Gideon briefly turned to look back behind him, and I saw a wizard—the woman who had initially answered the door—peering down the hallway. Orange colored fire burned in her palms, and the stark black of the wizard tattoo stuck out against the paleness of her cheek.
Oh—that’s not good.
Whatever I’d stumbled on, it was bad enough to make the wizards raise their magic.
“I guess that is everything,” I said. “I just wanted to thank you for your service, so I’ll get going.” I took a step away, doing my best to rapidly disengage without raising any more suspicion—which would have been easier if I knew just what it was that I’d said to set them off in the first place!
The female wizard hurried down the hallway and stood at Gideon’s back, still holding a ball of fire as she peered past him to watch me.
“Thanks again!” I waved to them as I backed up, unwilling to put my back to them.
Gideon stepped outside the House—not a good sign. “Hey, what did you say your name was?”
“Oh.” I wasn’t panicked—I’d been drilled too much to panic over something like this—but I did start bracing myself for a fight as I kept backing up. “I didn’t say my name—it’s slayer practice not to.”
Hopefully, Binx is hearing this and has made the call for backup.
“I think you should share it.” Gideon held up his hand.
I made it to the stairs of the porch. “No,” I said. “I really don’t think I should.”
Fire engulfed Gideon’s fist and his wizard tattoo—which was spikey and more of a brown color than the typical black—spread across his cheek. “Let me put it this way, you will be making an exception.”
“Now that absolutely was a threat. I think it would be well within your rights to pull your gun and shoot him, Slayer.”
No.
I recognized that voice, that dark, smug, dangerous voice.
But how did he get here?
CHAPTER
TEN
Jade
Iturned in the direction of the voice and, sure enough, Ruin, aka Considine Maledictus, was seated on a wooden rocking chair positioned on the left side of the porch. His hood was pulled up and he had his legs crossed at the ankles as he lounged in the rocker, the image of deadly sophistication.
Considine lazily waved to me, and his chair creaked when he rocked.
Terror twisted my heart—not terror of Considine, but worse. Terror, because the second I saw Considine something in me eased.
He’s not backup! I can’t let my guard down!
“Who are you?” Gideon barked as he and his friend left the doorframe to stalk in Considine’s direction.
Considine stood—he towered over the wizard. “I’m not your concern. Consider me an audience member, who is very much looking forward to watching you be humbled by the slayer. Unless…” Considine cocked his head, and his voice turned a shade darker and more dangerous. “Were you planning on using your House magic? That’d certainly make things more interesting.”
“You,” Gideon fishmouthed. “Vampire?”
“Wow. You’re slow.” Considine turned to me. “Explain to me: why not pull a weapon? He’s got his magic—weak as it is—out.”
“I’m not trying to arrest him, yet” I said.
“Why not? He’s obviously criminally stupid. There must be some kind of charge for that.” Considine strolled over to me—something my instincts warred over responding to because being closer meant better defense, but it was Considine Maledictus!
“There’s not,” I said.
“Well. That’s disappointing,” Considine said. “And very shortsighted.”
Fire spread to both of Gideon’s hands, further proving he was the idiot Considine thought he was. “Are you with the Drakes? You’re here on behalf of Adept Medeis, aren’t you?” Gideon said several unrepeatable insults about the Adept that made me glad April had remained on the sidewalk or there would have been violence for sure.
“I am here on behalf of myself,” Considine said. “Because I’m bored, and you’ve been occupying my one consistent source of entertainment in this city. But I’m not opposed to a brief moment of fun if you want to push things.” He tipped his head back and forth, his teeth briefly flashing in a startingly white smile. “What do you think, Slayer: would he last five seconds or one before he started mewling with pain?”
“Ruin,” I warned him.
Gideon stormed inside the House, almost running over the female wizard. Once safely cowering in House Tellier, he turned around and gripped the edge of the door. “Whatever—leave! I rescind your invitation to stand here as Heir. House! Get rid of them!”
“I apologize. We’re going.” I started down the porch stairs.
“Must we?” Considine turned towards his abandoned rocking chair again. “I’ve been wondering how I’d hold up against a House. Finding out would be interesting.”
I charged back up the stairs—ignoring all my finely honed slayer instincts—and grabbed Considine by the wrist. I then turned around and hurried back across the porch, dragging him after me. “We’re going,” I repeated before tucking tail and rushing down the steps.
Considine sighed but followed me as I hurried across the pavers intent on getting back on the public sidewalk, out of reach of House Tellier.
“What happened?” April asked once we reached the public sidewalk. “Binx didn’t catch the entire conversation, but she said it was going downhill.”
I held a finger up to my teammate—a silent request to give me a moment—then turned around to face Considine—who had now replaced House Tellier as the biggest threat since we were on public property. “What was that?”
“That was Gideon Tellier acting shady,” Considine said. “I’m saying it now so I can say I told you so later: you are going to regret not shooting him.”
“No, why are you here?” I asked.
“Oh. I already said why: I was bored.” Considine effortlessly tugged his arm from my grasp, then slipped his hands into his pants pockets. “I figured you had to be somewhere around this city, so I roamed. When I found you, I must say I was quite scandalized that the Curia Cloisters is either chintzy with their backup or incompetent in threat assessment.”
Was he… worried about me? Considine Maledictus was concerned for me, a slayer?
The idea felt crazy and maybe I was giving myself too much credit. From the first time I met him, Considine had said he found me entertaining. He was probably preserving me just for chuckles.
I pointed my face towards April and Binx—keeping the rest of my body homed in on Considine. “Did you see him arrive?”
“No,” April said.