I never had any interest in her, either.
Judging by Seth's goldfish-faced staring at her, he does. Now that would be something bloody funny to see—Seth flirting with a chick. I've watched for signs he's attracted to Vee, and if he is, he keeps his thoughts well hidden.
Syv sits and swings her long legs around, facing us, and Xander places himself sideways on the sofa to look at her.
She tucks her phone in the leather jacket pocket and looks around. "Your visit to the Collector went well, I hear."
"Did you look at the images I texted to you before?" Xander asks.
"Yep."
"And?"
"I've not seen anything like them before. Col told me they're older than him and not fae. They don't look demonic to me either."
I smile to myself. She has to be one of the only people who calls the Collector anything but his full name.
"But have you looked for magical items as old before?" I ask.
"Yeah. They're harder to find. Mostly amulets, fetishes, and shit that have a connection to my clients' races. For example, I know if I'm looking for a fae item to look for particular gems or talismans depending on the court. This? Sometimes hidden in the weirdest items. I've found old bones with this type of rune carved, but also located something inside books. There's no knowing what to look for." She pauses. "Humans like to put things in museums, which is bloody stupid on their account as anybody could take them."
"Anybody such as you?" asks Ewan.
She winks at him.
"How do you know where to look for things?" asks Vee.
"If I have a lead, I follow it. I have a skill for detecting magic sources around. Put me in the vicinity and I'll know." She pauses. "It's acquiring them that can be the dangerous part, and I'm skilled in that area too. Hence, I'm expensive."
Joss reappears from the bar with three drinks. He passes a small glass containing clear liquid to Syv, a glass to Vee, and sits with his beer.
"Where's ours?" asks Ewan.
"Oops I forgot." He grins before swigging from the bottle.
"We found the rune used in a human company logo. Have you heard of Myriad Foundation?"
"Nope." She drinks. "What is the Myriad Foundation?"
“We’re still investigating exactly what they do, but it’s community-based projects of some kind. Helping the homeless or something.”
"How cute."
"We have some people’s names and want you to see if you recognise any." I pull a folded sheet from my pocket and pass the paper to Syv.
She holds it between two fingers and scans the words. "Nope."
Xander huffs and rests back.
"I'm unclear exactly what you want me to do." Syv knocks back the remaining contents and gently places the glass on the table. "Find someone or find something?"
"We need you to search for anything that could be linked to the runes. A cypher. A book. Anything at all."
She hands back the paper. "Yeah, that might be wasting my time. I'm on another job right now."
"Doing what?" asks Ewan.
"Collecting." She gives him a sweet smile. "I want out of this shitty winter. I'm leaving next week."
Shit.
"We can pay for you to stick around," says Xander. "This is important and not just to us."
"Yeah, but, Xander, everything's always important to you guys. What makes this so different?"
"Someone's trying to kill us," says Joss.
"And? That's not new either."
Xander flashes Joss a look. "Surely you realise if someone is using magic this old, then they could be more powerful than anybody we've come across before."
Syv wrinkles her nose. "Possibly. Or this could be someone who thinks they can wield the magic and ends up killing themselves. Problem solved."
"I admire your optimism," I reply.
Syv shakes her hair from her face and sips her drink, sizing up the situation. "I might be able to spare some time to help. If you can get me an 'in' to the place, I'll scout around before I leave." She pauses and flicks her fingers. "Then, if I think there could be something to investigate, I will. Cash upfront."
"Yeah, right," scoffs Xander.
She places her glass down. "Suit yourself. Maybe when I return from the States I can help you then."
I throw Xander a look as she stands.
"Wait. Okay. How much?"
"Ten thousand."
Ewan chokes on his drink and Xander's lips thin as she waits.
I glance at Xander. "Sit down. Let's negotiate."
Syv drains her glass and rubs her lips together. "Sounds good. Maybe we should all get some more drinks."
"I'll get them. Ewan?" I incline my head towards the nearby bar. Most in the room are sitting, leaving the barman with elbows on the table and a glazed look. I'd say boredom, but I'm unsure who's drunk or if they're using the magic dealt here.
I haven't had a chance to speak to Ewan about recent events. I know Xander has, and he’s concerned something still bothers him.
8
HEATH
I wait with Ewan at the bar, aware how much we stand out even without being the Horsemen. Some of these fae know who we are; others don't care. As we order, another guy as tall as us but with half Ewan's bulk approaches and ensures he's as far away as possible from us.
"How's things?" I ask Ewan.
He continues to stare ahead and a muscle ticks in his jaw. "I'm good. Eager to move on and find out what's happening. And fix it."
"I'm still freaked out over what happened to Joss. I've never had to use as much magical energy to bring one of you back before."
Starting Joss's heart again was bloody hard. This time, it was as if he needed my physical energy too to make the cold, clammy skin warm beneath my hands. A weakness spread back through my arms in return, and all I wanted to do afterwards was rest.
"I think he's okay now." Ewan nods at the white-haired bartender as he places the first of our drinks order on the bar. "I also think Seth's right. Someone is using our powers against us. That worries me."
Not as much as it worries me. I want to comment with my fear about myself and what happens if Vee can't use my resurrecting skills, but Ewan's touchy about the situation. There's an unspoken tension between the four of us that his decision to keep his hands off Vee could be slowing us down.
I glance back to the others, where Seth sits bolt upright, hands on his knees. He watches everybody who passes before turning his attention back to the spellbinding Syv. She can tell he's smitten by her; Syv's used to attention, and I'd love to see how he'd respond if she took the next step into teasing him.
"How do you feel about our hanger-on now?" I ask Ewan.
He takes his beer and turns to rest against the bar, facing our group. “Seth? I still don't trust him. Do you?"
Good question. Sometimes, yes. Others, no. I've worked amongst humans, whereas the guys haven't, and I've come across weird guys like him before. I always wondered what went on behind their eyes and below the surface, but they never hit my radar enough for me to bother. Seth is helping us, but there's an agenda beneath that help.