Izzy listened to Conlin and Jebediah's retreating footsteps. An involuntary chill raked her body as unwanted memories assaulted her. Things if anyone else had seen, she would have been arrested or taken to the nearest shrink. Conlin had been far too close to the truth. How much did these people know about her? Had she been watched? Could she even trust them? There were more questions than answers. She should flee. Move to another state. Change her name. But she'd still have no more control over her magic than she did now. If what they said was true, it was going to get worse until she killed someone or herself. She'd already done the first and had no desire for the latter.
Besides, she'd finally found people who shared her uniqueness. Faith healers were the stuff of religious nuts and scam artists. But Jebediah had done exactly that—no needles, no medicine, no machines, just his hands upon her chest. She thought of the fire she called at will and the energy burning in her blood. If he could heal, maybe, just maybe, she was not alone in the world. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't a freak.
She had no idea if these were the good or bad guys, but what choice did she have but to trust them for now? She needed them to learn how to control her powers. Jebediah had explained magic comes from within. If not used, it's like a volcano, building up pressure until it erupts. With training and practice, one could learn to focus the energy and channel it for specific reasons. Only by honing the craft could a magic user not self-destruct. He hadn't wanted to explain much more than the basics. A part of her was glad. Much more information and her brain would have said enough and exploded. No doubt he knew less was more tonight.
Where Conlin had been overwhelming in both sheer size and demeanor, Jebediah had radiated a quiet strength. He wasn't much taller than Izzy, but he was solidly built. His dark brown hair curled at his temples, softening his angular face. His brown eyes were kind, tempered with a hint of mischief. His entire being exuded confidence and trust. Perhaps it was his natural affinity for healing. It would make sense if your personality was in some way tied to your innate abilities. She could recognize the fire traits in herself. Temperamental and passionate, she had trouble finding her off switch once keyed up. When she was happy, she was exuberant, although she had not been happy in a long time. Confused, alone, and frustrated more accurately described her existence for many years.
Her job at the Pig and Whistle wasn't much, but she had a few friends there. It's hard to become close to someone when you are hiding who you are. Conlin and Jebediah had said, "Like us." From their conversation she got the distinct impression there were many with magical abilities. They didn't freak or have her locked up. Finally, she could talk to someone. Really, truly, talk to people without slipping or being afraid of what might happen. But could they be trusted?
She didn't know.
Jebediah was much easier to read than Conlin, who got her all riled up. She'd never experienced such an intense reaction to anyone in her life. Everything about the man oozed sex. Just thinking about him made her body respond. Where Jebediah had a boyish charm, Conlin was pure masculinity. He was powerful, from his ropes of corded muscle to his whiskey-lined voice. And his eyes. God, those eyes. The deepest green she had ever seen, framed with long black lashes. They weren't just beautiful, they shone with intelligence and compassion and an intensity that made her common sense flee.
She was in so much trouble.
Izzy had begun to drift off to sleep when someone knocked briefly before letting the door swing open. A small girl stood in the doorway with a tray of food. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she smelled the heavenly scent of a burger and fries. Her favorite. It was cholesterol on a plate, but yummy nonetheless.
The girl stepped in the room and kicked the door shut with her foot. When she got to the bed, Izzy noticed there were two plates on the tray and both were fully loaded. "Scootch," the girl said, indicating the lack of room on the bed. Izzy complied, pulling her legs up and leaning against the headboard. The girl climbed on the foot as she set the tray between them. With a wave of her hand, she said, "Hey. I'm Kasey. I was hungry, so when they said you were up and ready to eat, I figured I'd pop on down and eat with ya. Cool?"
"Sure. Uh…Izzy."
"Awesome. We can talk later. First, food. I can't think on an empty stomach." Picking up the burger, Kasey took a gigantic bite. Kasey couldn't have been more than five feet tall. Her white blond hair, cut in short, ragged strips, spiked up in all directions, not from gel or styling but from nature. She sat cross-legged on the bed, devouring her burger. "You gonna eat?" Kasey said through mouth full of food. "Oh, wait, we need drinks. Almost forgot." Setting her dripping burger down, she wiped the grease on her pants before pulling her messenger bag off over her head. She fumbled around for a second in her bag and produced two Mountain Dews. "Nectar of the Gods," she said, tossing Izzy a can before resuming burger consumption.
Izzy caught the drink, but dropped it into her other hand before tossing it back and forth like a hot potato. Only it wasn’t hot, it was ice cold. “How do I drink this? It’s gotta be frozen solid.”
“Careful. You pull the tab on that, and we’ll have an MD shower.”
She set the drink down on the bed, hearing the fizz coming from inside the can.
“No worries. I got another.” Kasey pulled another can from her bag. “I like my Mountain Dew frosty and plentiful so I’ve made a few modifications to my pack.”
Izzy exchanged her drink for a fresh, less explosive one and eyed Kasey’s bag. It looked like any other military-style messenger bag. Olive-green, laptop-size, and strappy.
“I’ll show you how it works later. Promise. But for now, eat before the food gets cold. I got no way of keeping a burger warm so eat up.”
When Izzy took her first bite, her taste buds sang. Kasey must have been watching her mouthgasms because she piped up, "Dru makes a damn tasty burger, eh?"
Izzy nodded. "Dru? Conlin mentioned him."
"Haven't met him, yet?" Izzy shook her head. "You'd remember him if you did. A freakishly tall guy sporting one hell of a shiner. He's the guy who saved your ass along with Riley."
"Are they okay?" Izzy didn't want to think about people being injured on her account. If they'd hurt themselves to save her, she would have to pay them back somehow. She never reneged on a debt.
Kasey started laughing. "Them? They're fine. I mean Riley got cut pretty bad but nothing Jeb can't handle. As for Dru, not a damn thing can help his butt ugly face. I think the shiner is an improvement."
"Jeb? Jebediah?"
"Yeah. Jeb's damn good at healing. I can do a little, but it's sooo not my thing."
"So you are a…" Izzy trailed off not sure exactly what to call it yet.
"Yep. Everyone here is."
"And where is here?"
"You mean, Mister I'm In Charge Don't Question Me didn't tell you?"
She thought of whom Kasey could mean, and it couldn't be the understated Jeb. "Conlin?"
"Yeah. Please tell me he at least put a shirt on before he waltzed in here?"
The heat flooded her cheeks. With reddish blonde hair and fair skin, it was impossible to hide her reaction. If Conlin kept coming up, she would be a tomato more often than not. Wait, how did Kasey know he was shirtless? Had she been with him? Her stomach tightened in a knot. Surely this was not jealousy. Hell, she'd just met the man.
"I'm going to take that as a no. Has he no shame?" Kasey stuffed another fry in her mouth and swigged down her drink.
"Are the two of you…umm…" Izzy said, unsure how to phrase her question. Kasey's brows formed a question mark. "I mean, are you two lovers?" Kasey snorted and almost choked on her drink before dissolving into fits of laughter.
"Sorry, but that's the funniest damn thing I've heard in a long time," Kasey gasped, trying to calm her giggle attack. "Conlin and I?" She erupted in another fit, kicking her feet on the rail of the bed. "Oh, God, it hurts." She wheezed, holding her stomach. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she rolled over on her side and propped her head up with one hand. "Seriously, can you see the two of us together?"
Izzy blushed again as she thought of Conlin. "Well, I…umm…"
"No need to get flustered. He has that effect on women."
"It's not like I have…"
"Hush. He does. No need to deny it. He's a walking poster boy for hotness. If that's your thing."
Her face in flames, Izzy took another drink.
"I've known Conlin since he couldn't wipe his own ass. His parents and mine were tight. I was five when my folks died. Conlin's dad took me in. I can't even fathom Conlin in a boyfriend kinda way. Besides, I'm so not his type."
A wave of relief passed through her. She would have to examine that later. Or not. But for now, there were far more pressing matters. "Where am I?"
"Oops. Sorry. Got on a bit of a tangent there. You're at the Magic Users Collective of Houston," she said, making her voice sound official. Izzy raised a brow. "I know lame name, but there it is. About twenty years ago, we incorporated."
"Incorporated? Like some kind of business?"
"Yep. Well, I mean we aren't legal in terms of the government. Basically, all of the units across the US decided to work together. It should have happened a long time ago, but egos got in the way. Go figure?" Tossing her can in the trash, she pulled another out of her bag. Kasey popped the top and took a sip before continuing. "Eamon, Conlin's dad, was instrumental in the deal. He heads up the Houston division. Without him, it would have never happened. He's out of the country now talking with the heads of the Western European divisions."
Western European divisions? The whole of the US? Izzy couldn't believe the scope of operations Kasey casually talked about. If there were that many magic users across the country, hell, the world, how had she lived in the dark? "What the hell do you guys do?" She asked, belatedly realizing she'd spoken out loud.
"Simple. Find MUs before they burn out, train 'em, and fight the bad guys."