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Today was bound to be a taxing day. I wasn’t getting much accomplished on my case the non-magical way, so it was time to pull out the mind games. Again. This time I actually got permission from my supervisor, all above-board and legal...ish. My brand of magic was frowned upon, and the few fae and other supes who could perform mind manipulation liked to keep it on the down-low. For some reason, people got all scared and defensive if they found out you could poke around in their brain and influence their thoughts and actions that way. Weird.
I had managed to arrange a meeting with the Pharma-X big-wigs, including Jackson Eddie, the president of the company, and a couple close underlings. They thought I was from a prominent business publication and wanted to interview them about a new vitamin cocktail they’d recently released that was supposed to slow aging and improve about a billion different shallow health measures in humans. I had used my influence to persuade the person arranging the meeting that it was actually important enough for the bosses to attend. Laughable, really. But I was my father’s child. When I had my head in the game, I could charm the robes off a monk, as my fae aunt liked to say.
Feeling more like myself, and more than ready to get this damned case over with—even if that meant I’d have to find some other excuse to linger here, near Cora for a bit longer—I spent the morning wrapping up some paperwork and assisting remotely with a couple other cases. Then I headed out to get an energy boost before my meeting with Pharma-X. Cora was working this evening, so I’d also get to see her for a few minutes, which would definitely help improve my mood before I went into enemy territory.
I was just pulling up to the shop when I got a text from Cora. We’d been talking constantly since our date. Thank all the gods, Cora seemed willing to overlook my weird gender fluidity and the whole celebrity family thing. Of course, that was just because I had to open my big mouth and say it was just a meaningless fling. But I wasn’t letting myself think about that right now. I smiled as I swiped the phone screen, then frowned. Cora wasn’t going to be there. She had to call in and switch shifts because of a family emergency.
I immediately wanted to rush off and see if there was anything I could do—doubly so, when I had the suspicion that it wasn’t a great thing for Cora to spend time around her family. But I did have a job to do. And that was probably too much, too soon, especially for a fling. I asked, all the same. Cora politely, but firmly, brushed me off with a “Stop being a clingy squid and go do something productive.”
And to think, her overprotective co-workers treated her like she was some fragile weakling. “Good girl,” I muttered, tucking my phone away. Some of the pep was gone from my step as I entered the shop, but I did still want some fortification. Using mind control for an extended time on multiple people was draining. And if they were at all resistant to my attempts, which some people were, that would just make it even harder. Calories, sugar, and tons of caffeine would go a long way toward preventing burn-out. I had already had a couple energy drinks, and hopefully they’d have the usual snacks and beverages available at the meeting, but it never hurt to over-prepare.
I sighed when I saw Brier was working the counter. Made sense, I guessed, if an employee had called in last minute. He was refilling a dispenser of flavored syrup when I entered. His luminous yellow eyes flicked upward to meet my gaze, but his expression didn’t change. He was sensitive to natural energies, and I leaked magic like a sieve unless I was really trying to mask it. He’d probably sensed me before I opened the door.
“She’s not here,” he said, as he finished his task and grabbed a towel to wipe off the little bit of syrup he’d dribbled on the counter.
I rolled my eyes at his brusque tone. “I’m aware. Can’t I just be here to get coffee?” For the love of the gods, I’d spent enough money on lattes the last couple weeks to buy him a new espresso machine.
He shrugged, the silver studs on the leather collar he wore winking in the florescent lights. I wondered if he really did enjoy the goth esthetic, or if it was just habit from all those years pretending to be a light-deprived human. I quelled my curiosity and paced to the counter, absolutely not thinking about how fun he’d be to shop for. “I’ve got a rather...taxing...job this evening, so I need something to keep me going. I’ll take whatever concoction you can come up with that has the most calories, carbs, and caffeine. And then add some extra shots, just for good measure.”
He shook his head. “If you were human, I’d worry about your heart exploding.” He paused, as if having a giant epiphany. “But...you don’t have a heart. I keep forgetting that.” His long, nimble finger with their extra joint were already moving over the register keys.
I wanted to smack the little shit. But I really didn’t have the time or energy for anger today. “Right. That’s me.”
He arched a black brow at my lack of return fire and went to get my drink ready, pulling down an over-sized travel mug from the sales rack and washing it out before he started filling it. “Well,” he said, surprising me by offering some sort of token try at making peace. “Goblins don’t have feelings either, so I suppose you’re in good company.”
I blinked at him in shock, but he ignored my awe at his ability to make jokes and demonstrate empathy. “What is it you’ve been working on so obsessively anyway?” he muttered. “Someone pee in the hotel pool?”
I leaned against the counter as I waited for my drink. “Ha, ha, ha. No. Someone has been dumping something in the river. I’ve got a meeting with Pharma-X in half an hour to wrap up my case.”
He pursed his thin, dark lips and let out a low whistle as he pumped about five kinds of sugary syrup into my cup. “Be careful, Octopussy. Those fuckers hate our kind, and they don’t make any attempt to hide that little fact.” He started dumping in steamed milk and shots, a crease between his brows.
I huffed a laugh. “What? Are you saying you’re worried about me?” I straightened and put a hand over my heart. “I’m shocked.”
He rolled his eyes and pushed the massive mug my way. “Fuck no. I just don’t want to have to listen to Cora bawling because her new fuck buddy got murdered by humans. You know how much I hate crying females.” He shuddered.
I took the cup and lifted it in salute. “Thanks for this. I’ll try not to inconvenience you by dying this evening.”
Then I headed out to break some brains.
*****
THE BOARDROOM WHERE I met with the Pharma-X crew was every bit as coldly posh as I’d expect from a corporation that made millions off drugs and tonics. The medical system in our country had undergone some major changes since the reveal—a lot of them driven by my godparents—but there would always be people who were set on profiting from the needs of others, whether those needs were true, physical issues or merely the psychological need for longevity, beauty, or some skewed ideal of perfection. I crossed my legs and smoothed my pencil skirt, leaning forward to put my elbows on the table. One of the asshats was running late, and I wasn’t about to start the party without him.
Instead, I had to listen to droll banter and snide insinuations that the others—president Johnson and his two underlings, a gaunt older man and a ferrety middle aged woman—had far better things to do with their time than sit for some ridiculous interview. But they had been told it was important. I’d instructed the organizer—some mid-level office staff—to use any means necessary to ensure they attended. Who knew what kind of dire corporate threat was hanging over their heads?
Finally, the door opened, and Jackson Eddie strode into the room, full of energy and self-importance. “I apologize, Miss—Leon, did you say your name was? Something pressing came up.” Something more important that spending time with you, woman, the tone said.
I smiled, leaning back in my chair and opening my leather-bound notebook as if I was eager to get the interview started. I wrote the date and company name across the top of the page as the twits all settled in around the pricey but boring wood table. “Alright then,” I said, tapping into my fae powers and meeting each person’s eyes in turn. Compulsion really worked better if you maintained eye contact. But I could snare them, then keep bouncing back to them and keep them under. Probably. “First question,” I said, feeling my power settle and start to pull on my reserves. “Everyone pat your head and rub your belly.”
They blinked at me. The gaunt underling guy immediately started doing as I said. Weak will power. The woman and president followed soon after. But good old Jackie Eddie just blinked at me dazedly. “What?”
I sighed. There was always one. “I said pat your head and rub your belly.” I pushed a little more power his way, then jerked my gaze to each of the others to make sure they were still under my control before meeting his eyes again. “Come on now, sweet meat. I don’t have all day.” He slowly, jerkily followed my commands. His coordination was horrible. I’d laugh, if he wasn’t slowing me down. I needed to get this over with before I developed a crushing headache. I was tempted to make them all bawk like chickens, but I’d done enough to ensure they were listening.
“Okay, who wants to tell me what the fuck you’re dumping in the river?” I sat with my pen poised over the paper and looked around the room hopefully. I knew Jackson Eddie was probably coordinating the dumping, but how far up the food chain did the disease go?
President Johnson looked at me blankly, still patting and rubbing. The woman twitched her nose with a slight hint of curiosity, then subsided back into blissful non-reaction. The gaunt guy’s motions stuttered. Then he slowly looked at Jack Ed before going back to his earlier commands. So one underling knew something was up, but that was it.
Jackie Edster struggled under my influence, but I sent another heavy-handed wave of magic his way. “Tell me all about what you’ve been up to with the dumping, asshat.” Sure, I could tell them all to stop rubbing and patting now...but I kind of wanted them all to wake up with sore body parts and not know why.
My dad would be so proud.
“I hired one of the city council members to dump chemical F into the river. He is supposed to take the blame for it in case someone comes poking around.”
I arched a brow. “Well, that didn’t work very well for you. I already knew that. What are you dumping? What is this ‘chemical F?’”
He was silent for a long moment while his tiny brain tried to fight its way free. The others were still happily under my control. Of course this one would be difficult. “Come on,” I ground out. “Sing.”
I rubbed my temple when he started literally singing the rest. “I doooon’t knooow.”
“Stop. Just talk. For fuck’s sake. As if my headache wasn’t already going to be bad enough without listening to that bullshit. Your singing voice is worse than a drunk harpy chain smoker. What is chemical F?”
He shook his head, his eyes starting to take on that sheen that said he was about to go down hard and become my biggest fan. “I don’t know. I swear. They didn’t tell me what it was. Just that I had to dump it in the river and collect the data.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Who? Who told you to dump the stuff? Someone at Pharma-X?”
“No,” he said with more adamant head shaking. “They’re way bigger than Pharma-X. I don’t even know for sure who they are. I got my orders from an intermediary.”
I sighed. It was nice to know my intuition was right and there was more to this than met the eye. But also...gods damn it. Why did everything have to be so complicated? This was supposed to be a simple case. “Why are you gathering the data? What is it?”
He smiled like a gleeful child. “It’s to keep track of how the substance affects the local wild supe populations.”
I bared my teeth at him. “So whoever is paying you to do this, they’re basically running an experiment on local wild supes?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Those creepy things.” He shuddered. Ah, specism at its finest. Asshole.
“And? What is the chemical doing? Why do they want to know? What are their plans for it?”
He sighed, long and wistful. “I don’t know. I never had enough clout to be told anything more. So far it seems to make the supes sick, but then they recover. So what’s even the point?”
I snorted. He was actually disappointed that the crap wasn’t killing people or doing something horrific. “You’re a complete douche nozzle.”
He smiled dreamily. “I’m a complete douche nozzle.”
“What the hell are you doing to him?” Oops. I had paid too much attention to Mr. Douche Nozzle and my control on the others was slipping. I brought the president back under control and prepared to wipe their memories and cut my connection. I was starting to develop a full-fledged headache.
I opened my mouth to start coaxing them into ignorance, but a burst of laughter and voices made me freeze. The door was flung open and a gaggle of women carrying laptops and snacks froze halfway into the room. Fuck. The place was supposed to be practically empty at this time of day. And they should have been able to see that the conference room was booked by the VIP assholes across the table from me. The woman in front looked around, her smile fading to confusion as she quirked look at the people around the table doing the rub-pat move.
Another woman laughed. “What in the world is going on?”
I smiled. “Team building exercise,” I said easily. “You guys can stop now.” I smiled at the others and sent a little push of compulsion down the line to get them to knock it off. They all stopped. But they just froze in place, sitting in those weird, unnatural positions because they were so loopy with mind control that they’d gone literal. Fuck my life. “Relax,” I said with a smile, my teeth gritted together.
The morons all relaxed at once, like weird puppets.
The woman in the front of the herd of what must be some burn-the-midnight-oil-while-we-snack-and-gossip group started to look really damned suspicious. “Who are you again?” she said to me, setting her laptop bag aside and pulling a cell phone out to of her pants pocket. I groaned internally. “I’m a reporter with Corporate Buzz. We’re just wrapping up an interview, so if you could just give us a few more minutes, we’ll be out of your hair, and you can have the room.”
She ignored me and looked to Jackson Eddie. “Jack, are you okay? You don’t look...well.”
No, he looked moony and weird. For fuck’s sake, why couldn’t they just fuck off for five fucking minutes. Sighing, I gathered up my power and stood, making sure to meet the eyes of the six additional people I was now going to have to mindfuck. “Come on in and close the door.”
They all shuffled in and one of them shut the door. “Lock it, please,” I said. All I needed was more jackasses crashing the party. When that was done, I gestured at the floor. “Sit down and shut up until I get to you.”
Then I set about erasing memories and planting suggestions in the minds of ten people. By the time I was done, my head was throbbing, and I was feeling a bit woozy. But everyone in the room thought they were having some grand old office party and had forgotten I even existed. I slipped out and got the hell out of the building. I was halfway to the parking garage when the world started spinning. “Oh, fuck me.” Then I fell to my knees.
Sucking in air, I waited, praying my power was about to equalize and start building back up. But nope. “Really screwed the pooch on that one, didn’t you Io?” I muttered, then started giggling when I realized I was going to have to crawl to my car.
Long fingers wrapped around my upper arm and someone dragged me to my feet. I stood staring dumbly into a pair of glowing yellow eyes. “Gods, how much do you weigh?” Brier muttered as he slipped an arm around my waist and got my arm over his shoulder so he could shuffle me toward my car. “Maybe lay off the sailor snacks, Octopussy.”
I snorted. “I don’t eat sailors.” I searched for something clever to add, but came up with nothing. “We don’t do that anymore,” I said, lamely.
He sighed and started patting me down with one lovely hand. “Where are your keys?”
I chuckled, feeling drunk. “In my bra.”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t buying it. He slid a hand into my blazer pocket, huffed, then leaned me against the side of the car so he could riffle through my bag. Finally, he let out a triumphant sound and straightened, my keys in hand. “Get in the car.”
I opened the door, but he dragged me around to the passenger side. “Like you’re in any condition to drive. Seriously, Io. You’re so fucking stupid sometimes.”
I gracefully tumbled my ass into the passenger seat and watched as Brier chucked my bag in the back and settled behind the wheel. “Why are you here, goblin?”
He glanced at me, then away, focusing on backing out and getting us out of there. “Call it a hunch.”
I snorted and he finally relented. “I knew you were probably getting in over your head. So I...followed you.”
I cackled. “You’re a stalker. Weirdo.”
He rolled his eyes. His big, glowing, goblin eyes. “Shut up. I know you. I know you think you have to take on all the world’s problems all by yourself.”
He wasn’t wrong. So I didn’t say anything.
After a few minutes, the drunken haze started to let up a little bit as my body tried to restore my power levels. I still felt like absolute shit. But now I was with it enough to also feel colossally embarrassed. “Where are we going?” I muttered.
He headed deeper into town, pulling into the St. Augustine beach parking lot. “Water,” he said, his voice a deep, biting thing. “So you can replenish.”
I sighed. This beach was one I usually avoided because of the crowds. But it was dark now, and there were just a few stragglers around who also wanted to avoid people. I got out of the car, surprised at how dizzy I still felt. Yep. Overdid it there. Brier took my arm and started hauling me toward the water.
“My knight in shining armor,” I said, reaching over to touch the heavy chain of his bracelet.
He sniffed, that long nose twitching. “Hardly. But someone has to look out for your bumbling ass.”
We reached the water and he let go as I started tugging off my clothes. “Little help here?” I snapped. Being drained made me cranky. And so did stripping in front of the guy who had walked out on me.
He took a deep breath, as if he was steeling himself to deal with the most annoying person he’d ever met. Then his long fingers undid the clasp of my skirt and pushed it off my hips. I tossed my shirt and bra aside, then looked down at my stockings. I could just leave them on. But they were my favorite. I’d just bought them yesterday, and the salt water would ruin the decadent silk.
Brier growled low in his throat and started undoing my garters. “You and your fussy-assed clothes.”
I smiled and tried not to enjoy the feel of his fingers against my thighs as he worked the stockings off and set them aside. Hey, it wasn’t like I was getting them off on my own without falling over. And I couldn’t use magic to hold onto my clothes when I shifted like usual, since that would just deplete me even more. Brier knelt at my feet, staring up at me with those luminous eyes glowing like the dangerous night creature he was. “Well? You going to go swim now? Or did you just want to give me the world’s most boring peep show?”
I shoved him aside and splashed not-so-gracefully into the water, calling to my half shift as I fell. The ocean called to me, her energy refilling my soul, healing me from my stupidity. I floated on the waves with my eyes closed, letting the surf sing to me, her lullaby filling me with power and strength.
After who knows how long, I shifted back and made my way to shore, feeling steadier. I was surprised to find Brier waiting for me, sitting cross-legged in the sand peering up at the crescent moon overhead. I had fully expected him to disappear off into the night, now that I wasn’t in danger of slipping into a coma. I shook myself off and pulled on my shirt and skirt, picking up my stockings and undergarments to carry with me so they wouldn’t get ruined by the salt water. Brier stood and followed along.
I paused at the car, surprised when he didn’t just go get in the passenger side. He stopped in front of me, and I nodded at the car. “Get in and I’ll drive you home.”
He shook his head. “Thanks but...I think I’ll wander a bit. The night air is alive, and the moon isn’t glaring. It’s a good night for lurking.”
I sighed, a bit of a wry smile lifting one corner of my lips. I hadn’t gotten to spend much time being Brier’s partner before he ghosted me. I think the fae in me would have enjoyed a bit of moonlight lurking with my reclusive goblin. He must have been thinking the same thing, because for once, his sharp features softened, and he reached out to push the damp hair out of my face. “Be careful next time, idiot.”
I licked my lips, suddenly remembering—and craving—the taste of earth magic and dark places that was uniquely Brier.
I don’t know who moved first. But suddenly I was pressed up against the car, one hand wrapped in Brier’s long, dark hair, his strong, slender frame warming me through my clothes. He tasted like moonlight and danger. Like the deep, secret places of the earth. Like crushed ferns and moss while we fucked ourselves stupid in the middle of the woods.
Sharp teeth bit down on my bottom lip, and his hands dragged over my hips before he pulled away, stuffing those brilliant, clever hands into his pockets as if he was locking them away for bad behavior. We stared at each other for one long, painful heartbeat.
Then I let out a shaky breath. “That....”
He turned away. “Is never happening again. I know. Go away, Io. Go chug some energy drinks or something. Call Cora if you need someone with you.”
Then the damned, sneaky goblin was gone, sliding into the shadows in the way only his kind could.
“Okay, then,” I said to the night, knowing he could hear me. “So, we’re on the same page then. That was utterly gross.”
Cause we both knew exactly what a stupid, terrible idea that had been. Obviously, we didn’t work as a couple. That had already been proven. I was just feeling all maudlin and craving physical connection because my power was still equalizing. That was all.
I licked my lips and definitely did not think about how I tasted earth magic. Then I got in my car and headed back to my lonely apartment.