Midnight Mage

16

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“Alisande saw something inside me, something that makes her think I can do this?” I asked at length. The Prime nodded. “What did she mean by ‘it’s too soon’?”

He paused, then admitted, “There’s a possibility your ability to track is linked to your lightning. She sensed the potential, but not the manifested power.”

“God, I’m a science experiment to you people.”

“What you’re saying,” Mal interjected, “is that without her lightning, the skill you want to use her for is stunted?”

“Yes.”

I took a deep breath and released it. “Then we’d better bring Adam with us.”

IT WAS a long drive from the compound to Snoqualmie Falls. For the first forty minutes or so, I stared out the back passenger window at the passing greenery, glistening and ripe with shadows in the evening light. Having been born and raised in L.A., the lushness of the landscape was a novelty.

The novelty wore off when the Prime and Omega started arguing.

“I have complete faith in you, Adam.”

“I appreciate that,” said the Omega flatly, “but it doesn’t change the nature of your request. Not even I can stop a bolt of lightning.”

“She isn’t going to throw one at me.” Green eyes, dancing with humor, met mine in the rearview mirror. “Will you, mo spréach?”

“Keep up with the pet names and we’ll see.”

Riven laughed. “See? She wouldn’t hurt me. She enjoys our banter far too much.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” grumbled Adam. “Besides, it’s not that I distrust Alfea, it’s that I distrust her discipline.”

Despite the growth in our personal relationship from animosity to not distrust, I took exception to his statement.

“I went years before Mal perfected the spell to camouflage my charge. I managed fine all by my lonesome.”

Which was more or less a lie, unless I measured success as not killing anyone while living in a basement with rubber gym mats attached to the floor and walls. I’d learned to ground, and had slowly built a tolerance for situations and emotions that triggered my charge, but really I just survived.

Nowadays I did my best not to think about that dark time. Ever.

The Prime, of course, knew my thoughts, but Adam didn’t. He said contritely, “Those years must have been difficult. May I ask how, exactly, Malcolm’s spell aided you?”

I resisted the impulse to refuse. “The spell dampened my charge enough for me to have some semblance of a normal life. Over the years, as my power increased, so did my discipline.” Adam snorted and I smiled smugly. “The spell grew and changed with me, and became more about averting accidental touch from bystanders. Like a Keep Out sign.”

I heard the connotation in the words as soon as I spoke them, and was grateful for the dim car interior. Not that I could hide the rise of my body temperature from the Prime.

The men were silent for all of ten seconds, then burst out laughing.

“Grow up!” I snapped. It was only a few moments, though, before I felt my lips quirk. “Assholes.”

“She’s laughing,” murmured Adam.

Passing headlights illumined the Prime’s crinkled eyes in the mirror. “Yes, she is. Like I said, marvelously resilient.”