Witch-Mage Breaking, page 7
Thea glanced at Kira, still in cat form, inside her satchel. He could have sworn Thea looked guilty. Brandon stifled his irritated insecurities about Kira and Thea. Often, when they looked at one another, he wondered if they were gossiping or mocking him in front of his face without him knowing because they could mentally communicate. With no real evidence to support this, Brandon pushed the assumption aside.
“I’m tired, that’s all,” Thea answered lightly.
Brandon stiffened. What was she keeping from him? Maybe it didn’t matter. He was her boss, but he wasn’t privy to every thought that crossed her mind.
“How are you?” Thea returned. “I can’t imagine how tired you are after the day you’ve had.”
Though her tone was friendly, Brandon sensed she was asking to distract him. He decided against pushing it, especially since he was so tired. He’d gone to the Council meeting needing a nap and instead had battled a dark presence from who the hell knew where.
Thankfully, Brandon didn’t have to answer Thea’s question because they’d reached the part of the building where the local cops and AID agents had arrived. The Council hedge witches were with them, arguing and demanding to be allowed to go home.
“You let the others go! Why can’t we?” one of the women called.
Brandon almost face-palmed himself. When he told the AID agents to make sure everyone from the meeting remained for questioning, he had meant every hedge witch, not only the Council members. In his fatigued state, he hadn’t made this clear, and the cops and AID agents had let the bystanders return home. He hoped they had at least gotten names and statements. He turned to Jax, ordering him to check.
Brandon faced the Council members. “Not one of you is to go home until we’ve conducted questioning. What happened tonight was the result of magic, and we suspect—”
“We didn’t agree to this, especially with her here!” One of the Council members cut him off. “For all we know, she could be the one who brought that monster. She’s tried to hurt us before!”
Following Samuel’s death, Brandon’s team had done their best to keep it under wraps that Samuel Blackwood was Thea’s uncle to end further assumptions about her involvement in the murders of nine hedge witches. However, the lack of this knowledge had not stopped certain groups.
Brandon turned to see the accuser pointing a finger at Thea. Thea’s features were drawn, but she still looked as though she’d expected it. Despite looking less than pleased, she made no effort to change their minds. She knew she couldn’t. Pearls before swine, Brandon thought. Was it any use trying to argue with them?
Claire seemed to think so because she stepped in. “If anyone dislikes Miss Blackwood’s presence, we can ask her to leave. Brandon or I will conduct the questioning. This isn’t optional. What happened tonight could have killed any one of you. If we don’t get to the bottom of this, it could happen again.”
“And what makes you think asking us questions will get you anywhere?” a woman demanded.
“I can step away,” Thea murmured.
“You can go to hell!” the first accuser shouted.
Brandon couldn’t help himself anymore. His temper flared. “If this Council wants a liaison program that works well, the first lesson you need to learn is that you don’t exclude them from a relevant matter because someone else gets their nose bent out of shape. Would you want that happening to one of your liaisons while working on a case? I thought not, so don’t treat mine any differently.”
His cold voice made everyone freeze. Thea gaped. Claire blinked. Mia lowered her head, apparently unable to figure out where she stood on this.
The word “mine” hung in the air. Brandon didn’t dare meet Thea’s eye.
“Brandon,” Claire warned.
“No,” he cut in. Claire’s eyes widened. Brandon never crossed her like this. “I’m sick of it. We’re getting nowhere!” He threw his hands up and turned to walk from the room.
“Give him a second,” Thea pleaded with Claire. Brandon heard the words as he walked out, and a fresh wave of embarrassment overcame him.
I shouldn’t have said it like that. He did need a second, though.
When Brandon returned a few minutes later, he found Claire still attempting to convince the Council to remain for questioning. He doubted forcing them to stay would go over well. They’d never be let into a Council meeting again, and they could forget anything having to do with a liaison.
Some Council members were willing to stay, but others refused to be held longer. The Council was divided to the core. Brandon needed a painkiller for his persistent headache. “Let them go home. We can reconvene another day,” Mia spoke up.
Brandon’s jaw tightened. Part of him registered how logical Mia was being, but he didn’t want to wait a second longer. “That’s it. I’m done for tonight.” He left the room for the last time that night, aware that he’d get a tongue-lashing from Claire later. He didn’t care.
Hurried footsteps sounded behind him. Brandon knew it was Thea before she stated, “We have the autopsy coming up, at least. We should learn something from that. And if there’s anyone who can convince the Council to cooperate, it’s Mia. She needs time.”
Brandon whirled on Thea, the sharp words falling off his tongue before he had a chance to leash himself. “All Mia has done so far is look helpless while her Council bickers and wastes everyone’s time!”
Thea stilled, hurt flashing across her face. His words stung her on behalf of Mia. For what felt like the twentieth time that day, Brandon wished he hadn’t spoken. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I get a hold of myself? He realized he was talking and acting this way due to exhaustion but also because he’d become unguarded around Thea. Once, that might have been a good thing, but it certainly wasn’t now.
“Thea, I’m…”
She shook her head, backing away. “That’s all right. You don’t have to explain yourself.” Her voice was stiff. She was hurt.
“I shouldn’t have said that shit. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking tired, and…” He trailed off, dragging a hand through his hair. He started to say something else, but Jax approached, his face hard.
“Mind telling me why Mia is crying, and Claire looks like she’s about to skin someone alive?”
“Mia’s overwhelmed,” Thea murmured, and Brandon’s heart ached at her choice not to inform Jax what Brandon had done seconds ago.
“And Claire?” Jax demanded. “If you’ve gotten me in trouble, Cole…”
“Whatever Claire is angry about, it’s me,” Brandon answered. “Don’t worry.” A heavy, tense silence followed. Jax’s gaze flicked from Brandon to Thea, sensing something off between them.
Brandon turned to head toward the front doors. “Jax, take Thea home, please.”
Both Jax and Thea stared, and Brandon knew why. Brandon had always been the one to take Thea home so they could discuss work matters or whatever else. Before either could object, Brandon added, “I need to get this scene processed and complete the minimal paperwork.” Then I’m going home and sleeping for a long fucking time, he thought.
Jax glanced at Thea, then back at Brandon. “I can take care of the scene, Brandon. Don’t worry about the paperwork, either.” Jax’s kindness hit Brandon. If there was anything in the world Jax hated, it was paperwork, yet he was willing to do it so Brandon could get his head screwed on right. Jax, Thea, Mia, and Claire had been team players tonight, but Brandon had fallen short. Guilt filled his chest in a wave.
“No,” Brandon returned curtly. “I’ll do it. Just get her home.”
It was Jax’s turn to feel stung, and Brandon hated himself for it. He was so flustered and angry that all he could do was look away, then stride toward the room where the battle with the dark presence had occurred. Gods, he needed time to think without interruption. The last thing he needed was the distraction of Thea while he took her home.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I understand too well the dreadful act
I'm going to commit, but my judgement
can't check my anger, and that incites
the greatest evils human beings do.
Oh, say, how call ye this,
To face, and smile, the comrade whom his kiss
Betrayed? Scorn? Insult? Courage? None of these:
'Tis but of all man's inward sicknesses
The vilest, that he knoweth not of shame
Nor pity! Yet I praise him that he came . . .
To me it shall bring comfort, once to clear
My heart on thee, and thou shalt wince to hear.”
—Euripides, Medea
The Monday after Christmas, Thea rode her bike through the city toward AID headquarters to soak in the last of the sights before the city took down the holiday decorations. The day was not as cold as the previous ones, and she enjoyed the bright sunshine. She had two other reasons for biking, too. She wanted to delay getting to the morgue as long as she could, and Kira was dying to try something new.
Thea had spent the past few days celebrating, comforting Mia, and doing her best not to think about Brandon. Now that she was supposed to meet him and Mia’s aunt Giselle Belmont at the morgue connected to AID’s buildings, she couldn’t avoid it any longer.
Kira, cycling beside her in human form, had a lot to say about what Brandon had told Thea the other night. After the incident, Thea told Kira she didn’t want to talk about it. They’d had Christmas to focus on. Now, with work in front of them again, Thea couldn’t keep the extra-dimensional entity quiet.
What Brandon had said about Mia was far from fair, and Thea expected he’d been in hot water with Claire. His brusque attitude with her and Jax hadn’t helped matters. She hoped he’d gotten plenty of sleep and would be in a better mood when they saw one another.
“These man troubles of yours are a doozy,” Kira stated, turning her bike around a corner so fast that she almost crashed into a pole. This caught the attention of three young men walking on the other side of the street, who stared in their direction.
Kira turned toward them and waved, wearing a broad smile. Thea glanced at the young men. None of them were clean-shaven or had bothered grooming their facial hair. They looked like the sort of guys she’d seen on Tinder who didn’t have bedframes, let alone headboards. Brandon probably had both.
Gross, Thea thought, shoving the thought away. The last thing I need to think about is my boss’ sleeping conditions.
Aloud, she asked Kira, “Why don’t you ever choose the cute ones?”
Kira waggled her eyebrows. “You mean besides Brandon? I didn’t think he was available. As for everyone else, I’ll admit it’s part curiosity and part principle.”
Thea raised a brow, ever impressed by the philosophies of a creature who was not from this world. “Meaning?”
“It’s unfair that humans are stuck in their forms. I shouldn’t limit their access to my attention because of what they can’t change.”
“Except they can change some things, and they choose not to,” Thea replied, smiling for the first time since leaving her apartment that morning. “There’s this thing called a razor and another called deodorant. Either they choose not to buy them or don’t know how to use them.”
She thought of how Brandon was always clean-shaven, exactly the way she liked it, and smelled good even when they were in training or on a mission when circumstances conspired to produce less than pleasant body odor. Thea shook her head as if to rid her mind of the thoughts.
“I think Brandon was acting like he was the other night partly because he sensed I was keeping something from him,” Thea admitted as they reached the end of a street and turned onto another. The whole almost astrally projecting to talk to other extra-dimensional beings wasn’t exactly being “aboveboard,” as Claire had made them promise they would be.
Thea feared telling Brandon would make him more stringent with her or risk his good standing with Claire and other superiors. She felt it was better to keep it to herself until she knew it would work.
Kira sensed Thea’s thoughts and offered her own. “I understand the risks you face, Thea, but do you really want to hide things from your team? We’ve seen before how well that goes.”
Thea considered that keeping secrets from Brandon and the others would make her like her coven. She couldn’t stand the thought of being compared to Mother Folsom. Secrets were what led to her parents being killed and much of what was wrong with the coven. Thea valued her team and had too much rapport with them to jeopardize it. “You’re right, Kira. I’ll tell Brandon the next chance I have.”
“As soon as you see him?”
Thea shook her head. “No. I’ll wait until after the autopsy. Who knows? We might discover something that will change what we need to do about other entities.”
“The backlash will come regardless,” Kira reminded her.
Thea fell silent, inwardly acknowledging that Kira was right once again. Part of her was avoiding astral projection because she was afraid of confronting her backlash. However, if she didn’t, the next time she needed to use a good amount of her magic, she’d be in trouble.
They reached headquarters, and Kira changed to her bird form and perched on Thea’s shoulder. Thea cast a glamouring spell, so no one could see her. Though well aware of what Kira was, Brandon would not want Giselle wondering why Thea walked around with a pet bird following her.
The fewer who knew about Thea’s extra-dimensional shenanigans, the better. Besides, it was easier than getting Kira a visitor pass and all the hassle that came with her having no ID and no way of getting one.
Halfway across the parking lot, Thea heard her name called. “Thea, wait up!”
“Mia?” she turned. “What are you doing here?”
Mia approached alongside her Aunt Giselle, whose many dark braids swung down her back. She offered Thea a smile and a pleasant greeting.
“Good to see you again, Theadora. We enjoyed seeing you at Christmas.” Giselle Belmont was one of the few people in the world who Thea didn’t mind calling her “Theadora.” She was practically Thea’s aunt as well as Mia’s, and Thea had loved her since the moment they met several months ago.
Thea returned her attention to her friend. Mia seldom came to headquarters and only when she was called in to meet with Claire when matters of the Council needed clarification. Because Mia also co-owned and worked in her shop, it was difficult to make time to come by the offices. Plus, she wasn’t an official employee of AID.
“We wanted a chance to talk to you about what’s happened on the Council since last week before we saw the others,” Mia told her. “I know I could have called you or come over tonight after you were done with work, but I felt you should know as soon as possible. Besides, Auntie Giselle was coming here anyway, so I thought I’d tag along.”
Thea was happy to see her. She had no doubt Mia wanted to talk to her without anyone else from AID present. Maybe Mia had sensed Brandon’s irritation toward her, but Thea hoped her friend had not overheard what Brandon said the other night.
Furthermore, Thea felt ashamed for not immediately jumping to her best friend’s defense. She spoke up before Mia could continue. “Look, I know what Brandon said the other night was messed up, and I won’t make excuses for it. I know I should have stood up for you, but I didn’t think it would matter then, and—”
Mia’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Nice going, Kira projected into Thea’s mind.
Thea’s face fell, realizing she’d said too much. She told Mia about her final exchange with Brandon before leaving the community center. After that, the only contact she’d had from him was a calendar reminder about their morgue visit.
Mia was disappointed at first but nodded. “Brandon could have worded that better, but he’s right.”
“He is?” Thea asked.
“Things inside the Council have grown worse since we were last together,” Mia explained. “The whole damn thing is at risk of coming apart any day now. Word got out about what happened at the coven estate, and now everybody is more suspicious and worried than ever. More than they were during Samuel’s reign of terror.”
Thea blanched. “That bad, huh?”
Mia nodded. “Hell, some in the hedge witch community are blaming the Council for encouraging people to turn against AID. They think AID could help us. Many others are digging their heels in more than ever, saying they’ll never cooperate with AID again. You can imagine the discourse they’re having about you, too.”
Ah yes, Thea thought. They can’t seem to keep my name out of their fucking mouths. She had expected backlash from her coven and the public over some of the choices she made with the Samuel ordeal. Hell, she expected some from the hedge witch community, too, but not like this.
Mia’s community, which Thea had always loved and vowed to serve regardless of the path she took in life, was the last she expected to turn against her. Over the few days they’d had off for Christmas, Thea had received countless DMs and emails with everything from menial name-calling to threatening to burn her apartment building down.
“I’ve heard it said over and over again that if AID had done its job before, none of this would have happened to begin with,” Giselle conveyed. Thea imagined her connection with AID as its magical coroner did not make her life easy.
Mia sighed. “Everything we have planned for New Year’s will have to be canceled or moved. I’ll be drowning in Council meetings for at least the next few weeks.”
Thea understood and was relieved since she also had a lot on her plate. She was supposed to start her last semester of school soon but was now unsure if she could handle the class load on top of the occasional public appearance she had to make and this new case. She sensed things were going to keep blowing up.
I should email my professors and see if I can start late or, worst-case scenario, move my classes again. While some of her professors understood, others couldn’t imagine what was taking a twenty-five-year-old so long to graduate.
Thea’s phone buzzed with a message from Brandon asking when they would be there. “We’d better head in,” Thea told Giselle.
