Page 39 of Magical Midlife Conclave

Jessie

I felt Edgar and Nessa moving together. Tristan rose, his connection clearer now, something that happened when he shifted into gargoyle form. Ulric and Jasper were perched on rooftops about a mile apart, on either side of Nessa’s location. Other gargoyles waited in the area, knowing something was going on by Tristan in the area, but not what.

I opened more connections, organized them, and enhanced them, the practice nearly second nature now. I’d been working on it religiously.

“We’ve got company,” Niamh murmured, sitting in her usual spot at the bar.

“Oh yeah?” Fred said from her other side. Sue stood a little removed, watching the bar.

I blinked and looked around, noticing a glass of wine in front of me and Sebastian staring at me, pushed in close to fit between me and Sasquatch. We hadn’t been long in getting to the bar and sitting down. Probably. I tended to lose track of time when I homed in on the connections.

“Would ye quit starin’ at her, ya eejit,” Niamh berated Sebastian. He flinched. “She’s just tired, like. That gnome infestation is draining the life outta her. She’s running here and there the whole time. Can’t get a moment’s peace. What that vampire is doing about it, I have no idea. Ah sure, he’s busy making his doilies and tending his flowers. He ought to be retired, that’s what he ought to be. Useless. But does anyone listen to me? Not a-t’all.”

“Huh.” Fred nodded, staring at her computer. “That is a lot to unpack. Has he tried bug spray on them? Everyone hates bug spray. Or, you know what?” She didn’t look away from her computer. “Something sticky. Honey, maybe. Even inanimate but somehow magically animated items hate stickiness. I bet honey or candy or something would make them think twice.”

Sebastian looked across me at Fred with disbelieving eyes. His gaze flicked back and forth between Fred and Niamh.

“She says that, and you’re not going to yell at her?” Sebastian demanded. “I, on the other hand, look at my pretty friend, and I’m somehow the problem?”

“Starin’ at the dark circles under her eyes, ya mean,” Niamh said.

“I definitely did not say that,” Sebastian sputtered.

“Not cool, Sabby.” Fred looked over with a frown. “That is not cool. May I call you Sabby? I really love that nickname. I see you as a Sabby. Stabby Sabby, maybe…” She squinted. “No, too far.”

“Okay, okay.” I put up my hand, feeling Nessa and Edgar wind farther and farther away from the town’s center. Where were they going?

I sent a directive to everyone in town now. Watch. Report.

It wasn’t an exact science, but they should know that meant to communicate through the connections and not outwardly show anything they picked up on. The gargoyles were less of an issue, magically hidden by the buildings they stood next to or perched on top of.

A sickening thought occurred to me. I turned to Sebastian as I noticed a stir in the bar.

“What?” he asked me urgently.

“She’s looking for a little space, that’s what,” Niamh said, trying her damndest to make Sebastian’s and my interactions seem normal. She was doing a lot of heavy lifting right now. “What are ye lookin’ at, ya donkey?”

Sasquatch narrowed his eyes at her, pushing up close to the bar to get a visual of me.

“Do ya need something, like?” she badgered him.

“What are you so interested in?” I asked Sasquatch, suspicion coloring my words. He’d always hated me. From the first moment he’d met me, he’d wanted to make my life a living hell. Helping someone exploit this territory with me and Austin as a target would certainly do that.

“Is there a point to your being here if you aren’t going to drink?” he asked me, and nudged Sebastian so hard, Sebastian shoved into me.

A connection lit up. My focus quickly went inward, tracing it, half falling into Niamh and not noticing.

A shout yanked me into the present. Well, that and Niamh’s jostling me back in my seat. Sebastian jolted in fear, falling into me again and then backward, his chair overturning.

I just caught sight of Sasquatch’s shoes, kicking out, connecting with his drink on the bar and knocking the bottle over. He was ripped out of his seat and held in the air. His shirt ripped and Austin’s hand reached around to take hold of his neck to keep him dangling.

“Purposely knock someone into my mate again, and I will kill you, do you understand?” Austin growled, his ferocity silencing the bar.

Another connection lit up, dragging at my focus. I barely registered Sebastian being held up by Aljoe, having apparently caught him before he hit the ground. A large bubble had cleared around us, part of which was inspired by Aljoe’s sisters, who had absolutely no problem posturing as alphas and scaring the hell out of anyone close enough to feel their emanating power. They seemed to work off each other, building their individual power into something greater than the total. Lionesses, I’d bet. Teamwork as effective as wolves but ten times deadlier.

“Very strong,” Fred said, watching Austin for a moment before turning back to her computer. “See that, Niamh? He’s holding that dirty dude up by just his neck. That is a lot of gym time. Or whatever he does to get those guns, huh?” She reached for her coffee, losing interest.

So did I. Two connections were active.