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Take the money, Gray. Just fucking take it. This is your job.
“I hope you never have to hire me again,” I told her, snatching the cash and shoving it into my pocket. She’d known what I’d meant. My delivery hadn’t been the pinnacle of bedside manners, but I wasn’t a doctor.
Keep her safe, I’d wanted to say. If you love her, make sure this doesn’t happen to her again.
Without another word, I turned on my heel and stalked away. Sometimes, the job was fun. Sometimes I got to find lost puppies or help elderly mortals rediscover their dentures. But sometimes this job was depressing as shit.
I found the nearest subway station and boarded. The train screeched itself into gear while my heart roiled and pitched around.
My fingers dug into my pocket to retrieve the money and then paused when they met plastic instead.
Oh, right.
I pulled out the stalker’s quarter. It sat in a plastic bag so my essence didn’t rub off on it too much.
This was a good distraction. With a deep breath, I opened the bag and sank my magic into the quarter, plucking out his trail. The thread deep within me tugged backward.
So, he was still following me—wait.
I zoned in on the thread, confirming what I sensed. The trail led directly behind me. Not upward toward the streets.
Chills washed over my skin As casually as possible, I glanced over my shoulder and then snapped my attention forward again. “Fuck.”
The train rattled and swayed. Suddenly, it was far too hot in here. Too hot to breathe, to stay conscious.
I clutched the pole and closed my eyes, willing air into my lungs.
The stalker sat no less than ten feet behind me.
How had I not noticed him before?
Why wasn’t he doing anything? Saying anything?
Feeling like a mouse in a maze, I realized I’d prefer him to make his damn move instead of… of this game. If he attacked me, I’d have something real to report. Even with Dad’s suggestion, going to the police now would most likely be a waste of time.
They couldn’t do anything until something was done to you.
“Leave me alone,” I whispered. “I don’t want any trouble. I’m not anyone important.”
Maybe I could do something crazy. Unhinged. Scare the bastard away. I knew how to scream with existential dread. It would sound like I was dying—or, like, men when they stub a toe.
This was probably the day I would die. And what could I do about it? Absolutely, positively nothing.
The train screamed to a stop. Its doors couldn’t open fast enough. My feet stomped on the concrete, furious and fed up. Angry, speeding people were a norm in this city, and yet everyone seemed to sense they should give me a wide, wide berth.
My magic pulsed with insistence, never taking its attention from the stranger, who continued to trail behind.
Within a few minutes, my palms hit the door of Azra’s Delight, the hinges complaining with how hard I shoved them into action. A gust of wind blew in with me, whirling my hair and clothing around me like some bespelled bringer of doom. It was a wonder that lightning didn’t crackle from my fingertips.
The chatter in the cafe stuttered and halted.
Azra lifted one dark, sassy brow.
I announced, “I’ll be in my chambers,” and stormed into the back office, where I raged into my sudoku app for a whole hour and plotted my escape routes for if and when he snuck up on me.
My final appointment flaked, which meant that I wormed my way behind the coffee counter to help Azra with the rest of the after-work patrons. Jasmine was usually off by six, but tonight was busier than normal, so Azra didn’t complain about the help.
It kept me occupied. It gave me something to do with my shit attitude besides focusing on my twenty-four seven tracking of the stalker. Maintaining a constant awareness wasn’t impossible, but it sucked on my energy like a leech.
