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He regarded my fist, still caught in his huge grip. “Honestly, what were you expecting to do with this? Your form is terrible. Your speed was rivaled only by the Olympian snail racers. A toddler could have taken you down.”
I ripped my hand back, steaming. “I’ll have you know that I’ve won plenty of fights before. I have a decent punch too. I just wasn’t prepared.”
He drawled, “The fighter who can’t punch decently at any point is no fighter at all. I’m afraid we’ll have to start at square one with you. Should have expected it, but oh well. Before that, do your sniffy thing. Go on.” He waved his hands at the building.
Start at square one? What did he mean by that?
Uneasiness wormed through me. I glanced at him while he leaned over to smell a daisy, looking way too happy and carefree.
This man was trouble. No other way to put it. But what else should I expect from an archangel?
Still, he didn’t seem like a power-hungry asshole who’d ruin my life. He was too playful. Mischievous. That also meant he had plenty of his own secrets. And maybe he was just better at hiding his worst sides.
Focus, Gray.
Razai straightened, a white daisy tucked behind his ear. “You seem frustrated.”
“My magic isn’t… it’s not working quite like it should.” I could admit that much.
“You expected this to be easy?”
I paused. “Well, I need to have something of the killer’s in order to track them. And unless forensics can share their findings, I’m going in blind on that front. But beyond that? I’m not just a tracker,” I ended vaguely.
“What other skills do you have?”
“You don’t really need to know that.”
“As your employer—”
“It wasn’t in the contract,” I said with a savage smile. “No section determined that you had the right to know my methods. Only my results.”
He opened his mouth to argue, paused, and then relented. “Fine. If you’re having trouble using some of your ‘methods,’ then you’re likely being blocked. People use protective spells and charms, after all.”
I shook my head. “Divine races don’t have that kind of magic. We’re only capable of nature-based manipulation, so…” Understanding punched me in the chest. “You’re saying they go to human mages?”
“Of course they do.” He twirled his daisy with a pleased smile.
Even though Divine races lived among humans, there was a stigma around purchasing mage charms or spells. As if only the weakest, the most inadequate of the Divine would stoop to rely on a mortal human’s power. It was a subject of pride. A stupid one, but I couldn’t change public opinion.
“That’s surprising,” I admitted. “And it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Doesn’t it?” he challenged. “Who spits on the humans the most? Who, in our society, is the most hateful toward them?”
“The rich,” I answered, because everyone knew it. “The most powerful fae. The pureblood shifters. The archangels. So, why would they touch human magic if they’re the most hateful toward them?”
Razai crossed his arms, eternally disappointed in me. “Go on. Take a second to think.”
It did only take a second. And, once it clicked, I was pissed at myself for not seeing it before. I huffed, “Because they want the advantage. The powerful use mage magic secretly while vilifying the humans publicly. All to keep everyone else from benefitting from the mages. Godsdamn.”
“Excellent!” Razai grinned, slinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close.
I collided with his hard body. The shock of his muscular, tall form and heady scent overwhelmed me. Just the way his hand consumed my shoulder made me imagine what it would feel like sliding around my waist, over my hip…
His thigh moved against my side as I stumbled along, herded toward the university while bewildered by my own stuttering heart.
“I think you’re going to do just fine on this job,” Razai confided, pulling me up the stairs. “Now, let’s immerse you in the setting.”
I’m just not used to being touched. That’s all.
