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“I should have led with that, I suppose,” he said. And then he rolled up the sleeves of his aviator jacket until his wrists and forearms were visible enough to see the swirling tattoos inked there. Each twining tattoo glittered silver with magic, much like the runes lining my study, only these were visible outside of the aether, and they coiled over his skin like headless serpents. “My name is Derrick King and…”
“You’re a Constable,” I said, rather dumbfounded. I’d never had a Constable in my home before. The power ebbing off those tattoos made my stomach lock up. “Have I done something wrong?”
“No, no,” he assured me, rolling his sleeves down again. “Leastwise, you haven’t done anything illegal according to the CEB. I think you could probably work on softening your approach to strangers, though.”
“I believe everyone has the right to be rude in their own homes,” I said and cursed the truth rune. With a scowl at the ceiling, I was about to suggest we go elsewhere when he chuckled.
“I saw the warding,” he said with a nod at the ceiling. “I’m more than happy to continue this conversation here, Ms. Grayson, but I’m willing to wave a flag of truce. Let’s take this out of the house.”
He grinned at me, all good humor and charm, and I scowled back at him. I did have time, blast his hide. And I was more than curious as to what the CEB could want with me.
“Well, I can’t throw a Constable out on the street without explanation,” I said and lifted my chin. “And polite society does function best on lies.”
His smile widened. “Do you drink coffee?”
“Copious amounts,” I assured him and moved to get my purse.
Chapter Two
The day promised to be hot for late August. Translucent white clouds made the sky a hazy blue and the sun shone brightly above the church bell tower across the street. A decorative wrought iron railing circled the balcony of Mrs. Cogsworth’s Cafe, interspersed by potted plants with large leaves, and each circular table boasted a sun umbrella that did little to protect us from the heat. The café was situated near the top of an enormous clock tower that stood in the center of Watertown, granting patrons a clear view of Charles River as it wound its way across the landscape.
It was the foremost café for Bright creatures in the area, run by a squat, ample warlock named Penny whose talent with earth magic was only superseded by her talent with pastries. Even humans had come to learn of this café at the top of the clock tower, which wasn’t strictly illegal according to the CEB guidelines, but it did walk a fine line.
Bright creatures were secretive for a reason.
Those of us who could live amongst humans without glamor enchantments had a responsibility to those whose physical forms could not be hidden. Though, if you asked my Uncle Martin, those who couldn’t blend with the human populace had a safe place to live in Fairy. That was, after all, the reason Fairy was created.
His argument had never quite settled with me.
A person should not have to hide who they are. And they certainly should not be subject to blind fear and hate purely because they have horns protruding from their skull or scarlet skin. So just because they could hide in Fairy didn't mean they should be forced to. And really, with the progress humans were making these days against prejudice, open cohabitation of earthside was only a matter of time.
Not that Uncle Martin was willing to admit that.
I watched the leisure pace of a couple as they walked toward a footbridge over the river and wondered again what I was doing here. The Constable had yet to explain what so-called opportunity he had for me. The two blocks we walked to get to the café were spent in niceties; how clean the streets were now that the government was cracking down on litterers, how pleasant the weather had been, and how curious humans could be.
An uneasy knot coiled in my stomach as I watched Derrick at the counter. He seemed utterly at ease, which I suppose he would be given he was the one with a badge, but there was something in his demeanor that felt off.
For a moment, I let my gaze go deeper, slipping from the mundane and into the aether, and hunted for any tricks he might have up his sleeve. Ribbons of magic coiled around him, flaring brightest where those constable tattoos marked him. I still couldn’t tell what sort of extraordinary creature he was, but I would wager some form of shifter. I had to quell the temptation to use mind magic, if only to appease my curiosity.
If I opened myself to his mind, he would know instantly. It was a shared experience and while there were ways for me to shield my conscious thoughts, there was no telling what my subconscious might share with him. And considering how good he looked walking back to our table, it would be a bad idea to let any of my subconscious leak out to him.
Derrick settled into the wrought iron chair opposite me and presented a steaming mug of vanilla flavored coffee. I took it, grateful to have something to do other than watch the way humans kept glancing at us.
Well, him, anyway. The gaggle of females at the adjacent table were not casting surreptitious looks at me, that was for sure. All their attention was on the way Derrick relaxed into his seat; one long leg bent out to the side in a far too casual manner. You would think we had been friends for years with the way he smiled at me.
Maybe he was a selkie. He was handsome enough to tempt anyone into joining the merfolk, and the CEB could use Bright creatures with charm magic. The Center for Earthside Bright had earned a reputation for being heavy-handed in recent years, especially after the interspecies marital law was passed.
Maker knew Uncle Martin hated the whole lot of them. He claimed they were tyrants whose only design was the subjugation of all the Bright living Earthside, and I could only imagine the fuss he would make seeing me share a coffee with this constable.
“Do you like counseling?” Derrick asked.
Startled, I stopped scanning the crowd to frown at him. “It pays the bills.”
“Barely.”
Thinking of my crumbling home, it was hard not to blush. “Are all constables this rude?”
“I’m just trying to understand why you’ve chosen this field.”
