“You can just call me Jessie.”
“You do a good job of masking it. When you opened up and let it roll out earlier with the alpha, it blew my hair back. Figuratively speaking. You’d want to be careful showing off that much power without the knowledge of how to properly use it. Your power is worth more than Ivy House’s money.”
“Speaking of…” I traced my finger down the side of my bottle. “I could really use help with that. You said you’d give me the week, right? What if we treat it as a trial run? We train with magic once a day for two to three hours—whatever we can handle—and the rest of the time is yours to do with as you please. We can have a chat at the end of the week, see where we are and what you’re thinking.”
He shrugged, watching the people in the bar. “The week, sure. I’ve never been given an apprentice. I’ve always wondered about the apprentice/master bond.” Austin stiffened before leaning an elbow on the bar, looking away. Sebastian noticed it. “I came here, to this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, to satisfy my curiosity. I fully intended to leave at the end of the week.” His eyes were still on Austin. “But that display earlier… I’ve never seen a shifter at work. I am…fascinated. Their magic is built in. They don’t need spells and incantations, potions and magic-built eyes in the back of their heads. Their primal senses fill that gap. Their strength and speed—if I had been that man with the odd haircut, my neck would’ve snapped before I even realized I was in trouble. I am not that fast on my best day. My very best day. Even standing here, now, I am holding on to courage with two fists. I am worried about his temper breaking and killing me before I can even think of a magical deterrent.” He shivered. “I rather like the feeling. I feel…alive. Reinvigorated.”
Austin had turned slowly to look at Sebastian, his face unreadable but his emotions akin to what he felt when listening to Edgar talk about his flowers.
Niamh mumbled, “He’s as mad as a hatter.”
“I find it,” Sebastian said, dropping his gaze to his shoes, “very surprising, all of this. But I have a very cushy job, separated from the more unpleasant parts of the magical world. It would be quite a change to come here. However, I will not close my mind to the possibility. I agree to the trial period, and I’ll decide what to do at the end of it.”
“Maybe you’ll find the small-town life suits you,” I said. “I have, for what it’s worth.”
Sebastian looked around again. “Do you even have delivery?”
“Ah, sure, just stop by Ivy House and have that eejit Mr. Tom make something for ye.” It was probably the first time I’d heard Niamh use his made-up name. She was making fun of the idea, yes, but she’d still used it. Baby steps. “That’s his only real use these days, anyway.”
Austin pushed his glass to the top of the bar and connected eyes with Paul, silently asking for another, before resting his elbow on the edge again. “You do need better fliers, Jess. Jasper and Ulric have their uses, as do Mr. Tom and Niamh, but they won’t be enough to protect you when you are forced into aerial combat. That is where you’re weakest.”
I sighed, finishing off my beer. I pushed the bottle away.
“Here, Donna, swap this out.” Niamh pointed at the bottle. “Thanks so much.”
“No, no,” I said. “I’m done. I need to head—”
“You might as well, like.” She motioned for Donna to step to it. “That lad of yours will be fine on his own. He’s got enough to be gettin’ on with, seeing as Earl bought out that store for video games. Besides, he’s probably sleeping. You’re grand. Two won’t hurt ye.”
“No, honestly, I need to be…” Donna deposited another bottle in front of me. I wouldn’t be going anywhere. That was always the hazard of drinking with Niamh.
“Okay, then, what sort of fliers do I need?” I asked.
“Masters of the sky,” Austin said.
“Formidable,” Niamh added. “Ruthless in battle.”
“Even better if they can also fight on the ground in human form,” Austin said.
“What we need is pure power.” Niamh wiggled her drink, the ice tinkling against the glass. “We have Ulric for maneuverability, we have Jasper for coasting, but we need someone explosive. Thunderous in power.”
“How about someone who seems like they’re beneath notice but transitions into a form that wreaks vast damage?” Sebastian asked.
“All good ideas.” I chewed on my lip. “And I need another gargoyle. Ivy House said so when Ulric and Jasper were given their place.”
“You can speak to the house?” Sebastian asked. His slate-gray eyes showed no surprise or disbelief, but his tone was one of delight. He really could take crazy in stride. That could only help him with my crew.
“It’s not a normal house.” I thought about everything that had been said, then went over what I knew of gargoyles. “How many big personalities can I handle, do you think? People who might keep trying to push for the alpha role?”
“You?” Niamh shook her head. “None. Ye don’t understand the subtleties of the magical world or those who are ruled by, or rule as, alphas. Dalmatian or whatever his name was proved that. He was trying to subtly manipulate ye the whole time. Good thing he was piss-poor at romance and not so bright.”
A black cloud of rage rolled through Austin, though his appearance gave no sign of it. He hadn’t been a fan of Damarion—both were natural alphas, and neither had wanted the other in his space. It was still a sore subject, even more so now that Austin had stepped up to take the title.
“He always did what I said, even when he didn’t want to,” I replied.
“See?” Niamh tucked in her lips and lifted her eyebrows, as though I’d made her point for her.
“If he was trying to manipulate me, where were you? You never said a word.“
“I agreed with Austin Steele about the way the eejit was training you, and I said so. I didn’t bother me arse about the subtle manipulation. He was romancin’ ye to win ye over. Ye weren’t havin’ it, not that I blame ya. That lad didn’t have a clue. Not one clue, boy. Would’ve been nice if ye’d relieved a little stress, though, if ye know what I mean…”
Another blast of rage rolled through the link.
“Great, super. Thanks again for all the help.” I smoothed my hair back in annoyance.
“How many could Austin Steele handle, though?” Niamh knocked on the bar. “Well, now we’ve got a real question, haven’t we?”
“As many as you need.” He rested his hand on his thigh, looking at me. “I can handle whoever and whatever you call in.”
“Is it confidence…or ego?” Sebastian mused aloud. Austin swung his gaze Sebastian’s way. The mage flinched, and then the crooked grin worked at his lips. “I spent some time as an adrenaline junkie in the past—”
“Oh no, he’s on about his past again,” Niamh drawled, and then chugged her cider.
“After a while, you can’t find anything to get the blood pumping again.” Sebastian’s eyes flashed, the color almost morphing into blue for a split second. “I wonder when this will wear off.”
“It won’t.” Niamh tinkled the ice in her empty glass. Paul hurried over. “Trust me on that. It’s annoying as all hell.”
I lightly touched Austin’s knee to bring his attention back to me. He flinched, and wariness roiled through the link.
“Are you always this jumpy after a challenge?” I asked, trying to make light of it.
He didn’t respond.
“Are challenges typically six-to-one odds or similar?” Sebastian asked. “I thought I’d read somewhere that two alphas fought for territory…”
“It’s supposed to be one on one,” Niamh said. “That’s the only way it truly counts. They must’ve known they couldn’t handle Austin Steele that way.”
“What happens if a challenger wins by cheating?” Sebastian asked.
“If it’s not an honest win, the people don’t have to recognize the winner as their new alpha. Of course, it doesn’t always work that way in practice. A cheating alpha doesn’t just go straight once he or she gets ahead. They usually get the territory, and it almost always fails.”
“Fascinating,” Sebastian said. He started to ask another question, but I tuned him out. While this was all probably good to know, I had other things to settle before I snuck out.
I lowered my voice for only Austin, shrouding us in a protective magical bubble. “Are you sure about the level of power I might call in? You have your territory to set up. I don’t want to be taking your bandwidth.”
“Jess, you’ve inspired me to challenge myself, to rise to my potential. It would be easy to run a small territory like this one, with a few towns and only a few idiots challenging every once in a while. My role is more complicated because my pack needs to be strong enough to defend Ivy House, but that’s still well within my abilities. To do all that and also manage the powerful creatures you need for your council? That will certainly be a challenge. Given that a challenge is what I set out for, I hope you call in the biggest and baddest you can find. You charmed a basajaun, of all things. What other surly creatures can you collect?”
“I don’t think you want to ask that question.”
He winked. “I’ll handle whatever comes, Jess. That’s a promise. Call in whatever you need. Call in the best.”
It wasn’t Austin’s ego speaking. He’d earned his confidence. It was built on a foundation of years of experience and trials, and there was no question he also had a firm grip on his weaknesses, most of which stemmed from his past. He was not a man to falsely dress up his nature. He was quicker, in fact, to tear himself down.