remotely fast enough.
Pain exploded in my right shoulder as Cy twisted me toward him. I stumbled off the paved front path, twisting my ankle on the edge of the concrete and half-falling onto the grass.
After letting me go so I didn’t get ripped in half, Beau spun, slamming a punch into his stepdad’s gut.
Cy didn’t even grunt. He took the blow while yanking me up between him and Beau, until my right arm was twisted behind me and his other arm fell across my throat in a chokehold.
Beau faltered. His fists were raised and trained on Cy, but even as tiny as I was, I was a pretty effective shield.
Now I just had to figure out what kind of Adept took a punch from a shapeshifter tiger and didn’t even need to shake it off.
Cy snickered. Inbred asshole, indeed.
“Let’s try that conversation again,” Cy said. “I have use for someone of your … attributes, Beau. Come work for me and I won’t tear your bitch’s head off.”
“I don’t do that sort of thing anymore, Cy.” Beau was scared, but trying to hide it.
I never wanted him to hurt in any way connected to me. Yet here we were.
“It ain’t like that now,” Cy said, cajoling.
“Man, you’re a moron,” I said, reaching up to wrap my free left hand around Cy’s bare forearm. My arm-sleeve tattoos were a dark, sleek contrast to his shoddy prison tats. “Not only should you learn to shower, because you reek. But you’re dumb enough to grab and hold a person whose magic you don’t even know.”
Cy cinched his forearm tighter around my neck, momentarily cutting off my ability to insult him further. “Oh, yeah, slit? You think a little itty bitty something like you has anything that can hurt me?”
Black dots swam before my eyes. Blinking them away, I focused on the fear in Beau’s face and how angry that made me.
“Didn’t Beau tell you about me?” Cy whispered, his scummy spittle misting over my ear and neck. “I don’t feel physical pain.”
“Yeah?” I croaked out. “I’m not that kind of Adept.”
I’d never been able to practice what I was about to attempt during my self-defense training sessions with Beau, because apparently I needed to be extremely angry to wield my magic offensively. While Cy had been yammering, I focused on the feeling I got when my oracle magic flooded through my left arm and hand before I needed to sketch. “Feel this, asshole.”
Heat seared between my palm and Cy’s forearm. Mist exploded in my mind’s eye.
I caught a glimpse of something … slats of light across white-painted concrete walls … an overturned table, glass and blood littering a gray concrete floor …
And Cy bleeding from every orifice in his head —
Behind me, he screamed. His hold loosened on my neck. He stumbled away.
Beau yanked me forward. Still sightless, I tripped, tumbling onto my hands and knees in the grass.
Instinctively, I cupped my left hand around my raw diamond. Its magic soothed my tingling palm and the oracle mist faded from my mind. I pivoted on my knees to look past Beau, who was now standing between me and his stepdad.
Cy was still clutching his head and screaming.
“What the hell did you show him?” Beau asked, turning to help me to my feet.
“Something bloody.” I reached for his hand.
Cy darted toward us. He was moving way too quickly for someone whose only talent was feeling no pain.
I shouted, “Beau!”
Cy crashed into Beau, who rolled to the left instead of attempting to block or counter his tackle. Probably in order to not crush me underneath them. Beau tumbled across the lawn away from me.
Cy, barely on his feet himself, went after Beau, kicking him over and over again in the chest and head. He was salivating and shrieking incomprehensible obscenities.
Beau curled into a fetal position to protect himself as I scrambled to my feet.
A neighbor across the street glanced out her front door. Then, apparently completely pissed and totally unconcerned, she ducked back inside
Pain exploded in my right shoulder as Cy twisted me toward him. I stumbled off the paved front path, twisting my ankle on the edge of the concrete and half-falling onto the grass.
After letting me go so I didn’t get ripped in half, Beau spun, slamming a punch into his stepdad’s gut.
Cy didn’t even grunt. He took the blow while yanking me up between him and Beau, until my right arm was twisted behind me and his other arm fell across my throat in a chokehold.
Beau faltered. His fists were raised and trained on Cy, but even as tiny as I was, I was a pretty effective shield.
Now I just had to figure out what kind of Adept took a punch from a shapeshifter tiger and didn’t even need to shake it off.
Cy snickered. Inbred asshole, indeed.
“Let’s try that conversation again,” Cy said. “I have use for someone of your … attributes, Beau. Come work for me and I won’t tear your bitch’s head off.”
“I don’t do that sort of thing anymore, Cy.” Beau was scared, but trying to hide it.
I never wanted him to hurt in any way connected to me. Yet here we were.
“It ain’t like that now,” Cy said, cajoling.
“Man, you’re a moron,” I said, reaching up to wrap my free left hand around Cy’s bare forearm. My arm-sleeve tattoos were a dark, sleek contrast to his shoddy prison tats. “Not only should you learn to shower, because you reek. But you’re dumb enough to grab and hold a person whose magic you don’t even know.”
Cy cinched his forearm tighter around my neck, momentarily cutting off my ability to insult him further. “Oh, yeah, slit? You think a little itty bitty something like you has anything that can hurt me?”
Black dots swam before my eyes. Blinking them away, I focused on the fear in Beau’s face and how angry that made me.
“Didn’t Beau tell you about me?” Cy whispered, his scummy spittle misting over my ear and neck. “I don’t feel physical pain.”
“Yeah?” I croaked out. “I’m not that kind of Adept.”
I’d never been able to practice what I was about to attempt during my self-defense training sessions with Beau, because apparently I needed to be extremely angry to wield my magic offensively. While Cy had been yammering, I focused on the feeling I got when my oracle magic flooded through my left arm and hand before I needed to sketch. “Feel this, asshole.”
Heat seared between my palm and Cy’s forearm. Mist exploded in my mind’s eye.
I caught a glimpse of something … slats of light across white-painted concrete walls … an overturned table, glass and blood littering a gray concrete floor …
And Cy bleeding from every orifice in his head —
Behind me, he screamed. His hold loosened on my neck. He stumbled away.
Beau yanked me forward. Still sightless, I tripped, tumbling onto my hands and knees in the grass.
Instinctively, I cupped my left hand around my raw diamond. Its magic soothed my tingling palm and the oracle mist faded from my mind. I pivoted on my knees to look past Beau, who was now standing between me and his stepdad.
Cy was still clutching his head and screaming.
“What the hell did you show him?” Beau asked, turning to help me to my feet.
“Something bloody.” I reached for his hand.
Cy darted toward us. He was moving way too quickly for someone whose only talent was feeling no pain.
I shouted, “Beau!”
Cy crashed into Beau, who rolled to the left instead of attempting to block or counter his tackle. Probably in order to not crush me underneath them. Beau tumbled across the lawn away from me.
Cy, barely on his feet himself, went after Beau, kicking him over and over again in the chest and head. He was salivating and shrieking incomprehensible obscenities.
Beau curled into a fetal position to protect himself as I scrambled to my feet.
A neighbor across the street glanced out her front door. Then, apparently completely pissed and totally unconcerned, she ducked back inside
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