The Final Formula by Becca Andre Page A

tell by the way he wouldn’t meet my eyes that there was more to this. “Go on.”
    “I’m not registered, and that wouldn’t go over well.”
    “It’ll piss Rowan off?”
    James closed the distance between us. “I possess one of the few magics lethal to an Element. You took me into their offices.”
    He was protecting me.
    “Please, Addie. Don’t tell Rowan what I am. It wouldn’t end well.”
    I held his gaze, annoyed that he was trying to protect me, but worried for him all the same. I didn’t want the Elements coming after him.
    “Okay.”
    He nodded then turned and walked away.
    As I watched him go, I suddenly remembered one of Rowan’s many phone calls. He had requested a consultation with his seer. Could she tell Rowan what James was?
    I started for the road. Time to cooperate with His Grace—and get away from him as quickly as possible.

Chapter
8
    “W hy are you taking us to the Alchemica?” I asked when Rowan took the exit to my former home.
    “It was on the way.” He drove the Camaro through the same streets James and I had traveled a few days ago. He seemed to know the route well. In minutes, he pulled the Camaro to a stop outside the locked gate and shut off the engine.
    I stared at the ruin through the windshield, noting how different it looked in the afternoon sunlight. Different, but not familiar.
    “I want you to show me what you observed,” Rowan said. “If it truly wasn’t the labs, then we might have been set up.”
    “You think the Alchemica was destroyed to get to you?” Did the man’s ego know no bounds?
    “It does seem an elaborate plan, but I won’t know until you show me what you found.” He pulled the keys from the ignition and climbed out of the car.
    “Can you believe this guy?” I asked James.
    My buddy grunted and pushed the driver’s seat forward so he could climb out. Given no alternative, I followed.
    The broken shell of the Alchemica still stood within its chainlink enclosure. A bulldozer had been parked inside the gate, but it didn’t look like it’d been put to use yet.
    From up the street, the shouts of children at play drew my attention. Nestled in the wooded lot opposite the Alchemica, a park was visible. Several people strolled along the sidewalk bordering the street.
    “You know, it might be best if I waited in the car,” I said. “James can show you around.”
    Rowan turned to face me. “Why?”
    I patted my bare left arm. “The alterations you made to my wardrobe are a bit conspicuous.”
    “Any clothes in your pack?”
    “Just my robes.” And potions.
    He grunted and turned back to the car. “Come here.”
    Curious, I followed him to the trunk. It turned out that my backpack wasn’t the only piece of luggage. He unzipped a compact carry-on and riffled through the neatly folded clothing.
    “Prepared for every contingency?” I asked.
    “I was supposed to fly to California this morning,” he answered without looking up.
    “Business or pleasure?”
    He pulled a white button-up shirt from the stack and handed it to me. “Best I can do.”
    I accepted the shirt and let it fall open. “Thanks.” It was way too big, but I pulled it on anyway. “If you weren’t so paranoid, you wouldn’t have had to cancel your trip.”
    He ignored my comment and reached for the zipper on the suitcase. That’s when I noticed the bloodstain on his sweater sleeve. I’d forgotten about that bullet clipping him in the alley.
    “How’s the arm? I have some hydrogen peroxide in my pack.”
    “It’s nothing.”
    “Nothing doesn’t typically leave such a large bloodstain.”
    He studied me for one long moment and then pulled up his sleeve. Some dried blood matted the hair on his arm, but there was no other evidence of an injury.
    “What—”
    “One of the perks of being an Element.”
    Being an Element or being immortal? Or perhaps the terms were synonymous. Of course, he didn’t like me knowing about either.
    He snapped the truck closed. “Come