The room kept spinning, but his expression never changed. I listened to him talk long after he'd stopped, his words bouncing around in my head, leaving me scattered and reeling.
"So it was you," he said, gesturing after I refused to speak for a while.
"It was me, what?" I cleared my throat, trying to settle my thoughts, but it was harder than I'd hoped. I needed to stay grounded and avoid jumping to conclusions. It was better to hear the rest of the story first.
"The one we were looking for," he clarified, then hesitated. "Well, the second one."
"The second?" I hated that he made me ask. Just spill tlhe whole story!
"When the weather changed, I sensed him. We live two hours from Manhattan, so I knew we'd be late." Luca lowered his head and sighed. "They killed him in the middle of Geraldine Street."
Goosebumps prickled up my arms. "Who?"
"Someone like us," he said. "He'd lost control of his powers and was wreaking havoc with the weather. The ECU was already there when we arrived. The street was crowded with people, but they didn't care. The kid didn't know how to stop, so they killed him."
Bile rose up my throat, tasting like pizza. The bathroom was out in the hallway, so I knew I wouldn't make it in time. I forced it back down, though the image of a witch like me, making it rain like I could when I was a little girl, flashed in my mind—shot for not even knowing what was going on.
"But the people…" They had to have seen something. Geraldine Street was the most famous street in Manhattan. Almost every resident there was a supernatural. It was *the* place to be for anyone in New York. The people would have noticed.
"No one dared say anything," Luca replied, his voice sharp. "They came, shot him, took the body, and left. We were on our way back when I sensed you."
"Wait, sensed me?" I'd never heard of that before.
"It's not exactly a feeling," he murmured. "It's more like this noise in my head. I saw the lightning strike, and we came running."
The lightning strike. Yes, I'd heard the thunder. But like I said, I hadn't been able to do anything like that since I was eight or nine. I wanted to say as much, but why would he lie to me? How else could he have found me?
"You know, I'm really good at killing people," I said. No matter how genuine he seemed, I still needed to be sure this wasn't some kind of setup. "If you're with the ECU, I'm telling you right now, it's going to end badly for you."
The Enforcement Control Unit was the highest and only authority for paranormals on Earth. They ruled over every species and did things the way they wanted. No questions asked, no answers given. They were powerful jerks with top-of-the-line equipment and expertly trained soldiers—the best out there. They'd been that way forever, and even though they claimed there was a new system now, with representatives for each supernatural kind, I'd have to see the changes to believe it. And the fact that they'd killed that witch without asking questions just proved my point.
If Luca was one of them—some undercover agent or something—I was going to kill him. I'd never actually killed anyone before (though I hoped the guys I'd left headless in that building would never wake up). Still, it was called bluffing, and I was good at it. Luca had no way of knowing it was a lie.
"I'm not with the ECU," he spat, looking disgusted. "They're the reason we're in hiding. Their fear blinds them."
"No, anyone who threatens their place in the world blinds them," I said, voicing my own cynical opinion. "They killed that kid because they didn't understand him, because they'd never seen anything like it. That's why I've kept out of the public eye my whole life."
Yeah, well, I'd done the same. I never told anyone my secrets, mostly because I thought I was just a freak of nature, a one-of-a-kind thing. But now? Now, if what Luca was saying was true, everything was about to change.
"So you live together, the four of you?" My fear spiked. If the others were anything like him and woke up alone, cuffed in small rooms with no way out, they were practically a meal served on a silver platter for those thoughtless things. A meal I'd served up myself.
"We do. I found each of them through the lightning and the noise in my head. We've stuck together since and keep an eye out for others who need our help."
How noble. "Why?"
Honestly, I didn't understand it. I was raised with people who didn't give a damn about anyone else. Meeting someone like Luca, who didn't seem to have any reason for helping others except that they needed it, was strange.
Luca shrugged, narrowing his eyes as if he didn't understand the question. "Because they were alone. I've been alone. We're stronger together."
Reluctantly, I shook my head. "You're not." Together, they were more dangerous than ever if they didn't know how to shut their magic down.
"We're not?"
"How many times have you come across people like the ones who attacked you last night?" I asked, feeling a spark of excitement. Maybe he knew how to kill those things for good. Maybe he knew spells. That would be so, so helpful.
"Never," Luca whispered.
"Excuse me?"
"We've never encountered people like them," he repeated. "Who were they?"
It wasn't the right time, but I laughed. "I'm sorry, that's just not possible." Since I'd come to Manhattan, they'd found me four times, in all kinds of places, until I learned to shut down my magic. These people? Four of them together gave off a signal four times stronger than I did. The thoughtless things should've found them at least ten times by now.
"I'm not lying to you, Scarlet," Luca said, shaking his head. His brown eyes were clear and full of sincerity. I stared at him, baffled, because every instinct I had told me he wasn't lying.
My head was a mess, but I decided to roll with it and see where it led. It eased some of my tension.
"Those people are…" Dammit, I didn't even know how to explain this without sounding crazy. "They're…different. They look normal, except they're all men, have cat's eyes, and never make a sound." He'd seen it himself the night before. "They've been hunting me down for nearly two years."
"Hunting you?" His brows nearly hit his hairline.
"Yeah," I whispered, rubbing the back of my neck. "They hunt me for my magic. They've drained it from me four times, just like they did to you last night."
Luca went quiet. "But…why?"
That was a question I'd asked myself a long time ago. "I think they get stronger from it. Maybe it's their food or something, but I'm not sure." It was just a theory, but nothing else I'd come up with made more sense.
"What are they?" Luca managed, his expression dazed.
"No clue. I'd never seen them before I came to Manhattan, and I've never found anything on them." Not that I had much access to ECU records, but something like them should have been public knowledge, if others knew. Or they just didn't want to know.
I'd thought about going to the ECU many times. Meeting with them, telling them about the thoughtless creatures. But if I did, they'd question me, test me, and if they found out these creatures drained my magic, they'd never let me go. So instead, I sent them anonymous letters. Three times. I was careful in explaining everything I knew and made sure the letters were delivered. Nothing happened.
"So they just…they drain your magic?"
I nodded, and Luca shook his head. "You must have it wrong. That's not possible."
Welcome to my world. My life was full of impossibilities that had all started when I was eight. But it was real. All of it.
"This is what I've managed to piece together so far. They find me if I'm not shutting down my magic, no matter where I go. I don't know why they never found you, but you need to learn how to do that as soon as possible." It was the only thing that had kept me alive so far.
"Shut down my magic?" Luca asked, his voice a whisper. "I don't understand. This…this shouldn't be possible. Have you talked to anyone? Told the ECU?"
Flinching, I lowered my head. "I tried. I sent them letters, three times. Told them what to look for, where to find them. So far, they've never come."
"This is bad," he muttered, shaking his head. "Are you absolutely sure about this, Scarlet?"
"I am," I said reluctantly. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Whoever they are, wherever they came from, they drain my magic, and they drained yours, too. I usually stay down for a whole day, but last night, it was just one of them, and he took from all four of you. Maybe he didn't completely…empty you or something. But your guess is as good as
mine."
And this just showed how little I knew about the thoughtless things, which made me want to hide under a blanket forever.
"We have to find the others," Luca said. "Right now. If they can find you in Manhattan, we need to find them, now."
I didn't need to be told twice. I stood and moved to take off his cuffs. If he tried anything, I still had my blades in my pocket, but I doubted he would. When he was finally free, all he did was jump to his feet and run for the door.
"You're not going to like this," I whispered to myself. Whatever came next, I was pretty sure I was going to hate it. But running wasn't an option anymore. I grabbed all my weapons and followed him out.