listened to him talk long after he'd stopped, his words bo

, gesturing after I refu

ut it was harder than I'd hoped. I needed to stay grounded and avoid ju

," he clarified, then hesita

hat he made me ask. Jus

m Manhattan, so I knew we'd be late." Luca lowered his head an

rickled up m

ith the weather. The ECU was already there when we arrived. The street was crowded wi

n't make it in time. I forced it back down, though the image of a witch like me, making it rain li

ost famous street in Manhattan. Almost every resident there was a supernatural.

ce sharp. "They came, shot him, took the body, and

?" I'd never hea

"It's more like this noise in my head. I sa

t been able to do anything like that since I was eight or nine. I wanted t

he seemed, I still needed to be sure this wasn't some kind of setup. "If you'

ven. 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 sys

lly killed anyone before (though I hoped the guys I'd left headless in that building would never wa

ing disgusted. "They're the reason we

cynical opinion. "They killed that kid because they didn't understand him, because they'

ause I thought I was just a freak of nature, a one-of-a-kind thing. But n

e him and woke up alone, cuffed in small rooms with no way out, they were practically a

and the noise in my head. We've stuck together sinc

oble.

a damn about anyone else. Meeting someone like Luca, who didn't seem to h

't understand the question. "Because they were

gether, they were more dangerous than ever if

re n

ast night?" I asked, feeling a spark of excitement. Maybe he knew how to kil

Luca wh

use

people like them," he r

und me four times, in all kinds of places, until I learned to shut down my magic. These people? Four of them together

is brown eyes were clear and full of sincerity. I stared at him

to roll with it and see where it

ey're...different. They look normal, except they're all men, have cat's eyes, and never make a s

is brows nearly

They hunt me for my magic. They've drained it from

quiet. "

stronger from it. Maybe it's their food or something, but I'm not sure."

Luca managed, his

hing on them." Not that I had much access to ECU records, but something like them s

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 anony

...they drain

s head. "You must have it w

impossibilities that had all started when

my magic, no matter where I go. I don't know why they never found you, but you need to lear

per. "I don't understand. This...this shouldn't be

m letters, three times. Told them what to look for

aking his head. "Are you absol

y magic, and they drained yours, too. I usually stay down for a whole day, but last night, it was just one of them,

in

bout the thoughtless things, which made

d. "Right now. If they can find you in

tried anything, I still had my blades in my pocket, but I doubted he would. W

me next, I was pretty sure I was going to hate it. But running wasn