DISCOVERED
1902—New York
Jianyu pulled himself far back in the corner as he watched the stranger enter the apartment. The man was young—tall, but more of a boy, really—with blond hair and a worried expression on his face. He closed the door behind him softly as he stepped into the apartment, and then Jianyu felt magic fill the room. The tendrils that brushed against him were warm, familiar, and the guy turned to stare into the corner with a confused expression.
Jianyu held his breath, certain that the boy had found him when the blond took a step toward the place Jianyu was standing. The boy’s eyes narrowed, as though he were squinting to see through Jianyu’s concealment, and took another step toward him, his hand raised.
But then, suddenly, the guy turned back toward the darkened room. He waited, silent, as though he were listening for something. Then he went to the window and knelt beside it.
Jianyu considered his options: If he left, the door would open and the blond would know someone else had been there. If he stayed, it might be just as dangerous—the blond was clearly Mageus, and the more Jianyu pulled on his own affinity, the more likely he would be found. Either way, he chanced being discovered, and caught.
Then the blond did something that made Jianyu’s mind up for him—the boy began to tug at the windowsill. A moment later, the wooden trim came loose and he set it aside.
Again Jianyu heard the owl crying outside the window.
But the boy was already pulling something from the space behind the window frame—a small package wrapped in cloth. Jianyu didn’t need to see what was inside the package to know that it was the ring. He could feel it, somehow, its energy sifting through the air, cool and hot all at once. Strange and yet also compelling.
Logan. With his light hair and the decisiveness with which he found the ring, it could be no one else. Why Logan had come here was a question that would need to be answered, but Jianyu set aside that question for the time being and focused on the opportunity the boy’s appearance afforded. This was more than a second chance—the ring and the boy here, together. The blond had located the ring, and now Jianyu would relieve him of it. And then, he would keep this Logan from causing any more trouble.
Slowly, he stepped closer as the boy began replacing the loosened piece of wood on the window. Carefully, so as not to make a sound, Jianyu moved toward the boy. A few feet more and the ring would be his.
Behind him, the door opened and the bare overhead bulb flickered on. Jianyu turned to see Evelyn in the doorway, her mouth as red as her hair and her eyes filled with fury.
“Well, what do we have here?” she asked with a smile that looked sharp enough to cut.
Jianyu backed out of Evelyn’s path as she sauntered toward Logan, who looked even younger and more unseasoned than he had appeared when the room was dark. The boy’s light eyes widened at the sight of her, and he tucked the package he had found in the windowsill behind his back.
“Now, now,” she said softly. “What do you have there, handsome?”
Jianyu felt Evelyn’s affinity flood the room. It was a soft, enticing magic that made him want to lean in and be seduced, and he could see that Logan felt the same when the boy’s eyes went glassy. He brought the package out and showed it to her.
“That’s better, isn’t it?” Evelyn’s mouth curved up as she took it from him and unwrapped it. Then she slid the ring onto her finger, and when she did, Jianyu felt her affinity swell. She reached out to caress the boy’s cheek, running her fingers through his light hair. He leaned into her hand, like a cat purring with contentment, but just as his eyes closed in satisfaction, she grabbed a handful of hair and, without warning, wrenched the boy to his knees. His eyes were still soft, submissive, as they stared sightlessly into the room, the effect of whatever Evelyn had done to him.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she trilled in her singsong voice. Her eyes were bright with power and her teeth were bared beneath her bloodred lips. “I know he’s not alone. I can feel you here.”
Jianyu went still, glancing toward the open door as he felt the warmth of her affinity increase, the tendrils of it curling under his chin like fingers caressing him. He struggled to resist it.
He could run now, but to run meant leaving the ring behind and leaving Logan to her mercy. Jianyu knew he could do neither.
“Let’s make this easy,” Evelyn said to the apparently empty room. It was clear from the way her eyes tracked without focusing on him that she had not yet found him. “You show yourself, and I’ll let this one go. Or leave now if you’d like. You’ll never get the ring, and I’ll keep this handsome boy here as a pet.” She stroked the boy’s cheek with her free hand, then slapped his cheek sharply to punctuate her point.
Evelyn’s magic was filling the room, already teasing at Jianyu’s will. He could stay. He could give himself over to Evelyn and—
No. Jianyu gave himself a mental shake and wrapped his affinity around himself more tightly, like armor against her onslaught. Perhaps he could still retrieve the ring. If he moved quickly, it could be his, but he would not be able to save the boy. Not with the magic floating through the air, calling to him even now.
He took a step toward them, but he could not tell whether he was stepping toward the ring or Evelyn’s call. He could not have stopped himself either way.
“That’s it,” Evelyn purred. “Why bother to fight?”