CARLYLE

Watching Dair siphon out of the house with his suitcase had put me instantly back into a foul mood, so I was glad I’d made my plans regarding Killian’s car. It would give me something to focus on, so I wouldn’t keep imagining all the ways my mage might get in trouble.

“He’ll be fine, Carlyle,” Jai said in his soft voice, barely pausing on his way back into his room. I sighed, nodding. Probably, he would.

Sol hadn’t even made it back from his run on the beach, which should have shown me how normal it was for one or the other of the guys to leave on a mission. It was me who wasn’t used to the routine.

I decided I needed to take advantage of what time I had and go ahead with my plans. The final piece of my puzzle was getting my hands on Killian’s keys. I was pretty sure I’d seen him toying with the key ring since we arrived, flipping it around while he glowered into space or some shit.

I wandered down the hall toward his room. If he was gone, I could just search it for his keys.

As I got near, I saw Killian's bedroom door was cracked open. Yeah, I’d just sneak in there and swipe his keys.

I peeked around the door frame, startling when I saw he was in there, just lying on his back on the bed. He was tossing a small, shiny ball up and down in the air, not even using his magic. Just like a regular guy with a baseball on his bed. He glanced over at me, then continued to throw and catch without even a change in expression.

He acted like I was no more consequence than a fly on the wall.

"Hey," I said, swallowing back a bitchy remark. I edged past the door and tried to scan the room without looking like I was scanning the room.

"What do you want?" His voice wasn't angry, but he sounded like he wanted to be left alone. He didn't have anything to worry about from me. I wasn’t here to chat.

"Just seeing what everybody is doing," I replied, just as I spotted a black key fob on the dresser. Oh, yeah. Jackpot.

Killian sighed and caught the shiny thing, then tossed it hard against the blank wall next to the bed. It smacked against the neutral paint in a tiny burst of fireworks before fizzling into nothing. It hadn’t been a ball at all, but a piece of his magic, like that target we’d used for knife-throwing practice.

“I’m probably going for a run in a bit. Nothing else to do in this goddamn tourist town.”

Shit, he was grouchy. I would just go back to my room and wait for him to go running, then.

“Of course, if I had my fuckin’ car, I could do a million other fuckin’ things,” he grumbled. I almost crowed with laughter. Hell, yes. I was doing the right thing, no matter how crazy it was.

“What does that car mean to you, anyway?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of my judgment. I shouldn’t draw attention to it, but I wanted to know if I was right.

“Donna worry about it,” he replied, his voice rough.

He threw his arm over his face, evidently deciding I wasn’t worth a real answer. I gritted my teeth, reassuring myself that I really did want to test my magic and risk my fucking life by getting his stupid goddamn car.

I made one last mental note of exactly where his keys rested on the dresser and backed into the hall, but he stopped me with a reply so soft I barely heard it.

“It’s the only thing tha’ was really mine. I canna fly away like Jack or siphon like that other smooth fucker.”

My body froze, and my heart thudded double-time at his admission. I knew exactly how that felt. There had been so many years growing up when I’d been shuffled off to the next foster home with nothing more than a black garbage bag of hand-me-down clothes. Losing things didn’t hurt me now, but only because I’d trained myself not get attached to them.

Instead, those years had slowly taken away my sense of identity, to the point that my hollow, loveless life with LuAnn had been enough.

Maybe that car - silly as it must sound to some of the guys - was actually a piece of Killian’s identity. A reminder of who he was.

“That car is just like you, isn’t it?” I blurted without thinking. My face flushed as he moved his arm just enough that I could see his handsome profile and the liquid gold glare that graced it.

“What the fuck does tha’ mean?”

I tried to shrug it away, unwilling to explain any of the ways I was assuming Killian was similar to his car. I had no personal experience to back up my theory, but that car was hot, and I guessed Killian fucked the way he drove.

He twisted a bit more, leveling that threatening stare at me. Damn it, I was going to have to give him an answer.

“If I were Kana,” I said after a torturous moment of silence, “I would make a joke about how tiny you both are.”

He actually forgot to glare for a moment, snickering. “See, tha’s where you’re wrong, Qilin. The assholes with the big trucks have tiny dicks. Na’ me.”

I grinned. I’d met a few of those guys over the years. “I was just thinking it’s because you’re both a little rough to ride.” The words were past my lips before I could stop them. Ah, shit. I had to stop fucking doing that.

The look of shock on his face was actually worth it, though. I took my opportunity and backed the hell out of the doorway, slamming it shut behind me.

Slipping into the hallway, I finally began to breathe again. Had I really just fucking said that to him?

I hurried down the hall, hiding behind a closet door. I heard Killian banging drawers and cursing to himself. I pressed my eyes to the crack where the closet door wasn’t quite shut, and eventually, I saw him stomp out of his room and take the stairs two at a time. He must have decided to go for that run after all.

Once the coast was clear, I closed my eyes and focused hard, visualizing exactly where his keys had been sitting on the dresser. Reaching for the magic that waited in my body, I visualized a tiny, bright lasso of power. I imagined swinging it through space and hooking the keychain.

“Parare claves,” I whispered.

Something cool and metallic slapped into my palm, and I grinned, opening my eyes. I had them.

Of course, that was the easy part. I rushed to my room and hurried into the clothes I’d stolen from Jai’s room. I’d spent all that time on the streets dressing like a boy, and though his sweatshirt was still too baggy and his jeans too long, it was a decent disguise.

I tied my running shoes tightly and pulled my hair high on my head. Winding it into a flat bun, I tucked it under the ball cap I’d found in the game room.

Examining myself critically in the mirror, I made a few tweaks to my posture and slid on the dark aviator sunglasses. Doing this at night would be better - it was the middle of the damn day right now. I didn’t want to wait any longer, though. Killian would notice his keys missing - I’d put money on it. Not to mention, Sol would be back at some point and looking for me.

I stuffed the keys deep in Jai’s pocket, along with the scribbled map I’d looked up online using Sol’s phone. Damn, why did guys’ clothes get all the nice pockets?

Securing a couple of knives to my belt and another in the heel of my shoe, where I’d hollowed out a special place, I took a deep breath and quieted my mind. I could do this. I wouldn’t let fear win - I knew what I’d done wrong before, and I could correct it.

I had a few things to prove.

I imagined myself as a vessel, newly filled with Dair’s magic. I pulled every bit I could find to the surface.

I measured it, feeling its weight and presence inside my body and tingling over my skin. I wasn’t sure how much magic it would really take, but I visualized separating the magic into two piles. One pile was smaller, and it would need to get me to the old safe house. The other pile, I intended to save for getting home. I didn’t plan on using any for fighting. If it came to that, I’d go physical first.

Whatever happened - no matter how the guys reacted - I knew I was ready. I was going to fucking do this.