Mags & Nats 3-Book Box Set Page 20

  “I’m freaking adorable,” I said.

  Bri actually squealed in delight when she caught sight of her reflection in one of the bus’s windows. “Kaira, this is the cutest illusion work I’ve ever seen,” the little girl in a Minnie Mouse dress gushed.

  “I’d call it the weirdest,” Smith said from the body of a kindergarten girl.

  “I’ve seen weirder,” I said.

  My thoughts immediately went back to the time when Kai and I went to the doctor’s for her first birth control prescription. I had researched a Natural doctor who specialized in Magic care, so she wouldn’t be able to tell I wasn’t a Magic. We’d skipped school and driven out to Newton for the appointment.

  We’d been delirious with laughter the whole ride to the doctor’s office. Before we got out of the car, Kaira illusioned me to look just like Ma.

  That had been weird.

  Once we were in the exam room, I’d tried my best to imitate Ma’s voice as I signed forms and exchanged pleasantries with the doctor. The results had been…disturbing.

  “Jeez Louise!” A.J. screeched.

  “What’s wrong?” the rest of us asked at once.

  “I’m fat,” he wailed.

  “Seriously, A.J.?” Yutika demanded.

  “Focus, guys. We’re not out of this yet.”

  It was more than a little strange for a five-year-old with pigtails and Kaira’s voice to be giving orders.

  But she was right.

  “Head back toward Commercial Street,” Smith said. “I’ve cleared traffic, but there are more cops on the way.”

  “The ones I Whispered will be back,” Michael warned. “They’re confused, but I couldn’t make them completely forget about us.”

  As if to emphasize his point, sirens blared from somewhere nearby.

  The school bus lurched forward.

  “Yutika—”

  “I’m calibrating!”

  The bus had reached the end of the road when the ten cop cars Michael had sent away, plus five more, came screeching around the corner. Bri pressed her five-year-old face against the glass of the window. Yutika edged the school bus onto the side of the road and slowed, but the cop cars flew right past us. No one even glanced our way.

  It seemed like we all breathed at once.

  Yutika kept the school bus at a normal speed as we turned onto a road with more traffic.

  “Where to?” she asked, looking at us in the rearview mirror.

  “The Lab,” Kaira and I said together.

  “We have to find out what they’re doing there,” I clarified. “Maybe it’ll give us the proof we need to go to the authorities.”

  Even though we’d recorded Valencia’s confession, we didn’t have anything real to substantiate what she’d said. We needed concrete proof that the police wouldn’t be able to explain away.

  “It’s only a couple of minutes from where we are now,” Smith said, consulting one of his screens.

  “My guess is they’re making drugs to fund this so-called war,” Bri said.

  I nodded. It was as reasonable a theory as any.

  “Nah,” Smith said. “I’m guessing they’re making some kind of weapon that can go up against the Nat military.” He cocked his head, thinking. “Maybe they’re collecting the DAMND babies to use as a biological weapon.”

  The thought made me sick to my stomach. I had thought the Slaughters were over and that Boston would transform the rest of the country into something better. I never dreamed that the opposite might happen—that our city would drag the rest of the country into civil war.

  “We’ll find out soon enough,” Kaira said.

  No one spoke as the school bus made the ten-minute drive to the street Valencia had given us.

  “Are you sure this is right?” Yutika asked, idling the bus as we all looked out our windows.

  “Yes,” Smith said. His little kid frowned. “The address she gave you is halfway down the road.”

  The street was empty except for an abandoned parking lot and a construction site. There wasn’t even a building yet, just a bunch of parked construction vehicles.

  “That Rain Maker bitch lied to us,” Yutika said, speaking for all of us.

  I deflated. I was hoping we could solve this mystery today and turn the rest of the investigation over to the police. Now, we’d have to wait until my other plan went into effect.

  How many more people would have to die in the meantime?

  I’d been sure Valencia was scared enough by my threats that she’d been telling the truth, but it was obvious there was nowhere around here that could pass for a drug lab. Maybe my lawyer instincts were no good, after all.

  “What do we do now?” A.J. asked.

  “Let’s go home.” Kaira’s kindergartener hung her head in defeat.

  “Not to sound like a negative Nancy,” A.J. said, folding his chubby arms, but that whole endeavor was a complete bust.”

  “Valencia basically admitted she’s behind the murders and that her employer killed Penelope,” Yutika said. “That should be enough for the police, right?”

  “I want to wait and find out who this employer of hers is before we go to the cops,” I said. “Otherwise, they might just convince themselves that Valencia was telling us what we wanted to hear because we’d threatened her.”

  “How are we supposed to find her employer, pray tell?” A.J. asked.

  I turned around in my seat to find Smith, who was sitting in the aisle of the bus with one of his laptops balanced on the seat next to him.

  Time to see if my other plan would amount to anything.

  “Did it work?” I asked the Techie.

  “Of course it worked,” Yutika said before Smith could respond. “I’m a master Creator.”

  Smith nodded, a slow grin spreading across his little kid face. “Valencia’s still in the warehouse.”

  A.J.’s pudgy little kid face squeezed into a puzzled expression. “What’s that, now?”

  I looked at the others. “I slipped a tracker in her purse.”

  For a moment, no one spoke.

  “When you attacked her?” Kaira asked finally.

  I nodded, feeling a grin spread over my face.

  “And now that she thinks we have records of money transfers and phone calls with her mysterious boss, she’s going to want to have a little meeting with him,” Smith added. “All we have to do is wait to see where she goes.”

  “You brilliant little Nat,” A.J. said in wonder as he reached over to ruffle my hair.

  “I couldn’t have done it without Smith and Yutika,” I said.

  “Handsome and humble.” A.J. shook his head.

  My grin widened.

  “But how did you know she was answering to someone above her?” Bri asked.

  “And that she was connected to the Lab that all our Magics keep mentioning?” Michael added.

  I lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t, exactly. I just assumed someone important was funding all of these murders, since professional rabble rouser isn’t a career that pays in the hundreds of thousands. And I figured if Valencia was in deep enough with her employer, she’d know something about the Lab, which I’m guessing is the source of funding for this war of theirs.” I took a breath. “And I assumed Valencia wouldn’t want anyone knowing about the Lab.”

  I looked at Yutika. “Awesome job with that file, by the way.”

  She grinned in the rearview mirror. “I was so confused, so I just made every kind of document I could think of and shoved them in there, hoping it would be enough.”

  “You did great,” I assured her.

  “Police chatter on the radio is that they’re taking Valencia downtown because of her threat about killing Nats,” Smith said.

  “They won’t be able to charge her unless she admits she’s responsible for those murders,” I said.

  “But at least she won’t be able to come after us while she’s busy with the cops,” Michael pointed out.

  “I’d like to see her tr
y.” Yutika pffed. “She doesn’t have the resources to track us down.”

  “And since we’re unMarked, her descriptions won’t do the cops any good,” Kaira added. Her gaze slid to me, and she gave me an I told you so look. It wasn’t nearly as infuriating when it came from the face of a five-year-old with pigtails.

  For the first time, I didn’t have a counter-argument at the ready.

  “We kicked that Rain Maker’s ass,” Bri said, punching one tiny titanium fist into the air.

  “Thanks to Gray’s quick thinking,” Kaira said.

  This time, I was sure I didn’t imagine the pride in her voice.

  The full impact of what we’d accomplished in the last hour was starting to hit me. Valencia might have lied about the location of this mysterious Lab, but with the tracker, we’d be able to get all the evidence we needed. The police wouldn’t be able to dispute our claims, and with any luck, Valencia would be in custody before the vote on Tuesday.

  We were so close to ending all of this. I felt downright giddy.

  Little kid Smith pulled out his earpiece and put on his headphones. I leaned into the aisle to see the little tracker dot blinking down the road on Smith’s computer. It was headed in the direction of the Magic police station.

  A slow grin spread over the Techie’s face as he tapped his headphones. “The police arrested the Manipulator, too. Now they’re investigating him for a dozen other crimes.”

  “At least we won’t have to deal with him again,” Kaira said with a little shudder.

  “I guess there’s nothing else we can do until the cops let Valencia out, huh?” Bri asked.

  “There’s one thing we have on the agenda for tonight.” Chubby little kid A.J. tapped his patent leather shoe on the floor. “We’re celebrating.”

  “We’re celebrating getting a tracker on Valencia?” Yutika asked, raising a brow.

  “Yuppers,” A.J. said, “and Galder’s initiation into the Six.”

  “Which can’t be the Six anymore,” Bri pointed out.

  “The Nat makes Seven,” Kaira said with a casual shrug, but even in a completely unfamiliar body, I saw the way her eyes smiled.

  A warm feeling spread through my chest.

  “We’re going to need to make a few stops on the way home,” A.J. announced. “I’m making burgers and my world-famous sangria tonight.”

  “Burgers?” Bri asked.

  “Finally,” Michael muttered.

  “Black bean burgers,” A.J. qualified, grinning as Michael scowled. “I guarantee after one bite you’ll worship the ground I walk on. Assuming you don’t already.”

  CHAPTER 27

  Two hours, an abandoned school bus, a new van, three more illusions, and ten bags of groceries later, we were home. A.J. banished all of us upstairs to get party ready. My last sight of the kitchen as I headed upstairs was of the groceries zooming out of their bags and flying around the kitchen.

  By the time we were all showered and changed, a huge bowl of sangria was waiting on the kitchen table. Amazing smells were coming from the stove, where various pots seemed to be cooking themselves on all burners.

  Plastic solo cups filled themselves with sangria and floated through the air to each of us.

  I wore a pair of dark jeans and a bright blue button-down A.J. had gotten me. I wasn’t sure if it was too bold for me to pull off, but the answer to that question was cleared up the moment Kaira came down the stairs. With the way she looked at me, my gratitude to the Telekinetic knew no bounds.

  Kaira was wearing a short-sleeved silver top and matching mini-skirt. It would have looked plain on anyone else, but nothing was plain on Kai. It showed off her toned legs and every fantastic curve. When she reached up to grab plates out of a cabinet, I saw the back of the shirt was crisscrossed so that whole sections of her back were bare. I took a long drink of my sangria and turned to talk to Yutika.

  Music filled the house along with laughter and chatting. We stood around the kitchen counter, eating guacamole and drinking sangria, until A.J.’s self-proclaimed masterpiece was ready.

  Then, we sat at the table drinking more sangria and eating what we all had to admit were the best burgers we’d ever had. When even Smith ate one—after first inspecting it with his poison scanner—A.J. fell out of his chair in a pretend-faint. He grumbled when Michael didn’t catch him. Then, A.J. crowed about how he’d “turn” all of us vegan yet.

  I felt more relaxed than I’d been in as long as I could remember. Even at the few BSMU crew parties I’d gone to when I wasn’t holed up in my room studying, I hadn’t been able to fully enjoy myself. As the team captain, and more often than not the only semi-sober one, I was the one who made sure none of my teammates got alcohol poisoning or decided to take a drunken swim in the Charles.

  But I wasn’t in charge of taking care of anyone tonight.

  After dinner, we crowded onto the couches in the living room. We played charades before moving on to Cards Against Humanity. I didn’t think I’d ever laughed so much in my entire life. I found myself sitting on the edge of one of the couches with Kaira next to me.

  Our knees were touching, and neither of us moved to put more distance between us. Every time one of us leaned forward to play a card, our arms brushed. It was subtle enough that no one else in the room would notice, but even that small contact put my heart rate into cardiac arrest territory. I could tell from the color on Kaira’s cheeks, and the way she reacted to the conversation around her a little too slowly, that she was as affected as I was.

  The sangria hadn’t been strong enough for us to feel anything more than a light buzz, which had worn off almost as fast as it came on. Still, we were all drunk off our recent victory and the promise of answers the next day. It was making Kaira and me bold in a dangerous kind of way.

  I didn’t care. I couldn’t make myself stop.

  The room erupted into shouts and raucous laughter over a particularly controversial round, but I wasn’t paying attention to the game anymore. Kaira shifted slightly, bringing us close enough that our sides were touching. I moved my cards to my left hand and draped my right arm over the back of the couch. No one in the room was paying any attention to us, but even if they were, they wouldn’t have been able to see when I let my hand slip down just enough for my fingertips to brush against the back of her shoulder.

  Ours wasn’t the only sexual tension. Michael and Yutika kept glancing at each other across the room. Their looks, unlike the way Kaira and I were touching, were anything but subtle. Bri kept fake-coughing and grinning, but they didn’t even notice.

  Yutika stood up mid-round of cards and announced that she was tired. She went upstairs, and ten minutes later, Michael mumbled that he was going to sleep. It would have been more convincing if his cheeks weren’t bright red.

  They got impossibly redder when A.J. sing-songed, “I’m not ready to be an uncle yet, so be safe.”

  “You did not just say that, Alexander James Winston the third,” Bri chided, pretending to be appalled.

  “You know I hate my given name.” A.J. stuck his tongue out at Bri and then collapsed onto one of the bean bag chairs with a huff.

  I was on the verge of losing my mind with these barely-there touches when Kaira yawned and stretched.

  “I’m calling it a night,” she told the room.

  Bri and A.J. were having a heated argument about who the next Magic Bachelorette would be, and Smith was back behind his laptop screens. I didn’t think any of them had even heard her.

  The look Kaira gave me as she stood up would have brought me to my knees if I wasn’t already sitting down.

  I waited as long as I could stand before I went after her. I made it about thirty seconds.

  I kept my steps casual until I made it to the stairs, which I took three at a time. She was waiting at the top. I glanced down the hall to make sure Yutika’s door was closed, and then I lifted Kai into my arms.

  I spun her around once, feeling her quiet laugh vibrate against my chest.
And then our mouths collided.

  There were three years’ worth of repressed longing in our kiss. It was both everything, and at the same time, not nearly enough. I had just enough presence of mind to stifle a groan as Kai’s legs hooked around my waist. I carried her down the hall without breaking our kiss.

  We hadn’t even gotten inside the room before we were undressing each other. I kicked the door shut behind us without taking my hands or lips from her. I turned on the old stereo to give us more privacy, since I’d never before had cause to wonder how loud we were or whether the walls were thin.

  Kai finished with the buttons on my shirt and moved to my belt. I backed her farther into the room, my mouth never leaving hers.

  I lifted her in my arms and carried her the rest of the way to the bed. My mind was empty of everything except for her. I covered her body with mine, using one hand to brace myself over her as the other explored curves I thought I’d never touch again. We were both gasping when I pulled back enough to look at her.

  “Kaira.” My voice was hoarse. “Do you want—”

  “Yes,” she breathed, her chest rising and falling. “Need you.”

  I couldn’t have said it better myself. The fire between us was light years past wanting.

  My hands were shaking as I slipped the shirt over her head. She was gorgeous beyond words.

  “This is new,” I murmured, staring appreciatively at her red lace bra.

  “A girl’s gotta have new lingerie. Three years is a long time.”

  Too long.

  She moaned and arched into me as I dipped my head to kiss her through the lace.

  “Damn, I’ve missed this,” I said against her. I’ve missed you.

  It was like I’d been in a coma for the last three years, and I’d just woken up. And it was Kai who had brought me back to life.

  Our touches were soft, teasing. I could barely breathe as her fingers trailed down the ridges of my stomach. My heart felt like it might explode out of my chest.

  It’d be worth it.

  It was one of the things I had always loved about being with Kai. We both knew exactly how to touch each other, knew what the other wanted better than we knew our own desires. It had always been this way with us. The passage of time hadn’t changed any of that. If anything, our connection felt somehow more powerful. There was no awkwardness or hesitation. There was only us, and the stubborn insistence of our love that refused to back down.