you were just a minute ago. You went to one of those damn Towers to do your research.”
Blood froze in my veins at her words. How could she possibly know about that? I hadn’t told her about going back to Simon’s rooms or the fact that I had done any research at the Towers in relation to any of my current problems. “How did you know?”
When Trixie lifted her green eyes to me, there was a world of disappointment resting in those sad emerald orbs. “Gideon told me.”
“What? When did you see him?” I demanded, jumping to my feet.
“He was here a little while ago. He’s worried about you.”
“Bullshit,” I muttered, shoving one hand through my hair so that it was now standing on end. I started to pace, but there wasn’t a lot of room for moving around because of the various chairs and little tables filled with tattooing supplies.
“He is and so am I. What are you doing there?
“Research.”
“The only kind of research you could be doing at the Towers is magic. What are you doing with magic, Gage? You’re not supposed to be using it.”
“Things have changed. I told you that. The Towers have backed off from that edict,” I said with an absent wave of my hand.
“Not so much that using magic just willy-nilly is safe,” she snapped. “You created those flowers with magic and sent them to my apartment with magic.”
“You could tell?”
“I’m a Summer Court elf, Gage! I could smell it. Those flowers aren’t real.”
“Of course they’re real.”
“No, they’re not. They were created by magic, not nature. I can smell and feel the difference. Those flowers have no soul. They never lived. They were never connected to the earth and they never spent a single day in the sun.”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to give you something nice. Prove that magic could be used for something positive and pretty,” I shouted. My volume was rising with hers and it was becoming harder to get a hold on my emotions so that I could keep this conversation from exploding.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but hate the fact that you’re using magic more.” Brushing some hair from her face, Trixie pushed to her feet so that she could more easily look me in the eye. “When you were hiding from the Towers and the world, you were careful about your magic use. You made sure that no one saw you, no one knew. You found other ways to get the things you needed. Now, it seems like magic is your first choice for everything.”
“Only because it’s the more efficient way of getting things done.” I paused and took a deep breath, reminding myself that she was just worried about me. I should feel pleased by her concern. “Look, I’m using magic because it’s the only way to accomplish what I need. The Towers aren’t hunting me any longer, so there’s no danger.”
“But don’t you see? Using magic is a danger in itself. You’re becoming dependent upon it. Nothing good ever came of using magic that frequently. It warps things. Twists it.”
“That’s not true.”
“The Towers,” she said quickly before I could continue.
“I’m not the Towers! I’m not one of them! I’m not a killer!” But as the word left my throat, I felt myself pale and my heart stutter to a halt in my chest. I wasn’t a killer, right? That was the line I had always drawn in the sand that separated me from the assholes in the Ivory Towers. Yet, I had let Zyrus kill that warlock. I had let goblins die in that fire when I could have stopped it. I had clung to that rationale for years; used it as a reason for leaving the Towers. But it wasn’t true. Not anymore.
“I know you’re not a killer, Gage,” Trixie said gently, pulling my horrified gaze back to her face. “But I’m afraid of things going too far and you not being able to stop yourself. You’re using things that are bad.”
“What are you talking about?” I whispered.
“There’s something . . . some magic that you’re using now that is . . .” she paused, wrinkling her nose as she tried to find the right word. “It’s like . . . it’s tainting you. You smell different and you feel different when I’m near you. It’s not good and you need to stop whatever it is. It’s gotten worse from last night to this afternoon.”
Zyrus. She could feel my association with the demon, though she didn’t