Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere by Bella Forrest Page 0,75
people by surprise; he was apparently known for being tough as nails and a bit of a hard-ass. The fact that he’d been swiped made people ten times more nervous—and bolstered our theory that the pixies weren’t responsible. It would’ve taken a huge amount of strength to abduct someone like him, which had put folks firmly into panic mode.
As far as magical involvement went, if it was someone in the Institute, they’d have to have seriously powerful Telekinesis to drag a dude like that away without making a scene. The antsier people got, the more that panic would rise. And folks were already freaked. Not that anyone would be able to leave out of fear. Lockdown meant lockdown. Doors closed, exits forbidden, until this got solved. Some students had already improvised, barricading themselves into their rooms while everyone else was on hunting duty.
“That’s actually a very intriguing idea.” Nathan rubbed his faintly stubbled chin. “Persie did appear to have a limited rapport with the one she caught.”
I eyed him curiously. “How about you? Why are you tracking them alone?”
“Ah, well… I know the hunting protocols in cases like this. Chances are, I won’t get to see a single pixie before they’re shipped off to the Bestiary. Any that are kept for research will be wired up to machines, and I’m not fond of that approach.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I’d prefer to study them in a more natural setting, and… well, I’d like to protect them as much as I can, which I won’t be able to do if I leave it to the hunters.”
I smiled at him. “You don’t think they did this, do you?”
“I… well, it’s not as simple as… It’s rather more… The thing is...” He struggled for the right words. “Essentially, there’s not enough evidence of their behavior to know for sure, but I haven’t read anything to suggest they’re cruel or dangerous. I said as much to Victoria, but she’s convinced it’s too timely not to be the right answer. And I could be wrong, so I didn’t try to force it.”
I nodded my understanding. “Doesn’t she think monsters have the ability to be good? Most of the ones I’ve met get a bit fierce, but I think that’s how any animal would respond if they felt threatened.” My mind fixed on Tobe and Iso. “And then there’s the Beast Master and Beast Mistress, who’ve got hearts of gold. They’ve got souls, for sure.”
“Beast Mistress?” Nathan looked stumped.
“Her name’s Iso. She runs the Atlantis Bestiary. She showed me around when I was little, cuddled me right up into her furry arms and let me ride on her back.” I grinned at the memory. “If magicals can create Purge beasts like them, then it stands to reason that the other varieties are cut from similar cloth, right? They might not be able to speak and drink tea, but they can’t be totally different inside, you know?”
His expression softened, and his eyes grew warm and inviting. “I do know. That’s precisely how I feel about them.” He dropped his gaze, and I felt weirdly disappointed. I wanted more of his twinkly eyes. “However, we are a rare breed. To Victoria, and most other hunters, monsters are monsters. They either belong in glass boxes or in Chaos. That’s why they won’t listen—unless I present watertight evidence that it’s not the pixies.”
“So, you could say we’re on the same team?” I willed him to meet my gaze. When he did, the air rushed out of my lungs. With all this determination, and all these defiant sides to him, I was starting to see him in three dimensions. And that was dangerous.
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Yes, I suppose you could. Though, I’d really like to learn more about that invisibility spell. It might be useful for covert searching.”
I tapped the side of my temple. “Family secret, I’m afraid.”
“You Atlanteans truly are remarkable. You have all this power and all these spells, and, in comparison, we’ve barely scratched the surface of magical possibility.” He sighed wistfully. “I envy you.”
“You shouldn’t. It comes with countless insults, and traditions that would make your retinas detach.” I laughed, but it sounded hollow. What was the use of admiring his pretty eyes when, in a few years, my dad would try and foist me off on an Atlantean with a good bloodline? All for the sake of some dumb “purity” business that made zero sense to me.