Unpredictable Sirens (Supernatural Shifter Academy #4) - G. Bailey Page 0,25

says, his hand coming to rest at the small of my back. “She’s a hybrid.”

Something passes over Theo’s face—a glimmer of recognition? — and his eyebrows raise almost imperceptibly. “Is that so?” His white eyes meet mine once again, nearly dazzling in their presence. “Is your friend telling the truth, Millie Brix?” he asks me. “Are you indeed a hybrid?”

“I… yes,” I reply, swallowing hard. “I was.”

“‘Was?’ ”

I look to Hazel for backup, but she’s fallen silent. Whoever this guy is, he’s clearly the head honcho around here. “When I was a kid, the Shifter Academy experimented on me, and the guys you see here,” I explain slowly. “I was given the powers of all five species. Just a couple days ago, though, they kidnapped me. Experimented on me. I haven’t been able to use my powers since then, but we’re working on getting them back.”

“Look,” Hazel cuts in, “I know that a depowered shifter isn’t exactly what you’re looking for right now, but in terms of raw potential, Millie’s off the charts. She could be a real asset to this fight once she gets her powers back.”

I’m not keen on being used as a bargaining chip, but what other choice do we have?

“Hazel’s right,” adds Landon. “We’ve all seen Boots in action. We can vouch for her. If you’re so hellbent on keeping the humans off your backs, surely a hybrid would be a valuable asset.”

“Indeed,” Theo says, steepling his fingers. His eyes haven’t left me once since the hybrid talk began, and I can’t shake the feeling that he’s looking through me, and not at me. There’s a long moment of silence as he mulls things over, and it goes on for so long that I have to break eye contact, if only to be out from under his impenetrable gaze for a few seconds.

And still he says nothing.

Silas’ shoulders slump. “I guess we’ll just go, then,” he says, sounding defeated. “It’s clear you’re not—”

But Theo holds up a hand, and Silas quiets. You could hear a pin drop. “I believe something can be arranged,” Theo says at last. “Not from a utilitarian standpoint, though.”

I blink. “I… don’t understand.”

Turning to Hazel, Theo smiles. “I underestimated you, Ms. Van Buren. It seems my charity hasn’t run dry after all.” Then he turns back to me. “I find myself overtaken by a sense of camaraderie, Ms. Brix.”

“Sir…?” I stare at him, hardly daring to hope.

Theo leans forward in his chair. “You see, Ms. Brix,” he says deliberately, “our struggles aren’t so different, yours and mine. It just so happens that I, too, am a hybrid.” For a moment, I lose the ability to speak. I can only gape at him, this peculiar white-haired man who might be the only thing standing between us and me getting my powers back. Seeing my reaction, he chuckles. “Surprised?”

“I didn’t…” I stammer. “I thought hybrids were rare.”

“Oh, they are,” Theo replies. “Exceedingly so. And I confess, you are the first one I’ve ever met in person. I had heard rumours of scientific experiments with the goal of replicating what was done to me by the witches when I was a boy, but I didn’t believe them.” Slowly he gets out of his seat, striding over to me and placing his cool hand under my chin. Gently, he raises my head to look up at him, the gesture exceedingly intimate coming from someone I’ve only just met.

Silas tenses visibly, and I can feel Shade start to lunge forward protectively. If Landon didn’t reel him in, there would be no knowing what might have happened. It’s only after a second passes that I realise he’s using magic on me, probing at my powers the same way Mrs. Fairbanks did on that first day at the Academy. The fact that he doesn’t even need to visibly transform in order to perform the spell is a testament to his power.

“Yes,” he says at last, letting go of my chin and nodding his approval. “Yes, Ms. Brix. I believe you’ll do quite nicely.”

Chapter 11

“I don’t like the way he was looking at you,” announces Shade, cramming his hands into his pockets as he turns away from the windows to face me. We’re standing in the living room of one of the lower apartments, one of the few open units left in the building, according to Theo. Rather than a suite, this time we’ve each been given our own studio, which I have to admit is surprising, considering the scarcity