know exactly what it was.
“I’ve got everything under control. Nothing has changed,” I said firmly, though I don’t know if I was trying to reassure her or me.
“No, you don’t. You’re using magic—”
“Of course I’m using magic. I’m a warlock. You knew that before we started dating. You knew who I was before our first kiss. Do you regret it now?”
“I knew what you were before we started dating,” she corrected, evading my question. She stood, her hands balled into fists at her sides as she stared at me. “But I don’t know who you are anymore.”
“I’m Gage Powell, father of the baby you carry and the man who has been tasked with making you and this city safe so that you won’t run! I’m doing this all for you!”
The air crackled with magical energy that I was barely holding in check. Whenever my emotions slipped past my control, magic followed eagerly behind it so that I ended up destroying light bulbs and glass containers without even trying. A part of me wanted to hear something explode or shatter. I wanted to see something eaten away by snapping flames. But the tears Trixie was struggling to hold back were enough to keep me from letting loose completely.
“I never asked you to change,” Trixie said, her voice wavering with each word as it pushed aside the thickening silence. “I love you as you are and would never change you.”
Her words were a balm on an old, ragged wound that refused to close. The electric charge of energy drifted away and I took a deep breath, reining in my temper. Something in me still longed to cut the magic loose, but I could feel the urge coming from outside of me more than in my own soul. Zyrus was restless in the basement as it undoubtedly sensed the anger and frustration growing within me. But I wasn’t going to give in to the demon. I was in control, not the demon. It called me master and I would be the master in this situation.
“I’m not changing,” I said as calmly as I could manage. “I’m using more magic because I am constantly being thrown into situations that demand I use it. The people I am up against are using magic and I have to use it to stay alive.”
“The flowers?”
I clenched my teeth against the spike in my temper and waited a beat before speaking. “That was a mistake. I see that now. I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure I actually agreed with her on that point. But I could see that the flowers had unnerved her and I didn’t want to upset her further. Unfortunately, the look in her eyes made me think that I wasn’t entirely convincing.
“The magic has to stop.”
“You tasked me with ensuring your safety so that you will stay. Magic is the only way I can do that.”
“Magic only makes things worse.”
She was being stubborn and ridiculous. Yes, I understood that the Ivory Towers had hunted down and slaughtered most of her people. I understood that the Towers still had a deep distrust and hatred for all elves. But that did not mean that all magic was bad. Magic could be used for good and that was what I was doing now. I had protected her and Bronx and countless other lives in Low Town with my magic over the years. Yes, I was using it more frequently now but I wasn’t afraid of the Towers removing my head because of a little cloaking spell or a memory charm.
I opened my mouth, not really sure what I was going to say, but I knew my tone was creeping back toward shouting. The words never had a chance to leave my tongue. A sickening wave surged through the parlor, moving from north to south, leaving me feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.
Gasping, I collapsed to the floor on my hands and knees, my heart struggling within my chest to start beating again. Dragging in a breath, I felt the air burn down my throat, like acid on my lungs. I choked, coughing and unwilling to take in a second breath, but I couldn’t fight it more than a few seconds. The next was easier, though still painful.
Across the room, I could hear Trixie coughing and choking as well. I slowly turned my head to look at her and winced. It was like my brain had been reduced to sludge and was now free to slide around in