Durance by Lyn Gala Page 0,10

Kavon reached for Darren’s hand, but Darren pulled it back.

“Angel didn't have a lot of choice. If he hadn’t hurt Vincent, Luschese would have killed both of them.”

“I understand that.” Kavon stabbed the last of his scrambled eggs.

“Do you?” Darren asked. “The last time I visited Angel and Matt, Vincent loved living with them. He was happy. He didn't hold a grudge.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Kavon asked drily.

Darren narrowed his eyes. “He's mentally disabled; he's not an idiot. He knew what his brother was. Hell, the only person who blames Angel for what happened is Angel. So maybe you can turn down the judgmental streak.”

Kavon pushed his plate to one side. “You said it yourself. Angel doesn't forgive himself. He knew it was wrong.

“It was the lesser evil. Maybe he hurt Vincent, but he saved both their lives.” Darren’s voice rose. “In case you've forgotten, he also saved our case.”

“I don't think he gave a shit about our case. Everything he did benefited him.” Kavon snorted.

Darren studied Kavon, and confusion leaked into the bond. “What is this really about?”

“I’m listing reasons to distrust Angel. This is explosive information. You know what an ifrit war could mean to the Talent community.” Kavon had nightmares about another purge.

Darren’s expression softened. “Yeah, I do. That’s why I want to bring Angel in. As a Native shaman, he has power we don’t. We need the help.”

“I do need your help—yours and the team’s.” Kavon never wanted to push Darren aside. Not only did he have the more powerful guide, but he had the stronger moral compass. When Darren knew he was right, neither heaven nor hell nor a clear regulation could stop him.

Darren sighed. “Then trust my gut. We can rely on Angel. We need him. When Cruz targeted you, you survived only because I had a source of magic that Cruz hadn’t anticipated. I was a mundane who used my natural Earth magic to get you out. As I’ve absorbed Bennu’s magic, I’ve lost that advantage. As a Native shaman, Angel brings that magic back to the table.”

Shamanic powers were deadly weapons in the wrong hands. Angel might have helped them once, but that didn’t make him one of the good guys. “If we have a lead, and it seems like he could prove useful...”

Darren sighed as if he was disappointed in Kavon’s reaction. “I was talking to a Native on the El Paso council. We can’t assign Angel tasks the way we might divvy up the chores on the team. Earth magic is more flexible and less reliable. But he could be the wild card the ifrit don’t expect.”

“He might talk to the wrong people, even if his heart is in the right place.” Kavon was eighty percent sure of that, but in order to avoid another fight with Darren, he wouldn’t mention the other twenty percent.

“Other people know what’s coming. Art and Zack know. If the power spikes in the Vatican mean anything, the Catholic church has some inkling. We can tell him and bring him into it or we can shut him out and run the risk that he’s going to get involved in this fight on his own.”

Kavon doubted that. Angel appeared far too good at looking out for his own interests to jump into a war.

A burst of earnestness came through the bond. “Trust me,” Darren implored. All the defenses Kavon had prepared about operational security and half-trained magic users dabbling in shamanism vanished.

Kavon sighed. “Text him and tell him to come over after 6 p.m.” Since Coretta was handling all the cases, Kavon assumed she wouldn’t be able to get the team over before then. In the meantime, he planned to meditate and then call Halverson and McLean and see if they had heard anything about powerful new shamans appearing out of nowhere.

Chapter Four

“Can we get this started?” Les asked. He was sitting backward on one of the patio chairs Kavon had brought down. “I told Anita I would take her out for dinner, and I don’t want to get up in the dog house.”

“Again,” Darren added.

Les rolled his eyes. “Bruh, you don’t have to worry about keeping a woman happy. I don’t need your comments from the peanut gallery.”

Coretta cleared her throat. “Whatever magical insanity you two have landed in the middle of, let’s hear it.” She was in the armchair, but she perched on the edge and nearly vibrated with worry. Rima was on the far side of Darren, and she watched with wide,