worse about his lack of control. When Kavon’s phone chimed again, he glanced down to find Assistant Director White texting that he had arrived at the Djedi Center. As a supervisory agent, Kavon had an obligation to report to his boss, but he didn’t want to leave Darren. The rest of the team was at the scene, and Darren looked so fucking helpless lying in the middle of the bed. The white sheets mirrored Darren’s complexion. Maybe his distress showed on his face because Anita took a step closer.
“Agent?” Anita asked. Her monkey guide appeared in the corner near Kavon’s bull and started chittering unhappily.
“Our boss.” He raised his phone.
“I can watch Darren.”
Kavon frowned. While he trusted Anita’s ethics, she couldn’t protect Darren from that creature.
“I’ll send my guide to get you if I feel even a whisper of a threat,” Anita said. “I’ve been in combat situations before, so trust me to stand guard over my patient, okay?” Her steady aura filled the room. Kavon hadn’t expected such strength from someone with a monkey guide, but he had to admit that he didn’t understand the animals well enough to know what their actual behavior patterns might include.
“If anyone shows up...”
“They aren’t getting in without your permission,” Anita said, “And if I’m not strong enough to stop them, I’ll send my guide to get you. I won’t leave Darren undefended.”
Kavon stood, but he still hesitated.
“Agent Boucher,” she said in a questioning tone. She took a deep breath as though bracing herself. “What was the enemy out there? What do we have to protect Darren against?”
“Didn’t Les tell you?”
She sighed. “Les makes a show of being open and accessible to everyone, but it’s all show. He tried to talk to me the other night, but I was tired and he was rambling about mythology. I need to know which direction to expect an attack to come from.”
Kavon had no privacy spells in place, but Djedi Centers tended to ensure a certain level of privacy in the rooms. That said, he didn’t want to get into specifics. “Guides. Old and powerful guides. Don’t try to hold your own.”
Anita gave him a quick nod. “Got it. I’ll keep him safe.”
White had to be close to the room now, and Kavon hurried out to meet him at the elevator. He stopped when he saw White striding down the corridor toward him. Kavon schooled his features into something respectful, burying his fury and fears under layers of polite calm. “Assistant Director White, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
White stopped short of Darren’s door. “One of my men is in the hospital after being attacked. It seems like this is the appropriate place for me to be.” White looked at Darren’s door, and his tone shifted. “How is he?”
Hurt, Kavon wanted to scream to the ceiling. He wanted to rant and rail against the unfairness. However, he shoved those emotions aside. “He's going to recover. It may take time, but you know Darren. He’s tough. He's going to pull through.” Kavon clenched his teeth before he could lose his emotional control. Pochi appeared, and the air pressure against Kavon’s skin felt like a puff of air. Pochi hovered, darting first one direction and then another as he searched for an enemy, but White didn’t even notice when Pochi dove through him. The monster might have knocked Pochi down, but he was not out.
“Good.” White nodded, his relief clear. “What about the attacker? What do we know about him?”
Kavon blew out a breath. He would not lie to White, but he was also unwilling to bring a mundane into this fight. “If you’re asking about the shaman directing this attack, I have no idea. I didn’t see anyone on the street, and I can’t tell from the attack if we’re looking for a man or a woman. The most I can say is that the attack came from someone with a well-developed Talent.” At least Kavon assumed that. When Darren had joined with Bennu, they’d had far less control. It took months of practice before they could coordinate their efforts well enough for a focused attack.
“Did Darren see the attack?” White asked. Pochi darted directly up and then vanished. Kavon got the impression he was patrolling the area. He would have to call Detective Johnson and let him know where his guide had gone. “A magical attack is not the same as a mundane one. It's closer to a sniper attack than a physical assault,” Kavon