Miss Tully’s wrist and cries, “I can’t have a Sensitive working for me!”
“We’ll take the wristlet off. Maybe we can get Oliver to show us how.”
Kyra stares at me in disbelief. “Why would he do that? That woman is an enemy of the State. You may be Lark Greene, founder’s descendant, but you don’t make the rules.”
“You’re right. She can’t come home with me. There’s too much magic there.” I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to figure a way out of this mess. “Please, Kyra. Have Maz take her. Just for tonight while we work this out.”
Maz stares first at me, then at Kyra as if deciding which of us is the more dangerous to upset. “I can do that.”
Kyra crosses her arms. “Fine. But I swear to God, Lark, if I lose my placement because of this, I will never speak to you again.”
It’s an empty threat and we both know it, but I nod in agreement. “I won’t let you lose your job. I swear.” I peck my friend on the cheek. “Thank you, Kyra. You’re fabo.”
Kyra clicks her tongue at me and glares at Miss Tully. “What can you do?” Kyra calls out across the short distance separating us from Ryker and the old woman.
Miss Tully lifts her head slowly, like she’s just now listening to the conversation. “I’m a farmer.”
“Fantastic,” Kyra says sarcastically. “She can shovel snow or something for you, Maz.”
As we walk, Kyra’s anger recedes like low tide—still there but much less noticeable. Maybe it helps that Maz has his arm around her waist, hugging her tightly.
“You okay?” Ryker asks. He and I stay to the rear, following Miss Tully. “You look terrified.”
“You’re talking to me now?”
“Don’t be like this.” He lays his hand on my arm and I flinch. Ryker doesn’t touch me and yet tonight, his hands have been on me numerous times. I narrow my eyes and curl my arm closer to my body, away from him. Perhaps, like Kyra, he has the power of persuasion. That would explain why I felt compelled to do all the stupid things I did tonight.
“How should I act?” I snap.
“I thought my news would make you happy.”
Ryker is a Dark witch. I’m not even sure what career he’s been assigned. And somehow, I’m to believe he’s privy to information about Beck when Mother claims to be clueless. I blame my complete inebriation on not realizing all this earlier.
Either he knows nothing, or Mother is using him to bait me.
But that doesn’t explain why he seemed surprised to see me with Kyra and Maz after I set Miss Tully free.
I choose my next words carefully. “Is that what you wish? To make me happy? Because it takes more than a few whispered words to excite me.”
He leans into me, so that only I can hear him. “Was Beck there? In the crowd?”
“What?” I stop walking and stare at him in disbelief. Unease builds inside me. Why would he ask that? Unless this is another of Mother’s tests. I grind my teeth. “No. I didn’t see Beck. Do you think I would fail to report it if I did?”
He studies me. “I don’t know. Would you?”
Before I respond, Kyra races back toward us. Her hand darts out and latches on to me. “Maz is taking your pet to his house and we’re going to transport to the alley near Malin’s.”
“Can’t we go straight to my bedroom and pretend we’ve been there all night?” I ask hopefully.
Kyra shakes her head. “We can’t transport into the house without prior clearance. And since no one knows we’re out, we won’t be able to get inside.”
I press my eyes tight as dark air envelops me and I fly through space. I land between Kyra and Ryker. This time, I leave a respectable amount of distance between us.
“Go first,” Kyra says to Ryker. “Make sure no one sees us.”
Ryker scans his wristlet and the secure door swings open. He steps around it and the door latches shut again.
Kyra doesn’t speak and neither do I. Tonight was supposed to be fun and instead it turned into a nightmare. I set an off-grid club on fire, exposed myself to a crowd of Light Witches and humans, and rescued an accused Sensitive. But what worries me the most is what Mother will do to Kyra and me.
“It’s all clear,” Ryker’s voice says from my wristlet. Kyra scans her wristlet and exits before me. I walk at her back