The Weight of a Wing (Excerpt)

Chapter One

In a world where sources of real magic were rare, anyone used to living and breathing by it was constantly aware of its presence and could easily locate it, even if the magic was several kilometers away. In reverse, its absence was just as poignant, a red flag, too bright to be ignored because it had to hurt.

With the spell working, he saw her in his head, the beautiful brunette with dark eyes, long dark hair, and even longer legs, sitting in that booth inside the bar, quietly sipping on her drink and watching the agitated conversation going on around her. She had a calm demeanor while her body screamed for a spark of magic. It was a craving so intense, he could feel it over two corridors and through four sets of walls, her pain resonating inside him like a black hole.

In vain, he told himself he was doing her a favor, but it was not the case-nothing good could come out of this for her. He was doing this for selfish reasons, and she happened to be caught in the middle of it. A mission... That's what she was, only she wasn't like any other mission. The more he thought about it, about her, the more he hated what had been done to her and what was likely to happen if he followed his orders. Sometimes he hated his job. When he was done with her, she would hate him, too.

He was so screwed.

* * *

"You people are ruining our city," Cassie said for the thousandth time.

Alise glanced at her friend seated next to her at the table, fully engrossed in the debate on the pros and cons of building a modern downtown in the city. It happened every time Cassie dropped by to whisk her away for some retail therapy. Since the summer had started and they were right in the middle of the exam session, Cassie was stressed so they seemed to be doing a lot of shopping lately.

"That park of yours ... It's not a park. It's a handkerchief!" Cassie shook her honey-colored, shoulder-length curls.

Alise tuned out the rest of the tirade. She knew the lecture by heart. It wasn't even Cassie's hometown. The girl had come to study international law at the university-one of the best in the country-but she had adopted it as her own. Cassie would never agree with tearing down the entire park behind the old Culture Palace, conveniently renaming it Palas, and replacing it with office buildings, restaurants, and hotels, with a patch of green in the middle of it all.

As a member of the team in charge of the redesign of the park, Alise saw both sides of the coin. People had to eat, and this business was much bigger than they were. If their small architecture firm hadn't snatched the contract, it would have been some other company who probably would have done a sloppy job. Alise admired her friend's determination and dedication to the cause, but she would have to get Cassie away from there soon before the girl started to annoy her colleagues.

Cassie turned to her. "Well, you're the landscape expert. Tell them!"

Alise blinked, having not paid attention to what they were saying. The skin between her shoulder blades itched, and she had an odd feeling that someone was staring at her. She had to fight the impulse to turn around. Still, from the corner of her eye, she noticed him standing on the other side of the glass wall in the busy gallery. The dark shadow towering over her made her shiver. They had found her. And now they would want to take her away. She didn't want to go back. Nothing good waited for her on the other side ... no happiness, no hope. She was lucky she had escaped alive in the first place.

As a rebellious act, Alise refused to acknowledge the menacing presence, but the silhouette wouldn't go away.

"Not now," she hissed under her breath. In fact, she meant not here. They wouldn't come to pick her up in the middle of a crowded bar, would they? People would freak out, so they had to stay hidden. After all, there were rules.