Bad Moon:Book One in the "I Am Chaos" series.

Chapter 7: Fear and Fire

A freelancing sorcerer? "Why is he here?"

"Because you're here?" Brandon made it sound like a question, but he smiled and then shrugged. "Without asking him we can only guess. As I said, he's a freelancer, so our suspicions are that he's been hired. By whom, well, we are still working that out. And the details would only bore you."

"I don't think they would," I argued. "I have a few more questions..."

"We'll get to your questions after you answer mine." Brandon cut me off smoothly and turned back to his computer. "Full name?"

No. That was not how this was going to work.

Brandon waited another minute and then sighed. Turning, he gripped the edge of the desk as if to steady himself. 

"Okay, you want answers? This is not Ash House. Ash House is in New York City. This is Ash and Crowley Consulting, the largest subsidiary of Ash and Sons LTD, a Shell Company that administrates over a dozen smaller businesses. There are seven Houses of sorcerers and we are the third wealthiest House in the United States. The CEO of Ash and Crowley Consulting you've already met: Sinclair Sebastian Ash is also the scion of Ash House as well as Aedile of New England – though for how much longer is anyone's guess. That someone like you has existed within Ash House territory for even a moment without being discovered is a mystery we'd like to get to the bottom of. Since you are not a House member, that is all I am at liberty to tell you. I'm here because Sinclair has absolutely no patience, is a terrible teacher, and is an incredibly busy man. I on the other hand, am infinitely patient."

I pressed my lips together. "And you're – what? – His Gal Friday? Chewbacca to his Han Solo?"

"Not quite," Brandon drawled, "I'm more Darth Vader to the Emperor."

Whoa. That was a loaded metaphor I was unprepared to unpack. Cal's warnings about base magic rang in my ears.

"Now. I'm happy to answer more of your questions. But you need to answer mine. We don't know why Vehendi is here, but figuring out who you are might help. I need to find out where on earth you came from. And you're here to learn how to use your magic. I can't help you do that until I can discern exactly what kind of magic you have."

I frowned. "I thought you said I was a sorcerer?"

"You have a sorcerer's aura," said Brandon. "But not all sorcerers magic in the same way."

Did he just use magic as a verb? 

"Depending on where your family comes from, how that power got distorted down the line of your DNA... We need to know these things. Think of it like voltage in a battery. I've got to know what type of converter you are before I plug you into a wall...get me?"

No. Not at all.

"Full name."

I sighed. "Eva Marie Mallory."

Brandon had a lot of questions. He wanted to know my age, my birthdate; he wanted to know about my parents, though I could only give him my father's full name (William Edward Kelley). I actually didn't know my mother's. I assumed her last name was Mallory (like mine), but I'd certainly never heard anyone use her first name. Granny had refused to mention her at all. Brandon had a lot of questions about Granny, and I told him what I could. Then he began asking about elementary school, middle school, high school. He was very surprised that my power hadn't manifested before now and had a few questions about that as well.

I told him about the excess energy and about how I released it through running, sex, and how I became restless in the nighttime and felt better after a walk outside. He frowned the entire way through this description but made no comment. He wrote down everything.