Wingless (The Lia Hunter Chronicles #1)

Chapter Six

I met Levi on the edge of the Magic District an hour later. He raised an eyebrow at my new outfit, a pastel tea dress and kitten heels, my gun tucked into a hidden thigh harness but wisely chose not to comment.

"I can't help but wonder what type of friend you have that resides in here, seraph." He said instead, gesturing behind him.

I gritted my teeth at the nickname but I had given up hope of getting him to not say it. Glancing over his shoulder I took in the vibrant chaos.

Along the cobbled streets of the Witches Cauldron hung lanterns of every color. At night they would light up, encasing the street in luminous mystery. An eclectic group of people traversed the streets, ranging from tourists to black market dealers and they weren't the only creatures that stalked the area. Magics flocked to the Cauldron, taking comfort in the thriving magic presence of the area. Here people didn't blink twice if a gargoyle stomped past or a sea spirit slithered along. Alive and pulsing, the Cauldron, was like mould, growing in deadly silence, bleaching its way into the rest of the city.

When humans had discovered that magic was not only real but that Jaxai's and hybrids were able to manipulate and use it, they freaked out. While some eagerly embraced the mysterious powers, learning everything about it and hiring those with magic to work for them, others shunned the magic users in fear. Eventually, when emotions settled, magic was granted its own unofficial home in Lower Manhattan. Nowadays if you were looking for anything magical the place to go was the Cauldron. Encompassing a dozen city blocks it housed all sorts of shops, some of them offering simple charms for tourists, others dealing in much more powerful magic.

I knew what Levi was hinting at, the Cauldron didn't have the cleanest reputation and as a PeaceKeeper, I risked my job by associating with anyone who wasn't on the right side of the law. But if it meant saving lives, I was happy to take that risk.

"Last time I checked it wasn't illegal to have friends," I answered sharply, narrowing my eyes.

Refusing to be intimidated, his arms folded across his chest and he raised that damn eyebrow again. I was seriously beginning to regret agreeing to partner up with him.

"I never said it was." He replied evenly.

Our gazes held, a clash of green and gray and together we stood frozen, ignoring the ebb and flow of people around us. He garnered his fair share of awed looks, a few of the braver gawkers even stopping to snap pictures of the deadly looking Seraphim lord. No doubt he stopped traffic wherever he went with those gorgeous wings on his back. Finally, he let out a sigh, unfolding his arms, he gestured to the streets in front of us.

"Let's go meet your friend then."

Giving him one last searching look, I rolled my shoulders back before turning and leading the way into the bowels of the Cauldron. Levi easily fell into step with me.

"Hunter, an interesting surname."

I wasn't fooled by his casual tone for a second. Alarm bells rang loudly inside my skull and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Something told me this man knew I had secrets, and he would stop at nothing to unearth them.

"So is Notos." I shot back smoothly.

Stepping closer to avoid a pack of tourists, I got a close-up view of the surprise on his face quickly morphing into respect.

"I see you've done your research."

Of course.

"Did you expect anything less?"

I'd scoured the Bureau's files the second he and Jehiel had left the conference room. The file on him had been frustratingly small, the only solid data his name, title, and date of birth. The rest was a compilation of various rumors and whispered tales that flowed down the grapevine.