Gravity (2 page)

homemade onion rings. Novis insisted on old-fashioned milkshakes with real ice cream served in tall

glasses, guaranteed to make my throat freeze. I removed the cherry and placed it on a napkin.

Novis reached over and dropped it into his glass, pushing it down to the bottom with his red straw.

The building looked like an oversized trailer from the outside, and the cook wore a large, greasy

smock and a huge smile on his face. He was stout and round and looked like he enjoyed a good

cigar. Rumor had it he made the best burgers in town.

“You changed your hair,” Novis said politely. “It’s quite lovely.”

I touched it and smiled generously. “You noticed.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my extended lifetime, Silver, it’s that you should always

notice a woman’s hair and compliment her when it changes.”

“Now I’m not so sure if you really like my hair or if you’re just trying to be polite,” I said, eyeing

him skeptically.

Novis laughed and his shoulders lifted in rhythm. He took a hungry bite out of his cheeseburger

and a pickle fell on the plate.

With a mouthful of food, he said, “The office gets stuffy. I like to get out and brush shoulders

with civilization once in a while.” An onion slipped out and he frowned, deciding how to assemble

his burger again. “Things change but stay the same. This hamburger doesn’t taste like the one I

had in 1950, and it sure doesn’t taste like the one that I had in 1922.”

“Better, or worse?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Different.”

“We should do this more often.”

The vanilla milkshake was killer and I savored several long sips. I started to dip my onion ring in

ketchup, but dunked it into the shake instead. After a bite, I decided it wasn’t good, so I stuck

with the ketchup. Sometimes odd combinations worked together, so I always kept an open mind.

Novis watched observantly and dipped one in his chocolate shake. Then he tried it with mine to

compare.

“I should have gotten vanilla,” he remarked.

“I guess no one ever told you about double-dipping.” I glanced out the window at the street.

“Look at the snow coming down,” I said in awe. “I’ve never seen this much snow before. Justus

said last winter was a mild one for Cognito. I can’t believe it’s come so early! Everything looks so…

clean. And bright! Look how the lamps illuminate the street.” I tapped my finger on the glass.

Novis stared, but not out the window.

“What?”

He gave a sideways smile. “Sometimes I forget. It’s nice to be reminded of the simple things.

I’ve seen a million snowfalls, and when you’re as old as I am, the newness wears off. Seeing life

through a Learner’s eyes is as close as I’ll come to recapturing that feeling of youth, but few are as

enthusiastic as you. Now I know why humans choose to have children.”

Which was an odd statement. Novis revealed he once had a family. Did men in those times only

have children to pass on their names and assets? Perhaps children were a necessity for labor.

Some subjects are too personal to broach over cheap burgers.

Novis shook out of his blue jacket. His face was fresh and young with piercing blue eyes framed

by dark, angled brows. He had a strong nose like a Greek sculpture, and his face wore chiseled

characteristics that had been filtered out of the generations over time. I once asked him how old

he was and he said he couldn’t remember. Maybe after a thousand years he stopped counting.

“We found Grady,” he announced, combing his fingers through his spiked black hair.

My onion ring went down the wrong pipe and I began coughing. Novis stepped out of his seat

and slapped me on the back. Based on his technique, I had doubts he’d ever taken a CPR class. As

if I could die from an onion ring. Nevertheless, I gasped for oxygen and washed it down with a few

long sips of my milkshake.

“What? You found who?”

Novis slid back in his red vinyl seat. “Grady was the only name we were given, so we checked

the Mageri records and found three candidates.”

“Who’s we?”

“Simon and yours truly, as I am the record keeper. One has been deceased for two hundred

years, and the second is of African descent. That left us with the third, and he fits the profile of the

man who handed your mother over to the lab that created you.”

Well, that was one way to put it.

Created.

Not conceived the way normal people were. Yep, that’s me: mutant extraordinaire. “Where

does he live? Was he taken into custody? Did he admit anything? Where did you find him?”

“Whoa, that’s a lot of questions, Silver,” he said, holding up his right hand. “Allow me to savor

my meal before you begin the Spanish Inquisition.” He slowly chomped on a pickle and wiped his

fingers on a paper napkin. “Grady resides on the East Coast. We haven’t questioned him yet.”

“He could have gone anywhere in the world, but he’s here in America?”

Novis sniffed out a short laugh. “In the days of the early settlers, we stuck together because it

was a dangerous time with humans. Over the centuries, society became more… civilized. We

began spreading out and establishing territories. A Mage who no longer desires to maintain

property will sell it directly to the Mageri, who pays more than the market price, to say the least.

Life is long, so it’s better to secure a number of homes. Eventually, everyone migrates back here.

It’s attractive,” he said, waving a hand as if stating the obvious. “Despite our differences, we

naturally congregate where our numbers are higher. The cities along the coastline have maintained

steady numbers, but many who refuse to follow the laws of their elders have tried to create

settlements in less Breed-populated cities. Territorial disputes still occur, especially among Shifters

who have just been able to acquire land in the past century or so.”

“Okay, thanks for the history lesson. What about Grady?” I sat on my hands, ignoring the food

on the table.

“The point I was making is that while we have the world to travel, you can’t keep a flame from

a moth. Christian will assist in questioning the Mage. He’s the only Vampire I trust and will be

compensated for his services. Before you put the thought in your head, Silver, you won’t be going.

We don’t know if Grady is still involved with the experiments, so I don’t want him to know who you

are. I’ve asked you here tonight because it’s in your best interest to know about our plans, as they

will directly affect you.”

“In what way?” I rubbed my arms, too nervous to bother correcting him about the moth

comment.

“For two nights, you’ll be without a guard. This is a sensitive matter and is not Mageri protocol.”

He ran his finger across his lip contemplatively. “They like doing things by the book, and yes,

sometimes we must conduct investigations that don’t follow our own laws. It’s imperative that

every Mage believes in our system, but there are times when a delicate situation must be handled

in an efficient manner. We don’t always have time to gather all the facts in a… legal way. As my

apprentice, I’m placing my trust in you for confidentiality. This would directly affect my standing on

the Council if they found out what we’re up to,” he warned. “I didn’t want you inadvertently

finding out the truth and letting the cat in the bag.”

“You mean out of the bag.”

Novis averted his eyes to watch snowflakes piling up on the ledge of the window. The large wet

ones stuck to the glass, showing off their unique designs.

“Christian was reluctant to take on this request because he is in your service.” Novis scrunched

his face and I knew Christian had given him hell. “We’ve secured his trust by ensuring that you will

remain locked in your quarters on high security.”

“Wait a minute. I didn’t have a guard before I took on this job. Why is there a need now? I’m

not the Queen.” I dropped my arms on the table with a heavy sigh and pushed my plate away.

While there had been a few times I could have used a guard, the overwhelming majority of my

days were uneventful.

“No, but being my apprentice puts you in a vulnerable position. I have trustworthy guards, but

I can’t afford to spare one or it might compromise the security of my people. It’s a long process to

acquire a replacement. In any case, a Mage couldn’t offer the same protection as a Vampire.”

“But a Chitah can,” I pointed out.

He dipped his finger in his chocolate shake and lowered his voice. “Chitahs are excellent

trackers, but guards they are not. There was an unfortunate incident some years ago when a

Mage hired one as a guard. The Chitah flipped his switch and turned on the very man he was hired

to protect. If you’re about to offer up Logan, then remember that his feelings for you can be just

as blinding. He would be no match against Tarek, for example.”

Three puncture marks on the right side of my neck burned at the mention of Tarek’s name. By

no less than a miracle, I’d survived a Chitah bite, but the scar had never healed. Even after

ingesting Vampire blood and receiving healing light from Justus, nothing would erase the evidence

of that attack.

“A Vampire is not as fast as a Chitah,” I reminded him.

He shoved an entire onion ring into his mouth, licking his thumb as he smiled politely at the

pretty waitress who left us the bill. Novis dusted a few crumbs from his fingers. “Have you ever

played the childhood game Rock, Paper, Scissors?

“Uh huh.”

“Same concept,” he said. “A rock may tear a hole in paper, but paper always wins. There’s a

logic you follow with the Breed. We could also employ a Gemini since they have strength beyond

even a Vampire, but Geminis don’t work as guards and avoid complicated situations. Emotions

trigger violent tendencies that could put the person that they’re hired to guard in harm’s way. And

you do not want to be around a Gemini when they’re angry.” He waved his finger.

“Hulk syndrome?”

His brow furrowed, not understanding the comic book reference. “If you look at a basic fight

without weapons, a Vampire can absorb our energy and it has no effect on them. They’re strong,

and therefore most avoid getting too close to one. A Chitah bite has no effect on a Vampire, nor

can one track a Vampire by scent. Their energy is not detectable to a Mage, although there are

exceptions to that rule. Christian has been doing what he does since we found him, and he does it

better than anyone. His track record is impeccable, and he’s saved countless lives. Is anyone

perfect? No. But he’s as close as it comes. When you are dealing with so many different situations

and Breeds, there is always risk. You may have felt safe in recent months, but what you do not

know is how many times Christian has protected your life without your knowledge. I cannot offer

invincibility with a guard, Silver. I can only offer the best protection available.”

“Logan can protect me, Novis. He’s capable and trustworthy, someone who’s come to my aid

more than once.”

Novis lightly touched the scar on his cheek shaped like a backward L. I could see why Adam

thought of him as an exemplary Creator. He had a way of explaining things that made it difficult to

prove him wrong, but our conversations were filled with patience on his part.

“Silver, you need to trust me on this. It’s only for two days. Surely life with Justus can’t be that

painful?” His eyes went dramatically wide before he rolled them and I laughed.

“I guess not. I’ll have Logan stay over if that gives you peace of mind.”

“Actually, no. I’m requesting that he go with Christian as backup.

“Wait, hold—”

“Listen for a moment,” he said, raising his hand. “Only a small circle of individuals are involved,

and Logan is one of them. Leo is now affiliated with HALO, and they’re working on an important

case for the Mageri. He’s highly respected among his kind and I don’t wish to put him in a position

that could jeopardize his standing. This is not official Chitah business, so it is customary for me to

seek permission from the eldest in the family. I’m working very hard to bridge the gap between our

people and mend those gates.”

“Fences. Mending fences.”

Novis laughed loudly, but it was short-lived. “I love idioms, but I can never get them right.

Silver, it’s a two-day excursion, and you should know that I empathize with your situation. It’s not

easy, and only children should be told what to do. But in all fairness, you are a child in our world. I

promised that I would not be a restrictive employer, provided you had a guard to allow you such

freedoms. I don’t see a need to quarrel when our burgers are cooling.”

“You do realize that Christian and Logan hate each other.”

Novis raised a shoulder, indicating there was nothing he could do about that. “Leo is talking to

him about it tonight.”

“At the Red Door, where everyone can hear?” I asked in shock. Royally stupid idea.

“No, that’s a ruse. They’ll have drinks and then talk later in private. Stay home. Watch the