52
We walk down Hillegass, Kovac and I, to where we’ve parked our cars along the curb. The world seems a less substantial place, a gauze of light behind which lie mysterious realms. We walk slowly, Kovac dragging his left foot. We walk in silence.
I sense the tension between us. He’s got something on his mind. But what?
Mint-green parking tickets festoon both our windshields.
“Well, hell. This is the first parking ticket I’ve ever gotten in my life.” I pluck the ticket from beneath the wiper and read the codes on the back setting out penalties for each type of offense. “Fifty dollars! That’s highway robbery.”
Kovac pockets the offending document. “Think of it as supporting a good civic cause.” He walks back and edges himself between me and my car door, leaning up against my Mustang as I stand on the curb beneath the fading September sun. A breeze with a hint of winter stirs his red-gold hair as he gazes at me.
I meet his appraising gaze with appraisals of my own.
“How’s the tatt?”
“It’s good. I’m seriously thinking I’ll tattoo my whole body.“
The corners of his mouth curve up, but only slightly. He reaches out and presses his fingertips to my forehead. “You don’t feel feverish, so that’s good.” He looks me over. “And your aura is clear of the enchantment. At least for now.”
“I’m ready to rock ‘n’ roll, Jack. And ready for the Revel.” I’m more worried about him and his pain than me. “Listen, you don’t have to go to Avichi. I’ll manage by myself.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re the one who doesn’t have to go. Who shouldn’t go. You’re not getting paid to place your life on the line. I am.”
“So pay me. Hire me as a consultant, like you keep hinting.”
“Not afraid to ask?”
“Ask and you shall receive. Real Magic.”
“So it is. I’ll draw up a contract tomorrow. As for tonight, are you sure I can’t talk you out of it?”
“We’ve got a plan, Jack. I intend to stick to my part. Alastor is my tenant. His apartment is the portal to Avichi. I’ve got to solve these murders for the Garden of Abracadabra.”
“Fair enough.” But he doesn’t sound very convinced. “Alastor is the one who enchanted you?”
“He touched me. He danced with me. He kissed me. He enchanted me. But, hey, that’s all.”
I expect Kovac to shout, “That’s all?” and scold me for playing fast and loose with what I suspected to be a supernatural entity. But he only nods, pensive and somber. “Do you have feelings for him?”
“My feelings have changed.”
Kovac nods and smiles his mirthless smile at my evasiveness, then conceals his eyes behind his sunglasses. “You said the mirror opens at midnight?”
“That’s right. Shall we make our appearance then? I don’t want to fraternize with Alastor any longer than I absolutely have to.”
“I’m glad you suggested that because I would have insisted. Midnight, it is. I’ll stop by at a quarter to. I’m sure you’ve got things to do after I’ve kept you occupied all day.”
His brusque tone implies he’s got things to do, too.
“A quarter to, it is.”
He starts to move away, but I’m not about to let him go that easily. I seize his waist and pull him to me. His arms wrap around my shoulders like they’ve always wanted to be there. Like they were always meant to be there. I rest my forehead against his cheek, and I’m struck again by the rightness of him. How we fit, even though he’s on duty and owes me an official responsibility. How we shouldn’t be doing this, according to his rules.
Around Kovac, I don’t have to feel ashamed of my true nature. I don’t have to keep my power a secret. I don’t have to feel that something is missing in my life. I don’t have to feel all alone.
Those are the rules I believe in.
It’s one of those breathless moments when you feel your destiny steering in a brand-new direction. A good direction. A direction filled with promise.
He’s respectful with his power, as always. No, he’s not Brand. Certainly not Alastor. And not mundane Daniel, either. Kovac holds himself in reserve, but I feel his power flowing all around me, comforting and thrilling and disconcerting all at the same time.
I pull away. “Thanks, Jack, I needed that. Moral support is good after calling forth a demon.”
“That was not moral support, my lady magician.”
He opens the car door, and I slide in the driver’s seat. Courteous Kovac. Chivalry isn’t dead after all, apparently. He watches me drive down Hillegass. At the corner of Derby, I glance in the rearview mirror, and he’s still standing on the sidewalk, still watching me.
My feelings. He wanted to know about my feelings.
********
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