Death Match (A Magic Bullet Novel Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

casting spells."
    I shook my head in amazement. "Your mom sounds like the most prepared human mother of a mage I've ever met."
    The closest thing I had to a mother was my youth guardian, Esme. She was murdered by Ghuls during a class trip to Baltimore. Unfortunately, it happened after my time with her. I liked to think the outcome would have been different if I'd been there. Still, her senseless death only served to reaffirm my hatred of Ghuls.
    Pinky shrugged. "She was really excited about having a mage for a child. She wanted me to have the best start in life."
    Did I have the best start in life? I wasn't sure. There were people who came along later in life who certainly made it better. I thought of Jamie and my heart seized.
    "My handler's dead," I said. I hadn't told Pinky about it. She was so young and part of me wanted to protect her from the horrors of life. It was stupid, really. The horrors were everywhere we looked.
    "Your Shadow Elite handler?" she asked and I nodded. "How did you find out?"
    "I received an anonymous call. I'm having a friend look into it."
    "I'm sorry," Pinky said and gave me a cautious look. "I guess you don't want a hug."
    "I appreciate the thought, but no." Hugs weren't really my thing.
    The wall parted and Farah came into the armory. Her red hair was styled in a long braid down her back, a departure from her usual loose locks. She wore a tight T-shirt with a picture of two voting ballots under the sea. The words 'Race to the Bottom' were written underneath.
    "Business is suddenly picking up," she said with an air of exhaustion. "I don't know whether it's the Colony Games or the upcoming election."
    "Which business?" I asked. Farah owned both Tops and Bottoms and the armory. A career built around sex and violence suited her perfectly.
    "Both," she said. "I just had a Shaitan in the shop looking for different lingerie for each night of the games." She rolled her eyes. "Her boyfriend is competing and she wants to be supportive."
    "Isn't that good for you?" Pinky asked.
    "Oh, it's good," Farah replied. "It's just difficult. Do you have any experience with Shaitans?"
    Pinky shook her head. "I've heard about their animal parts, though."
    In human form, Shaitans were generally the most attractive people in the room. The only telltale sign of their djinn nature was the animal part they chose to display. Sometimes it was obvious, like horns on an extremely good-looking head. Sometimes it was hidden, like a lion's tail.
    "Well, this one had porcupine quills where her pubic hair should be and she insisted on lace underpants. Do you know how hard it is to keep the lace from getting sliced to pieces?"
    "Forget the lace," I said. "What about her boyfriend's crown jewels?" I cringed at the thought.
    "So have you girls checked out the new inventory?" Farah asked.
    "Alyse has been teaching me about guns," Pinky said. She didn't sound too excited about it.
    "You should carry a weapon," Farah urged. "It doesn't need to be a gun. Pick something you like."
    Pinky's lip curled. "I don't want a weapon. My magic is enough."
    Farah and I exchanged bemused looks.
    "She's so young," Farah remarked. "Alyse, tell her she needs a weapon."
    "I'm living proof," I said. "What if an opponent disarms your magic? You'd have no way to defend yourself."
    Pinky stared uncomfortably at the wall of weapons. "They all seem so dangerous."
    "That's the point." I unsheathed one of my jade daggers. "I bet you could handle something like this." I flicked the dagger and it zoomed past Pinky's ear, grazing the side of her head.
    "How do you move so fast?" Pinky asked. "Aren't you supposed to be, like, stunted?"
    "Maybe, but I'm still pretty sharp."
    The pointy end of the dagger became lodged in the exposed brick behind her.
    "Those little daggers are pretty," Pinky said. "But how are you going to defend yourself against something big?"
    I jutted out a hip. "Like Flynn's ego?"
    "You keep saying his name like I know him," Pinky said with mild