Going Under Read Online Free PDF Page A

sharpened. What he’d been good at before, he was excellent at now. Desperation
     could do that, he supposed. Still, it seemed to be something many other witches were
     experiencing. Again, he wasn’t sure if it was that desperation gave them all a focus
     they hadn’t had before, or if it was some odd side effect of the Magister’s manifestation
     in their world.
    He squeezed his hands into fists. Needing the sharp pain of violence and not having
     an outlet. “I don’t know what they expect. We’re just living our lives, for fuck’s
     sake.” Maybe he should shoot a few fireballs at them, just to give them what they
     seemed to crave so much.
    “It’s fear. Fear makes people irrational. They’re scared and people like Carlo Powers
     manipulate that fear to their advantage.” Meriel sighed.
    “Whatever it is, it’s got to be dealt with. They’re not going to find it as easy to
     kill us this time.” Lark’s face darkened as she looked out the window.
    Gage understood that sentiment very well.
    Lark had them stop at the Owen offices to drop her off before he continued on to escort
     Meriel and Dominic home.
    Once they’d arrived at Meriel’s, Gage did a quick check with the guards posted full
     time, before heading out to do a sweep of his own around their property. Seattle hadn’t
     been nearly as bad as other cities across the world. While Meriel and Dominic had
     had to deal with threats and pickets, there’d been no overt violent acts or attacks
     on their home. That was something, he supposed.
    Still, Meriel’s father had set ward upon ward, all around the property. It was a magickal
     Fort Knox and it had given him something to do as he’d grieved over the loss of his
     wife.
    In addition to magickal protections, there were snipers stationed strategically as
     well.
    They would not simply lie down and let themselves be victimized. No one was going
     to harm Meriel and Dominic, not without a great deal of blood and pain.
    He checked in one last time before leaving and heading back to the office.
    He wasn’t surprised to find Lark was waiting for him there. “You need some downtime.”
    For a tiny witch with blue hair, she still managed to be authoritative. And she knew
     what she was talking about.
    “Says the witch who is here as much as I am. I’m going home soon. I just wanted to
     do one last check-in.”
    She looked him over carefully. “You’re here all the time. And when you’re not here,
     you’re on a patrol. Take some personal time. God knows you need it. Hook up with someone.
     Sex is a good way to blow off steam. I know . . . I know you’ve not been with anyone
     since Rose left. It doesn’t have to mean anything. But everyone needs some affection.”
    Rose
. He snorted. They’d barely even started to date when the Magister had . . . happened.
     It wasn’t that he was heartbroken at her absence. She’d bailed, left town out of fear
     of what might come. But the guilt of her being right echoed through him.
    “This is
not
me being heartbroken over Rose. In case you hadn’t noticed, things got real around
     here lately. I don’t have time for fucking. Casual or no.”
    Lark rolled her eyes at his tone and it made him laugh. She didn’t take his shitty
     moods seriously. But she listened to him, was a damned good friend and someone he
     was proud to have at his back.
    She was also good at seeing right through any crap. Which meant he got away with little
     when it came to her. It made him miss his old partner Nell a little less.
    She tucked a pen behind her ear. “Your only stress relief can’t be this job. It’s
     going to eat you alive. And then they win. Right?”
    He shrugged. “I’ll probably stop by Heart of Darkness later on tonight. Maybe you
     can line up some suitable company for me.”
    She laughed. Her soon-to-be husband, Simon, was part owner of the Other-centric nightclub.
     Since the Magister, the club had expanded the small Others section at the