“Mage? I thought-”
“We were eradicated centuries ago? Not quite.” He huffed. “What your good friends failed to tell you was that when those benevolent angels fell from Heaven to change them into Reapers, those same angels weren’t allowed to go back to Heaven. Once you leave, you’re earthbound. Their bodies became mortal, and they had to wait to die for their souls to return to Heaven.
“While they were here, they, too, bred with human women, but their offspring was virtuous. Just as there are good and bad people in the world, there are dark Mages and light Mages. While a dark Mage summons their powers through demonic energy, a light Mage draws their energy from the elements. We’re not evil. Or vampiric.
“But that didn’t stop Swieten in his holy quest; he and his men killed all Mages, including Light. They believed any Mage could use his or her powers for evil, so it became decree amongst Reapers to execute every last one. No one suspects them to still be around, and the last few of our kind wish to keep it that way,” said Reese.
“So if Reynolds found out about you, you’d…”
“Be sent to a Texas cakewalk?” he finished. “Yeah. Dead as a doornail.”
A new wave of nausea hit, and it wasn’t from being hungry.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this. About me.”
I nodded, but he glowered at me. “I promise. I won’t say anything.”
“Not even to Adam. I mean, you can’t even mention the possibility of Mages, at all. If he so much as thinks about the chance that we still exist—”
“I said I promise.”
“It’s easier said than done.” To say Reese was disquieted by the confession would be putting it mildly. He kept fidgeting about, and if he pulled any harder on his hair, I was pretty sure he’d end up with a bald spot.
“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure it’s in both our best interests that I keep my distance from Adam,” I clarified.
“And why’s that?” he grumbled, hardly convinced.
I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt, showing him my new, dazzling—and completely unwarranted—artwork that I’d been so diligently hiding.
His face went pale.
Not the reaction I was hoping for.
He grabbed my arm, turning it every which way to examine the markings. “When the hell did you get these?”
“About two and a half hours ago.”
Reese’s eyes practically bulged from his head. “All at once?”
“Yeah, and it hurt like a MoFo.” I told him all about what happened on my way to Slippery Pete’s, and the color never returned to his cheeks. Something was up. “What is it?”
“I’ve never seen these runes before.” He continued to ogle at the markings with equal parts fear and fascination. “My father’s journals cataloged every rune he himself collected and had ever come across, so I can double-check it, but none of them are ringing a bell.”
“I thought your father was a Reaper…”
“I never said that.” A mischievous grin pulled at his lips. “Part of the upside to dealing with people who think they know everything: they make assumptions. If Adam and his father want to believe that, I have no objections.”
“Why didn’t you want me to tell them what happened, with the Hellhound in the alley?”
His amusement vanished at the mention. “You heard what they said back there. As a Changeling, you’re a liability to them, even more so now that you know the identities to half a dozen members of their charter. If they learn you’ve been directly targeted by Hellhounds, you’re more than a liability. You’ve become a threat. And I can guarantee you, they’re not the types of people that leave loose ends.”
“You seriously think Adam or Mr. Reynolds would actually do something to me?”
“Them? No. But I wouldn’t put it past one of Reynolds’s cronies.” He motioned to my arm. “And that only makes things more complicated. They’d kill a Mage, no questions asked. But a Mage that could potentially be bitten, who will use their magic for demonic warfare? You’d be dead before you hit the ground.”
“Gee, thanks, Debby Downer. Any other words of encouragement you’d like to share?”
“Be on your guard. Considering your newly acquired runes, it’s safe to say that whoever resurrected you is a Mage as well. We don’t know who they are or what they want, so you’re gonna have to be vigilant.”
“Wow, you’re officially a human depressant. You know that?”
“Hey.” He returned my arm to my side. “We’ll figure it out. Okay?”