I headed for the door.
"Nevada . . ." Bern called after me.
"One moment." I checked the camera. A blond man in a dark suit stood with his back to me. I had expected Fullerton. Interesting.
I opened the door.
The man turned toward me. About thirty, he had a strong masculine face, so handsome it might as well have been chiseled out of stone. Square jaw, full lips, beautifully defined nose, and smart green eyes under the sweep of dark eyebrows. His blond hair, a few shades lighter than his eyebrows, and cut to a medium length, artfully framed his face, emphasizing its power. The effect was stunning. If I had seen him in a mall or on the street, I would've discreetly turned for a second look.
"Hello," he said. "Are you Nevada Baylor?"
"Yes."
He smiled, showing white teeth.
Wow.
"I'm so glad to finally meet you. I'm Garen Shaffer."
Oh crap.
I had to say something.
"What a surprise." Oh great. That was brilliant. "Please come in."
Before Rogan sees you and decides to squish you with a random tank he has lying around somewhere in his industrial garage.
I stepped aside to let him pass. Zeus seized this opportunity to thrust himself in the space I vacated and give Garen a once-over.
Garen froze in place.
"Ignore him." I nudged Zeus with my hip. He refused to budge. "He's a recent rescue. We haven't had a chance to train him. He isn't used to strangers." What the hell was coming out of my mouth?
"Houston animal shelter?" Garen asked, a little spark in his eyes.
"No. A summoner House, actually. Go see Cornelius."
The massive beast twitched his ears.
"Zeus," Cornelius called.
The tiger-hound turned and hurried into the conference room with liquid grace.
Garen stepped inside. I shut the front door and led him to my office. Sooner or later someone would report to Rogan that a person from House Shaffer appeared on my doorstep. Most likely they reported it the moment he drove up to the checkpoint. The consequences would be interesting.
I sat behind my desk. Garen Shaffer sat in my client chair. I touched my laptop. It came on. A message window from Bern opened.
Garen Shaffer, heir to House Shaffer, truthseeker Prime.
Better and better.
I put on my professional smile and clicked the small icon in the corner of the laptop, enabling recording. We had a hidden camera positioned on the shelf behind me. We'd had some trouble with clients who displayed selective memory, and it was amazing how quickly threats of lawsuits faded once we presented a recording of them saying the words they claimed they couldn't remember.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Shaffer?"
He leaned back, throwing one long leg over the other. "I've come to hire you."
Lie. This was a test.
"That would be a lie, Mr. Shaffer. Care to try again?"
"Would you mind?"
"No."
Magic accreted around him. "I'm thirty-one years old."
My power pressed against the magic wall and slipped through. "True."
The magic wall grew denser.
"I have three sisters."
"Lie."
Magic spilled out of him like water out of a geyser. It wrapped him in a cocoon of power. How the hell did he do that?
"I'm the only child."
The cocoon looked impenetrable. My magic wrapped around it. The wall of power held tight. If I hammered against it with brute force, we'd be locked in a fight, his will against mine. He was strong. Very strong. Possibly stronger than I, although we wouldn't figure it out until we clashed. A part of me really wanted to find out.
Ignore the wall. Imagine it's porous. Imagine it's not there.
He narrowed his eyes.
His wall was stone, but my magic was water. It slipped through the cracks. All I had to do was guide it and let it flow . . .
Lie.
"I think we should stop." I leaned back.
The wall vanished. His magic wrapped around me. "Are you trying to appear stronger than you are or weaker?"
"Neither. I just don't want you to know."
"Why?"
"I don't trust you." I waved my hand in front of my face, as if clearing smoke. "Please keep your magic to yourself."
He smiled. His power vanished.
"Why is there a cooler in the fridge?" Arabella called from the conference room.
When did she even get a chance to get in there? "Leave the cooler alone. Stay out of the fridge."
"Sister?" he guessed.
I made a face at him.
"I have one myself. They are difficult at times."
Arabella stuck her head into my office and showed me the Ziploc bag with the ear. "Why are you dressed like a soldier? Is that blood on your clothes? Also, why is there a human ear in the fridge?"