“You don’t. I do.” I looked off toward the house crouching in its wood, not visible from the town’s hub. “There’s a list of vulnerabilities I don’t understand and don’t have the knowledge or magic to work out.”
“No sign of anyone to fill that summons?”
I’d sent out a magical summons, asking for a mage who could help me. Over a dozen had shown up, trickling in with their swagger and egos. One practice session, though, and each and every one of them had been fired or quit. None of them had been powerful enough to work with me.
Most of the mages had assumed (wrongly) that I would know some of the basics of spell casting, based on my age alone. I’d changed their perception quickly.
I’d nearly blown off a mansplainer’s head by accident. He’d stopped ’splaining real quick and got the hell out of there. I’d almost killed another, thankfully able to patch him up before all of his blood leaked out. He’d accused me of tricking him…while sobbing. A woman had admitted she wasn’t the right fit after losing half of her robe to a spell gone wrong.
My power blindsided them, one and all. My complete lack of knowledge widened their eyes. My haywire spells sent them running.
I’d had to devise a test to weed out the duds.
I’d rigged up a spell to send applicants to Agnes’s shop. Once there, she’d instruct them on how to create the spell capable of hiding them from Ivy House’s detection. The challenge was to ingest the spell, mosey onto my property, and knock on the door. Simple as that.
Many had tried. All had failed.
“Nope,” I said, dabbing at the garnet stain ruining my shirt. I probably should’ve worn black today. I’d really thought I’d get it this time, though. I’d hoped to show everyone my clean white shirt with a triumphant smile. “Five came last week. I doubt they’re even from the summons anymore. I think word has gotten out that there’s an open mage position and people are just showing up to apply. Three of them were able to make the potion, but not well enough to mask their heat signatures from Ivy House. She booted them off the property with the new trap Edgar installed.”
Austin shook his head slightly. “You guys and that house…”
“We’re not normal, I know.”
“No, you are not. Effective, but not normal.” He paused for a moment. “Yes, it’s probably word of mouth at this point, which is why only the lesser mages are coming to apply. More established mages might’ve ignored the summons entirely, if they’re happy where they are.” Austin’s upper body tightened up, his pecs popping through his shirt as his biceps strained the white cotton, flexing so as to prevent himself from releasing tension through a physical tic, like running his fingers through his hair. He’d had to make some changes since assuming the alpha role.
“What did you want to do that you can’t do anymore?” I teased.
His gaze zipped to me and then away. His lips quirked, but he gritted his teeth again, his face in hard lines that somehow didn’t detract from his handsomeness. “It’s not that I can’t anymore. It’s that you loosen me up too much and I forget my place.”
“Your place… At the top?”
His gaze connected with mine, this time digging in, primal and dominant. A zip of excitement tore through me, and I felt loose and tight at the same time. A feeling, I fully realized, that was not the way a person was supposed to feel with a friend.
“Yes,” he said.
“And why can’t you smile and…tuck your fingers into your belt?”
“I wasn’t going to tuck my fingers into my belt, and it’s because I have a reputation to uphold.”
“The reputation of a grumpy guy who wants to…scratch his chest?”
“The reputation of a hardass who won’t stand for anyone stepping out of line. If you show weakness as a dominant figure, someone will prey on it. And no, I did not want to scratch my chest.”
“How is smiling or…running your fingers through your hair…?”
His eyes crinkled. “Caught me.”
I laughed. “How is that a sign of weakness? I don’t get it. People who allow themselves to feel and show emotion are not weak. They’re stronger, actually.”
“Honestly, I don’t know why, but when an alpha is too nice, too easy, too expressive…he or she gets an increased number of challenges. People see me loosening up as a green light for them to do the same, and for violent people, that often takes the form of challenges and rowdy behavior.”
“It means more work for you, basically.”
“Exactly, yes.”
“So you’ll never smile again?”
Even though he must’ve known I was teasing, his expression turned uncomfortable and he shifted his body weight away from me. Looking toward the opposite side of the street, he said, “There are a few exceptions.”