Page 35 of Stubborn as a Shadow

“The Supernatural Council?” He leaned forward, his scratching momentarily paused. His eyes sparkled. Literally. “You’re like a real live spy.”

“Something like that,” I agreed. “Do you know why you’d be on the SC’s radar?”

“Me?” His voice squeaked over that single syllable.

“Yeah. Why are they interested in you?”

Morgan shook his head. “My uncle never told anyone about me. The SC shouldn’t know anything at all about me. Well, they didn’t until I was abducted.” He sighed. “Who knows now?”

“Well, an agent at the SC sent me here to protect Rudy Tada. Which seems fortuitous since at least three people have had their sights on you so far. Four if we count the vampire.”

“Me?” He scratched his eyebrow.

“And the wolf and mage were trying to get something to you?—”

“Wait, someone wanted to give me something?” he interrupted, with a delighted smile on his face. “Like a present?”

“Unlikely…” I hedged. “I doubt it was meant to be a present.”

The glee dropped from Morgan’s face. My stomach twisted. I hated causing him even a moment of disappointment. In his confusion, he crinkled his forehead and scrunched his nose. Understandably, he had questions.

I had them too. But first, I had to get Morgan to leave here, which meant I had to lay my cards on the table. I dug the pillbox out of my pocket. Morgan watched in quiet fascination as I opened the tiny clasp and fished out the crystal. It glinted under the lights as it rolled onto my palm.

“Is this the artifact you came here to find?”

The stone was gorgeous with layers of blue, yellow and purple embedded within a clear quartz, but it wasn’t anything that would occur in nature. Magical energy wafted through the air around it. The lapis lazuli, citrine, and amethyst all enhanced the recall of memories. And the quartz amplified their properties even more, making this a powerful artifact.

Morgan’s mouth fell open in surprise. He reached for it. “May I?”

I curled my fingers over the stone and moved it away from his questing fingers. “Not yet. I need to explain how I have it. But first, can you confirm this is what you are looking for?”

“Yes. I think so. I didn’t get a good look at it last time, but the energy feels familiar.” He nodded. “But how did you know? Why do you have it?”

“A young wolf and a mage approached a vendor downstairs and negotiated with them about getting it into your hands. Someone wanted to make sure Rudy Tada walked away with it this weekend.”

Morgan slumped back in his chair and casually rubbed his forearm against the armrest. “Huh. That’s super strange.”

What an understatement.

“It raises a lot of questions,” I agreed as I tucked the crystal into my pillbox again and snapped the lid closed. “Particularly when someone from the SC told me Rudy Tada would be in danger this weekend and asked me to help them. But they wanted it off the books. I’m here as a favor, not in an official capacity.”

Morgan was quiet for a moment. Eventually he said, “So you think all these people know Morgan the unicorn was once connected to the crystal, and that if Rudy wanted the same crystal, then they’ve figured out we are the same person.”

“It’s possible.”

“What’s the SC’s role in this? Why was your contact insistent on secrecy? Did someone else in the SC turn me over to the kidnappers the first time around?” Morgan’s fingers gripped the armrests of his chair until his knuckles turned white.

Should I spill the rest of my worries? I didn’t think secrets would help, so I cleared my throat and leaned forward.

“The other thing I’ve been wondering about is if someone tampered with the crystal, I wouldn’t know. My magic isn’t sensitive to spells. I sense magic in the artifact, but not anything more. I know some people who could, though.”

“Tamper? What do you mean?”

“Those supes wanted this to land in your hands. But to what end? What would they gain? So I’ve been wondering… what if someone changed it? Or layered another spell over it? It could trap you or track you or fuck only knows what.”

“Well, fudgsicles and fruitcakes.” Morgan twisted his mouth in displeasure.

“So, this is what I’m thinking…” I didn’t know how he’d react to my plan, but I needed to make him see this as the best way forward. “I keep the crystal… Hold on. Let me finish. I keep the crystal for now. We leave together, preferably tonight, and meet with my friends who can assess the stone. Once we know whatwe’re dealing with and that it’s safe, I’ll give it to you, and we’ll see what happens.” I ignored the fact that as soon as Teague got his hands on the crystal, he’d argue against anyone using it. But the death mage was the best person to look at the artifact.