Read Online Shadow Walker by Allyson James - Free Book Online Page B

of the night, got mad at me, and took off again.”
    “I didn’t, Janet. I was out all night. I went into Flat Mesa and had a beer. I didn’t want to wake you.”
    “Bars close at two.”
    “And then it was nice and dark and quiet, and I decided to get dragon. I don’t have much chance to do that. It felt good to stretch my wings.”
    All of which made perfect sense. Of course Mick would enjoy himself flying around while the rest of the world slept. Except . . .
    “Mick, I didn’t dream you coming back here. The mirror heard and saw you. It said shadows had touched you.”
    “Magic mirrors exaggerate. Especially that one.”
    I put my hand on his. “Let’s eat in the saloon. It’s closed, and we can be alone.”
    “You want the mirror to read me?” Mick flashed me a grin. “Fine.” He scooped another sandwich onto a plate, snatched a beer from the refrigerator, and followed me out.
    The mirror was strangely silent as Mick and I took a table near the bar. I looked up at the mirror where it hung broken in its unbroken frame. Pieces were missing from one corner, where Mick and I had pulled off bits to put in other parts of the hotel or carry with us. Magic mirrors were a hell of a lot more reliable than cell phones, and this one had saved our butts more than once.
    If I didn’t repair it, Ted might demand I haul the mirror out of the saloon and throw it away—at least, he could try. I’d protect the mirror with all I had—it was damn powerful and I owed it. Magic mirror repair was a bitch anyway. Only specialized witches could do it, and then you had to worry about the witch claiming a share of the mirror’s loyalty.
    “Well?” I asked it impatiently.
    Glass tinkled as the mirror shivered. “He’s cold. Shadow touched.”
    Mick’s skin had been plenty warm when I’d taken his hand in the kitchen, not to mention the heat of the flame tattoo on his back last night. “What do you mean?”
    Mick went on eating, unconcerned. “A shadow found him,” the mirror said. “It’s freezing me.”
    Mick looked up, his eyes black with sudden rage. Fire flared on this fingers. “Get warm, then.”
    “Mick, don’t you dare—” I lunged at him.
    Too late. The fire left Mick’s hand and engulfed the mirror in flame. It screamed, a loud, long, fingernails-acrossglass scream. The fire burned merrily for a few seconds; then, the instant before the flames threatened to crawl onto the walls, Mick closed his hand, and the fire vanished.
    I plopped back down in my chair and stared at Mick. “What the hell did you do that for?”
    Mick shrugged and picked up his sandwich. “That thing has always bugged me.”
    “Mick, what is the matter with you?”
    “Nothing. I’m trying to eat my lunch in peace, that’s all. Give it a rest.”
    I stood up, fists on the table, and tried to peer into his eyes. “Did something come out of that hole? Did it possess you, maybe?”
    Mick looked up at me, his blue eyes as clear as ever. “Do I look possessed to you?”
    Not really, but something was going on. Cassandra must have thought the same, because she came rushing in.
    “What the hell was that? What’s wrong with the mirror?”
    “Oh, honey,” the mirror cried. “It was terrible. Our Micky, he flamed me!”
    Cassandra drew a breath to ask why, but I cut her off. “Can you check and see whether Mick is possessed?” The possessed don’t always realize they are.
    Mick gave me a long-suffering look, but he let Cassandra take his face in her hands and study him, looking deep into his eyes. Mick returned her gaze without flinching.
    Cassandra finally drew away, shaking her head. “He’s himself. His aura hasn’t changed either.”
    It had last night. But today Mick’s aura was back to normal: black with crackles of fire. The fire crackled even more as he shoved aside his plate and stood up.
    “I came here looking for lunch, not an interrogation. Next time, I’ll try the diner.”
    He opened the outside door and