Feel the heat: Stone and Fire WIP #excerpt

Isaac Phillips straightened in his seat. Tension pulled his muscles tight. A buzz tingled at the base of his neck. Some other type of being was in the theater. The feel of power was easily recognizable. He turned his head and scanned the audience. Just because there was a foreign power here didn’t mean that it was a threat. He slowly assessed the pull of the magic. It wasn’t too far away from where he sat in the second row.

He heard the slide of fabric on fabric and glanced over and saw Neil turning. He’d felt it too. He didn’t see any sign of corrupted Gobel. Those things couldn’t hide. The corrupted wouldn’t come in and sit down as everyone seemed to be doing now. The Garol had seen more corrupted Gobel than normal. The gobel normally focused on guarding the portals. However just like all types of beings some just went bad, became greedy for power or money.When a Gobel went bad, it was almost as bad as when a Garol went bad. The only thing was that a corrupted Gobel was easier to spot.

He’d thought that being sent to the theater to guard the women who’d wanted to see the play would mean a boring night and keeping an eye on six flighty women. He hadn’t wanted to be here, but Neil volunteered for almost any overtime or extra duty. He was still trying to prove himself to his bosses, although Isaac didn’t think it was necessary. Neil’s bosses at the Gar-corp were smart. Isaac knew management had noticed Neil’s dedication and his great work. Neil wouldn’t accept that though. That came from his past. His father was an asshole. He had never accepted good from Neil. He’d always pushed for more. That seemed to have stuck with Neil. He always went above and beyond the call of duty.

“I don’t see anything threatening,” Isaac whispered.

“No, the powers relatively close, but not anything I’ve encountered before. Not Gobel, not Garol and definitely not Mage.” Neil responded. “It’s to the left of us, but I can’t pinpoint. This place is too full.”

“Stay focused. They don’t seem to be doing anything. We’ll wait. If they move, we move.” Isaac met Neil’s eyes.

Neil nodded.  He turned, but he didn’t completely face forward. His body angled. Isaac took almost the same position. He wanted to be able to see movement from behind them. Could it be some sort of halfling wandering around? All of the beings could interbreed with humans and occasionally a child would be sired without knowledge. It was possible one had come to see the play.

If nothing happened, they’d see if they could identify the person during the intermission. In the meantime, he pulled out his cellphone. He texted the beta, Dante. Just in case something went wrong. He wanted to let Dante know.

Someone or something with some power is here. No sign of danger or any aggressive intent. His fingers flew over the keyboard.

You don’t know what this person is? Dante’s text came back quickly.

Not what or which person. The theater is full and it’s a light, strange feel of power. I’m thinking maybe Halfling. Isaac replied and slanted a glance over his shoulder.  We’re not going to be taken by surprise.

I’ll be sending some men to help in case it turns bad or you need to send the Halfling back with us. Dante sent back. They’ll text when they get there.

I’ll expect them. He focused on the women next to him and keeping track of the magic behind him. It didn’t move until the curtain went down for intermission.

The women on his right side stood. He got to his feet. The magic behind them began to fade. He glanced over his shoulder. The crowd filed out into the lobby. Whoever possessed that magic was out there.

“Stay here. Neil, you stay with them. I’ll send someone with a tray of drinks. We don’t know if this will turn dangerous. I want you to have a clear way out.” He nodded to the lighted exit sign. They had some influence here since the company regularly donated to this theater.

Neil’s eyes narrowed.  Isaac knew he wanted to go search with him, but someone needed to stay with the women. It was the primary reason they were at this play. The anomalous power provided an interesting diversion, but they both had to remember the women came first.

 “We’ll be here.” Neil nodded.

Isaac left the row and walked up the aisle to the double doors. He flagged down a member of the staff, arranged for the refreshments to be taken to them, and tipped the man well. Isaac began to wander through the people trying to pick up the power. He saw a tall male striding toward him and recognized Leif Fallon. Leif worked with Isaac at Stone Security. Leif strode over to him.

“What’s the situation?” Leif asked

“Still don’t know what it is. I have Neil staying with the women in the theater while I searched for whoever it is. They don’t seem to be doing anything threatening, but the fact that they’re here when they have to feel us is a little concerning.” Isaac frowned.

“Either they’re bold and stupid or don’t know enough about us to realize we’d feel them as well.” Leif looked around the milling people. “Know which direction they went?”

“No, the feeling faded as people filed out into the lobby. I was going to search to see if I can find this person.” Isaac looked to the right. “I’ll take this way. You take that way.”

Isaac strolled down the hallway. He didn’t move fast or with his normal purpose. He didn’t want to scare the person into running. He was curious about what brought the person here.

As he neared the end of the hall, he thought that the person must be on the other side, but then he felt a slight tingle of power. He kept moving, hoping to get closer to the person. When he reached the end of the hall, he didn’t feel anyone closer to him. He looked around. The person could have slipped out if they became nervous, but the feel of power was still there. There was an exit and the door to a bathroom. A woman’s bathroom.

Well, hello. He hadn’t thought it might be a female. He moved away from the door. He didn’t want to seem like a pervert trying to get a glimpse into the women’s bathroom. He waited. Two women left the bathroom and walked down the hall. As they passed, he knew they weren’t the ones. The power was still stable. He pulled out his phone and pretended to be texting as he leaned up against the wall. Although he looked down, his eyes were on the door.

The bathroom door opened again. He kept his head down, but watched a woman come from the bathroom. This was definitely her. Deep brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, highlighting the golden glow of her skin. Sweet curves filled out a red dress.

A thrill rolled through him as he felt a flash of recognition. Not only was she the person with power, but she was his mate. She walked down the hallway. He let her stroll past him before he came away from the wall. Leif was strolling up the hallway with two other men in suits.

I hope you enjoyed this early snippet. Happy Reading!