Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up 4)

She took a sip, debating how much information to share about the area and the people running it. Austin Steele might not know what to make of the mage, but he didn’t seem to consider him a threat. Niamh never really tried to assess anyone, assuming everyone was an arsehole, but she had to admit that the mage didn’t annoy her. He wasn’t pushy, he wasn’t too chatty, he drank when pushed—and a drink to be proud of, at that—and he just minded his own business when no one engaged him.

He did have a staring problem, though. He was as bad as the horny girls that filled this place, watching Austin Steele’s every move, hoping to go home with him. Only this guy wasn’t looking at Austin Steele’s arms, back, or butt. He was paying attention to the way he handled people, taking in what the alpha noticed and reacted to.

That should’ve probably set off warning bells. It didn’t.

“Are you using magic to alter the moods of the people around you?” she asked.

It was her turn to get analyzed. “You don’t seem overly put out about the possibility.”

She shrugged. “Ye’re not annoyin’ me. If it takes magic to make that a reality, then I’m not beat up about it.”

A crooked grin worked at his lips, as though a novice puppet master were maneuvering his mouth. “What a strange place this town is. You aren’t afraid of magic controlling you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Not afraid, no. Though that kind of thing can make a body irrational.”

“Meaning?”

“If you were, and I’d had enough, I’d kill you.”

“I would expect no less. In answer to your question, no, I’m not using magic to control you. I’m using it to eavesdrop around the room, but since I can hear you just fine, the spell isn’t near you.”

“Oh yeah?” She glanced at those flat gray eyes, his face utterly expressionless except for that strange smile. “Hear anything good?”

“A great many ladies would like to bed the alpha.”

“You don’t need magic to know that.”

“Well…I do. I’m not very good at reading social cues or understanding human behavior. I’m slightly…socially awkward, we’ll say. Socially deficient, maybe.”

“Jessie will be glad to hear it. What else?”

“A group in the back doesn’t like the way the alpha is scheduling supervised fights to handle pack placement. Nor do they like the way he throws his weight around.”

Niamh sniffed. “They don’t like their own inferiority.”

“Sounds like one of them’s an alpha from another pack? I can’t be sure, but…”

“Ah.” She nodded. “A mediocre alpha and his best and brightest. They’re more interested in fighting for dominance than in joining the pack, the maggots. Some alphas cannot stand the idea of someone being tougher or more powerful than they are. They likely take Austin Steele’s newness to the post as a sign of weakness.” She grinned. “That’ll be some show. I hope they challenge him tonight.”

“You want them to do it?”

“Oh yeah. When Austin Steele gets going, it really gets the blood pumping. I like watching—when it’s got nothing to do with me, o’course.”

“I see.”

“Nah, ye don’t. Shifters are a different breed. Though all creatures have their issues. Gargoyles are some lot, I’ll tell ye. Only thing good about them is they are mostly quiet. Except for the thorn in me arse, Mr. Tom.”

“I’ve tried to read up on them—shifters, I mean. I’ve always been fascinated by the rift between mages and shifters, you see. And I think… I mean, I don’t know… But after seeing some of the shifters in here, I think mages must be scared of shifters. I’m scared, at least. That must be the root of the prejudice. Magic like mine does not require strength. Magic does not require courage. We are cowards, most of us. Take away our magic, and you take away our…purpose. Our…”

“Bollocks?”

He huffed out a laugh. “Yes, I suppose. I am physically weak. I am emotionally stunted.”

“Christ almighty, we don’t need to get too personal—”

“I am socially inept. All I have is my magic. If that magic fails, a shifter, even one in human form, could rip me in half.”

“Some of them would rip you in half even with yer magic. They might be half-dead before they finish the job, but by God, they would finish it.”

“Yes. That’s what I’m gathering. Mages have reason to be scared. A well-functioning pack led by a competent alpha would be a serious threat to my kind. They stand together, whereas mages stay solo. Even the Mages’ Guild, which is supposed to be an association of our peers—” He huffed and shook his head. “Each one of them are in it for themselves. They aren’t working as a unit; they are strategizing against each other, supporting each other only when it is clear they’ll get something out of it. They make deals that will help themselves under the guise of helping mages everywhere. The rest of us might work with other mages on things, but it’s out of necessity, and the sum total is equal to its parts. With shifters, the sum total of a pack is greater than its parts. Do you see what I mean?”