Page 6 of Burn of Obsidian

“Yeah, well, tell that to the arseholes who keep increasing dad’s medical expenses.” Thea licked along her bottom lip, looking down at her sister’s black, tight curls as she hunched over her arm. “I either find the money, or dad comes off the trial.”

“Dad needs that trial, but I don’t want you stabbed to death, either.” Molly reached into her bag, pulling a large bandage. “He wouldn’t want you in danger to pay for it.”

Thea looked away. “What he doesn’t know doesn’t hurt him.” Her skin pinched as Molly finished up. “And I promise you, I’m not taking any more risks than I can handle.”

Her dad was currently on his second dose of experimental drugs designed to treat his aggressive Glioblastoma. It was privately funded, which meant someone had to pay for it. That someone was Thea, because her mum received nothing but carer benefits, and her two younger sisters were still in school.

“What happened to only stealing from those that deserve it?”

“I’m trying, but the system's already designed so the poor stay poor, and the rich only get richer. I live by making everything more fair, but not at the expense of dad’s treatment. If I can make some quick money stealing a penis statue for a weirdo, I will.” She’d do any job if it meant her dad lived.

“Wait, a statue of a what?”

“Never mind.” Thea barely stifled her laughter.

Molly’s face scrunched with annoyance. “I swear if you get killed, I’ll hire a necromancer to bring you back just so mum can kill you herself.”

Thea pulled back her arm, the bandage wrapped neatly. “You’re scary when you’re mean.”

Rolling her eyes, Molly shoved the rest of the equipment in her bag. “It’s barely a scratch, probably be gone in a week or so. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse.”

Thea nodded. “I owe you one.”

She may be a faerie, but she was relatively weak when it came to the Fae. Witches, mages and even druids had the ability to control their magic, even train it. And while wild magic pulsed through her, there was no controlling it. The power ebbed and flowed, fluid in its recalcitrant form, and just as it was aptly named, it truly was wild.

She generally was able to recall and send small items without much effort, but only to and from a drawer beneath her bed that she’d memorised every inch of. It was called spatial jumping, and as far as magic tricks went, it was one of her favourites.

Drifting her entire body was much more difficult, because not only did she need to concentrate, but she also needed the wild magic to be agreeable, too.

“At least your bracelet came out unscathed.”

Thea touched the thin, silvery rope wrapped around her wrist. She didn’t bother telling her sister nothing could get the bloody thing off. She’d already tried a pair of scissors and a sharp knife, and even her friend Harper, who had the other part of the matching set, couldn’t figure it out. Her one didn’t have the same clingy issues.

Molly snapped her bag closed. “Oh, and don’t forget dinner on Sunday. Don’t be late.”

“Like mum would let me forget.”

Thea walked Molly down the stairs to the road, making sure she waited with her until a black cab pulled up. “Love you.”

Molly smiled. “Love you too. Please don’t get yourself killed!”

“Of course not.” Thea smirked. “I’m a professional.”

Chapter 3

Jax

Jax watched from the shadows, frustrated that Thea would put herself in such a vulnerable position. Why would she think meeting a strange man in the dark was a good idea?

He’d figured out pretty quickly she was impulsive, not always thinking things through before she acted.

Gritting his teeth, he tensed his body, slowly moving closer. He wasn’t ready to reveal himself, his need for her suffocating and inconvenient. He should be out hunting with his brothers, scanning the area like they were trained to do. But instead, his beast had picked up on her scent, and there he was, waiting. He stayed, watching as if her very existence was what tethered him to his.

They had the entire city, and yet he always found her. It was like a compulsion, a sense of peace that had him moving towards her like a storm she had no idea how to shield.

“Give me the fertility statue. Now,” the man snarled, and Jax stiffened, fists aching with how tight he held them.

“Take it.” Thea shoved something towards the man. “It’s yours, arsehole.” The man looked down, eyes bulging from his sockets as he released a puff of pained air.