On a Razor's Edge Read Free Page A

hair behind her ear. “We’ll stay together. I’ll bring the matter before the Regional and see what he says.”
    “I can’t share you any more than you can share me, Stefan, regardless of your duty.”
    He kissed my shoulder. “I know, love. I know that. We’ll figure it out.”
     
     
    Another half hour had me showered and in combat boots and yoga clothes, striding toward the living room where my bodyguard, Charles, the youngest member of the Watch Command, waited. As usual, the giant muscled guy, dressed in leather from head to foot, sat on the leather couch, knitting some hideously colored monstrosity.
    “What are you making this time?” I inquired, snatching an apple out of the fruit bowl resting on the coffee table.
    “Well, since you never wear the scarf I made you, I am making a blanket this time.”
    “Is it for a little girl?”
    Charles stopped in his work and surveyed the thee-by-four square foot of fabric. “No, why? What’s wrong with it?”
    “Charles, it’s fluorescent green and pink! Who do you know, who isn’t a three-year-old girl, who wants a blanket made with these two colors?”
    Charles’ s bushy eyebrows rumpled on his striking face. “You couldn’t have mentioned this before I started?”
    “Eyes and logic, Charles, they’ re a lethal combination.”
    Charles dropped his masterpiece-in-making into his knitting bin beside the couch. He followed me out, headed toward magic class.
    “Charles, how am I not considered evil?”
    “You’ re a female. Of course you are considered evil.”
    “Yeah, hilarious. But seriously, if I can wield the black magic level, and Trek does white, doesn’t that make me evil?”
    “Nah. Magic isn’t evil or good. It just is . The wielder is the asshole. And the colors are just that. Colors. We’ve identified their output in power, but the actual color doesn’t mean anything.”
    “And why is black so rare?”
    Charles shrugged. “The higher power levels become more rare as they progress. White is super rare. And then black is beyond, I think, so rarer still. It probably wouldn’t be as much if humans would admit that magic exists somewhere besides crystal balls and Tarot cards. Instead, they dump their magic into technology and create some truly fantastic things. I’m all for the way things turned out. If humans could procreate like rabbits and wield all sorts of magic, we’d be in serious trouble.”
    “I thought you were working on your ability to summarize.”
    “Nope. You just continue to hope.”
    “I do, yes.”
    We walked into an empty elements class.
    “No class today, which you would know if you bothered to read the bulletin.” A harried teacher, Andrew, turned to us. “Oh. Well, you two will probably be needed with the Boss. Doesn’t anyone read the bulletins?”
    “Don’t blame Charles,” I said with a dour face. “He can’t read at all.”
    “Oh, you’re on fire today. What the hell did I ever do to you?” Charles asked with his hands on his hips as Andrew rolled his eyes and turned away.
    “Burnt down my damn apartment, Charles, or don’t you remember past yesterday?”
    “ Get over it. You got a sweet set-up. I did you a favor. And, you nag.”
    “What does that have to do with the price of apples?”
    Charles cocked his head as we shuffled out. “Apples? Who said anything about apples? Did the Boss accidentally take too much blood, or something? You’re starting to lose it.”
    “So, now what?” I asked, happy-go-lucky now that I had a furlough.
    “ Sure, change the subject. Why have a straightforward, intelligent conversation when we can jump all over the place.”
    I laughed. “Let me dumb myself down so we can have that conversation.”
    “I’m not the one that flunks every test she takes.”
    I nodded, my chest so tight I felt like I might crack a rib. “Touché. Got me there.”
    Charles smirked, his smile falling back into a grim line of lips a second later. “You’re not that clever, you