Mike could smell Damon before he came into his office. He smelled of smoke, like he had spent the night in someone’s hearth. Mike turned from reading his book at the desk and faced Damon standing in the doorway.
“You wanted to see me?”
Mike could see the shadows flowing around him, pulsing with his rapidly beating heart. “Come in, take a seat.”
The office was small, a converted closet it seemed, with a desk on one side and a large wing-backed plush chair flanked by two filing cabinets on the other. Damon took the chair, having to slightly jump up to sit on it properly.
Mike waved a hand and the door slammed shut, making Damon jump.
“I understand you’ve been sleeping with someone named Greenfire.” Damon’s mouth dropped. Mike gave him a moment to recover. “I want you to know something. As far as I’m concerned, he’s an enemy of mine.”
“Enemy?” Mike knew he was thinking, Oh, no, not again.
“Not like Cybermancer,” Mike said. “This one might be going after Scott. Or me. Or both. Regardless, I want you to be careful around him.”
“You’re not going to not let me see him?”
“You’re old enough to make your own decisions.”
“I screwed up the last time.”
“So now you know differently, don’t you?”
Damon nodded. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
Someone knocked on the door. Mike tapped his fingers on the desk and the door opened just enough so that he could see who was beyond. It was the new kid, Scott’s stray, Brandon. “Excuse me, Mike?”
“I’m a little busy.”
“Oh! I’m sorry. I’ll come back later.” He leaned in and shut the door.
Mike turned to Damon. “We’ve got a new kid, Brandon. As far as I know, he’s a normal. And he’s only 15, so be nice.”
“I will.”
“Back to you, Damon. Do you plan on sleeping with him again?”
Damon’s shadows pulsed in an aura about a foot thick as he blushed. Mike saw the tendrils gathering around the chair, almost stroking the plush lovingly. “I don’t know. I might.”
“Don’t give out any information about me or Scott. It’s bad enough that Scott’s info is out on the web and he found it.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“I’m holding you to that.” The door opened. “Okay, you can go.”
Damon jumped down from the chair and nearly bolted out of the office, shadows trailing behind him.
Mike pushed himself away from the desk and went out to the gym where the kid’s sleigh bed was set up. He’d move him out of there to another place that he would build magically, someplace that people could go and live in for a short time. Temporary housing, a bedroom with a bathroom. Nothing fancy, and nothing that would entice them to stay.
“…you do magic?”
Mike heard Brandon’s voice in the gym. Damon must’ve gone over to talk to him.
“Yes,” said Damon. “I’m a shadow mage.”
“That’s so cool!”
“What can you do?”
“Nuthin’.” He sounded so forlorn, so depressed about it.
“That’ll soon be rectified,” said Mike, coming into the gym. “Until we get a place for you back in Millennium City and you can go to school, you’ll be up here for training. How do you feel about guns?”
The look of fear was near panic.
“Okay, guns are out. But I have someone here who can teach you some basic hand-to-hand. We’ll be starting that training soon, probably tomorrow.” He looked around. “In the meantime, and until you leave, you’re going to be our janitor.”
“Aw, man…”
“Don’t worry, it’s not permanent, though you will be responsible for chores up here as part of the team. I can’t keep this base spotless and working right by myself.”