Chapter 2

“It isokay, dumbass. Now stop talking so I can do this.”

Aiden grinned, but then waited patiently as Cassandra closed her eyes and began chanting. She had one hand closed around the amulet and the other holding his bicep. She mostly used Korean for her formal casting, because as her second language it meant she had to work at it, and the effort showed respect to the divine. But this time Aiden recognized some ancient Egyptian as well, when she chanted a prayer to the cat-goddess Bast, invoking her aspect as a goddess of protection. After that, Cassandra switched back to Korean to request the presence of Gwan-eum, the Korean goddess of mercy. He was sure she asked for help and protection from other deities as well, but magic and invocation in general were far from his realm of expertise. He did understand her request for intervention on his behalf from protective spirits residing in the places he might go, as well as his eudaemon—his personal guardian spirit—and his guardian angel.

He could see how hard she was concentrating on the spell, but Aiden had no facility with casting and no idea if it was working or not. Cassandra was very good, especially for a twenty-two-year-old in her last year of a master’s degree. But this spell seemed especially complicated and difficult.

It also took longer than Aiden expected; a good five minutes passed before Cassandra finished the spell with a final word of thanks and finally let go of him. “There.” She had a little bit of sweat at her temples, but she only looked satisfied as she dropped the amulet back behind Aiden’s collar then patted it through his shirt. The stone felt warm against his skin, but that could have just been from Cassandra’s hand.

Aiden quirked a grin at her. “How many different beings did you ask to look after me? I’m not thathopeless, am I?”

“Well, your protective symbol isa smiley face. I’m kind of at a disadvantage, here.” She sighed deeply. “Face it—you’re a lost cause. It’s tragic.” Cassandra belied her sad expression by laughing, then patted his chest again. “But even if I’d asked a thousand different deities and spirits to look after you, they’re all facets of the divine, right?” She shrugged. “A lot of casters don’t bother with the separate names, but since they’re always present, I think it’s better to ask. It’s more polite, you know?”

“And goodness knows you’re nothing if not polite.” Aiden smirked at her as he ducked his head through the strap of his bag, then grimaced as the bag slapped against his thigh. The exams weighed a ton. “But they’re not facets. They’re all one and the same. Like, why bother differentiating between a eudaemon and a guardian angel? They’re exactly the same thing.”

Cassandra snorted. “I’m a fucking pillar of virtue, and you’re lucky to have me as your friend. Especially when you talk blasphemy like that.” She shouldered her backpack. “That’s like saying a pickup truck is the same as a sports car, because they’re all cars. Sure it’s kind of true, but actually true? Not really. And eudaemons whisper advice in your ear, but don’t intervene. Like, your eudaemonwould say,”—she dropped her voice to a whisper—”‘hey, don’t walk in front of that truck,’ but an angel might actually push your stupid ass out of the way.”

“I actually did get hit by a car riding my bike once,” Aiden said musingly as he locked the office door. “I don’t remember anyone telling me to stop or pushing me out of the way.”

“Obviously they knew it wasn’t going to do any permanent damage. Unless you weren’t wearing a helmet. In which case it explains so much.” Cassandra slid one of her bracelets down her wrist until she could hold her casting amulet securely in her hand. She’d made her scryPhone into her own amulet of protection—there were apps for that—but she said it worked much better to “go old-school” for casting spells.

Aiden just used a sword. He’d gotten straight As in sword fighting in high school, and his parents had given him his genuine, antique cutlass and scabbard as a graduation present. He practiced with it a few times a week, and knew he could defend himself with it.

He also liked how it made him look pretty badass.

“You’re not hopeless, by the way,” Cassandra said, as if she were worried he’d thought she meant it. She hit the button for the terrifyingly ancient elevator, but didn’t complain when Aiden tugged her toward the stairwell instead. “It’s just…” She made a face.

“Just what?” Aiden asked, when they’d gone down all five floors and she still hadn’t said anything. He stroked his hand over the head of the nearer lion statue at the foot of the stairs, thanking it for protecting the old building.