Energy trickled down the connection and into my psythus—the spiritual belly which housed the energy my demonic side used for many of my supernatural abilities.
Lina sighed. "It is so fascinating being connected like this."
Shelton leaned forward again. "Does it feel sexual?"
I blew out a breath. "Don't be a perv, man."
"I'm not." He gave me a wounded look. "You're a friggin incubus, so naturally I'd think it's sexual."
"It's more of a pleasant sensation, like when you drink a glass of wine and have a fuzzy glow," Lina said. "Or like enjoying time with a good book while curled up next to a fire."
"I'm focusing on those pleasant emotions," I said. "If I didn't, it would naturally gravitate to sexual."
She pursed her full lips and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you saying that you could make any woman want sex?"
I shrugged. "Well, like Shelton said, I am an incubus."
"Hmm." Her accent gave a sultry flavor to the sound. "How interesting."
Shelton shook his head. "Man, oh, man, what fun it would be to have that ability."
"And yet, he saves his love for one woman." Lina sighed. "How sweet."
"I guess I'm a romantic at heart." I thought back to the opportunities I'd had when first discovering my abilities and how many temptations I'd forced myself to overcome, including Katie Johnson, my crush at the time. But I'd wanted my first time to be special, and boy had it! I thought of that time with Elyssa, her questing lips, her heaving breasts, the way her hips—
"Oh, my!" Lina said with a little gasp, dropped into a chair, her face glowing red. "Justin, what are you thinking about?" Her breathing grew heavy, and she bit her lip as a little moan escaped.
"Holy crap!" I jerked back from reminiscing about Elyssa and forced my emotional state back down to non-naughty levels. "Lina, I'm really sorry. Guess I got to thinking about—"
"Elyssa." Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
I nodded.
Lina grabbed a bottle of water from her purse and took a long gulp. She paced for a moment. "You are a dangerous man, Justin Slade."
Shelton rocked back with laughter.
A knock sounded on the door. Shelton's laugh died, and we exchanged worried glances.
"Expecting someone else?" I asked.
He shook his head as he pulled out his wand. He waved it through a pattern, and a ball of energy glowed at the end. Lina stood, muttered something under her breath, and twin balls of white flame formed in her hands.
I jumped back. "Whoa, when did you learn to do that?"
Shelton gave her a confused look. "Wait, how are you—ah, the bracelets."
I noticed the way the jewels on her bracelets had folded into the palms of her hands, forming a focus for her magic to work through. Lina gave Shelton a grin. "It is a trick Bella taught me."
Another knock sounded on the door, followed by a calm voice. "Justin, I forgot to identify myself after the first knock. Many apologies. This is Cinder. Please do not destroy me."
"Who is Cinder?" Lina asked, the spheres of energy in her hands casting an eerie glow on her face.
The light at the end of Shelton's wand winked out. "Ah, he's mostly harmless."
I opened the door. A man in a gray suit stood outside. He looked ordinary, aside from his unnaturally gray skin, although there was something different about his appearance from the last time I'd seen him.
"Hello, Justin," he said in a nearly monotone voice. "It is good to see you again."
I held out my hand. He took mine and shook it. "You're getting better," I said, motioning him inside. "Something about you is different."
"Hey, you dyed your hair black," Shelton said, slapping the golem on the back. "I like it."
Cinder paused, no doubt uncertain how to respond, before saying, "I believe it makes me look more human than the silver color." He tilted his head. "Was the strike on the back an act of aggression or one of fondness?"
Shelton groaned. "Man, you have a lot to learn."
"I don't mean to be rude," Lina said, "but what's wrong with your skin?"
"He's a golem," I replied.
"A golem?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "But, he looks so…real."
"Maximus's top Arcane, Dash Armstrong, was experimenting on gray men." I briefly explained about the gray men, how they'd attacked me and Elyssa, and that we suspected another angel I'd nicknamed Mr. Gray was the creator of the things. "Somehow, Cinder became a free man," I finished.
"He's not just an automaton anymore?" Lina walked around the golem, touching his skin. "My goodness, he feels so real."
"Thank you," Cinder said in his gentle tone. "I am working on improving all aspects of my appearance and texture."
"He wants to be a real boy," Shelton said.
Lina covered her mouth with a hand, and a sad look came into her eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Justin, you meet the most interesting…people."
"Why are you here, Cinder?" I asked as my mind finally got over the surprise of seeing him.
"As you know, I wish to improve myself." He looked around the room in a slightly robotic manner, probably in an attempt to mimic human expressions like making eye contact. "Since Science Academy and Arcane University deal in advanced applications of robotics and golems, I decided it would be an ideal location to seek out answers and meaning."
"Sounds reasonable," Shelton said. "But don't you have problems with professors wanting to take you apart to see how you work?"
Cinder nodded, and his mouth stretched into a plastic smile. "Indeed. One professor attempted to kidnap me."
"What did you do?" Lina asked.
"I ran."
Shelton snickered, covering his mouth with his hand in a vain attempt to cover it up.
Cinder tilted his head like a curious puppy. "I appear to have made a joke without realizing it, Harry. Would you explain what is funny so I may have the information for future reference?"
I dropped into my chair and realized my back wasn't nearly as sore as it had been moments ago. My feeding session with Lina had apparently helped.
As Shelton fumbled with explaining what he found funny about Cinder's statement, I looked the golem up and down. He still looked very much the same, though the black hair lent a more realistic quality to him. I wondered if it was possible to make his skin a little pinker, though. His gray, pallid "flesh" had a morbid look to it, as though he was on the verge of death.
Even though I felt the golem was being honest about his presence here, I still had some doubt. What if this wasn't the real Cinder? Whoever had disguised the other golem as a killer robot knew what they were doing. It might have even been planted by Mr. Gray. I had to be sure this Cinder was the one I knew. "How did you know we were here, Cinder?" I asked, interrupting Shelton's long-winded explanation about humor.
Cinder looked at me. "At this dormitory, or the school?"
"Both."
"I attempted to call you earlier this evening, however, you never answered. I called Bella, and she told me you were here." He touched his chin thoughtfully in the same way Shelton was touching his and continued. "It seemed to be a very interesting coincidence that you were here, so I came over."
I went to the singed and torn mess that had been my jeans before the attack by the golem and found my arcphone inside the pocket. It was magically toughened, and it didn't have a scratch. Flicking it on, I navigated to the calls screen and saw a missed call from Cinder. Katie and I had taken him to the Grotto to get his own phone when he announced his imminent journey of self-discovery, so unless someone had kidnapped Cinder, replaced him with an identical golem, and sent the clone after me, this guy was the original.
"Are you trying to determine my authenticity?" Cinder asked.
I nodded. "I'm sorry, but after what happened earlier, I can't take any chances."
"Would it help if I recounted the events of our first meeting and subsequent escape with our mutual friend Katie?"
"I think he's the real deal," Shelton said. "Can you imagine trying to recreate Cinder's deadpan personality?"
I chuckled. "No." Then again, I'd never heard another gray man talk. Either Mr. Gray didn't want them to have a personality, or it was impossible. I needed people—and golems—I could trust. We had to find out who'd sent that robot and why. Then again, whoever had sent the robot sure had given it a strange personality. What kind of robot spoke with a cockney—"Oh, crap," I said as I realized where I'd heard a voice like that. "Mr. Bigglesworth sent that robot golem doohickey. And I'd be willing to bet he was the man with the red suit."
"Fits his M.O.," Shelton agreed. "He likes to hide in plain sight."
"This is one reason I called you, Justin." Cinder regarded me with his flat gray eyes.
"Because of Bigglesworth?"
"Not precisely. He is, however, connected to a group of individuals who wish you harm. I have seen members of this group not only here, but also at Arcane University." He offered a robotic shrug. "Since I consider you my friend, I determined it wise to notify you of their"—he paused, head tilted as if searching for something—"nefarious activities."
Shelton snorted with laughter.
Before Cinder could question him about humor again, I snapped my fingers to hold his attention. "Who exactly have you seen here?"
"Your sister, Ivy, and your grandfather, Jeremiah Conroy. Although I attempted to discover their purpose, the only determination I made was they are looking for something specific in order to repair an arch."
Shelton and I exchanged glances. "Did they say what kind of arch?"
