Free The Protection of Ren Crown by Anne Zoelle

could read him pretty well most of the time. I knew exactly why he had been doing Layer research lately.
    “You need me—my magic—in order to affect the Layer system.”
    It wasn't a question. I had spent my time last term researching necromancy, not Origin Magic, since Origin Magic couldn't bring my real brother back—it could only produce a pale approximation that echoed my thoughts and wishes. But I had absorbed a few uncomfortable and familiar facts about Origin Magic and how my own magic displayed.
    And it had been obvious that Constantine had suspected things about my magic right from our first meeting.
    I didn't want to think about being the monster everyone in the magic world feared. But Kinsky's paintings had reached out to me twice now, and one had transported me through it earlier today. A pretty big red flag of doom.
    “No.” Olivia's tone was dark and final. “You aren't doing it, Ren.”
    Constantine's fingers slipped from my chin and he extended to his full height, tapping his lower lip as he finally looked at her. “That little bit of stripping magic you just performed on their minds was quite dark, Price. Cause for immediate arrest. Does Mommy Dearest know what you do when you are angry?”
    If we survived the collapse, the Department would come. They would arrest Olivia and find my house. And all of the faceless people celebrating in the ten-block radius around us would die. To join the Ganymede ghosts who already haunted my dreams. “Olivia—”
    Olivia held out her hand, her fingers shaking with anger. “Not him. I'll do it.”
    “Not a chance,” he said lazily, hand closing over the button. “You might damage Crown. I will do it or no one will.”
    I extended my hand to him, but Olivia grabbed it before Constantine could. Her face was blank and she didn't answer for a long moment as her gaze clashed with his. “You will only use it for this one task. And you will swear it.”
    His expression was one of dark satisfaction. “There's the selfish daughter of Helen Price who always looks out for number one. I will use this device today for the discussed purposes, by my magic I so do vow.”
    I could feel the thin threads of magic from one of the containers latch onto him, sealing the vow.
    Olivia had to have felt it as well, but she lifted a device she had ripped from the leader's belt and held it in a position that people in action movies used with a knife.
    “Now, now, Price. You might hurt yourself.” Constantine's voice was lazy, but his eyes were narrowly focused.
    Since vows worked on future magic, by including the word “today” in his declaration, Constantine was restricted from further use only for the next two hours before midnight. This obviously was not what Olivia had intended.
    She was nearly spitting with rage as she faced Constantine. “Do you know how long it will take someone to drag your body back to a port after they get here to investigate, and after they see ranked terrorists on the ground? Do you think you will be revived in ten minutes, should you misstep with me?”
    Exhaustion made my shoulders slump. I longed to go somewhere safe and draw and sleep and forget the craziness my world had become.
    “I'm not going to hurt her.” Constantine's words were clipped, as if he didn't want to admit them.
    “You want something from her. Everyone does.”
    He sneered. “Including you.”
    “Of course I do. That doesn't mean I'm going to let anyone else do it.”
    “Great, wonderful,” I said, just wanting to go home and not think about who wanted to use me and for what purpose. I flexed my magic, but it rebounded against my cuff again, useless. “You really know how to do this?” I asked Constantine.
    Constantine smoothly held out his hand. There was something fierce in his eyes as his gaze met mine. He gave a swift nod.
    There were all sorts of things that people didn't agree with or like about Constantine Leandred. His brilliance and competence, though, had never