The Burning Bush by Kenya Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

do anymore power-stealing until we knew how to prevent the magic from hurting me after it wore off.”
    When I’d met Angel, we had both been trapped by a killer. To escape, Angel had absorbed my fire powers to help me kill the murderer. Immediately afterward, though, she’d experienced seizures and nosebleeds. You’d think that would have made her stop absorbing powers once we were free. Nope. She’d been snatching up a new Supe power almost every week since she’d moved in with me.
    “You have no new magic?” I asked.
    “None.” Angel blinked her eyes twice.
    Quinn cackled. I snapped my face in Quinn’s direction, and she stopped.
    “What’s so funny?” I asked.
    “Nothing.” Quinn fluttered her long eyelashes. “It’s a Were-hyena thing. At times I’m overcome with the giggles.”
    Yeah, right.
    Metal clanked against metal. “There you go. The Pixies are free at least.” Angel back-flipped off the counter and landed on her feet.
    I sucked my teeth. She definitely has new magic. I looked up. Twenty little Pixies flew out of the cage. They were barely four inches tall and looked more like tiny dolls with wings than actual living creatures. I’d stolen a whole pack of Pixie clothes from a pet emporium in Oya District, so each had a shirt and shorts that matched the color of their wings. Most of the Pixies dashed out of the lobby, probably going into Ben’s room. Five others landed on my right shoulder. The silver and turquoise Pixie, which MeShack had named Danger, went near Quinn’s face and stuck her silver tongue out.
    “Get away from me before I eat you,” Quinn said to Danger.
    Sneezing out glitter, Danger whimpered. Her wings flapped furiously as she zipped away, probably headed to her shoebox in MeShack’s room.
    “Absolutely no Pristine for you.” I seized the jar before Quinn could grab it. “I told you they needed to be free and fly, and as soon as I leave, you stuff them all together in a tiny prison.”
    “Look at the ground,” Quinn ordered. “Glittery poop is all over it. I’ll be on my hands and knees scrubbing that sticky mess out tonight. At least when they’re in the cage, the newspaper catches their poop.”
    I sighed. It was difficult to get rid of Pixie poop.
    “I kind of like the idea of you on your hands and knees, picking up crap.” Angel grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. She combed her fingers through her short blond strands.
    “You’re demented, Angel.” I shook my head at her and went back to Quinn. “Is Ben in a cage too? Maybe a small box with some breathing holes.”
    “No. I’m not that irresponsible.” Quinn pouted. “He’s playing with Nona’s boys in the warehouse.”
    “You mean the place where all the Rebels smoke marijuana and preach about killing Humans?” I rushed toward the beaded curtains. The Pixies left my shoulder and flew up to the copper sculpture above the counter.
    “Do not put my Pixies in a cage, and I told you Ben isn’t allowed to play in the damn warehouse by himself!” I yelled back at her.
    “Yes. Okay. I got it.” Quinn groaned. “And since I don’t get the Pristine, then you clean up all of the Pixie crap!”
    I halted in the hallway. Cleaning up Pixie poop was not on this evening’s agenda. I just wanted to check on Ben, take a shower, maybe read Ben a story, and send him to bed.
    I sighed. “Clean up the poop, and you get the jar back.”
    Quinn waited a minute before replying and then said, “Okay.”
    Humming to myself, I strolled by empty tattoo and piercing booths on my left. MFE headquarters had been my temporary home for several weeks. At first MeShack, Ben, and I moved in to keep us safe from a killer that had been stalking me. Once I’d found the killer and killed the person, MeShack and I tried to move back into our apartment. My landlord had decided otherwise. The old Witch complained about the dried flesh and blood stuck on the walls and carpet. We explained it was all from a dead body that a