Deceiver's Bond: Book Two of A Clairvoyant's Complicated Life (14 page)

Michael looked stricken. I took childish pleasure in noting that Daniel, too, stood speechless. It was a struggle to resist chortling out loud.

“No.” Michael’s unswerving response echoed through the entryway.

“Something you don’t want me to know?” I asked, watching him studiously.

Lips pressed together, Michael shifted his weight to his heels. If his expression was any indication, a slammed door between him and us had shot to the number one spot on his priority list.

A retreat wouldn’t do him any good—not here, anyway. I sent a focused request to my building’s djinn. Being blood-bound to the two immortal beings had its advantages. Too bad their power was restricted to the inside of my building.

In an instant, my stomach protested at the sudden, inexplicable sensation of movement. The world blurred and shrank in on itself, as though I now viewed my surroundings through the wrong end of a telescope. Darkness fringed my convex vision. Everywhere I looked the effect was the same, making my head spin. Already queasy, I shut my eyes to settle my stomach. The stagnant atmosphere pressed against me, although I had no trouble breathing.

After a few deep breaths, I risked opening my eyes. The effect hadn’t changed, but focusing on Michael helped. It grounded me. I wouldn’t throw up.

Michael’s gaze darted wildly as he tried to take everything in. “What the—?” His voice resonated strangely. It sounded flat.

One of the two djinn materialized between us, its gray amorphous form translucent enough that I could see the outline of Michael’s body through it.

“Is this to the Lire’s satisfaction?” it asked.

“It’s not what I expected, but yeah, it’ll do. Thanks. Uh, Maya, is it?”

“It is,” it replied.

“Okay. Oh, one more thing. Can you or Tanu make sure Vince and Daniel don’t start brawling in the entryway while Michael and I have our chat? I’ll let you know when we’re ready to rejoin them.”

“As the Lire wishes,” Maya replied before fading from view.

Michael stared at me, nonplussed.

“Trippy, huh?” I gazed around us. “Guess that’s what I get for asking Maya and Tanu for privacy.”

Even though I could perceive my entryway, just the strange, drastically shrunken view alone told me we were far, far removed from it. The djinn wielded a vast power that I hardly dared to consider. They already spooked me enough as it was.

I shook myself and focused on Michael. “Daniel and Vince can’t interfere or overhear us. I just want the truth. I want to know what’s going on. Why don’t you want me to read you? What are you hiding?”

“Nothing that’s remotely relevant to your situation.”

“No? Then why the fuss? It’s not like the reading will be one-sided. You’ll have access to my thoughts too. I’m not crazy about that, but I’m willing to give up some embarrassing secrets to learn the truth.”

“Then read Daniel. He’s the one in charge.”

“And the one who stands to gain the most by getting into my mind. I don’t want to be that closely intertwined with him.”

“That makes no sense,” he snapped. “Before today we’ve hardly spoken. But you’d link yourself with me, a virtual stranger, instead of someone you grew up with? Someone you loved?”

“That was years ago. We were just kids. And, yes. It’s safer.”

“That’s what
you
think.”

I frowned. “Are you implying my touch will somehow harm you? That can’t happen. The djinn won’t allow it. Look, I know you don’t know me, but you’ve had the chance to read the minds of my friends and coworkers. And before I got my talisman, you were in my mind at least once. Granted, it was for a short time, but you must have gleaned enough to know I’m not petty. I’m not the type of person to blackmail or spill any secrets. And I’ve been exposed to enough readings that I’m open minded about most things. I’ve pretty much seen it all. I’m not one to judge.”

He pressed his lips together. “I know.”

“Then why the reluctance?”

He continued to stare at me, looking resentful and steadfast, his arms practically glued to his sides.

“All I can assume from your refusal is that you’re hiding something nefarious. Something you don’t want one or all of us to know. And Daniel and Vince will come to the same conclusion.”

“I’m not plotting against you. I’m protecting you.”

“Right. Poor defenseless Lire,” I huffed. “I’m not stupid. I know there’s more to it. Daniel gave me some of his thoughts already, remember? He doesn’t want me to be hurt. I know he cares about me, but his motives are hardly altruistic. And it’s all tied up with the prophecy and Invisius and who gets control.” I examined him. “If you’re only protecting me, then prove it. Let me touch you without interference from your shield.”

“You won’t like what you find.”

More than any other, that admonishment gave me pause. I thought of my experience with the demon and witnessing Brian’s death. I replied, “It probably won’t be a cakewalk for you either. Especially if I happen to think about how Brian died. I’ll do my best to keep those thoughts back, but depending on what I’m getting from you at the time, I can’t promise I’ll be successful.”

I removed my gloves and stuffed them into my pocket. Before I could chicken out, I took his left hand.

He didn’t resist.

I dropped my shield and his thoughts and memories spiraled into my mind.

I remembered …

 … being abducted by two Invisius ‘teachers,’ their hands wrapped painfully around my wrists, preventing me from running back into the house … crying into my pillow knowing I’d never see Mommy and Daddy again … meeting Daniel … learning to shield myself from the guardian’s mind probes … begging Daniel to tell me about Coventry Academy, especially his red-headed best friend … realizing my powers had surpassed most of those around me … discovering I wasn’t the only one who could resist even the elder’s interventions … learning all I could about the girl from Daniel’s past, the one who had left such an impression … the lengths I took to find and observe her from afar … my horror at discovering Brian’s knowledge of my clandestine activities … confronting a thug before he could follow through with his deadly attack … Daniel picking me up and driving me to the hospital … never forgive myself if anything happens to her … the one thing I want most … touching her is too much … the smell of her hair … God, the feel of her skin … I want to …

Desire, breathless and bitter, tore at me. Strong arms encircled me and fevered lips found mine before I knew what hit me. It was all I could do to keep the barest sense of myself beyond the overwhelming need to love him.

I gasped and stumbled backwards, breathing hard and wheeling from the influx of memories. I purposely kept my eyes focused on him, afraid if I considered our surroundings, even for a moment, the vertigo would make me sick.

A “holy shit,” shot past my lips.

Michael held up his hands palms out, chest heaving, looking aggrieved and shell-shocked. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and the similarity to Vince’s familiar gesture made me struggle to catch my breath.

“I’m sorry … the feedback … I couldn’t—” His teeth clacked together and his expression hardened. “Forgive me.”

Between agitated, impassioned breaths, I stammered, “You’ve … you’ve been watching over me since college?”

He rubbed a hand over his jaw, but it couldn’t hide his rueful expression.

“You were in two of my classes. Why didn’t you approach me? Talk to me?” My voice cracked and I redoubled my efforts to set aside my intense feelings of loss and guilt—feelings, I reminded myself, that weren’t my own.

He shifted on his feet, as if he intended to reach for me, but settled back on his heels. His hands gestured helplessly. “You know why.”

The crush of his memories crowded me from all sides. Ignoring our preternatural surroundings, I paced, wringing my hands. “You were worried I’d discover your connection to Daniel.”

He sighed. “Yes.”

“Then why look for me in the first place?” I didn’t need to ask, but I had to keep talking. If I stood still to gaze into his eyes, I’d lose it and possibly do something I’d regret.

“You’ve read my thoughts. You know why. Obsession. Stupidity. I hardly need to spell it out.”

“I know! It’s just …” I rubbed my face before glaring at him. “I’m trying to get a handle on this. I didn’t expect—”

“I warned you. More than once,” he snapped.

“Yes, but I thought I was reading a stranger, damn it!” I slapped my arms down to my sides. “Not someone who knows me intimately. Reading a person is hard enough without having images of myself reflected at me. That’s why I didn’t want to read Daniel, for God’s sake.”

His injured expression punished me. Growing up surrounded by telepaths, never able to truly connect emotionally with anyone, Michael had led a lonely existence. It’s what my life might have been like, if not for Red’s companionship or the benefit of growing up at Coventry Academy. The urge to take him into my arms, to offer comfort and … other things, filled me with such longing that I swayed on my feet.

Girl, get a grip! You’re dating Vince. Remember him?

I smoothed my hair back behind my ears with my trembling fingers and fought to separate Michael’s feelings and memories from my own. Seeing myself through his eyes was a disconcerting experience. Years ago, curiosity had led him to find me. After watching me and reading my mind over a period of years, something he knew to be both unwise and a serious breach of protocol, his early fascination had gradually turned to love—a love he knew could never feasibly be requited.

Three weeks ago, when I had donned the talisman to block telepaths from reading my thoughts, it had come as a relief. That’s what he meant by his earlier comment about my gloves. Not having such intimate access to my thoughts had made it easier for him to compartmentalize his feelings. Now, I needed to do the same.

He looked down at his feet. “I’m sorry.”

“I know. Me too.”

He forced out a laugh, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “It takes creepiness to a whole new level, doesn’t it?” Arms folded, he tried to look anywhere but into my eyes.

“No.” I didn’t want to lead him on, but I had to put his mind at ease if I could. “You’re a good person. If you weren’t, I suppose it would be creepy. Anyway, I got enough of your memories to know I’m not the only woman you’ve ever been attracted to. But if it’ll make you feel better, I can cringe every time you look at me and threaten to get a restraining order.”

He blew out an amused breath, not quite smiling.

“You guys are working hard to keep me safe. I’ll try not make your job more difficult.”

His gaze flicked to mine, and he nodded.

A week earlier, when he’d been unable to control a potential assailant with his mind, Michael took the unprecedented step of yanking my assailant into an alleyway. I made it safely inside Peabody’s Beans, utterly clueless, while Michael beat the shit out of the thug, but he ended up with a nasty knife wound as his reward.

“Thank you for taking care of that mugger. It was brave. I’m sorry you got hurt.”

He shrugged, mumbling a scarcely audible, “Sure,” before glancing away again.

“You know what scares me the most, though?”

When his inquisitive gaze found mine, I told him, “You guys don’t have a clue what to do. You’re all waiting for something to happen, but you don’t know exactly what, or when.”

He started to shake his head, but stopped, perhaps thinking better of it. He shrugged and replied, “Yeah.”

I refused to let him retreat inside himself. He’d been forced to live that way for most of his life and he deserved more. “You plan to stick to single word sentences from now on? Or are you just saving up your words for later?”

“You have my memories. You already know what I think.”

”
Thought
. Past tense.” I folded my arms and stared him down. “I don’t know what you’re thinking now.”

After a moment to consider the challenge in my stance, his mouth tugged into a smirk. He replied concisely, his voice deliberate, “True.”

I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been until my shoulders eased at seeing his expression. I fought a wry grin of my own and rolled my eyes at him. “Fine, Mr. Conversation. Be that way.” I tipped my head and softened my smile. “Just … do me a favor, will you?”

His smile faded and he eyed me warily. “What?”

Another single word response, but I didn’t rise to the bait. “Stop blaming yourself.”

The air seemed to go out of him and he closed his eyes. A flash of anger crossed his features when he replied, “How? I led him to you. I fucked up. You must have figured that out. If I hadn’t been obsessed, Brian never would have known about you. He wouldn’t have targeted Nick. You wouldn’t be involved in any of this.”

I considered his admission. Maybe it was true. Maybe the killer
had
learned about me through Michael’s illicit mind reading, but it was just as likely Brian had discovered my identity the same way Michael had—through Daniel.

“There’s no way to know that and, even if it’s true, it doesn’t matter. You’re not responsible for what Brian did.” I shrugged. “So you let curiosity get the better of you. Big deal. It’s human nature.” I folded my arms. “You read my mind and liked me anyway. Call me egotistical, but I have a hard time finding fault with that either.”

When his expression remained grim, I put my hands on my hips. “Michael Thompson, you listen to me. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen. Or what Brian would end up doing. For whatever reason, things were meant to be this way. It’s life. Shit happens. A chain reaction of good and bad from the day we’re born to the day we die. We just get through it the best we can.” I stepped closer and gave him a determined look. “Okay?”

After a moment, he nodded. I’m not sure I convinced him, but his shoulders seemed to relax a notch.

“Really? That’s the best response I’m going to get? Now it’s the zero-word response?”

“What can I say?” He cocked his head and his smirk reappeared. “You leave me speechless.”

I snorted, casting my eyes heavenward. “Right. And on that note … we should go back. I’m sure the djinn are handling it, but if we stay much longer, Vince and Daniel will probably be at each other’s throats.”