Deceiver's Bond: Book Two of A Clairvoyant's Complicated Life (15 page)

“Sure you don’t want to hang here for a few more minutes?”

I laughed at his come-on, almost tempted, but directed my thoughts of an immediate return to Maya and Tanu. The surrounding foyer inflated around us in an unnerving, blurred shift that once again unsettled my stomach. Vince and Daniel were each glaring at the djinn whose forms undulated in the center of the small space. Red stood behind Vince, just inside my apartment, his diminutive black body a contrast of color and texture against my maple wood floors.

We caught Vince mid-sentence, “—just how much long—?”

Both men turned to stare at our sudden return.

I smiled at the djinn’s vaporous forms. “Thanks for your help, Maya. Tanu. I’ll call you if I need anything else.”

“It is a pleasure, as the Lire knows,” they said in unison. Their eyes, swirling like mercury, were the last things to fade from view.

I stepped to Vince’s side and grasped his hand. “Daniel is telling the truth. He and his people aren’t having an easy time trying to protect me. Last week, Michael got cut up by a guy who was planning to mug me when I walked to Peabody’s.” I leaned into him, whispering in his ear, “Didn’t mean to worry you,” and then kissed his cheek.

I turned to Daniel. “Sorry for getting in your face. I just … I hate it that people’s lives are being changed because of me.”

“Not because of you. You’re not the one instigating it,” Daniel insisted. “And I should have told you about your neighbors. That’s my bad.”

“You would have gotten a big argument, so I can understand why you didn’t,” I said. “And thanks for helping me yesterday with the sheriff. Pretty sure I forgot to tell you that. I’ve been rude, haven’t I?”

“No. You’ve been understandably upset. This hasn’t been easy.” He nodded at Vince before adding, “For any of us.” He glanced at Michael and then his gaze settled back on me. “What’s your schedule today? Or did you two already discuss that?”

“No. It didn’t come up. Vince and I will stay in. Make your job easy for once.”

Daniel nodded. “Good. There’s someone who wants to meet you two. What’s a good time?”

Vince’s grip tightened on my hand, but when I glanced at him, he appeared calm.

“I don’t know,” I answered, “I guess it depends on who wants to meet us.”

Daniel nodded as if to say ‘fair enough’ and replied, “A friend of the telepaths, a sidhe, and a being who cannot come here easily. She does you a great honor asking for this meeting.”

She, huh?

I tried to gauge Daniel’s demeanor. What precisely would he get out of this confab? Was it in Vince’s best interest? Or just Daniel’s? Michael’s memories were no help. He knew little about the sidhe.

I turned to Vince. “I want this to be your decision. Is it something you want?”

He maintained an impassive expression, but I knew better. It was all I could do to keep from wincing at his firm grip on my hand. He nodded. “It’s fine.”

Turning back to Daniel, I said, “Give us an hour or two, okay? I’ll call you.”

I followed Vince into my apartment, surreptitiously flexing my freed right hand. As I closed the door, I caught Michael’s eye. Although I tried to ignore it, his pensive expression tugged at me, just a little.

Vince stood waiting. “What the hell happened? Where were you?”

His questions threw me. I’d expected to hear complaints about our upcoming meeting. “I’m sorry for disappearing like that. I wanted to find out whether Michael was hiding anything we needed to know. I didn’t want Daniel to interfere, so I asked the djinn to take us somewhere private.”

I levitated Red to my shoulder and pressed him against the side of my face, our version of a hug, and it comforted me like nothing else could.

“And is he?” Vince asked.

“No.” I masked my discomfort by walking toward the couch.

“Stop.”

His tone wasn’t unkind or overly demanding, but I could tell he wasn’t going to be satisfied until he learned the truth.

“What aren’t you telling me?” His eyes had narrowed, and he examined me in a way that probably made even his innocent suspects squirm.

“A lifetime of secrets,” I admitted. “But they’re not mine to share. You’ll just have to trust me when I say most of them don’t have anything to do with what’s happening with the telepaths.”

“But some do.” He closed the distance between us. “And you’re upset. Why?”

“Because touching someone sucks. It’s ten times worse than just touching an object. It’s the main reason I wear gloves and pants and keep my shield up whenever I’m outside my damned apartment and why, before you came along, I hadn’t been directly touched by a man for ten years.” I bit off the last two words and my tone carried much of my pent up anger and frustration.

I squeezed my eyes closed. It wasn’t Vince’s fault that I ended up with more than I’d bargained for when I touched Michael.

I sighed, deflating, and made a helpless gesture. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”

He dismissed the need for the apology with a shake of his head. “I’m here for you, but I can’t help if I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“I know.” I grasped his hand and forced a smile, although it probably wasn’t all that bright. I tugged him toward the kitchen. “Come on. I could go for a cup of coffee while we talk.”

By the time I sat down across from both him and Red with my steaming mug of comfort, I felt more like my usual self. I inhaled the fragrance-laden steam before taking a careful sip.

Vince peered at me over the top of his raised cup. “Better?”

“Yes. Much.” I smiled. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how patient you’re being. I know you want to get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, I don’t think the situation will ever be transparent. Invisius has been operating under the radar for hundreds of years, and calling its members ‘secretive’ is a major understatement. It’s a way of life for them. Remember when Daniel shared some of his memories with me?”

“The day in the conference room? When you learned about Brian?”

“Yeah. He allowed me a small glimpse into his world, but I had no idea how bad it was until I touched Michael. It’s … bone-chilling. I don’t know how they live the way they do, constantly protecting their secrets, their memories, the things that make them individuals instead of mindless shells. No wonder Brian went loopy. Seriously. I’m surprised more of them haven’t gone on murderous rampages.”

I slumped back in my chair. “I take that back. It’s not a surprise at all. They get turned into sheep before that can happen, following orders like good little Invisius stormtroopers, utterly clueless they’re being mind raped every single day,” I warbled. Taking a deep breath, I turned aside the countless memories of friends Michael had seen brain-wiped over the years.

Red stepped across the tabletop to give my arm a comforting stroke. I smiled weakly, grateful for the gesture, and squeezed his outstretched paw.

“But that hasn’t happened to Michael or Daniel? You’re sure?” Vince asked.

“Yeah. Positive. Michael is even more powerful than I imagined. Probably more capable than Daniel, although I’m not sure Daniel realizes it. It’s lucky he’s a good guy and not on the opposing side, or tainted by evil. Michael feels very strongly about putting a stop to the Invisius elder’s control over their lives.”

“If they’re both so powerful, why haven’t they shut these guys down and taken control?”

“Even together, they don’t have the juice. Michael can hold off five or six at once, maybe more depending on how strong they are. Teamed up with Daniel and some of the others in their little group, they’d have a good chance, but even then it’s not assured. There are other complications as well. Many of the telepaths on the opposing side are friends who are under the elder’s sway. And there’s the whole stance against using their power to unduly influence someone or make them do something against their will, to say nothing about the use of divinors and trying to influence the future.”

“And that’s what this … conflict is about? How their power should be used? If that’s true, why are you involved? You’re not a telepath.”

“I’ll give you one word: ‘prophecy.’”

He looked as disgusted as I felt.

“Daniel and Michael’s small contingent want to stop using the divinors, but they’re forced to continue heeding their predictions because that’s what drives the opposing group’s actions.” I sighed. “Again, it’s complicated.”

“How many are in Daniel’s group?” Vince asked.

“Nineteen telepaths, not including Michael and Daniel. Three divinors.”

“And the other side?”

“At least forty. And half a dozen divinors.”

“Those aren’t promising odds.”

“No, they’re not. But what Daniel’s group lacks in number they make up for in strength. Only the most powerful telepaths have been able to resist the elder’s mind probes. Of those forty on the opposing side, less than ten are worthy opponents.” I shrugged. “At least, that’s how Michael sees it.”

“What are Daniel and Michael doing? Just waiting to see what happens?”

“Yes and no. They’re protecting me, for one. And, trust me, that hasn’t been easy for them. They’ve spread themselves far and wide to head off potential threats. It’s enough to give me a complex if you want to know the truth. I mean why am I so damned special? So I have a few extra gifts, but let’s face it, I can hardly control them. I’m more of a danger to myself and everyone around me than I am to Invisius.” I stared into his eyes until I realized I was glaring at him.

“You are each more powerful than you realize.” Red pointed at Vince. “There is no more time for denial. Embrace what you are. Both of you must do this in order to realize your true power. To do anything less will allow others to take advantage of your ignorance.”

I pressed myself into my chair and grunted. “Easier said than done, Red. Look, I get what you’re saying and I’m working on it. But I’ve not thought of myself as completely human since I was a kid. Vince doesn’t have that advantage.”

“Perhaps not, but I believe Vince has been aware for quite some time that he is different.” He turned to face Vince, hands on his hips. “Have you not?”

Vince crossed his arms. Everything about his posture proclaimed this subject wasn’t up for discussion.

I peered at him. “Babe, it’s us. You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Shut down.” I searched his face. “Is it
that
bad? Admitting you’re different?” I forced out a laugh. “Because, look at us. You’re talking to a 17th century necromancer in the body of a teddy bear and a clairvoyant with three extra psychic powers. Face it. Having sidhe magic isn’t nearly as weird as what’s already sitting across from you.”

He clamped his jaw shut, but there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. “I didn’t realize this was a competition.”

“Now you do. So suck it up, Buttercup.” I took a gulp of coffee.

“I would, but I don’t have a straw.”

I came close to spraying coffee out of my nose and just managed to swallow without choking. I dismissed him with a wave of my hand. “Straws are for wimps.”

“What is a buttercup anyway? Not sure they can suck without one.”

I cracked up. “What the hell are we talking about?”

“Hell if I know. Something about buttercups and never being as weird as you. Unless I get a straw. Then I might have a chance.”

“I’m beginning to think you don’t need one to have a chance at being weird. You’re already there,” I told him.

“That’s a relief. Wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

I paused to examine him in all seriousness before replying, “Vince, if you’re true to yourself, you’ll never disappoint me.”

He returned my level gaze and nodded. “Touché.”

I smiled. “So, tell us. What else is weird about you, besides your sense of humor? Maybe we can figure out the nature of your magic. We know you can glamour. Anything else?”

“I don’t know. I’ve …” he trailed off, looking thoughtful, before amending, “There’s one thing … I guess.” He shifted in his chair. “As a kid, I was always the best at hide-and-seek.” He stopped, shrugging sheepishly. “I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.”

“Tell me anyway.”

He gave me a look that said, ‘This is lame, but you asked for it,’ and replied, “When I was about eight, my older cousins accused me of cheating at hide-and-seek because they could never find me no matter where I hid. The accusation pissed me off. I didn’t cheat. I distinctly remember thinking, ‘Screw it. I won’t even bother. I’ll just stand out in the open.’ So, that’s what I did. I stood in the middle of the lawn, under this big tree in our front yard, and pretended to blend in with the shadows.”

He sat back and rubbed his hand over his mouth and jaw. “I can’t remember what else I was thinking. I was mad. But, even standing there in plain sight, they couldn’t find me. At first, I thought they were ignoring me, you know, just to give me a hard time. But they weren’t. They cursed me, talking trash, and then went home. I stayed in the middle of the lawn for a long time. It started to get dark and my mom came outside to call me in. She stood not much closer than you are to me now and shouted for me.” His lips pressed together. “She couldn’t see me standing right in front of her. Scared the living shit out of me.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t until I started crying that she finally noticed me.”

“Interesting. Sounds like you can throw a veil. Have you done it since?”

He shook his head. “Never played hide-and-seek again.”

“What did your mom say?”

His expression hardened. “That I imagined it. She didn’t see me because it was dark. I knew she was holding something back—something that scared her. When I wouldn’t let it go, she washed my mouth out with soap and grounded me for lying. Only the Devil can hide in plain sight.”

“I’m sorry. She was wrong, though. It’s a difficult spell to master, from what I understand, but not unknown to other casters. And the spell isn’t any more evil than the person who casts it.  I went to school with a shadow sorcerer who was pretty good at it. We called him ‘The Shadman.’ A bunch of us managed to sneak off campus more than a few times with his help, but we never got up to anything more than cow tipping and running around in the dark.” I smiled at the memories.