by Amie Gibbons
The kitty was out of the bag now.
“Yes,” I said. “Anyway, when we went back into the club, Quil had everyone lined up. He’d explained the real plan and said the demon and the summoner were still there. Our forensic tech was the summoner. His name was Irish, well, everyone called him that. He...”
“I know all this,” Carvi snapped. “And you talk as much as I do.”
“Milo actually told me that.” I smiled at the memory.
I’d liked him a hell of a lot more than I liked his brother. He was cheerfully lecherous, the kind of guy who hit on anything female but made a joke out of it all.
“You liked him?” Carvi asked.
“Yeah. He was funny, and a pain in the butt in that joking kind of way. And he’s the only other psychic I’ve ever met. He...” I paused as sadness washed through me. Was that me or Carvi feelin’ that?
“He offered to help me learn how to do some things with my powers,” I said. “I’d never really tried to do anything with them. I just touched and hoped I’d get a vision. But the last few weeks I’ve been practicing getting them from things, or people, or pictures.” I shook my head. “Anyway. Milo really was shot.”
The small emotion Carvi let onto his face evaporated. “No, if my brother was-”
I placed my hand over his mouth.
He could’ve stopped me, but I think he wanted to see what I was doing.
His lips were as soft under my palm as they looked.
“I know he was a psychic,” I said. “Maybe he can cast his thoughts around to see all danger coming if he’s focusin’. But he wasn’t. The thing Quil was leaving out. The part of the story that made you think this whole thing was a lie, was me. Quil had everyone lined up. I was by the bar and Milo was right next to me. He was talking to me when the shooting started.”
Carvi’s hand went over mine, almost like he wanted to make sure he couldn’t open his mouth and interrupt me.
If he closed that hand, I’d never be able to use it again.
My breathing picked up and I took a slow deliberate breath, tryin’ to calm myself.
“Milo did die of a sliver bullet shot by the demon, but the bullet wasn’t aimed at him. The only people who knew he was psychic were me, my team, and Quil. But everyone knew I was a psychic cuz Quil told them to stay still and let me touch them, and of course, all my coworkers knew that. The demon had silver bullets in his gun to be able to deal with vamps, but that one he was aimin’ at me. Milo reacted. He grabbed me and moved me, and… and the bullet got him right through the heart.”
Carvi took my hand from his face slowly, his eyes flashing.
“Quil didn’t want to hide anything from you. He was just tryin’ to protect me.”
Carvi’s hands rested on my biceps and he slid them up and down my arms.
Vamps are big on touch. Makes them feel better. He pet me like a puppy, absentmindedly as he thought.
He wasn’t even lookin’ at me, stared right through, like he could see into the past.
We stayed there for over a minute and I wiggled.
I’m not good with silence.
And the suspense of whether he was gonna kill me or not was... well, killin’ me.
“Ummm, Carvi?” I asked.
His eyes refocused on mine and I wished I’d kept silent. His face was hard, but his eyes were deep pools to drown in. I couldn’t tell what emotion they held, but they were very full and dangerous pools.
“Are you gonna kill me?” I asked.
He stared at me.
“You,” he said after a moment, “are extremely naïve.”
“Is that a yes?” My voice went up into the squeaky and I didn’t care.
Fear for your life tends to do that to you.
“No.”
I sighed in relief.
“You’re too useful to kill.”
The relief cut off quick as it came.
Something came out in Latin and he shook his head. “I am so angry my brother was taken from me. And now I find you are the reason, even if you did not pull the trigger. But no, I will not kill you. I need a psychic.”
“For what?” I asked. Pushin’ him wasn’t the best idea. But he did say I was too useful to kill. “I thought you just wanted me to find out what happened to Milo and help you get those responsible. I mean… you do know Nashville’s queen was behind it all, right?”
“Yes,” he said. “I got that much from Aquila, but that’s specific. With the movement pushing forward, I need a psychic in general. There’s a lot of vamps and other things out there that don’t want us to come out. I’m a target, have been for a while.”
“So you, what? Want me to keep a mental eye on you all the way down in Miami? I’m not that good. I’m nowhere near that good. I can’t even get visions warnin’ me there’s a police officer ahead ready to pull me over for speeding.”
He frowned. “I can work with you, teach you how to control your powers, teach you what you can do. But as for watching me ‘all the way down in Miami,’ that won’t be an issue.”
The confusion must have shown on my face cuz he smirked.
“Dear God,” he said, “you really are that naïve. Do I have to spell it out for you, lea?”
I frowned.
“You’re coming down to Miami with me,” Carvi said.
Like hell I was.
No, gettin’ my dander up wouldn’t help, no matter what his blood was singin’ in my veins.
Southern girls know you catch more flies with honey.
I was about to tell him I was open to negotiatin’ when he said, “After I kill Quil, of course.”
“No!” My voice went up with pink rage. “You are not kidnappin’ me, I’ve had quite enough of that for one week, thank you very much. And I already have a job, so even if you’re offering to keep me up in a nice place and not treat me like a slave or anything, I’m not interested. I have a job, I have a life, and I have friends. I’m not leaving Nashville. And you are not killin’ Quil. He had nothing to do with Milo’s death. He helped avenge it. He-”
Carvi clamped a hand over my mouth. “Quil is the one who kept me out of Nashville that night. I should’ve been there to protect my brother. You should be dead, my brother shouldn’t. So, I get you as payment for his life, and I get Quil’s because he’s the one that kept me away. And as adorable as I find your bravado, you’re not in control here. You don’t get a say.”
I opened my mouth and he actually let go. His hand went back to wrap around my bicep, the other was still on my other arm.
“If you do that,” I said. “If you take me down to Miami against my will, after killing Quil, then I will work for you, I will tell you when I see something horrible happen, and when the time is perfect, when you’re asleep and don’t suspect a thing, I will kill you myself.”
I met his eyes so he’d see the truth in them, so he would know I wasn’t someone he wanted to piss off.
“I could kill you right now.” His growl tugged my stomach up and I gulped to keep it down.
“You just said you need me.”
“You just said you wouldn’t help me anyway.”
“No.” I held up a finger. “I said I have a job and wouldn’t move down to Miami. I never said I wouldn’t help. But you hurt Quil and I’ll help and then I will turn on you. I can’t say when, can’t say how, but I will do it. You kill Quil and you will die. I promise you that.”
“You love him?”
“Yes! And he’s in your movement. Milo’s death was pretty much the worst timing combined with the worst circumstances, but the demon that shot him is dead. Marie is dead. The summoner they made do it is dead too. The people most responsible are dead. Okay?”
Well, except Jade.
I opened my mouth to say he could kill her and he shook his head.
“No,” Carvi said. “Not good enough. My brother’s dead.”
“Yeah. And nothin’ will ever be good enough. Nothing will ever be okay. But killing everyone that was t
here won’t help. Nothing will bring Milo back.”
His hands closed harder on my arms, almost enough to bruise.
“Nothing’s gonna make you feel better. Nothing’s gonna make his death okay. All the revenge in the world won’t help you. All you can do is try to keep going, try to make your brother proud. You want to bring magic out? That was y’all’s dream? Go do it. Milo would want you to keep going with that. Don’t blow that by killing Quil and starting a war. Don’t make me kill you cuz I think the movement needs you. It will fall apart without you to lead it. Don’t ruin everything cuz Milo’s dead, make things the way he’d want them to be cuz he is.”
Carvi gave a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort. “And the sad thing is, you meant every single melodramatic word.”
Hey!
“There’s no need to be nasty,” I said.
His eyes flashed and he leaned into me, pulling me so our noses were near touchin’.
“My brother is dead. The one person in this world I was supposed to protect, to put above my own life. I would have died for him because that’s what big brothers do. And I wasn’t there to protect him. I wasn’t there because your,” he said something in Latin and I was pretty sure it wasn’t polite, “of a boyfriend doesn’t like me. He had no good reason to refuse my request to come to the party other than he finds me annoying. Milo died because of it.”
Pity swelled in my chest.
I finally got it.
The person he truly blamed for his brother’s death was himself.
Isn’t guilt wonderful?
“Milo flirted, right?” I asked, not waitin’ for a response. “If you were there, he still would’ve been flirting with me, he still would’ve been there with me in that instance cuz he was there cuz he was flirting with me. And he still would’ve reacted at the gunshot and saved me, and still would’ve gotten hit. Milo still would have died. You would have just been there to see it.”
“You don’t know that,” Carvi growled. “You don’t know if that’s how it all would have played out. You said yourself, it was the worst possible timing with the worst possible circumstances. One little change could have had everyone off enough to put him off that path. That’s it, one little adjustment.”
“But you don’t know either,” I said. “Carvi, this wasn’t your fault. It was Marie’s fault. And Jade’s fault. Not yours. I know you’re mad at yourself. I don’t know how I know, but I do. You could’ve ignored Quil and came, but you didn’t and you hate yourself for it, but don’t do this. Don’t tear yourself to pieces. Don’t kill yourself like this. Don’t. Please don’t.”
I didn’t even know I was crying until his hand released my arm so he could thumb the tears off my cheeks.
“Why do you care if I’m in pain?”
I didn’t. I.... oh dear, I did.
I cared.
Not just cuz that pain risked Quil, not to mention me, but cuz the man in front of me was someone I didn’t want in pain.
Why? What did he do to me to make me care about him like magic?
I was pretty sure I answered my own question.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I think it’s part of your power. The same thing that makes you so attractive makes me not want you to be hurt.”
“That’s no part of my power that I’m aware of.” Carvi sat back, licking my tears off his thumb. “No one enthralled by my power cares if they hurt me or not.”
I paused. I knew that. I saw it. I felt it in my visions. So why did I care?
“I think you did something to me when you were going through my mind,” I said.
I didn’t agree to give a hoot about him.
I crossed my arms again cuz he’d let them go at some point. I really didn’t like that I hadn’t noticed when I was free.
“Maybe cuz I’m psychic. Or maybe cuz Milo’s last words were askin’ me to take care of you.”
He looked away, not sayin’ anything way too long.
“Um, Carvi,” I finally said, “where does that leave us?”
He looked back up with a smile, everything else wiped from his face. “Are you always so direct?”
“Ummm, no, not really.”
“I believe you when you say you’ll kill me if I kill Quil. I even believe you’ll pull it off eventually. I believe it would be a bad idea to kill you if I want the movement to succeed. Which leaves me with not killing Quil. I really don’t like that.”
“Okay?” I pressed after a moment. “So.... Are we gonna be friends or enemies? Are you gonna try to force me to go down to Miami or work out some sort of visit schedule so I can help you when you really need it? Are you gonna try to kill Quil, or try to keep those in the movement against him, or accept him as part of it? Are you.... I don’t know. I lost where I was goin’ with that.”
“That’s fine. You ask way too many questions anyway.” He inched in, pinning my legs against the couch. “I would rather be your friend. So I will make you a deal. You come down to Miami with me. You will be in my retinue and you will work to the best of your abilities. In return, you will be well paid and taken care of. You won’t be a prisoner, just an employee. And I will not kill Quil for his involvement with my brother’s death. I will even help him take the throne after I kill Jade.”
The door opened and our heads jerked towards it as one.
Grant came in, pointing a gun I was sure had silver bullets in it and glaring.
“She already has a job,” Grant said. “Let her go. You’re surrounded.”
Chapter nineteen
“Grant!” I lurched up, ready to fling myself at Grant.
Carvi caught me and pulled me against his chest.
“Hey! I can’t even go hug my boss?” I asked.
“Sorry, lea,” Carvi said. “If I’m surrounded, then I need a hostage.”
I sagged. “Yeah, I figured. I want to know why the freaking damsel in distress is always me.”
I glanced at the clock on the wall next to the fireplace. It’d only been about half an hour since I called.
“Hey, how did you get here so fast?” I asked.
“We got the phone’s location when he first called us and followed it,” Grant said.
Bigger question, did he bring back-up?
“Now, now, Grant,” Carvi said. “Let’s play nice. First up, Ariana told me you were on the team there the night my brother died. Are you the man I spoke to through him?”
Grant stared him down.
“Oh, yes, you were,” Carvi said. “Pleasure to meet you in the flesh.”
The way he said it made all the hairs on my body stand at attention and heat flushed through me.
If Grant felt it, he didn’t show it.
“Let her go, keep her over there if you want, but let her go, and we can talk,” Grant said.
I met Grant’s eyes, he wouldn’t just bust in without a plan.
Flash.
A gun slid over the tree branch, aimed at the house.
It wasn’t easy to make that shot through glass, but he was an expert.
He had his orders. If the vamp threatened Ariana, Grant said to get a clear shot and take it. So he aimed, keeping the scope locked on the vamp, waiting for a shot where he could be sure not to hit her.
The vamp moved and set Ariana next to the couch.
His finger tightened on the trigger as he breathed out slow and controlled, and fired.
The bullet smashed through the glass, going off at the angle the sniper expected and got the vamp right through the chest. He started to disintegrate almost immediately.
“Umphle,” I said, takin’ a deep breath as Carvi moved me to the couch. We only had a few seconds. “I save your life, you let me go. Deal?”
He must’ve heard the urgency on my tone cuz he said, “Deal.”
“Get away from the window.”
He did without question, rushing us over to the wall, out of the direct line of the windows.
“Ryder!” Grant snapped.
“Si
lver bullet sniper,” I said to Carvi. “He would’ve gotten you.”
“And you?” Carvi asked.
I shook my head. “He was waitin’ for you to let me go so I’d be outta the way.” I waited for his arms to release me and couldn’t look over at Grant. “You promised to let me go.”
“Oh fine.” He scooped me up, pressing me against him in a tight hug, nuzzling into my neck. Then he put me down. “There you are, lea. We still have a deal about you in general to work out.”
But I barely heard him. The second my feet touched wood, I launched myself across the room and right into Grant’s arms.
He caught me with an “Umph,” and lifted me up, muttering incoherently as he smoothed my hair.
If he was mad I saved the vamp, he wasn’t showin’ it.
I held on tight, burying my face in his neck, leaking tears onto the collar of his rumpled blue polo shirt. My arms locked around his neck and I knew they weren’t leaving for a while.
“Hi, General.” I muttered into his neck.
“I hope you know I needed that arm to keep my gun up,” he said.
I leaned back as my feet found floor again to look at him. Gun? Oops.
Our eyes met and I leaned in without thinking about it.
And Grant scooped me back up, shifting me to the side so my face was back against his neck. He got one thick arm under me and carried me over to the couch. “I’m not getting my neck back for a while, am I?”
I shook my head into his neck, not pulling away cuz then him and Carvi would’ve seen the blush.
I was about to kiss him, regardless of consequences. And he knew it and stopped me. It was subtle, but couldn’t have sent a clearer message.
“Held by a psycho,” I said as an explanation as he sat on the couch, me cradled in his lap. “I have my favorite teddy back and I’m not letting go.”
“That’s what I thought.” He hardened his voice. “King of Miami, correct?”
“And you’re Grant.” Carvi’s voice went liquid velvet again.
I shivered, turning in Grant’s lap so I was still snuggled against him, but my arms let his neck go. Grant squirmed under me with that voice.
Grant doesn’t squirm.
“You can feel that too?” I asked.
