Aeromancist (SECOND EDITION): Art of Air (7 Forbidden Arts Book 3)

by Charmaine Pauls

  “You skipped dinner,” Lann said in a sleepy voice.

  “I didn’t hear you come to bed.”

  He kissed her shoulder. “I didn’t want to wake you, but you should eat before going to bed. It’s not good for you to skip meals.”

  She kicked the covers aside. “I eat when I’m hungry.”

  When she made to sit up, he held her down.

  “Under normal circumstances, maybe,” he said. “But these aren’t normal circumstances.”

  “Speak to your child,” she teased. “It’s his fault I can’t stomach food.”

  He tensed.

  “Lann.” She rolled her eyes. “It was a joke.” They couldn’t tiptoe around the subject forever. Sooner than later, they had to face what needed to be done.

  Rolling over her, he pinned her down while keeping his weight on his arms. He kissed the tip of her nose, and her cheeks.

  He seemed in no better mood than the night before. She’d give him more time before bringing up the subject again, not that time was a luxury she had.

  Lann pushed up on his elbows to stare down at her face.

  “What?” She squirmed underneath him. “Do I look funny?”

  He remained serious. “You’re beautiful.”

  Cupping his cheek, she said, “Thank you. That’s such a nice thing to say when I’m still wearing my messy bed look.”

  “Katherine…” He hesitated.

  She dropped her hand. “Yes?”

  “What would you like to do today?”

  She flashed him a smile. “You’re that serious about asking me what I’d like to do today?”

  “What I mean to ask is what do you want to do from today on and every day after?”

  Wow, he really wasn’t good with words. Slowly, his meaning sunk in. “You want my bucket list?”

  He frowned. “Don’t say that.”

  She took his hand and guided it to her stomach. “We’re the parents of this child. I’d like to have an open and honest relationship with you. We need to be open if we’re going to talk about the future, but we can’t do that if you keep on skirting the issues. Just say it. Just say that you want me to tell you what I’d like to do before I die.”

  Closing his eyes, he turned his head away.

  She bit her lip.

  His jaw bunched. It took several seconds before he faced her again. “I’d like to know what you’ve always wanted, what your greatest wishes are, so that I can make them come true.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, not because he wanted to please her, but because he was being honest.

  “Tell me,” he urged.

  She thought about it. Everything in her life that had seemed important before was trivial now. She wanted his love, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. Besides, love was hardly something she could ask for. Love happened. It couldn’t be forced. What she didn’t want was his guilt.

  “Well?” he asked. “There must be plenty of things you want.”

  “For starters, I’d like to see my parents.”

  “I told you I’d take care of that.”

  “Did you?”

  He kissed her. “What else?”

  “Actually, there’s nothing else. I don’t want to make a big issue out of this.”

  “There has to be something,” he insisted, wiping a strand of hair behind her ear. “Many things.”

  “I don’t want to go to any foreign destination or experience some last-minute adventure. There’s no object I desire. I just want to be happy.”

  And it would be so much easier if he could embrace this road with her, but she didn’t say it as she watched emotions play in his haunted eyes. This hadn’t been his choice, she reminded herself. He’d wanted to terminate the pregnancy. She was the one who didn’t allow him a choice.

  He moved his hand from her stomach to her breast. “All right, then. What would you like to do now?”

  A small shiver ran over her. “I’d like to stay warm, for starters. It’s so cold in here.”

  A strange look crossed his face.

  “And I wouldn’t mind a little more sleep,” she said.

  He checked his watch. “Eve will need to see us in fifteen minutes. I’ll give you a quick shower.”

  She lifted a brow. A shower with Lann was never quick.

  After breakfast, Lann took her to a lounge on the first floor where a fire was blazing, and pulled her down next to him on the blanket he’d spread over the rug. He rested her head in his lap, and threw a throw over her body.

  “This is cozy,” she crooned, turning so she could look at the fire.

  “You said you wanted to get warm and rest.” Lann bent down and kissed her cheek. “I found this in Joss’s library.” He held a book of daemon verses in front of her face. “I’ll read to you.”

  They were an hour into the reading when Joss interrupted.

  “Cain has arrived,” he said to Lann.

  Lann put the book aside and kissed Kat’s hand. “I have to go see him, but I won’t be long.” He got to his feet and pulled her up. “Stay here, where it’s warm.”

  The tension in Lann’s shoulders didn’t escape her when the men left together.

  Cain stood in front of a window, talking to Clelia. When Lann and Joss entered, he turned. He wore the only garments Lann had ever seen him in—a suit, vest, and tie, all white. He leaned on a cane with a huge diamond head, even if he didn’t need it to walk. The summer in Morocco had done him good. He looked tanned and relaxed. The birthmark on his cheek was visible even on the darker tone of his skin. His black hair was brushed back, curling over his collar. The dark, intelligent eyes that studied Lann took everything in. Lann always had to remind himself that Cain had a reputation for reading minds, or maybe he just had a talent for reading people.

  Cain nodded at the men and said in an American accent, “It’s good to see my chicks together. The holiday almost got too long.”

  Joss showed him to the armchair facing the fire. “Missed the action?”

  “Oh,” Cain smiled, “I had action.”

  “Espresso?” Clelia offered.

  Cain gave her a curt nod. “You know me too well.”

  When Clelia left the room, Joss sat down on the sofa while Lann took the seat opposite him. Lann crossed his legs as he waited for their boss to speak. Cain rarely came straight to the point.

  “I believe congratulations are in order,” Cain said, fixing Lann with a curious stare.

  Tension pulled every muscle in Lann’s body tight. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I see.” Cain rubbed his chin. “I got the progress reports from Eve.”

  “There must be more we can do,” Lann said. “There must be someone else.”

  “Eve is all we’ve got.” Cain tilted his head. “How is Miss White doing?”

  As Lann said the words, coldness engulfed him. “Her body has altered.”

  “I see,” Cain said again. “Until Eve comes up with something, there’s nothing we can do. We need to talk about her safety until the baby’s born, and the future plans.”

  “I’ve stepped up the security,” Joss said. “She’s safe here.”

  Cain tapped a finger on his lips. “Are you marrying her Lann, or are you adopting after the birth?”

  Lann leaned forward and dropped his voice in warning. “Don’t talk as if her death is a given.”

  “Kat and Lann haven’t made any plans yet,” Joss said quickly.

  “She has a family,” Cain said. “They may want to stake a claim on the child. We need to prevent that from happening.”

  Lann clenched his hands into fits. “I have no intentions of keeping Katherine’s child from his grandparents.”

  “That’s not what I said, but your child will need a special education.” Cain added in a gentler tone, “You know that, Lann.”

  “I do.”

  “So,” Cain said, “you have to discuss this with Miss White, and make sure she understands.”

  “I will,” Lann said, gn
ashing his teeth.

  Cain considered him. “All I’m saying is that the legal issues need to be taken care of before—”

  Lann jumped up. “I get it.”

  Just as he was about to lose the dregs of self-control he was clinging to, Clelia entered with a tray. Joss got to his feet, took it from her, and left it on the coffee table.

  “Kat asked for a wish.” Joss placed his hand on his wife’s back as she busied herself with pouring the drinks.

  Cain looked at Lann. “What did she ask for?”

  “To see her family,” Lann said.

  “Security?”

  Joss handed Cain an espresso. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Before I meet the lady, I want to talk about the attack.”

  Lann winced. If anything had happened to her… He took the tea Clelia offered. “Thank you.”

  “Josselin said David mentioned the name Godfrey.”

  “Yes,” Lann said tightly. He preferred not to think about the gift hunter and his vulgar intentions.

  “Lupien,” Cain glanced at Clelia, “before you killed him, slipped the name too.”

  Joss put an arm around Clelia, pulling her close. Lann recognized the protectiveness in his commander, because since Katherine, he’d been feeling the same way. The only difference was that there was no way for him to protect Katherine, unless Eve found a cure.

  “I dug into my resources,” Cain said, “but nothing came up.”

  “Has Maya pulled up any info?” Joss asked.

  “Not much.” Cain mused over it for a while, then said, “Someone is buying up large chunks of shares in various communication companies.”

  Joss lifted a brow. “With what purpose?”

  “Control.” Cain added with meaning, “The kind of control our enemy would be after.”

  “Can we trace it?” Clelia asked.

  “The buyer is clever. He bought and sold and rebought the same shares to different companies he created, burying his roots so deeply they’re untraceable in cyber space.”

  Joss took a seat on the sofa, pulling Clelia down next to him. “However, you think it’s the same person.”

  Cain gave them a crooked smile. “It’s just a gut feel.”

  Cain’s gut feel was never wrong. Lann watched him closely. He was hiding something. “What are you not telling us?”

  “I want David tracked. I want to know who he was hunting for.”

  His intention dawned on Lann in a flash. “No fucking way. You will not use her as bait.”

  Cain clicked his tongue. “Do you think I’d endanger a pregnant woman’s life?”

  Lann didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” He glanced at Clelia and Joss. Not so long ago, Clelia had been the bait. Now Lann understood how Joss had felt.

  “Lann, Lann.” Cain shook his head. “We won’t use her as bait. We’ll use you.”

  Lann narrowed his eyes. “What game are you playing, Cain?”

  “Finding Katherine’s hunter will bring us another step closer to our enemy. We’ll use you to trap David. He’ll think that wherever you are, Miss White will be near.”

  “He’s Piranha, Cain,” Lann said. “He’ll smell the lie before he gets near me.”

  “Nobody is using Lann as bait,” a voice said from the door.

  Her voice. Air bent around him, lifting the ends of his hair. Lann spun around. Katherine stood in the door, her small hands balled into fists and her nostrils flaring.

  Chapter 7

  Closing his eyes, Lann uttered a curse under his breath. He never meant for Katherine to discover what he was truly involved in, and definitely not like this. As long as he could protect her from the unsavory truth, he’d do it with his life.

  She was dressed in a white dress with a loosely knit jersey falling down one shoulder. Her thick hair tumbled in waves around her face and over her shoulders, reaching down to her waist. She looked pale. Against the backdrop of her skin, her eyes seemed even brighter than usual.

  Lann stood and went to her, but when he reached for her hand, she shook her head. She was angry, as she had the right to be. She squared her shoulders and entered the room.

  For a whole two seconds, Cain appeared surprised. He quickly recovered. Getting to his feet, he crossed the room. “Miss White, I’ve read so much about you in my reports.”

  If the statement insulted her, she didn’t show it. It was typical of Cain to be tactlessly honest.

  “May I congratulate you?” Cain asked.

  “Thank you,” Kat said, not looking at the others.

  Cain kissed the back of her hand. “How are you feeling?”

  Lann watched their exchange like an arrow arched in a bow, ready to fly at Cain if he said a wrong word.

  “Fine, thank you.”

  Besides the nausea, tiredness, coldness, and heart palpitations, Lann thought.

  Kat looked pissed off. “Who are you?”

  Joss stood. “Let me introduce you to Cain Jones.”

  “I know what his name is.” She looked at Joss. “I’m asking why he’s here.”

  She acted brave, but she couldn’t hide her fear from Lann. Joss gave him a look that said the situation was his fault for not telling her the truth. Cain regarded them with curiosity.

  Lann intertwined his fingers with Kat’s. He worried she was going to reject his touch, but she allowed him to pull her under his arm. Her hand was cold. He led her to the sofa near the fire.

  “Sit down,” he said.

  Lann took the seat next to her, rubbing his hand over her arm.

  “Lann?” she said, insisting on an answer.

  He took a deep breath. There was no easy way to tell the truth.

  “I work for a paranormal crime task force,” he said. “Cain is our leader. Joss is my commander.”

  Kat stared at her hands that were folded in her lap, seeming to absorb the news. Finally, she turned to Clelia. “You too?”

  Clelia nodded. “Lann was trying to protect you.”

  “Keeping the truth from me is not protecting me.” Kat gave Lann a stern look. “Keeping me in the dark is more dangerous than risking my fragile disposition with the facts.” She said fragile disposition like it was an insult.

  He knew she wasn’t fragile. She was in a delicate condition with the baby. Still, he never wanted her to get this deeply involved, and he sure as hell would never endanger her. She didn’t understand. The more she knew, the less safe she was.

  “I have to agree with Miss White,” Cain said somberly. “My apology that you had to find out like this.”

  “So, you fight people who are like you?” she asked Lann.

  “Sometimes,” he said evasively. “It depends.”

  “Now you want to go after David?” she directed at Cain.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “You’re not using Lann as bait.”

  “If the choice is between him and you,” Cain said, “I’d rather choose him.”

  Kat’s brow furrowed as she seemed to wrestle with the truth. Her heart beat with a fast rhythm where her body pressed against Lann’s side. Her respiration increased. If at all possible, she was even paler than before.

  “Katherine?” Lann gripped her chin and turned her face to him.

  A bolt of shock ran through him. Her lips weren’t red any longer. They were white. He tilted her head. What the fuck was happening?

  “Breathe, krasavitsa.”

  In a flash, Joss and Clelia were at his side.

  “Get Eve,” Joss said, his voice clipped.

  Cain was already on his way to the door.

  Lann helped Kat to lie down on the sofa. She clasped his hand tightly, her wide eyes fixed on him with a soundless plea as her chest heaved with the effort of dragging oxygen into her lungs.

  “Hold on,” Lann said, fighting to keep his voice calm. “Eve is on her way.”

  Eve came rushing into the room, clutching a doctor’s bag. She went down on her knees in front of the sofa, threw the bag open, and took out a
stethoscope. Pressing the instrument to Kat’s chest, she listened with a furrowed brow.

  “What’s going on?” Lann asked.

  “Her heart. Too fast.” Eve pushed him away. “Get her warm.”

  Clelia grabbed a throw from the back of the sofa and draped it over Kat.

  “Breathe, Kat,” Eve said, her voice authoritative. “Slow. In, out. That’s it.”

  Lann moved to the armrest and wiped Kat’s hair from her face. “Listen to her, Katherine,” he urged. “Come on, sweetheart, nice and slow.”

  After a few seconds, the worry lines on Eve’s face smoothed out. “The worst is over.”

  “Is this normal?” Clelia asked.

  “Yes,” Cain answered for Eve.

  Lann stared at Eve, the unspoken question stuck in his throat.

  “It’s the adjustment,” Eve said. “All of this will stop after the first trimester.”

  Kat sat up, pushing Lann’s hand away. “I’m sorry for giving everyone a scare.” She seemed embarrassed.

  Lann tensed at her rejection, but he took a step away to give her space.

  “No need to apologize,” Eve said. “It’s not your fault. It’s a biological reaction.”

  “How’s the progress on finding a cure?” Cain asked.

  Eve pursed her lips.

  “It’s all right,” Kat said. “You can be honest. I have no illusions.”

  Lann’s gut twisted. He was drowning in helplessness.

  “Too slow,” Eve admitted.

  “Maybe there’s another way,” Clelia said.

  Lann looked at her. “What are you talking about?”

  Clelia turned to her husband. “You can taste her blood.”

  Joss regarded them from hooded eyes, his hands resting on his hips. “I’ve thought about that.”

  “But?” Clelia asked.

  “But tasting gives me different information, not medical solutions.”

  Clelia sounded hopeful. “You could try.”

  Lann pleaded silently with Joss. He’d try anything.

  When Joss nodded, Lann placed a hand on Katherine’s shoulder and explained, “Joss can tell certain things by tasting people’s blood.”

  Kat’s eyes widened. “Is that another special gift?”