Deceiver's Bond: Book Two of A Clairvoyant's Complicated Life (9 page)

“Because I’m part elf.” He imparted the last word with a definite edge.

“It’s something the sidhe and other fae are known to do. Is it the only explanation for your girl troubles?” I leaned back and shrugged. “Who knows? It’s not like I have firsthand experience with going weak at the knees at your first glance. When we first met, I wanted to slap you senseless more times than I can count.”

He chuckled as a small smile broke through his frown, although lines of tension cooled his expression.

“It’s not the worst thing in the world, you know—you being part sidhe. Normals won’t look at you and know you’re different. In fact, other than telepaths, most magic users won’t even know. I didn’t. Not at first, anyway.” I shrugged. “I guess what I’m saying is: You don’t need to feel weird about it.”

“No need to be testy, you mean?” Vince smirked.

“Something like that.”

“Well, no promises,” he said, again running his fingers through his hair. “This whole thing is weirder than shit.”

“Believe me, I understand. I’m not spreading it far and wide that I have these new powers.”

He studied me. “It’s that weird, huh?”

“Yeah.
That
weird. Even for me.”

I wanted to ask him whether he believed he was part sidhe and had the ability to glamour, but I didn’t want to push him. It was enough that he was at least discussing it without biting my head off.

The doorbell rang as we cleared the table. I put my plate in the sink, glancing at Vince before heading toward the door. Even though I was confident in my building’s impregnable security, I’ll admit to feeling a pang of anxiety when I opened it.

“Hey, Jerome,” I said, looking my neighbor over. Never in the seven years of knowing him had I ever seen this fastidious man look the slightest out of sorts. His wide grin and disheveled salt-and-peppered hair gave me a start, but I could tell he was brimming with enthusiasm, not apprehension. “What’s up?”

His eyes crinkled at their corners. “Packing, I’ll have you know. Lire, hon, we’re taking a sabbatical. I’d have told you sooner, but it’s happened all rather suddenly. Peter just up and quit his job, this morning, if you please.” He waved his arms expansively. “Let’s run off to Europe,” he said, widening his eyes and placing a dramatic hand over his heart before grinning. “Sent me into a tailspin, but he’s had enough of the grind. Fine with me. I’ve wanted to do something like this for years. So, here we go. Off on an adventure.”

I laughed. “That’s wonderful. How long will you be gone?”

“Who knows?” he said with a wink. Dark lashes, long and curled enough to make me insanely envious, outlined his turquoise eyes. “We’re keeping our options open. Three months, at least, if I have my way. A good friend is going to house-sit. So don’t worry if you hear someone banging around. I’ll send him over to introduce himself. He’s to clear it with you before having any wild parties.” He smirked, raising his eyebrows deviously. “I won’t lie. I think he could give that dreamy detective of yours a run for his money. And he’s single.”

I rolled my eyes. Apparently, this house sitter wasn’t gay. “There’s a complication I don’t need.”

He laughed. “Don’t you worry. I’ll tell him to be on his best behavior. His name’s Dan, by the way. Dan Johnson. He’s a good guy. Wouldn’t be letting him house-sit otherwise. But you shoot me an e-mail or text if there’s any issues—any at all—and I’ll straighten them out, tout de suite.” He glanced toward his apartment. “All righty, time to get back to packing. We leave for Paris in the morning. You take care, sweetie.”

“You too. You and Peter both. I’m jealous. E-mail me when you get settled. I expect to see lots of photos.”

He laughed, trotting away. “Will do. Bye, Lire.”

“Bye. Have a safe trip.” Smiling, I closed the door.

When I got back to the kitchen, our dishes were in the dishwasher and Vince was busy rinsing out the pasta pot.

He slid his gaze toward me. “A new neighbor, huh? And single, too. What luck.”

I cracked up laughing and gave him a playful shove. “You were listening. Naughty.”

“Hard not to. Jerome isn’t soft-spoken.”

“Okay, you have a point. He was pretty excited. I don’t blame him; I’d love to travel like that some day.” I bumped Vince with my hip. “Scoot. I’ll wash this. Thanks for loading the dishes.”

“Sure.” He stood aside and dried his hands. “I have to get going, but … if you’re not busy tomorrow, I could pick up some takeout. We could hang out and watch a movie?”

I was all set to issue an enthusiastic ‘yes’ before remembering Vince’s vacillating behavior. Did I want to plunge headlong into a relationship with a skittish guy who had a major identity issue to work through? We hadn’t even had an official date yet and red flags were already going up. At the very least, I’d be smart to make sure he was happy in his own skin before I got in too deep.

I switched to the rough side of the sponge and continued scrubbing, hoping the chore hid my obvious hesitation. “I’d like that. Can’t stay up too late though, my flight is Wednesday morning. I have to be out the door by six.”
For now, crooking your finger will only get you so far, buddy.

He frowned. “We can always do it another time.”

“No, tomorrow’s fine.” I smiled. “If it was a problem, I’d have said so.”

“What time should I come by?”

“I’m off tomorrow. Just have that meeting with Agent Cunningham in the morning and I’ll probably stop at the office for a few minutes before coming back home.”

“You okay with that? Want me to go with you?”

I glanced up from the sudsy pot and noted his concerned expression. “Nah. I’ll be fine. Red’s been drilling me with my deflection skills. And if I get arrested again, I’m sure Daniel will handle it.”

“If you get arrested, I better be the first to hear about it, not Daniel.”

You think you’re in a position to make those kinds of demands?

I swallowed the bitter reply and replied evenly, “I’m sure it won’t, but if it happens again, I’ll do the same thing I did last time. I’ll call Red. He knows who to call. If for some reason I can’t, then I’ll call my sister and tell her to contact you.”

He paused, maybe registering the undercurrent in my response, and then nodded. “How about I come by after lunch and we can go from there?”

“That sounds great.” I rinsed off the pot and left it in the sink before drying my hands. After a moment’s hesitation, I gave him the extra key to my apartment, in case I was still out when he came over.

Vince paused at my opened door to kiss me before leaving. It wasn’t the aggressive, passionate kiss I’d hoped for. On the other hand, it wasn’t perfunctory either. I’d give it a C-plus, or a B-minus, tops. It wasn’t a red flag, but it didn’t do much to bolster my confidence.

After locking the door, I plodded to the family room where Red was commanding the television remote from the coffee table. When I fell into the couch cushions, he muted the sound and sat facing me, dangling his legs over the edge of the table.

I opened my mouth to complain but stopped myself, snorting instead. “I was all set to grumble about all this crap making it hard for me to sleep tonight. Since I can’t seem to get through the night without dreaming about Paimon, that’s probably just as well.”

“Avoidance is not a healthy, long term solution.”

“Yeah, I know.” I considered my dream. “Last night was the first time I didn’t immediately wake up. It’s not just a dream, Red. It’s really visiting me, talking to me. Should I be worried? I won’t lie, even in my dreams the demon scares me. Mainly because … I’m not sure …” Blowing out a breath, I tipped my head back against the cushion.

“Sure of what?”

I spent a moment, blinking up at the ceiling, before admitting, “How long I can resist.”

“I believe there is always danger when dealing with a demon,” he said. “Is your soul at risk within a dream? That, I cannot say. Certainly, Paimon cannot attain a blood covenant, but dreaming puts you closer to the Between. And, in that place, it is your essence that must be guarded. You are right to be cautious.”

“Great. Something else to worry about.”

“You only need to worry if the demon asks you for a sacrifice in return for something you desire.”

I sat up. “What do you mean? Like what?”

“The most obvious is blood. Or sex, which is just the exchanging of blood in a more intimate manner. A demon might also ask you to sacrifice your moral code, to do something abhorrent or corrupt that you would not otherwise do. Murder is the breach most people think of, but it could also be other lesser crimes, especially if those actions go against your principles. Of course, not all sacrifices are equal.”

“Hard to sacrifice something like that inside a dream, so does that mean I’m safe there? It can’t subvert me somehow without me realizing it?”

“Lire, what is on your mind? Are you worried about giving in to sex? Is that what this is about?”

“Yes. And no.” I sighed. “I can deal with the sex appeal, I think. That’s not what scares me. There’s something else.” I looked down at my lap. “When it pulled me into the Between, I touched it. You remember—it’s how I escaped. But I also learned Paimon’s truth. I’ve glimpsed the depths of its being and it’s not all bad. It’s not irredeemable. It has feelings. It has a code of conduct, and, while its methods are horrifying, it doesn’t prey on the innocent unless obligated to do so by its summoner. It does what it does to survive and to attain its own dreams. And its dreams aren’t bad. They’re not much different than my own.”

“And this surprises you?”

“Yes. I mean … I know some demons are worse than others, but even so, I figured they were universally evil with few or no redeeming qualities.”

“Indeed. The truth is quite a bit more complicated. In death, as in life, black-and-white distinctions are often an illusion.”

I nodded and looked away.

“Dearest, fear not. If the demon seeks a bargain, you will know it. It is not something that can happen without your knowledge. Keep in mind, however, that most demons will manipulate the truth to make any situation appear to have but one choice.” He patted my knee, drawing my attention back to his steady, black-button gaze. “If there is one thing that I will have you remember, it is this: There will always be more than one choice. The demon’s bargain will invariably appear to be the easier. It is this path you must resist.”

I pressed my fingers over his paw. “I’ll remember.”

Later that night, for the first time since escaping Paimon’s clutches, I went to bed without fear.

And when my sleep finally gave way to dreaming, I was ready.

I stood on a familiar rocky outcrop, my shoulders warming under the mid-afternoon sun. The last time I visited this Sierra mountaintop, it had been the height of summer and swarming with tourists and scruffy ground squirrels. In my dream, however, the popular scenic viewpoint brooded empty above the vastness of the freshwater lake hundreds of feet below me. Here and there, intrepid lone pine trees and low-lying shrubs, which somehow managed to take root inside cracks in the warped granite surface, grew scraggly under a brilliant blue sky. One dead pine, its trunk and naked branches silvered and smoothed with age, stood in silhouette against the deep sapphire of Lake Tahoe, below. I had taken a photo of that tree at my last visit, I remembered. Densely growing pines studded the surrounding mountains, practically down to the waterline. To my right, the sound of Eagle Falls tickled my ears.

I savored the dry, resin-scented air, releasing it from my lungs along with a murmur of delight. My efforts at directing my dream had worked. This was one of my favorite places. And not a bikini in sight.

“What is this place?” Paimon asked.

I glanced at the demon, taking its expected presence in stride. It stood behind me and to my right, clad in faded jeans and a
Breaking Bad
t-shirt. After my talk with Red, I was wary but no longer afraid of the creature’s intrusions. This was my dream, after all. I had complete control over what happened in it.

“Emerald Bay State Park in California.” I tipped my chin toward the water. “That’s Lake Tahoe. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

We stood in near silence, with only the sound of the rushing falls, and admired the unspoiled view. I bent down to pick up a pebble.

“Why?”

“Huh?” I tossed the rounded stone down the sloping rock face, watching it bounce away from me. “Why what?”

“Why bring me here?”

I shrugged and stuck my hands into my front pockets. “I knew you’d appreciate it.”

“I appreciated the attractions at the beach more.”

I didn’t need to turn to know it was leering at me and probably sporting a salacious smile and rakishly canted brow to boot.

The heat of the sun-warmed rock seeped through the fabric of my cotton shorts when I sat, eliciting my involuntary shiver. Leaning forward to hug my bent knees, I considered the charming island that jutted out of the water, perhaps five hundred feet below and a half-mile distant.

I found another pebble to sacrifice to the slope and said, “It’s not working, you know.”

The demon sauntered closer to settle next to me, separating our shoulders by a mere few inches. The gorgeous creature more or less mirrored my pose, gracefully draping its tanned and toned forearms across bent knees. The gentle breeze swept its long, golden-blonde hair away from its face, drawing my attention to knife-edge eyebrows that shadowed its calculating blue eyes. “Please, do tell me how I have managed to fail you so quickly.”