To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (114 page)

When we got home, I rushed past him, heading straight to the kitchen.  “Aah.”  The flow of ice-cold lemonade over my tongue soothed my parched throat.  “How long before I become like you guys?” I complained, envious at how Dyvian’s CK scent still clung to him as he walked past me, unmarred by sweat and all other undesirable elements—while I stank of hot salty air that was typical of Sanger and the rest of this side of Nevada.

“I honestly don’t know.”

I glanced around hopefully.  “Where’s Lucian?”

“Up in Death Valley.  He wants to talk to some Evren there about the attack.”  His tone became sly.  “You know, there are a lot of beautiful Evren girls up there.  Most of them have a crush on Lucian.”

“Oh?”

“Feeling jealous?”

I lifted my chin.  “Noooo.”

“Liar.”

This was a subject-changing moment if ever there was one.  “Are we going to start on the lessons tonight?”  I didn’t want Dyvian to know how irritated I was.  Lucian had again stuck his brother with babysitting and now he was off in DV flirting with dragonettes.

“Yes.  He put me in charge of training you on the basics.”

“Great.”  But worry gnawed on my thoughts.  What could Lucian be doing right this very minute?  Again, without thinking, I sought support from The Voice. 
“Do you know who’s with Lucian—”

“Deli,
no
.”

I jumped.  “What?”

He shook his head.  “Don’t make it a habit, talking to The Voice like that.”

His unerring guess made me gasp.  “How did you know I was talking to it?  You hear it, too?”

Dyvian rolled his eyes.  “No, I don’t, and I doubt I ever will.  But really, your face is an open book.  It’s easy to know when you’re talking to it.”

“It is?”

“Yes, Deli, and I told you, you can’t trust it completely.  Okay?”

“It’s not as bad as you think it is, Dyv.  It’s actually helped me—”

“I know.”  He held up a hand.  “But we still don’t know that much about it.  In emergencies, yes, I think it’s better to trust The Voice.  In fact, it’s absolutely imperative.  But as for relying on it even for the smallest things—”  Dyvian paused.

“It’s like a sleeping pill, okay, Deli?  You have to take it only when absolutely necessary.  If you take it when you don’t need to, it’s going to be an addiction, and it could lose its effectiveness.”

I understood the analogy but wasn’t there also something a little off with his logic?  Nevertheless, I decided to let it go.  Dyvian had my best interests at heart and I respected his judgment.  If he thought it was wrong to rely too much on the Voice, then I’d have to believe that until I learned otherwise.

~~~

Two hours later, I was wishing Dyvian had never been born.

When I said I wanted to work on having full control of my Evren powers, I was sort of envisioning wearing a cool karate uniform—custom-made, of course, to show off my figure—while practicing some fancy kicks.  But never in my wildest imaginations did “practicing” include doing a headstand for hours in the middle of the Mojave.

Oh, and did I mention that Dyvian had also tied a rope around my ankles and hung me from a branch fifteen feet off the ground so I couldn’t escape?  Sure, he had lowered the rope enough so I could touch the hot dry soil, but still.

Dyvian checked his watch.  “A couple more minutes, Deli.”  He was sitting nice and comfy in a folding chair he had brought with us and browsing through People magazine.  Angelina Jolie’s face pouted back at me from its cover.  It was yet another area where the Chevalier brothers differed.  Lucian devoured the business papers while Dyvian—okay, I was guilty of this, too—gobbled up gossip rags.

“I swear, Dyvian,” I gritted out.  “You are one dead lizard the moment you release me.”

“Name calling?  That warrants another hour hanging upside down, don’t you think?”

“
Dyvian
.”

“I was just kidding.  Relax.  Two more minutes.”

“I’m going to tell Lucian about this,” I threatened.

He snorted.  “Who do you think taught me how to let my dragon out?  And how do you think he taught me?”

I could only stare at him in horror.  Barbarians.  I was living with two drop dead gorgeous barbarians.

His watch buzzed and Dyvian stood up.  “We’re done,” he announced in such a cheerful voice that if looks could kill, I’d have murdered him ten times in the last five seconds.

He flew up in the air and took me with him, hoisting me onto the branch while I leaned against the trunk, grateful to have something to support me.  He untied the rope around my ankles and grinned.  “How do you feel?”

“Come here and I’ll show you.”

He flew a step back, still grinning.  “Now, now.  You were the one who wanted to practice, Deli.”

“But to do it like that?” I sputtered, glaring at him.  “Surely there’s an easier way—”

“No, there isn’t,” a voice below countered just as Lucian materialized out of thin air.

His presence automatically made me smile.  “Lucian.”  Just seeing him filled me with pleasure.  There was something about him…  “Catch me!”  I jumped off the branch.

“No,” Dyvian and Lucian objected at the same time.

I was laughing when Lucian caught me in his arms.  His scowl could’ve frightened small animals.  “You fool!”

It was weird but these days, I was beginning to think Lucian’s angry words were like an endearment.  In my mind, his anger meant he cared.  And because of that line of thinking, I found myself immune to his fury.

“I missed you, too,” I responded, delighted when his scowl melted into disconcertment.

“Can’t you think before you do something?  Anything?” he almost begged.

I giggled.  “Oh, come on.  I knew you’d catch me.”  Dyvian and I laughed as a familiar shade of red slowly stained Lucian’s cheekbones.

He lowered me to the ground.  “The next time you do that, I won’t catch you.”

I made a face then, remembering that he had been gone for the day.  I tried to sound very casual as I prodded, “So, where have you been?”

“I had to meet some Evren.”

My “Oh?” was loaded with meaning.

Lucian raised a brow, but his questioning glance was directed at Dyvian.  “Is there something I should know?”

Dyvian was loading his stuff in the pickup, but he gave Lucian an innocent look and replied, “Beats me.”  He opened the driver’s door.  “How many times have you talked to The Voice today, Deli?”

Lucian stiffened.  Their opinion when it came to The Voice still vastly differed.  “Besides the time you stopped me from speaking to it?”  I asked cautiously.

Lucian and Dyvian exchanged looks.

“Yeah, besides that.”

I almost looked at Lucian for guidance, but that was silly, right?  The Voice was inside
my
head, not his.  It had nothing to do with him.  “Just once,” I admitted, not knowing why I was reluctant to answer Dyvian’s question.  “And it was for my own good.  It told me not to draw attention to myself in school because if I did, it would endanger all of us.”

Dyvian nodded.  “I see.  That’s good.  Maybe it’s beginning to understand its boundaries.  It should be rewarded somehow.”

Now, I was totally confused, especially when I saw Lucian looking annoyed.  “Rewarded?” I repeated blankly.

But Dyvian was already inside the pickup.  His window slid down just as I was about to open the door to the backseat.

“By the way, Deli?”

“Yes?”

“Your practice session isn’t over.”

All my muscles groaned in protest and my head started aching.  “What?”

“You need to walk back home.”

I paled.  “You have got to be—”

“But Lucian’s going to be with you.”  Dyvian grinned wickedly.  “That’s not too bad, right?”

Darn, but he was smart.  While I debated choosing between comfort and love, Dyvian was already driving away.

Lucian sighed from behind.  “It’s too late to think now, Deli.  He’s gone.”

I searched for signs of disappointment in my heart and found only pleasure.  I shrugged.  “It’s okay.”

We started to walk home, and I took his hand, ignoring him when he sighed again.  Well, we were a couple, weren’t we?  Even if it was a sham, we still had to keep up appearances.

Lucian snorted.

I turned to him in surprise.  “What?”

“Why are we holding hands?” he inquired in that clinical tone of his that I alternately loved and hated.

“Because I’m your girlfriend, and we have to keep up appearances.”  Good thing I thought about this already.  Geez, sometimes I could be so smart I even amazed myself.

“For the sake of what?”  He pointed to the bunch of red-spotted toads croaking under a palm tree, the only living creatures close enough to see our clasped hands.  “Toads?”

Sensing a losing argument, I changed the subject.  “Who did you talk to when you were in Death Valley?”

“I told you, other Evren.”

“Male or female?”

Lucian stopped walking to look at me.  “Does it matter?”

I gasped.  “You have to ask?”

A smile was tugging at his lips.  “Jealous?”

I gritted out, “No,” and stalked away.

He easily caught up to me but didn’t say anything.

Two can play this game
.  “You know, we had P.E. today.”

“Oh?”

“Basketball.  I was thinking of using basketball practice to improve my aim.”

“That’s good.”