Deceiver's Bond: Book Two of A Clairvoyant's Complicated Life (36 page)

He hesitated on the stair, seemingly unsure how to proceed.

“Just ring the doorbell. My TK can’t reach into the house, but nothing out here strikes me as being out of the ordinary. Daniel told her we were coming.”

He considered me for a wary moment before giving me a perfunctory nod. Two strides took him to the door. He jabbed the button with his index finger.

Seconds passed and then the oak four-panel door swung inward a crack. From just inside the darkened interior, a hushed voice murmured something to Kieran. He nodded and then replied in what might have been Silven, but at this distance, I couldn’t be sure. Another round of subdued conversation ensued before the door opened enough to reveal a petite twenty-something blonde. “Clairvoyant, you have my permission to enter this house. Lord Kieran, please come in.”

At that instant, the whole of my telekinetic vision filled in. The blonde wasn’t alone. Another woman, taller and stockier, lurked a few feet from the door, deliberately staying out of our sight.

Before Kieran could enter, I flew to his side, placing a cautioning hand on his arm and readying my TK to deflect any trouble. “Someone else is hiding, just past you,” I said, motioning to her left, “Who is it?”

She stared at me, eyes wide, and then glanced over her shoulder. “That’s Jackie, my partner.” She waved us inside with a jerk of her hand, her voice turning impatient. “Hurry up. I’ll introduce you.”

Kieran curved his arm casually around my waist, sliding his hand just under my blouse. It made us appear more friendly with each other than I’d have liked, but I wasn’t about to complain or pull away. His palm warmed my skin as it stoked my magic, heating me both inside and out.

Ready for anything, I stepped into the house.

The blonde closed and bolted the door, eliminating the benefit of daylight from the dim interior. The bungalow had no entryway to speak of. We stepped into what might have been a cozy living room, if not for the plywood barricaded windows and stale air mixing with the nearly palpable haze of spent magic.

A dark-haired woman, taller than me by at least three inches, advanced to the blonde’s side, placing a hand on the smaller woman’s shoulder. I wondered at the possessive gesture. This woman, Jackie I presumed, wasn’t a sidhe—at least not a pure blooded one. She didn’t have the luminous complexion, proud bearing, or, frankly, the striking features. Of course, forming stereotypes based on my limited experience wasn’t the best idea. In spite of her nondescript appearance—chin-length hair, studious brown eyes, and thin lips—this woman projected confidence.

The blonde examined me, narrowing her blue eyes. “You levitated to the porch. And you knew about Jackie. How? Daniel told me that Kieran would be with a clairvoyant. He didn’t say anything about a magus.”

“She’s no magus,” Jackie asserted, looking me over.

“No. I’m a clairvoyant, like Daniel said. I’m just …” I shrugged. “I have extras. It’s not something he’d mention.”

I tipped my head to the side, studying the blonde. She wasn’t anything like I’d imagined. Although, I don’t know what I’d imagined, exactly. Maybe someone more glamorous. And taller. With her pixie-short hair, fine features, and rosy cheeks, Kim looked more like a preschool teacher than a sidhe’s soul mate. Her white, cropped jeans, matching ballet flats, and pink twinset accentuated her wholesome appearance.

“Are you Kim Pratchet? The sidhe emissary?” The presence of this other woman continued to throw me. Jackie’s tender hand at the back of Kim’s neck made it pretty obvious they were more than just good friends.

“Yes. And you’re … ?” Kim asked.

“Lire. Lire Devon.”

At the mention of my name, her chin bobbed upward as though it meant something to her. Probably because of my highly publicized fun with the Circle Murders investigation.

Kim replied, “You’re the one Maeve’s mate told us about.”

It took me a moment to process her words. When they finally gelled in my mind, I recoiled. Only Kieran’s tightened hand at the small of my back kept me from retreating a step. “Maeve’s mate?” I almost squeaked.

She examined me, puzzled. “Yes. He told us to contact you. Brassal and the others don’t think it wise for us to stay here after—” She closed her eyes briefly and shuddered, her hands clenching into fists. “Vince told us to get to your building where Daniel and Michael are staying. Jackie and I have been … discussing what to do.”

“We’ve been on the run, hiding for weeks, burning through our savings,” Jackie practically growled. “My ward is in place. Nothing can get inside without our consent.”

Still reeling from her mention of Vince, I had a hard time processing the conversation. “I’m sorry … I’m, uh … how exactly did Vince tell you about me?”

“He spoke to us,” Kim replied. She raised her eyebrows, presumably at my confused expression, and added, “To Brassal and me.”

When I continued to frown, she said, “Brassal is my mate,” sounding exasperated.

“Uh, okay.” I glanced at Jackie, wondering how she fit into all of this, whether Brassal knew about her.

Kim grinned, reaching up to her shoulder to rub Jackie’s fingers. “I think you’ve confused her, babe.”

Jackie chuckled. “Yeah. I’m good at that.”

They both stared at me, their combined expressions daring me to say something.

“They are a threesome,” Kieran said, clearly impatient.

“A sidhe can have more than one soul mate?” I asked, surprised.

Kim issued a dainty snort and scolded, “Shame on you, Kieran. Haven’t you told her anything?”

She turned to me with a more genial expression and explained, “The sidhe shun taking more than one mate. Only Brassal and I are joined, but Jackie and I have been together for years. We’ve always been partial to threesomes.” She smiled slyly. “Brassal is more progressive than most. He enjoys watching.” Her smile widened into a smirk before she added, “And joining in, whenever a gateway allows it.”

She straightened, eyes going flinty, and uttered something incomprehensible, to which Kieran replied, “In English, if you please, Brassal. Not everyone here understands our native tongue.”

Brassal?

Kim frowned, managing to stare down her nose at us even though she was shorter than everyone in the room. “That can only mean one thing. Maeve and her cohort will not be happy to hear of this.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. “Again you allow your personal feelings to get in the way of what is clearly necessary. You are a fool, Kieran.” Turning her suddenly predatory gaze upon me, she raked me up and down and observed, “Deliciously uncommon. A detail she neglected to mention.” Kim glared at Kieran. “Maeve has learned much from her new mate. This one cannot go unclaimed.”

Learned much from … ?

Barely able to breathe, much less come up with anything meaningful to contribute to the maddening conversation, I staggered aside from Kieran and his enticing touch. I wanted to flee this disturbing scene, but could only put a few steps between us before running up against the front door. Pressing my hand against the wood and reassuring myself I could leave at any time, I stared at the petite young woman who’d been so disturbingly transformed.

Kim … no,
Brassal
stepped away from Jackie’s affectionate grasp to scrutinize me. “Green eyes.” She snapped her gaze to Kieran, realization momentarily replacing her superior expression. “Is
that
it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. My feelings have long been known. Her eye color has little to do with it. If Maeve wanted a different outcome, she should have selected someone else to accompany her. I will not tempt a mate by coercion, nor will I steal another’s lover.” He curled his lips contemptuously and added, “Unlike Maeve.”

Kim folded her arms, glancing at me. “She is bonded to another? That is not what we were told.”

“She was the part-blood Vince’s lover.”

She grunted and waved her hand dismissively. “Meaningless. He didn’t bond.”

“To her, it is not, therefore I cannot discount it. Nor will I, until she’s had closure.”

“This is unwise, Kieran. As soon as Maeve hears of this, she will take steps to find another who has no such impediment.” She paused, glaring at him meaningfully. “You know who she will send.”

Kieran sighed. “Yes.”

“Even now she seeks an audience with Evgrenya to gain access to her territory. You know what this means.” She slid her gaze toward my face to stare directly into my eyes, but it wasn’t Kim looking at me. “Do yourself a favor,
human
. Get over him. The part-blood is nothing compared to the sidhe who stands at your side. There are few his equal in battle and, certainly, no other sidhe will be as accommodating toward your … human frailties,” she said this last with a notable sneer. “You could do far worse than accept Kieran’s bond.” Her voice hardened. “Believe me when I say, you do not wish to learn how much worse.”

Before I could respond, her eyes widened and she uttered, “Maeve comes.”

Kim sagged, stepping to the side to catch her balance. Jackie rushed to slip her arm around her partner’s waist, steadying her. After speaking faintly into Kim’s ear, she steered her toward the living room couch.

Kieran wandered away from me, stopping to poke his head into the kitchen, before joining the two women. He sat across from them in one of two leather recliners.

“Brassal will do his best,” Kim told him. “But you know how Maeve is. Once she learns he’s spoken to you …” She shrugged, not bothering to finish.

I stared down at the deadbolt. As much as I wanted to go out that front door, run and never look back, I knew I had to stay. Vince’s betrayal festered inside of me, a hidden, infected wound. If I wanted to heal, to move on, I had to brave hearing his name linked with Maeve’s, face the consequences of his spilled secrets, endure every hurtful detail, until the pain and humiliation numbed me and I stopped flinching at the barest mention of him.

I forced my feet to move. I waded into the living room to stand, arms folded, a few feet from Kieran, setting my teeth to swallow the bitter pill of acceptance.

Vince had told Maeve about me, who, in turn, had told Brassal and God knew how many others. Just how much had Vince revealed to her? Before I could stop myself, I imagined him, spooning her, in whatever passed for a bed in the Otherworld, nuzzling her neck and caressing her perfect skin while confessing how pathetic my kisses had been in comparison, how my body couldn’t come close, that the only thing going for me had been my unusual quartet of magical abilities.

I longed to be alone, inside my apartment, behind my locked bedroom door, where I could torture myself with these thoughts and not worry about anyone seeing my contorted face. I ground my molars together and fought to keep my expression neutral.

Kim’s immediate look of sympathy told me my meager efforts to appear calm had been wasted. After murmuring to Jackie, she stood. “Kieran, Jackie will fill you in about the whole thing with Alex.” She caught my eye and cocked her head toward the other side of the room. “Come on, Lire. Let’s talk. I need to finish packing some things.”

She circumvented the coffee table and walked briskly down the hallway to the right of the living room. For a moment, I met Kieran’s unflappable gaze. Not for the first time, I wished I could penetrate that careful exterior, to know what he was thinking. I felt him watching me as I followed Kim.

“In here.” Her voice came from the room at the furthest end of the short hallway.

On the way, I forced myself to relax. I admired the framed paintings accenting the creamy-yellow walls. One in particular caught my eye—a deft rendition of a crimson sun setting over a vast windswept plain. The sun’s remaining crescent, red and blistering, occupied the entire horizon, providing a jarring backdrop for the stark silhouette of a massive mountain range.

Kim’s footsteps drew closer. She stood, framed by the doorway, just inside the room, head tilted to the side expectantly.

“This one is an Otherworld sunset, isn’t it?” I asked.

“So he’s at least told you
something
,” she replied, folding her arms. “Yeah. I painted it after my first visit, nine years ago. No way to take photos. I did the best I could from memory.”

“First? How many times have you been there?”

“Three.” She motioned me inside the room before stepping toward a whitewashed five-drawer dresser on the far wall.

“Did you visit because you wanted to? Or were you forced into it, like Vince?” I closed the distance between us, entering what turned out to be the master bedroom from the look of it.

“I guess that depends on what you mean by forced.” She opened the leftmost top drawer and sorted through its contents, finally pulling out two bras, one black, the other dark-taupe, both of them lacy. “I was happy to go. Initially, Brassal’s charm is what enticed me, but I’m a part-blood. Visiting awakened me, and his bond opened a whole new existence to me. I didn’t want to leave, but Jackie was here, waiting, and I missed her.” She tossed the bras underhand, trying to hit the inside of a black overnight bag, which gaped open on the queen-sized bed to my right. They landed in a tangle, halfway inside, hung up on the bag’s edge.

She shrugged. “Anyway, there wasn’t any choice. It’s important for us to be here.” She examined me. “Has Kieran told you anything about what’s going on? Or Vince?”

“Vince had no idea he was part sidhe until a month ago. But I, uh, learned about some of this stuff because of what happened with me and the Circle Murderer. Did you hear about that? A month ago, it was all over the news.”

“Yeah. I remember. What did that have to do with the sidhe?”

“Other than the murderer being a telepath, nothing. But he got me tangled up with his summoned demon.”

I shrugged at her alarmed expression. “It’s a long story, but the demon warned me about the coming invasion and the sidhe’s breeding program. I didn’t believe it, of course. I mean
demon
, hello. But then, day before yesterday, that bitch Maeve abducted Vince. Kieran’s come clean about her order to bond with me and some other stuff, but getting him to open up is like trying to crack a sealed vault. Probably didn’t help that I almost killed him just after Maeve disappeared with Vince.” I grimaced and then sighed. “But I guess Kieran and I have sort of agreed to tolerate each other until we can figure out how to get him home and Vince back where he belongs.”