“Did you speak with Vali?” Cole asked, changing the subject.
“I did. Oh, actually that reminds me, I was meaning to ask him but forgot.” I paused and looked up at him. “When I was at his place in Vegas, there were a couple of times that he knew I was in trouble before I was. How is that even possible? Is it, like, a dianoch thing? Like, do you know when bad shit is about to happen to me? Or, did you before I healed you?”
“Vixen, you need to stop acting like we were all fated to be together. You chose, consciously or not. So no... it has nothing to do with Vali being one of your dianoch, and it’s unfortunately not a skill any of the rest of us have.” Cole scowled. “But it would be damn useful.”
“Huh. Okay so, what is it then? Do you know? I guess I should have just asked him on the phone.” I shivered and cuddled into Cole’s warmth. Now that we weren’t running, my thin sweater wasn’t really enough.
“Ah, yeah. You still should, next time you speak to him. I assume he made you promise to call him practically every hour?” Cole huffed, tightening his arms around me and surrounding me with his burning ember smell. Like an old campfire.
“Tomorrow night, not every hour. So you won’t tell me then?” I pulled back from his warm chest to narrow my eyes at him. “What if I asked really nicely?”
“Vixen.” He grinned. “Is that an offer of bribery?”
I shrugged and winked at him, causing him to bark a laugh.
“You know I can never say no to you,” he muttered, bending down to kiss me. His lips caressed mine gently, slowly, in a way that he knew full well was making me want more.
“I can’t tell you everything,” he said, breaking from our kiss and leaving me a bit dazed and out of breath. Damn man. “You know we have different mothers?”
“Yes.” I nodded, retrieving my train of thought from where I’d dropped it during Cole’s kiss. “Vali’s mom died after he was born, and your asshole father got re-married to your mom?”
“Exactly. So I couldn’t say for sure, but I suspect his ability to sense danger is from his birth mom. She was Romani, and our grandmother always used to tell stories about the Romani people’s magical powers—the most common of which is their power of foresight.” Cole tucked me back into his side and started walking again.
“I see.” I pondered. “And that’s why fortune tellers always seem to be Gypsies?”
“It is. But some people consider Gypsy to be a derogatory term, so stick with Traveler or Romani.” He sounded like he was rolling his eyes, but I couldn’t see from where I was glued to his side while we walked. “Come on, Vix. Let’s get back and see what the guys have to say about the grilling from Director Pierre.”
7
When we got back to the apartment, River and Wesley were both in the kitchen cooking what looked like some sort of stir-fry that smelled incredible.
“Where’s Caleb?” I asked, looking around and not seeing the playful twin anywhere.
“He went into town to pick up some supplies,” River replied, handing me a glass of water, which I took gratefully. Cole and I had ended up jogging the rest of the way back to the house, and despite my superspeed, I was still thirsty as all heck.
“Why?” Cole frowned, leaning on the barstool beside where I had perched. “We can get everything we need from the on-site store.”
“I know.” River scowled. “He said something vague about needing something specific.”
Cole grunted, and River’s mouth tightened just a fraction.
“Leave it, Cole,” Wesley interjected while stirring something in a wok. “We’re all on suspension. Caleb can do whatever he wants until we’re back on active duty.”
My eyebrows shot up, and I grinned at the irritated look on River’s face. Made me want to poke the wolf a little, so to speak.
“River... does this mean they don’t have to do what you say?” I teased, and he pinned me with his golden gaze.
“Technically, no. But it would be advisable, nonetheless. For all of you.” Heat flared in his eyes, and desire pooled in my stomach. There was no mistaking the double meaning there. Especially after learning first hand how much he enjoyed giving orders.
“Can you two go shower?” Wesley prompted. “Dinner will be ready in ten.”
The corner of Cole’s mouth pulled up in a wicked smile as he turned to me. “Guess we had better shower fast then, Vixen.”
“Make that five minutes,” Wesley snapped, narrowing his eyes at Cole, then winking at me so I knew he was teasing.
“Lucky there are two showers then, hmm?” River smirked, and Cole glared back at him.
“Good lord, what do you all take me for? Some sort of nympho?” I muttered not-so-quietly as I headed into the room where my clothes had been put. In fairness though, I had automatically thought about showering with Cole. So they weren’t totally off base.
The whole Ban Dia to dianoch relationship was seriously upping my sex drive. Or at least that was what I was going to blame it on.
Ugh, maybe a cold shower might be more appropriate.
I quickly rushed through my shower and was back into the dining area just in time for Wesley to dish up his creation. Cole reappeared moments after me, wearing nothing but loose black sweatpants that hung low on his hips, like they were deliberately underlining his defined Adonis belt. Water droplets still clung to his cropped black hair, dripping off and running down his brightly inked chest then over his— Oh fuck, Kit. Close your damn mouth!
“So, um…” I cleared my throat, realizing all three guys were watching me and looking very amused. “Did you, ah, what...?” Stop it! Stop babbling!
“Yes, love?” River prompted, with a sarcastically innocent look on his face. Asshole.
Taking a slow breath, I tried again. “What did Jonathan want to ask you all about?”
Yes, excellent! Complete sentence! Kit one. Sexy, half-naked, tattooed god of a man... Okay fine, he still wins this round.
“You,” River responded succinctly, taking the seat opposite me at the dinner table. “Or more specifically, your abilities. He is really fascinated by what you did for Vali and wanted to know if you’d healed any of the rest of us.” He indicated to his arm, still suspended in a black mesh sling across his body. “This made it pretty obvious you hadn’t healed me, but Cole, Caleb, and Wes coming out of that car wreck seemingly unharmed...” He shrugged.
“Why haven’t I healed that for you yet?” I frowned, reaching out to take his hand. “I’m getting better at it now. I think.”
“No need, love.” River leaned back just a fraction of an inch, almost unnoticeably, but enough that my fingers didn’t touch him. “It’s just a fracture. Shouldn’t take long to heal at all, and you need to save your magic for people who need it more.”
“We sort of get the feeling there might be more disasters going on around you, sweetheart,” Wesley added. “Especially if someone is doing this to deliberately test your healing ability.”