Once inside, Christian led the way. Clubs were generally quieter in the morning, the music low but the crowd not always smaller. People showed up for morning drinks or breakfast. Others were conducting business. Some just seemed to live there. Immortals without jobs must lead a boring existence.
We reached the back hallway where the soundproof rooms were.
Christian stopped by door number ten. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
“Wait, you’re not coming in?”
“I just arranged the meeting, but this is your case.”
“You’re my partner.”
“Aye, but like you said, I’ve got a temper.”
Annoyed, a folded my arms. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“I wanted a peaceful drive.” He tapped his finger on my nose. “It’s better if he focuses on one person. My presence might distract him. I don’t know how their magic works, but I don’t want to muddy it up.” Christian pushed a button by the door.
Christian always liked to be in the middle of things, and I couldn’t imagine why he’d want to leave me alone with a Gemini. Was he afraid this guy would see something he shouldn’t about Christian’s past or future?
The door opened, and a somewhat tall man with a slender build greeted me with a smile. I wasn’t quite sure what to look at: his mesmerizing eyes or the terrifying dragon tattoo on his neck.
Touching the ends of his brown shoulder-length hair, he regarded Christian with familiarity. “As a favor to Justus, I’ve agreed to meet with your companion. But I require payment.”
Christian reached inside his coat and pulled out a wad of money. It was bound but not in an envelope. “It’s all there. We would greatly appreciate our money’s worth. Raven will speak with you about the details.”
The man slowly turned his gaze toward me. He had hazel eyes, but when I looked closer, they shifted in the light to a deep orange. I couldn’t be certain if it was a Breed trait or simply that beautiful shade I’d seen in magazines.
He inclined his head. “I’m Remi. Come inside, Raven.”
I anxiously moved past him, my hand resting over the small handle of a push dagger on my belt. Viktor didn’t want us going into Shifter territory armed, but I wasn’t making the same mistake twice about going into a club without my knives.
Remi whispered something to Christian before finally closing the door. “What do you drink?”
I watched him approach a long black counter and fill a glass. “I’m not thirsty.”
“But you are.” His hand brushed over the row of bottles until he settled on the tequila.
“I’m driving,” I said firmly.
“Do sit.”
The room was dark blue and the furniture black leather. Even the accent lights were blue. One couch faced a giant television screen on the right-hand wall, a table filled with snacks below it. I strolled to a circle of leather chairs and sat in one.
Remi set our drinks on the glass table and eased into the chair across from me. “It’s seltzer water. You should accept a drink when offered, especially when doing business.”
“Why? I’m not thirsty.”
“You are, but that’s beside the point.” He crossed his legs and sipped his green drink. Remi’s gaze was intense—more so than even Claude’s. “When you refuse a drink, it reveals you’re either nervous or don’t trust the person. Breed are very particular about rituals. One might assume you’re keeping secrets, and you’ll find it difficult to gain the trust of the party you’re doing business with. Always play the game even if you’re not thirsty. No one says you have to drink the alcohol.” He set down his glass and rested his arms on the armrests. “On the other hand, if you refuse a drink from a man hitting on you, and he buys you one anyway, throw the drink in his face.”
I sputtered with laughter. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you didn’t want it, and he didn’t respect your refusal.”
I crossed my legs, keeping my cool and heeding Christian’s warning about my tone. “I’ll make a note of that.”
“You’re a fast learner, aren’t you?”
“So I’ve been told. I’ll just be honest—I don’t know anything about Geminis and what you guys can do. Christian said you see into the future and give people advice.”
“People pay me for advice, yes. I have the gift of intuition.”
“Are you always right?”
“I am. But there’s a caveat.” Remi laced his fingers together. “Fate isn’t linear. In most cases, people think they always have a choice. But it’s the things we cannot predict that truly change fate.”
“Like what? I could get up and walk out of here.”
“But you won’t. You want to hear what I have to say. Sometimes choice is an illusion.”
I reached for my seltzer. Remi felt old, and there was something profoundly detached about him that gave me the creeps. He seemed like a sensible, polite guy, but I’d never met anyone so emotionally distant. The vacant look in his eyes and even the unnatural way he moved made it easy to imagine what sitting with a god would feel like—absolutely terrifying.
The top buttons on his black silk shirt were undone, as if he wanted the world to see his tattoo.
I set down my glass. “So if my choice doesn’t ever change, what does?”
“That’s an interesting question. Accidents happen. Serendipity. Is that how you wound up with this organization?”
“That’s how I wound up in this world. My entire life is one big accident. So… do you read palms? I have questions about a case I’m working.”
“Just to be clear, I can’t elaborate on my abilities, but we were once trusted advisers to kings. I can understand the outcome of a situation.”
I scratched an itch on my head. “Have you ever played the lottery?”
“Money should be earned.”
So much for a sense of humor. “Someone gave me a list of names and thinks there might be a connection between their deaths. Most of them are unexplained, they’re all Shifters, and we even have some kids. Can you tell me how they died?” I reached in my jeans pocket to pull out the paper.
Remi waved the paper away. “No need. It doesn’t work that way, Raven. I can’t reveal details.”
“And why not?” I asked, trying to quell my anger.
“Too much knowledge can alter the outcome. I already see the path, but if I give you too much, it’ll change. And I’m not certain which new path will open up.”
“Doesn’t speaking to you change things?”
“The future I sense is without the influence of my reading. That’s why I’m careful about details that could affect the outcome. I don’t see everything, Raven. There is too much to know, and choices are constantly altering the landscape. But I know enough. I know that you are thinking about quitting, and that’s why we’re here.”
I leaned forward and looked at my drink. He didn’t seem to know when to stop staring, and it was unnerving.
“Crossbreeds aren’t accepted,” he said, shifting topics, “but there are more out there than you think. Some have both gifts, some have neither. And some keep very special secrets. You seem caught between two worlds.”