I slowly looked up, my body tense. “Did Christian tell you about me?”
“No, Raven. I see you. And you walk between light and dark. Your past is haunting you.”
I shot up to pour myself a glass of tequila. “I didn’t come here to lie on your therapy couch.” I knocked back the drink and felt my irritation dissipate. “What do you need to know about my case that will help? I’ve got all these new distractions. This job has opened up a lot of closets, and skeletons are falling all over the place.” I returned to my seat and met his gaze. “Am I on a wild-goose chase? Should I quit and take something else?”
“You can always drop the case. That’s not what you want to know.”
“Are the deaths connected?”
Remi leaned forward and mirrored my position. “It’s quite a conundrum. These distractions you mentioned—what would be the outcome had you given up right away? You can’t walk a path without making footprints. And yet you seem more concerned about what’s happening behind you than ahead. Does that make sense?”
“It kind of does actually. I live with someone who talks like you. But you see, bears and wolves are chasing me down the path. Literally. We’re inadvertently pissing off a few people, and I just don’t know if it’s worth it. Obviously the woman and girl were worth it, but isn’t there anything you can tell me? Something that’ll speed things along? I don’t want to keep working on this if it leads nowhere and ruins our reputation. Is the path a dead end?”
Remi’s hair slid forward, but he kept those stony eyes on mine. “I have conflicting feelings about your future. There’s so much darkness in your past that it threatens to put out your light. I don’t mean your Mage light, but the humanity that still dwells within you.”
“Immortals think humanity is a weakness.”
“Emotions are a weakness. Humanity is something else entirely. It’s what keeps us from becoming monsters.”
“Maybe it’s too late for some of us.”
He flicked a glance at the door and sat back. “Your love will be tested.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. “I didn’t ask about my love life.”
“No. You asked about a job. One that doesn’t end your life or end the world. You want an easy answer so you have a reason to quit. Perhaps I wanted to give you your money’s worth of advice—something of value.”
I stood. “I know I’m not supposed to piss you off, but if that’s all you’re going to tell me, you’re nothing but a grifter. At least have the decency to give Christian a refund.” I headed out. While he’d made some valid points, none of it helped me solve this case.
“An outsider will give you the information you seek, but it won’t be me,” he said. “It’s a worthy endeavor, and you’ve already changed the path of many lives without even knowing. The truth is right in front of you. All you have to do is open your eyes.”
I turned on my heel and stared at the man, who sipped on his green drink. I wanted to ask what he meant about my love being tested. Did I want to know? Would it change anything? Would I fall out of love with Christian or find myself plotting his funeral?
Remi snapped his fingers to snag my attention. “Put what I said about Christian out of your mind. Long ago, men wanted to know the time of their death. You can’t imagine the negative impact that knowledge had, and it subsequently changed their fate. If you know the details about your death, how will you ever enjoy your life? You’d live in fear, become reckless, lose your passion. Your chosen fate would change because of that knowledge. That’s why I can’t give you all the answers, but I give enough. And it’s the truth, Raven. Someday you’ll appreciate the value of a man’s advice even if it isn’t what you seek. Even if it’s not enough. What may seem trivial will set you on the right course if you so choose.”
Chapter 16
After I met with the Gemini, Christian lifted his motorcycle from the back of my truck and took off to buy medical supplies for Shepherd. I had a meeting with Graham I’d arranged earlier that morning, and he wasn’t comfortable speaking to anyone but Blue and me. He’d expressed his concern about meeting too often in public during the day, so we brainstormed and came up with a private location—my father’s trailer. My dad would be at work, and I had a spare key.
When I pulled into the driveway, I spotted Blue lounging in one of the Adirondack chairs by the firepit. A gust of wind blew her hair to one side, her feather earrings dancing in the breeze. I parked beside her blue Mustang and got out.
“How long have you been here?” I asked, slamming the door.
“Not long. Your dad has a nice place. No cars go by.”
“This street doesn’t go anywhere,” I pointed out as I approached. I didn’t usually see her in T-shirts, but today she had on a white one with brown pants. “Nothing but a few more trailer homes. He doesn’t own all the land behind him, but it’s undeveloped, so it’s pretty quiet out here. No traffic noise.” I sat on the flat arm of the chair across from her. “This is where I spent most of my childhood.”
“You were lucky. I pity the children who grow up in the city. They don’t know peace and quiet, the sound of wind in the trees and—”
“Neighbors firing off shotguns,” I said with a laugh. “It’s not totally quiet out here. How are you feeling? How’s your leg?”
She stretched it out and then knocked her heel against the ground. “Perfecto. I just feel so damn guilty.”
“About the girl?”
She leaned forward. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice. Even Niko didn’t sense her. She’s a kid, so her energy is weak. But that’s no excuse. We were so preoccupied talking about the case that we didn’t notice someone in the car. Had I parked that car directly in the sun, she wouldn’t have made it. And if we had stayed just a few minutes longer…”
“But she’s fine. Viktor gave Kira time off to take care of her, and Shepherd’s checking in on her every hour. Christian mentioned that she ate something this morning, so that’s a good sign.” My chair started to tip, so I got up. “I’ve got a key. Let’s go inside.”
“We should wait for the Relic. He might get spooked if he pulls in and doesn’t see us here.”
“He’s a big boy. Did you bring your file?”
When she stood up, she revealed she’d been sitting on it. Both of us were feeding Wyatt information—every detail we uncovered about the victims. A few had given us pictures even though being photographed was discouraged among immortals. I collected her file and put it with mine.
“Are you sure your father won’t mind we’re in his home?”
“He won’t even know.”
I hiked up the porch steps and knocked on the door. When I didn’t hear any barking, I unlocked the door and peered in. No sign of the dog. Maybe he took it to work. Then again, maybe he took it to the pound. I tossed the files onto the kitchen table when I heard a car pulling up. Blue jogged down the steps to meet Graham. Except for his belt, which was too tight around the waist, he dressed nicely. He took a comb out of his back pocket and combed back his short, wavy hair.