“So, you’re a really strong empath?” he murmured groggily.
“No. I don’t feel your feelings. I clear the obstructions of lies from your brain so you can think and feel more clearly,” she murmured. “All right. I’m there. Tell me what you think. What you feel. Both?”
He was quiet for a minute, his power all around her. He definitely held a breathtaking amount. “I feel her. Bright and light, substantial and strong. So fucking strong.” His voice remained low and hoarse. “She’s there and then she’s gone.”
Yeah. Honor caught that. “Slow down time, Garrett. The moment right before she disappears. Hold on to that.”
She could sense his struggle, but she couldn’t feel his pain. Although she could recognize that he had pain.
“She’s too quick,” he muttered.
“We’re in your head. Your memories and your dreams,” Honor said, guiding him. “Find that moment. Only you can.”
He was so close. She gave him a little push, having no idea what he’d do with it.
“I’m there. Right there,” he said. “She’s behind me, we’re riding the bike, life is so good. Then…”
Images and flashes of light exploded behind Honor’s closed eyelids, and she gasped. “What is it?” She opened her eyes just as Garrett did the same.
He sat up, his jaw set and his eyes a morphing mass of metallic colors. Not just gray. “I had it wrong,” he said.
She paused. “What does that mean?” She could only guide him. What had he found?
He shook his head. “The danger isn’t around her. It’s coming from her.”
Oh, crap. “Your mate?”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “I’ve been looking in the wrong places. Looking for soft and sweet like my mom and sister. That’s wrong. She isn’t human and she isn’t soft.”
“Where do you look now?” Honor asked, curious.
He stood and rolled his neck, looking as deadly as the storm raging outside the windows. “We’ll see where, but at least I know to seek out dangerous and deadly. Sweet and soft aren’t for me.” He grinned, and the sight wasn’t cheerful. “Thanks, Doc. You’ve taken the blinders off, especially since I finally know to start looking in the immortal world and not the human.”
“Maybe, but I didn’t get a feel for her,” Honor protested. Before she could counter him or try to get him to go deep again, the door opened. Sam stood there, drenched with rain and covered in blood.
She jumped up. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” Sam wiped blood away from his cheek. “We got the girl and had a hell of a fight. Sorry you missed it, Garrett.”
“That’s okay.” Garrett moved for the door, slapping him on the back. “I got what I needed. You two have a nice night.” The door shut behind him as thunder rolled above and lightning pierced the ground.
* * * *
Sam showered the blood off his body and healed the few cuts still remaining on his skin as Honor sat outside on the countertop, reliving her day for him. “So it turns out Polly has the hots for somebody and thought leaving honey on the guy’s porch all summer was the way to go. I have to admit, I think she just needed some girl time and friendly advice more than my digging into her brain.”
Sam washed out his hair. “Sounds like you had a good day.”
“I did,” she said. “Polly said I could tell you about her session, if I wanted, so I’m not breaking any rules by sharing. I also had nearly every patient leave either a concoction or some advice for you. Is this something we should talk about?”
It wasn’t anything he wanted to talk about. “No.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice still cheerful.
He dropped his head to let the water sluice down his back. “They all like you and want to help. It’s sweet, really.” The entire bear nation seemed to want to make Honor an immortal. Frankly, it was surprising a couple of the bears hadn’t made a play for her. He frowned. “Did anybody hit on you?”
“Three of them did,” she said. “One made a pointed offer to mate and two tried gentle attempts to woo me. Do you think I’d make a good bear shifter mate?”
“No,” he said, raising his head to finish washing the shampoo out of his hair. “I thought we settled this.” He stepped out and dried off with a towel, tucking it around his waist. “We’re courting and getting to know each other better, although we both already know what we want. We are mating.” It was the first time he’d just declared it, but apparently she needed the words. “Understand?”
One of her dark eyebrows rose. “You’re being bossy again.”
“You like me bossy.” He ran his fingers through his hair to comb it and loped into the other room to drag on sweats. “In fact, you’re lucky I’m in such a good mood after a good fight.” That was actually a true statement.
“What about your true calling, the final ritual, and sacrificing yourself?” she said, following him.
“Fuck that,” he muttered, reaching for her and kissing her. Hard.
She leaned back when he allowed it. “Seriously? That’s your answer. Fuck that?”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “Don’t know exactly when it happened, but it was probably at first sight. It’s the way my people work. The ritual is going to happen whether or not I’m happy before it, and you’re Enhanced and have to stay safe. More than that, you’re head over heels with me and don’t want to be because it doesn’t make sense to your human brain.”
“Head over heels?” She leaned back as far as his arm would allow, which wasn’t much. “Really?”
He kissed her pert nose. “Yep. I can read you, even if you don’t want me to.” It was one of his skills, really.
She shuffled her feet, and he knew what she was going to say before she said it, so he beat her to it. “I don’t know why the marking hasn’t appeared, but it has nothing to do with my not wanting you.”
She tilted her head. “I’ve been rubbing up against immortal brains all day. How about I take a spin in yours and we figure this all out?”
“I’d rather take a spin in you,” he murmured, liking the feel of her against him. “Although I haven’t noted your obedient agreement to my claim.”
Her grin was cute and saucy. “You noticed that, did you?”
It was enough to give a guy a complex. First, his marking wouldn’t appear. Second, his woman just wouldn’t fall in line. He contented himself with rubbing an arm up her back. Shouldn’t he be ticked about that? He wasn’t. With a sweet and curvy woman in his arms, the one meant for him, he was having difficulty drumming up any other emotion but a combination of contentment and desire. That fight really had mellowed him out earlier.