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“Can’t you walk any faster? I’d rather hurry this along. The sooner I get you home, the sooner I’m away from you,” I grumble, putting a little more pep in my step. I’m not out here to take in the sights. I’m here to do my duty. One I’m not sure why Prez and VP would give me. They know how much I can’t stand being around Sibley.

Maybe I should have put her in my truck to make this trip faster, but I let her talk me into walking instead.

“I’m walking as fast as my feet will let me. I can’t fly.” We both know she can move a hell of a lot faster than she is now. For all I know, she could really fly. Regardless, she’s walking at a normal human pace.

“Pity,” I mutter, not allowing my thoughts to run free and looking to the side.

With the late hour, there’s no one on the road, so we stick to the middle of it until we see some vehicles. Now many people are driving around. As we get closer to town, I can hear the sounds of people milling around either in their homes or in the shops.

Sibley said she was going to Dyrk. A nightclub owned by Orpheus. As we get closer to the building, I notice two men swaying, obviously drunk off their asses. Their jokes back and forth about almost getting lucky grate on my nerves.

I could be at the clubhouse right now, getting my dick sucked. Instead, I’m out here walking Sibley where she needed to go.

The two men stumble into a few others before continuing down the sidewalk. I see what’s about to happen before they even realize they aren’t paying attention. Both of them are too close to a small sign propped up on the side of the street. The one on the far left bangs into the sign, and it clatters to the ground, ringing out into the night air. I’m ready for it, but Sibley isn’t.

She startles and jumps back. When I look at her, I see her eyes are wide, and she’s staring into the distance as if waiting for something else to happen. She’s scared. Too scared.

I don’t like it. My lion definitely doesn’t like that she’s scared.

I step in front of her, blocking her line of sight to the two men going about their business in the distance. “You’re not telling us something. What did you see in your vision?”

“Ugh, I’m not going through this again.” She walks around me, careful not to touch me. I take a big step back, and once again I’m in front of her.

“Yes, you are. It’s just you and me right now. We’re gonna talk about it. I want to go through this again because if you’re hiding something and I discover it involves any of my brothers or their women, I’m gonna be pissed. We’re not one of the locals. If something bad is about to happen, it’s best we know in advance.” Maybe that’s what the problem is. She’s trying to protect us in some way.

Whatever it is, I want to know. I want to prepare. I want to get this sick feeling out of my stomach.

“There’s nothing.”

“Bullshit. You’re lying,” I shout at her, and she gasps, flinching back as if I had just struck her.

“Don’t you take that tone with me," she snaps, as if she didn’t just flinch seconds ago. "I already told you what you wanted to know. It has nothing to do with you.”

“And I call bullshit," I huff, stepping closer to her and letting out a heavy sigh. "If the vision has nothing to do with the club, tell me about it."

“I can’t.” Sibley sneers at me, her body stiffening.

“Bullshit. What do you think will happen? I’m going to find out who it’s about and tell them. Just tell me what you saw.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Sibley . . .” I grow increasingly frustrated, but before I can finish my statement, she yells.

“I said I can’t!”

Now, it’s my turn to be shocked. Sibley never yells. She’s got snark and sass. She gives teasing as good as she gets, but she’s not level-headed. Now that I’m looking at her, I can see she’s in a complete state. I don’t know if it’s because my presence is still hurting her or what’s going on, but it’s clear that something is still very wrong with her.

“Hey, hey, okay. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed if it’s private. I’ll let it drop.” I don’t actually mean it when I say I’ll let it drop. I still want to know what she’d seen, but I didn’t know any other way to get her to calm down. Her entire body was shaking.

“It’s not private, Primal. It’s a damn mystery. I can’t tell you what I saw because I don’t know. My vision was blurred at best, a mesh of images upon images. There were pieces in there, but none of it makes sense. I don’t know what’s happening to me.” She ended in a whisper. There was a hint of defeat in her voice I’d never heard before.

“You can’t figure out any of it? How is that possible? I thought you were the best—” I stop myself before I say anything more. I don’t want Sibley to think I’m making fun of her. Now isn’t the time for that.

“I thought so too, but I’ve also heard of seers who have lost their abilities for one reason or another. I don’t know why that would be happening to me, but maybe that’s what’s going on. Maybe I’ve overused it at that psychic shop. I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

That was a problem. I don’t even want to think about how messed up I’d be if I suddenly couldn’t shift into my lion form. It would be like losing a limb.

“That’s not what’s going on. Whatever the problem is, we’ll figure it out. Right now, I think you’re right, though. You need to get home and get some rest.” I gently put my hand on her back, but the instant I touch her, my lion perks up. Not in the way he usually claws at me or roars, but with the need to touch. To draw her in.