Page 7

“I guess we’ll see, once I meet them.” I could read compatibility like no other. I was also very nosy. Comes with being a Reader, I think, Abby was just as bad. “In any case, you want to get Lachlan from the airport, I can hang out here for Seiji?”

“Yeah, let’s do that, the timing’s going to be a bit too close otherwise.” Donovan rubbed his forehead, blowing out a noisy breath. He was all gold and mint green right now, love and worry. “It scares me that Seiji doesn’t want us anywhere near that thing without him present.”

“Does say a lot, doesn’t it? But god, I’m glad I knew enough about him to make the call.”

“Seriously, what would we have done without him?”

Probably called Freeman and begged for an expert.

Or burned the house down and then saged the ashes.

Donovan finally paid attention to the counter and greed filled his stomach. “That’s the winter beef stew, isn’t it?”

“It is indeedy.”

“God, I love you.”

Laughing, I smacked a kiss on his mouth. “The way to your heart is really through your stomach.”

“Guilty as charged.” He eyed the crockpot and whined. “There’s only one pot to share, though.”

“I made double the batch,” I countered, exasperated. “It barely fit. What do you expect me to do, here?”

“Don’t they make larger crockpots?”

“Donovan, I’m not buying commercial size crockpots for you.” He was being silly, but he was also stroking my ego. It was truly such a pleasure to cook for this man, his reaction was always so satisfying. “Now, you have told the girls to stay away from this case?”

“I did, yeah. Told them it’s way too dangerous and gruesome besides. They’re okay with sitting this one out.”

Phew, okay, good. I never knew with teenage girls, they got stubborn about the weirdest things sometimes.

Donovan slid his phone into his pocket again, freeing up both hands, which he then slid around my waist. I leaned in against his chest on a long sigh, relishing the simple comfort and support he offered. I think he could tell this morning’s scene still weighed on me. It was so incredibly gruesome, and cruel, and I just didn’t understand how any human being could willingly inflict pain on another. Despite all I could see, it never made sense to me why you would even want to.

He lowered his head, encapsulating me in his arms, and his voice was soft as he promised, “We’ll make this right.”

“We will.” I just hated that we even had to, that so many had suffered for another man’s base greed and craving for power.

Knowing it was going to be a long ass day, I didn’t bother waking up early. Donovan did, getting a run in, as he was wont to do. I swear exercise was his way of handling stress. He always came back with a happier air, like a dog who had gotten his wiggles out.

At ten, Donovan went to fetch Lachlan from the airport. Seiji had the number for the house phone in case he got a little turned around, which was completely possible in the insanity of Nashville’s traffic. He’d been instructed to pull around to the back, to park there, as it was safer to do that with all of his equipment piled in the car. Donovan would park again in the front, to make space for him. It was a bit tight back there. One of the few drawbacks to my location, the lack of parking.

The smell of the stew was killing me, and an early lunch sang a siren’s song to my tummy when I heard a knock at the back door. Oh! That was likely Seiji.

Shazam, who sometimes channeled his inner guard dog, lined up at the back door. I scooped him up in one arm and somehow managed to get the door open as well. Call a circus, I was their next juggler. I got the skills.

“Come in, come in,” I said, backing up as I did to give Seiji the space to enter.

Seiji only had one rolling suitcase in hand—likely his personal bag—and he walked in while giving me a greeting, eyes mostly on where he was going, shutting the door behind him. “Hi, phew, so glad I’m finally here.”

I couldn’t respond. My tongue was tied up in too many knots.

My god, how could any living being’s aura look like this?!

Shazam wiggled free to the floor but I barely noticed. My eyes swept over Seiji from head to toe in a disbelieving study. People called me the powerhouse? When Seiji existed? This man was a damn nuclear plant walking around, a supernova all by himself. The energy pouring off of him was so intense but incredibly pure, like sitting in an Icelandic pool of water, or bathing in unfiltered sunlight. And that was with his shield keeping the energy in check, mind! I could tell it was harvested energy, but him being able to hold it like it was wearing a shirt was incredible to me. He’s also like Donovan, so incredibly good by nature, his soul shines with it. The double impact of both psychic ability and soul had me blindly fumbling for the side table basket, and putting on sunglasses in pure self-defense.

Once I had those on, I could actually look at him. Wow, he was a very beautiful man, I hadn’t heard that part. I knew he was biracial, one of his parents was Japanese, and that was very clear from the thick black hair he wore in a casual wave off his face. Not a tall man, about my height, and just proof that appearances really were deceiving, as that average sized frame was a walking powerhouse. I realized Seiji stared at me with the same kind of stunned surprise. His lines were full of it—sky blue amazement, amber wonder, tangerine orange curiosity tangled in his head as if he was dying to figure me out.

Seiji found his voice first and he croaked out, “This is normal for you? This?!”