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“Rather, you’re normally like this?” I countered, head swimming. “And you haven’t set something accidentally on fire?”

He laughed. “Not since I was a kid, anyway. Jon, not to be rude, but can I study you?”

“Oh my fucking god, please,” I blurted, a kernel of hope flaring into being in my chest.

Sky blue doubled in his lines but also bright yellow pleasure joined it. “Thank you, I’m incredibly curious now. I’ve never seen a Reader like you. I understand your apprentice is about as bad?”

“Fortunately not as bad, she can handle electronics. They just die quickly on her. I can’t handle them at all.”

“No, of course you can’t,” he said with authority.

Oh this man definitely was figuring stuff out already. I could read it in his lines. It would behoove me to sit on him until I got answers. It’d never made sense to anyone why I ran so fucking hot all of the time, why shielding was absolutely impossible for me to manage. No one could figure out why and I think most had written me off as the next wonder of the modern world or some shit.

But I think the mystery was about to be solved. Or at least, Seiji was determined to figure out some of it. That kernel of hope grew bigger because god, would answers be nice.

My brain and Southern manners kicked back in. “Come, Donovan’s getting Lachlan, you’ll see him rather soon. I’ll get you settled while we wait. Help yourself in the kitchen, we don’t stand on airs here.”

“Sure, thanks.” He seemed pleased at the hospitality as he followed me further down the hallway. “God, this smell is killing me. Is that ready, whatever that is?”

“Winter stew, and yes, want to join me for an early lunch?”

“I really do. I only grabbed coffee and a muffin out the door this morning which isn’t really holding me.” He gave a long, resigned sigh. “Chaos magicians use so much energy, we eat like damn cows. You’d swear I had eight stomachs if you didn’t know better.”

“Oh, that I can believe. Don’t worry, I made a lot.” There better be at least four bowls left for Donovan, though, otherwise he’d really go looking for that industrial sized crockpot.

“And who’s the cuteness?” Seiji paused at the base of the stairs to offer a hand to Shazam, carefully not touching, just letting the cat sniff his fingers before Shazam rubbed head against them. “Aww, you’re sweet.”

If he was good with cats, he was always welcome here. But then, I’d known he would be. “That’s Shazam. He’s got a brother running around here somewhere, he’s wandered off, apparently. Surge is his name. Unless you want furry company, close your door at night.”

“Oh, I’d welcome it. I miss having pets. When I retire, I’m absolutely getting cats.”

With his career, I bet having a pet was damn near impossible. He was on the road too much. It was a good thing he liked them, too, as sure enough, my other naughty kitty was lounging on the guest bed as if he was due this place as his throne.

Seiji just laughed, gave more pets, and I made sure he knew where bathroom, towels, and such were, before leading him back down. Seiji sat at the bar while I dished him up a bowl, and he tucked in with a sigh of pure gastric satisfaction.

After getting myself a bowl, I sat next to him at the bar. “Ah. You did put an EMP case around your phone, right?”

“Do that anyway,” he told me in between bites. “I fry mine otherwise.”

“Ah, that does track.”

Seiji paused, eyes on me.

I wasn’t sure what the look was for, he was being very thoughtful and studious over there. “May I help you?”

“Your bond is actually balancing your psychic power out a little,” he muttered, thin black brows pushing together and upwards, eyes narrowing. “Huh.”

“I thought it was supposed to do that?”

“Well, yes and no. Psychics need anchors for grounding, I think everyone knows that. But there’s a reason why they call it grounding because the function of an anchor is to help steady the energy flow of the psychic. To give them a home base when they get out of sorts. But the psychic should be in complete control of their power flow, especially after bonding. It’s their talent, after all.”

Oh. Shit, the man made perfect sense. I had never considered it in that way before.

“But you, for all that you have perfect control of certain aspects, your energy is wildly out of control. It’s your anchor offering any kind of stability.” Seiji actually leaned back in his chair to see the back of my head for a moment. “Ahhh.”

“You’re sounding a lot like a mechanic who’s spotted the key problem in an engine that’s literally combusted, which is not alarming, or anything.”

He grinned at my sarcasm. “I do think I see part of the problem. Your Limiter isn’t functional.”