by K.N. Lee
“Isn’t the view wonderful up here?” Livia threw her arms wide, wobbling slightly.
“Whoa!” Egan lunged toward her.
Livia’s head whipped around. “Stay back.” She spoke in a sharp command.
Egan halted, her body on alert.
“Back away. You’re too close.”
Egan put her palms up. “Okay. I’ll back up.” She took a small step backward.
“More.”
“Okay. All right.” Egan took a few more tiny steps backward. She kept her arms outstretched, ready to lunge, reach, and grab. “Liv, this isn’t funny. Have you been drinking?”
Livia giggled. “No way.” She pivoted in a graceful half-turn.
“Aw,” she said, her gaze trained on Egan’s and Rion’s clasped hands. “Did you two finally figure out you like each other?”
A shudder rippled up Egan’s spine. She studied her, squinting.
“Are her eyes completely white, Rion?” she whispered.
Rion increased his grip on her hand. “Yeah, they are. This is too weird. Never seen anything like it in my two-hundred years of existence.”
“Please tell me that’s young for a Fae and I wasn’t about to throw it down with an old man,” Egan blurted, her eyes glued to Livia. She let her gaze slide over to Rion for one brief second, then, pinned her attention to Livia’s face.
Rion let out a grim chuckle. “Maybe, later, I’ll prove it. But now…” His words trailed off.
Livia swayed back and forth at the edge of the building, pulsing like seaweed in a gentle surging current.
“Livia, what’s going on? What were you doing before we got here?” Egan took a tentative step forward. Her boots crunched against the gravel-topped asphalt covering the roof.
Livia laughed. “I was dreaming about the future.”
“Tell me. Tell me what you dreamed.”
Livia began to hum.
“Come on, baby girl. We need to get you back in the apartment where it’s warm.” She held out her hand to Livia.
Livia kept the same strange smile on her face, like she was in a trance. “Oh, Egan. You know nothing, do you?”
“I know a few things,” Egan said, taking another step. Glancing over her shoulder, she jerked her head, hoping Rion got the clue to move to Livia’s other side.
“You really don’t,” Livia said, in her new, breathy voice.
Rion nodded slightly then inched his way to Livia’s side.
“Enlighten me,” Egan said, focusing on Livia. “Let me in. Tell me what you know that I don’t.”
Livia shook her head slowly. “You won’t get it. You never understand.”
“How can I understand if you won’t tell me?” Egan took another step, her foot landing on a bit of trash. She glanced down and noted a champagne cork, no doubt left by a couple of romantics enjoying the view from up here. She kicked it out of the way.
Livia’s face turned side to side, slowly, like she had to push through molasses.
“You don’t understand,” she said again, in a barely audible whisper.
“You have to give me a chance, baby girl,” Egan said. “Come on now.”
She reached for Livia’s hand.
Livia jerked, blinking, as their skin made contact. She trained her white eyes at Egan. “It’s burning! It’s all burning down!”
Her eyes rolled back in her head.
“Rion! Grab her!”
Rion leaped toward Livia. His strong arms caught her before she toppled over of the side of the building. He tugged her to him and cradled her in his arms.
Egan stroked her hair, staring at her, willing her to open her eyes. “Livia? Are you okay?”
Livia’s eyelids fluttered open. “I think I’m supposed to die.” She took a deep sigh, and closed her eyes again.
Egan shivered. “Livia, don’t say that. You’re not meant to die. You and I—we’re meant to live.”
Livia didn’t respond.
Egan shook her shoulder. “Livia? Livia?”
“Let’s get her inside,” Rion said. He strode toward the rooftop entrance.
Egan hustled ahead, ready to grab the door. “Why would she say that? What’s going on?”
“I sure don’t know,” Rion said.
Egan held the door wide.
“But I suspect she’s under some sort of spell.” He stepped into the stairwell.
“That’s what I’m afraid of, too.” She followed behind them, still shaky from the ordeal. Who or what would cast a spell on her? She made a vow to find out, before it was too late.
Livia
Livia’s eyes opened to the concerned face of Egan leaning over her. She blinked, trying to focus on her surroundings. I’m in the living room. On the sofa. How did I get here?
Egan crouched next to the sofa, her eyes lined with fret.
“Egan?” She sat up groggily and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind was a blurry mess of images of fire and sounds of destruction, and she had to focus to clear it. “What happened?”
Egan bolted to standing and sat next to her. She took her hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Are you okay? You scared the crap out of us.”
Livia blinked. “Huh?”
For the first time, she noticed that Rion was there in their living room, sitting on the leather loveseat with his eyes fixed on her.
“You’re telling me you don’t remember? Good God. You tried to jump off the building,” Egan exclaimed, her brows lifted.
Livia frowned. “What? I didn’t. Wait. How did I get here?”
She’d fallen asleep in her bed after struggling to stay awake with her headset blaring music. Earlier, she’d met with Danvers and he hadn’t been kidding about his promise to “make it good.” She’d wanted to savor their delicious encounter and not lose it in sleep.
Now, she found herself on the sofa wrapped in a robe. She folded her arms across her chest and cleared her throat. Maybe what Egan said was true. She’d never lie to her. But, why couldn’t she recall anything?
“Tell me what you remember,” Egan said in an eerily calm voice.
Shrugging, Livia looked from Egan to Rion. “I fell asleep listening to music and writing in my journal. Then, I just had some bad dreams and woke up here…with you guys staring at me.”
“Livia,” Egan said. “Honey, you tried to jump off the building.”
“It was just a bad dream.”
“Bad dreams don’t send you over the edge of a building to your death, sweetheart.”
Livia met Egan’s eyes, her brows furrowing. “Go on. Tell me everything that happened.”
Egan sighed. “Well, I came home to find you on the edge of the roof. Your eyes were all white and weird, and you said some freaky shit. Then, Rion caught you before you fainted.”
“Jeez,” Livia said, rubbing her temples. “All I remember is fire. Lots of fire.”
Rion sat on the edge of his seat. “Anything else? Anything at all?”
Chewing her bottom lip, Livia searched her mind for any other details. “I dreamt about a burning building. That’s it, really. I wish I could tell you more.”
“Do you have dreams like this often?” Rion asked.
“Sometimes,” Livia mumbled. Then, she remembered something and sat straight up. “Wait, can’t you examine me? Aren’t you like a doctor or something? But, with magic?”
Rion came to his feet. “Yes. I can do that. Let me look.”
Egan moved aside, worry in her eyes. “Be gentle with her,” she warned.
Livia offered a small smile and took in a deep breath as Rion approached. He cleared his throat and knelt in front of the sofa.
Placing his hand behind her back, he looked her in the eyes. “Just relax. Okay?”
Livia nodded. She’d never done anything like this before and didn’t know what to expect.
“Okay.” She tensed and held up her hand. “Will it hurt?”
He smirked. “Not one bit. Just relax. I’ve been doing this for longer t
han you’ve been alive.”
Egan scoffed. “Longer than our grandparent’s parents.”
He shrugged. “Lots of time to practice. If you know what I mean…”
Livia lifted a brow at how Egan’s cheeks flushed with color. She also noted how Egan averted her eyes when she looked at her.
Rion placed his hand on her forehead.
A rush of cold flooded her body. She flinched.
“Whoa,” she said.
“Stay still for me,” Rion said, and took his hand from her forehead to place it on her chest.
The cold went deeper, gnawing at her bones and scratching at her heart. The sensation was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Feeling lightheaded, she grabbed his leg.
“Stay with me, Liv.”
Rion’s voice provided a soothing anchor.
She held her breath as his magic intermingled with her own in a manner that felt unnatural, dangerous, and exciting at the same time.
He clicked his tongue and moved his hand to her belly.
Better not feel anything there.
“Anything?” Egan asked, as if reading Livia’s mind.
Rion’s head shook almost imperceptibly. “Not yet. Give me a minute. I’m almost done.”
Livia closed her eyes and focused on the memories of the dream. The flames had been so hot that she could feel the heat warming her face and causing sweat to gather in her bosom. She had stood there, in the center of darkness, as the flames licked the air and climbed high onto a building. Something about the building looked familiar. She tried to place it, but as the walls melted and crumbled, there was nothing left to distinguish it from a ruin.
Then, the strange sensation was abruptly ripped away.
Livia whimpered and wrapped her arms around herself. She suddenly felt abandoned and cold, but not in the way Rion’s magic made her feel. Now, she was just empty. She pulled the fleece throw that was over the back of the sofa around herself and shivered.
“So,” Livia asked, her teeth chattering. “What did you see?”
Rion scratched his head, a confused look on his handsome face.
“That’s odd,” he said.
Egan leaned forward. “What? What’s odd?”
He looked to her and twisted his mouth. “Nothing. I could feel and see nothing.”
“What do you mean, nothing?” Egan asked, her voice rising.
Rion looked to Livia. “There’s nothing wrong with you. I can’t explain what happened.”
Groaning, Egan slumped onto the couch beside Livia. “Useless.”
“Hey,” he said. “I didn’t say I was God. There’s nothing wrong with her. That’s all. You should be pleased.”
Egan’s phone rang and she pulled it from her tight jean’s pocket. She glanced at the display and then rolled her eyes. “It’s the station.”
“Answer it, then,” Rion said.
Egan answered the call. “Egan, here.”
After a few seconds, the annoyance on her face was replaced with wide eyes and open mouth. “What?”
Livia could sense that something was wrong.
“Okay,” Egan said. “We’re on our way.”
She disconnected the call.
“What happened?” Livia asked, though she was too tired to really care. She just wanted to rest, even if it meant returning to her nightmare.
Egan gave her a look that sent chills up her spine. She narrowed her eyes.
“The morgue,” Egan said.
“What about it?” Rion and Livia asked in unison.
Egan frowned. “It’s burning.”
Livia
When they arrived, the morgue—a place they’d been to more times than they would have preferred—was nothing more than a charred shell, blending into the night sky. A dark, foul smelling hole in the city smoldered where a place to prepare the dead once sat.
Livia stood shoulder to shoulder on the street with Egan and covered her mouth with her hands.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered, her eyes widening and then narrowing as she stared at the desolation before them. Embers still crackled in the air as the fire department worked to put out the last of the flames. “It’s what I saw—this building.”
“Damn,” Egan said, glancing at Livia with wonder on her face. “You didn’t tell me you were a prophet.”
Livia shook her head. “I’m not. This is just some freaky coincidence.”
“Sure, it is,” Egan said, rolling her eyes.
Lt. Danvers emerged from a pack of press, his brows knit together.
Livia swallowed and tried to clear her face of any emotion that might make Egan suspicious. She hardened her features, attempting to look serious.
“Any idea who did this, Lieutenant?” Livia asked, deepening her voice, as he came to a stop in front of them.
He shook his head. Livia tensed as he looked her up and down. “They actually think it might be arson. Can you believe that?”
“Not for a second,” Egan mumbled. “Arson, in a morgue?”
“You look like shit,” he said, staring at Livia with more than professional interest.
Livia frowned. “That wasn’t my question, but thanks.”
He didn’t back down. “What happened? Are you all right?”
Livia took a step back when he reached for her. Egan watched them both, her face unreadable.
Shrugging, Livia folded her arms across her chest. “I’m fine. I just had a rough night.” She shivered, feeling ice cold. She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest.
Egan yawned. “I’ll be back,” she said. “I want to see if I can find any clues.”
“I’ll go with you,” Rion said, following her.
Livia nodded, grateful for the privacy. The moment Egan was gone, Lieutenant Danvers took her by the chin and examined her face. With his touch, she warmed and wanted to just melt into his arms and bask in his protection—if only for a little while. But, there were other cops around, as well as firemen and the press. She knew better than to show just how vulnerable she felt.
“Tell me what happened,” he said, lowering his voice to a gentle tone that made her want to wrap her arms around his neck and weep.
“Just a bad night. Nightmares. Crazy stuff you wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me,” he said, tenderly. Too tender. It started to break down her walls.
Livia hesitated as she considered his eyes. Why did he have to be so attractive and sweet?
“Unbelievably, I dreamed about this fire,” she said. “Only hours ago.”
He lifted a brow. “What do you think it means?”
“I wish I knew,” Livia said and chewed the corner of her bottom lip. “I could use just one night of peace. I feel like I haven’t slept in days.”
“Hey, I know you’re still thinking about that woman you had to kill at the prison.”
“She wasn’t just a woman. She had some freaky abilities.”
“So, you say. All I’m saying is don’t blame yourself. You were doing your job.”
“Easy for you to say,” Livia said. “Besides, that’s not what I’m doing. This is something different. The nightmare about this fire…It’s something else entirely.”
“Then, talk to me.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m tired. I’m scared. I want to be free of this.”
Danvers nodded. “See, that’s a good start. If you can’t talk to me then what we have is nothing more than a fling.”
Livia lifted her eyes to his. “What do you want it to be?”
He shrugged. “I think you know the answer to that question already.”
Silent, Livia searched his face. He wanted her. Not just her body, but all of her. She stepped away.
“No,” she whispered. “I’m not ready for that. I don’t know if I will ever be.”
Saying those words hurt. Not just Danvers, but Livia’s heart. The moment she spoke them, she knew they were lies.
Before Danvers could reply, Egan and Rion ret
urned.
Livia looked away, tears burning her eyes. She wiped them away with her sleeve.
Egan shot a glare at Danvers and took Livia by the hand. “What happened?”
Livia shook her head, forcing a smile. “Nothing. I’m just exhausted. So, what did you find in the debris?”
Egan stared at her for a moment.
Livia could sense her formulating her own ideas about her conversation with Danvers. It left her feeling vulnerable.
“You won’t believe this,” Rion said, as if oblivious to the exchange happening.
“What’s up?” Danvers asked, shifting to stand beside Livia. He pulled his TechNote from his back pocket, and poised his hand over the display.
Rion blew out of the corner of his mouth and shook his head. “There’s not a single body in there.”
“What?” Danvers asked.
“That’s right,” Rion said.
Livia frowned and narrowed her eyes as she looked at the destruction before her. “So, what happened to her body?” she asked under her breath. “The body of the woman I killed?”
“She’s gone. No one’s left in there.” Rion shook his head.
A sudden chill overtook her. What if she’s coming for me?
“Are you okay?” Danvers stepped closer, still clutching his TechNote.
She moved close enough to touch, but not so close as to look obvious. “I’m fine. What do you want us to do next?”
He scanned his notation device. “Why don’t you head over to the Chambers’ and ask them some questions. Officer Wallis informed them of their son’s death. Maybe you can see about his connection with the dead woman. Rion and I will see to the destruction here.”
Rion nodded. “I’m sure there’s some DNA samples somewhere in the debris.”
Livia glanced at Egan. I hate questioning those who have recently lost a loved one.
Me, too. But let’s get it over with. Unless there’s something else you need to do? Egan’s gaze slid between her and Danvers. Her mouth turned down in a frown.
Livia quickly stepped away. “No, no. Let’s go where we’re needed most.” She gave a wan smile at Egan and let her attention wander in Danvers’ direction. Even though I need his arms around me, letting me know everything’s going to be okay. The same chill as before rocked her insides. Renner’s on the loose, a woman I killed has disappeared…nothing about the facts of this case were close to okay.