“Damian already ordered them for the house.” She glanced at the clock on the wall.
I followed her gaze and calculated the timing. Depending on how fast he was driving and whether he got pulled over for speeding or not, he should be home any time now.
“Why hasn’t he called?” she asked and worry laced her words.
“He’s probably driving like a bat out of hell and doesn’t want to risk their lives by trying to dial Ted’s antiquated flip phone,” Steve answered.
Naomi pressed her lips together and nodded. The mention of Ted’s name caused another flare of pain in her.
“Tell us a little about Valerie,” I asked, purposely trying to keep her mind occupied with something other than death.
Lights crossed the room and she popped out of her seat, running to the window and peering out. The tickle of a mind scan made me smile and I clamped down on my thoughts.
“It’s Damian,” I said and stood, crossing to the door and opening it for him, careful not to break the semi-circle of salt that outlined the entry.
Damian shut the car off and stepped out, meeting my gaze before walking to the passenger door. It opened and the sensation of a chill caressed my skin. I scanned the yard to make sure he was alone and didn’t see anything that would explain the shiver that gripped me. Damian stood with Valerie in his arms, the thin hospital gown billowed around her and each pass of wind brought another chill and I realized I was feeling the wind as it blew against her skin.
Her gaze locked on mine and stayed locked, even when they crossed the threshold and I closed the door. The minute her feet hit the ground, Naomi was hugging her. Valerie blinked and pushed her away, staring at Naomi’s flat stomach. A whirlwind of thoughts danced in her mind and her eyes saddened.
“She had the babies,” Damian said from behind her and her stunning eyes went wide.
It took me a moment to place where I saw eyes like that and when the answer came, my jaw popped open. Her eyes were the same calico storm of my mother’s and Eric’s eyes.
“Who’s Eric?” Her gaze jumping to me instead of what Damian said and then she shook her head, clearing the diversion, trying to catch up with everything she’d missed.
I didn’t bother to answer. Her mind was hitting mach ten, snapping through some of Steve’s memories that had been transmitted along with his power. She stared at me, coming up with the answer on her own. The depth of sadness in her eyes shot straight to my heart, like she knew what those memories did to me inside.
Valerie refocused on Naomi’s flat stomach still coming to terms with the progression of memories accosting her. “How long was I out?” she finally asked.
“Not as long as you’re thinking,” Damian said and his gaze flicked to mine. A shadow of irritation passed over his features but nothing broadcast with it. I supposed he wanted to ease her into the different layers of her powers and I backed off.
“Turning tiger accelerated their growth,” Naomi said. “You want to see them?”
The woman blinked. “How long was I out?” she repeated, meeting Naomi’s stare. Her scientific mind wasn’t able to grasp the tiger angle.
Naomi looked over her head at Damian, trying to calculate the passage of time in her own mind. Before she could speak the number, Valerie’s eyes widened.
“Two weeks? Are you telling me you went from being a little over four weeks pregnant to delivery in two weeks?”
“It was ten days from when the demon attacked you.”
She looked at me like I could shed light on the anomaly. I just shrugged, keeping her gaze. A strange sensation crawled under my skin, making my entire form tingle. This was one of Michael’s descendants, just like Naomi. A moment of awe encompassed me.
Her confusion seemed to disappear as we stared at each other and then she blinked and looked away, breaking the overwhelming spell she had over me. She turned and the back of the hospital gown gave me a view of her ass that made me grin.
Damian stepped in front of my view and glared in my direction. This time his glare came with a thought. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Maybe you should get some clothes for Valerie before we parade her into the family room with the rest of the people,” Damian said to Naomi.
The blush in Valerie’s cheeks heightened and she reached in back of her, gathering the sides of the hospital gown together, making the gap disappear. When she met my gaze, I couldn’t help the grin that stayed plastered on my lips, instead, I looked at the ground and then stepped away, heading into the family room while Naomi retrieved some more appropriate clothing.
When she stepped into the room dressed in jeans and a t-shirt Naomi gave her, and her gaze locked with mine, all thought ceased. She was more stunning than Naomi, and I actually forgot to breathe. The feeling passed as soon as her eyes dropped to the three car seats lining the floor, and Tom nudged me.
I turned my attention to him and his eyebrow rose in that silent challenge. I rolled my eyes at him and he covered a smirk with his hand. Sometimes just a look was enough for my brother and me to communicate.
“Did Damian tell you what happened at the hospital?” Steve asked as Valerie made a beeline to the babies.
She slowed and stopped, the smile on her face fading before she turned toward Steve. “My uncle died?” The question in her voice was enough of an answer and Steve nodded. Tears filled her pretty eyes and she turned towards Damian. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was concentrating on getting us here as fast as I could,” he said.
Her hands shot to her hips and the frown that formed on her lips made me want to cover them with mine. I shoved my hands in my pockets and dropped my gaze to the ground, wondering what the hell was wrong with me.
“Look...” he started.
“Don’t give me that shit, Damian. You know I can handle it, you just didn’t want to deal with it yourself.”
The challenge in her voice drew my gaze back to her and I focused, reaching into her mind and drawing out some of the memories she had associated with Damian. I had all of his along with the overwhelming guilt he felt for ruining her life. Her gaze shifted to me for a moment and then returned to Damian’s.
“Why do you constantly feel the need to protect me?” she snapped and everyone fell silent. The aggravation projecting from her made everyone shift in their seats.
“Because it’s my job,” he said. “It has been since you were born.”
“Why? Because Michael is my blood?”
“No, because you’re my blood,” he said, staring her down like an over protective big brother. “And because there’s no one else to do it, now.”
I huffed, breaking the tension and pulling all eyes to me. “She’s perfectly capable of protecting herself. Or hadn’t you noticed?” I said, but the look in her eyes, and the knowledge that swarmed her brain made her wobble.
Damian stared at her, blinking like he didn’t understand she had all of Steve’s gifts. He wasn’t there when Steve healed her and he looked at me. His mouth popped into a little ‘o’, too preoccupied with this new fact to notice Valerie’s sway, or the fact her eyes just rolled back in her head.
I was faster than Damian; I caught her as she fell. The moment my skin came in contact with her, it was like being stuck in a wind vortex. Her eyes locked on mine and memories merged. Our powers combined, splitting into destructive and redemptive halves of a coin. I gasped as the darker force melded with my cells, increasing the power within me a thousandfold. The air around her sparkled as the healing forces settled into her and the calico patterns in her eyes swirled.
“Michael’s dead?” she asked me, her voice soft and subtle, like a gentle caress.
For the first time in my life, I understood what drove my father to do anything for my mother. I understood the overwhelming connection between my parents. I always thought Sandy was the one, but I was dead wrong.
The woman staring at me with the stormy eyes was my soul mate.
“Yes,”
I said and the wind silenced. “So is Lucifer.”
She pulled out of my arms, and climbed to her feet, sending a glare in Damian’s direction. “You could have given me a heads up.”
“I figured you’d find out soon enough...” he trailed off. “But if you got his memories like I did, you should have already known,” he finished; the unsure crevice between his eyes announced his confusion.
“You should have told me,” she spouted, gawking at him. “Besides, I didn’t just get his memories, I got everyone he’s downloaded as well, so how the hell would I know what happened, with the sheer volume of shit in my head?”
She had a point. Steve had my parent’s memories, Eric’s memories and an assortment of others from his FBI days, and now with twenty-five hundred years of Damian’s memories on top of that, there was no rhyme or reason to the flood in his memory banks. It was enough to make you think you were schizophrenic. Now she had mine on top of that, just like I had all the above and hers. I couldn’t help the chuckle and she turned that fierce glare in my direction.
“If you look closely enough, you’d know that Damian stole a little piece of my talents,” I said. “He can hear your thoughts just as easily as I can.”
“They why can’t I hear either of you?”
“I’m a master at blocking people from getting in my head,” I grinned and her eyes narrowed. Her ‘fuck you’ resounded in my head, although she kept it from escaping her mouth.
Damian smirked. “I figured it out from the memories,” he said.
Steve cleared his throat, calling our attention back to him. “CJ, Valerie can have your room tonight. You’ll stay down here on the couch.”
I know he was just trying to diffuse the budding argument, but the blank stares he received from everyone just left him the focal point of our attention. It was only a little after nine and the real entertainment had just begun.
“I imagine everyone’s tired. It’s been a hell of a day and I need to get some rest.”
Damian’s stare dropped to his arm. “You didn’t heal that bite yourself like I assumed, did you?”
“No. I didn’t,” Steve said and a shadow drew across Damian’s face, his eyes jumping to Steve’s, looking for signs of the disease overtaking him. “You’re wife sucked the poison out and saved my life.”
“I figured it was worth a try,” Naomi said. “And it worked.”
Damian opened his mouth and closed it, his eyebrows arching. He apparently never thought to do something like that. Of course, he was usually the one administering the bite, so it wouldn’t dawn on him to suck the poison out, not when his goal was to drain his victims dry.
“I’m going to bed,” Steve mumbled and headed upstairs.
Damian’s gaze followed Steve and then he glanced at Jennifer. “Keep an eye on him tonight,” he said.
“I thought...”
“He probably is, but just in case, keep an eye on him. If he spikes a fever or starts hallucinating, come get me.”
“Actually, come get me,” Valerie interrupted. “I’m the one in med school.”
Jennifer looked between the two of them and nodded, taking her leave as well.
Instead of dwelling on the situation, Valerie refocused on the babies, crouching down and running the tips of her fingers over each little face, mesmerized by their perfection.
“Naomi, your children are beautiful,” she said, looking over her shoulder.
“Thank you,” she said and promptly yawned. “I think we’ll take them upstairs and try to get some sleep before they wake up again,” she said and Damian hesitated, leveling a glare in my direction.
“I’m not a child, Damian,” Valerie said.
“I know you’re not, but I don’t trust him.” He pointed at me.
Valerie rolled her eyes, which only endeared me to her more. “Go help your wife with your children,” she ordered, pointing toward the stairs.
He only hesitated a moment and then he grabbed the last two car seats, following Naomi upstairs, leaving the four of us alone in the family room. I waited for a minute and then turned to Valerie.
“Hi, I’m CJ,” I said, putting my hand out and going through the formalities that Damian forgot.
“I know,” she said, but took my hand anyway. “Do you mind if I call you Chris? I like that better than your nickname.”
Her grip was firm and warm and sure, and even though Sandy was the only one to ever call me by my real name, I smiled and nodded in response. “This is my brother Tom, and his wife Raven,” I waved to the two of them on the couch and Valerie exchanged handshakes and salutations before taking a seat in the chair that Steve vacated. She quietly studied her hands.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Raven said, her Irish lilt presenting itself.
Valerie tried to smile, but a tear belied the attempt, sliding down her cheek and making me want to hold her and wipe the sorrow out of her eyes.
Raven moved first, taking Valerie’s hands, her eyes sincere and warm, welcoming Valerie to the family without words. I knew Valerie was close with Naomi, but I had a feeling Raven would be her ultimate confidant. Raven had a way of keeping secrets, even from Steve and me, and I think it had to do with some of her weird wiccan hexes, either that or Tom taught her the basics of blocking thought, which probably made more sense, but I was never sure.
As far as a sister-in-law goes, she was pretty cool and she made Tom happy, so I dealt with the natural separation that had occurred between Tom and me as he relied on her more and more. Valerie seemed to take to her as well and ended up in her arms while Tom and I sat by like awkward onlookers.
When her tears dried, she pulled away and wiped her face. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I said, thinking about how badly I’d handled my most recent loss. A little bout of tears was as graceful as it gets in comparison to my complete meltdown. She met my gaze and offered a half-hearted smile.
“Did you want me to show you where you’re sleeping?” I asked.
“In a little while. I’m not tired right now,” she said.
“Tom and I are heading up, and I’ll leave you some pajamas and a change of clothes for the morning,” Raven said. “Maybe we can go shopping tomorrow to get you whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” Valerie said and we watched them head upstairs. She turned to me. “You wouldn’t happen to have a laptop, would you?”
“Yes.” I said and left her alone in the family room while I ran up to my room. While I was up there, I grabbed a sheet, blanket and pillow for the couch and brought that downstairs along with my laptop, piling the bedding on the loveseat before handing her the laptop.
“Mind if I turn on the television?”
“Go ahead. I need to see just how far behind I’ve gotten with all this.” She waved at her side and propped open the laptop.
I studied her profile with the remote in my hand, forgetting about the television and she sighed, sliding her gaze to me, her fingers paused over the keyboard. Her exasperation with my acute observation of her made me smile.
“I’m sorry,” I said and turned the television on, feeling her eyes still on me.
“How much of my life did you see?” she asked pulling my attention back to hers.
“All of it. The same as you saw of mine.”
She nodded and refocused on the computer. Her forehead creased in concentration, ignoring me as she tabbed through the assignment list. Finally, she snapped the laptop closed and handed it to me.
“Making up two weeks of classes and labs is going to kill me,” she muttered and ran her hands through her hair. “Never mind internship hours.” Her arms crossed and her frown deepened. “I hate demons,” she added, turning her glare in my direction. “They always seem to fuck up my life just when I think I have my shit together.”
I laughed and put the remote on the table. Instead of agreeing with her, I stood, crossing to the sliders, staring out at the cold evening. The demons I had encountered were more interested in
seduction than destruction. But maybe that was by design. I wasn’t cut from an angelic bloodline like she was, however, Lucifer wanted me just as much as he coveted the offspring of angels. My smile faded as shadows stretched under the moonlight. I took a couple of steps away from the door and closed my eyes, building a barrier around the house like I had once done around our car when I was four. Any beast that tried to reach the house would fry like a bug in a bug zapper.
I thought the scale would be a problem, but with the darkness fully charged inside me, it was much easier than protecting the car had been. I knew it would stop a human, I just hoped like hell it would stop whatever monsters Lucifer commanded.
Valerie stepped next to me, staring out at the moon playing on the water. “It’s beautiful here,” she said.
“It’s home.”
Her silence pulled me out of the trance I’d put myself in and I glanced at her.
“You look like Damian.”
“You look like Naomi,” I countered.
“She’s blood, so it makes sense, but you and Damian aren’t related, so it’s a little weird. Of course, your hair isn’t nearly as dark, but your eyes are the same striking blue.”
“Striking?”
She smiled and I felt a need stir inside me and it had nothing to do with my heart, or soul, for that matter.
“You really let a demon tie you up?” Dimples appeared in her cheeks and mine bloomed with heat.
I shifted, focusing back on the darkness beyond the glass, suddenly uncomfortable and unable to look at her. I swear my face must be the shade of a bright red kickball. “I wasn’t exactly myself,” I said without looking at her.
She chuckled.
The kind of chuckle that was meant as a turn on and I slid my gaze to her. “You like your men tied up?” I raised an eyebrow. It was her turn to blush and she grinned, shrugging and looking back outside. Before I could explore more of this conversation, she paled and took a step back, dragging me with her.
There must have been a dozen pale creatures slinking across the back yard. I gave her hand that gripped my upper arm a gentle pat and she turned her frightened gaze to me.
Paranormal Magic (Shades of Prey Book 1) Page 213