That non-response earned him another lifted eyebrow, accompanied by a pair of hands firmly planted on her hips. “‘Friendly’? I’m not sure if that’s exactly the impression I was getting. And Brandon definitely didn’t seem too thrilled with you. For three people who just got back from carrying out a very dangerous rescue — a successful one, that is — none of you looked very happy.”
“I hadn’t said anything to Brandon about my origins,” Levi told her. “It…came out during the drive home. Obviously, he’s going to need a little while to adjust to the idea.”
“Especially because you’re interested in his sister?”
“Yes, I suppose so.” That response seemed neutral enough. “Interested” only implied a certain low level of attraction. It didn’t necessarily mean that anything had happened between them. And, Levi reminded himself, not a lot had. A few kisses. That was all.
“Hmm.” Rachel was silent for a moment, then shook her head. “I’ve hoped that you would meet someone, that you wouldn’t have to spend your time in this world alone. But with everything that seems to be happening right now, are you sure this is the right time?”
“Some of it didn’t begin to happen until Hayley came to town,” he pointed out. “I don’t think that was a coincidence. Somehow, the Escobars learned of her talent, wanted to seize it for their own use. That makes me think it’s best for me to spend as much time with Hayley as possible. Is there anyone else here in Jerome who could do a better job of protecting her?”
“No,” Rachel replied, although the way she hesitated before answering him seemed to indicate she wasn’t happy about making that admission. “That is, Connor and Angela working together might be able to do what you can, but we need them focusing on the whole clan, not just one person. So I can see why it’s best for you to be with Hayley. Only…you need to be careful, Levi.”
“I am,” he said. “I wouldn’t do anything to put Hayley at risk.”
That response elicited a chuckle. Rachel put a hand on his arm, a quick reassuring touch before she withdrew it again. “I wasn’t talking about Hayley, Levi. You have a giving heart. Just…make sure you’re making the right choice before you hand it over completely. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t,” he assured her. While he understood Rachel’s concern, he knew he didn’t have to worry about his feelings for Hayley being reciprocated. She cared for him.
No, the real concern was whether the Escobars would even allow them a chance to explore their feelings for one another, or whether all that would have to wait until this nasty conflict had been settled.
He hoped not. Because at the moment, Levi couldn’t begin to see how all this might end.
A clatter from the direction of the kitchen woke her. Hayley rolled over and opened one eye, noted that bright sunlight seemed to be peeking in from behind the curtains, and reached out with her left hand to pick up her phone from the table next to the bed. A push of the “home” button, and the screen came to life, telling her that it was nine-thirty in the morning.
Better than she’d hoped, but still nothing close to eight hours of sleep. Or even six, considering that she’d finally closed her eyes around four. Oh, well. She could function on the sleep she’d gotten, as long as she didn’t make it a regular habit.
After setting her phone back down on the bedside table, she pushed herself out of bed, found a pair of yoga pants in a dresser drawer, and pulled them on. Since she’d passed out wearing her T-shirt, now she was basically dressed, at least enough so she could head out toward the kitchen. The warm, thick smell of coffee had begun to creep under the door, telling her what that noise in the kitchen had been.
Or at least some of it. Hayley had a feeling that making coffee usually didn’t require quite so much of a racket. Brandon had been deliberately noisy on purpose. He wanted to wake her up.
So they could have it out, say the things they’d held back the night before?
Fine.
She ran her fingers through her hair to get out the worst of the tangles, then opened the door and went down the hallway toward the living room/dining area/kitchen space. Yes, there was her brother, just lifting the carafe from the coffeemaker. His eyes flickered toward her, deliberately incurious. “You want some coffee?”
“Sure.”
Hayley padded over on her bare feet, wishing she’d paused to put on a pair of flip-flops. The tile in here was cold, even though the day outside promised to be warm and sunny again. She stood there silently as Brandon got out another mug and poured some coffee, then handed it to her.
“Thanks. Milk?”
“In the fridge.”
Still holding her mug of coffee, she opened the refrigerator door and got out the container of milk, then doctored it to her preferred shade of dark beige. The whole time, Brandon just stood there, blowing on his own coffee. Since he drank it black, there wasn’t much else he could do except wait for it to cool down.
She took a careful sip, just in case the milk hadn’t tempered enough of the heat to make the coffee drinkable. However, it wasn’t too hot, and so she sipped at it again. That was better. The warm liquid flowed down her throat, hit her stomach, and began working its magic. Maybe by the time she was done with the entire mug, she’d start to feel like a human being again.
Or maybe not. It sort of depended on how much her brother was spoiling for a fight. He really didn’t have much of a temper, but she could tell this whole thing with Levi had shaken him.
Since Brandon didn’t seem inclined to speak, only stood there and kept blowing on his coffee, she decided she might as well get it over with. “Whatever you want to say, just say it.”
He raised an eyebrow. Standing there in a T-shirt and sweat pants, his hair still sticking out in all directions, he didn’t look particularly fearsome. Even so, Hayley couldn’t help but hold her breath, just a little bit. She hated confrontations.
Apparently, Brandon didn’t seem inclined to start one now. “What am I supposed to say?”
“Oh, come on. You were practically breathing fire last night when you found out about Levi.”
This time, her brother did actually drink some of his coffee, although she could see the way his jaw and throat muscles tightened, as though it was still far too hot, and he’d only drunk it in an attempt to keep from answering her right away. “I think ‘breathing fire’ is kind of an exaggeration.”
“Whatever. You weren’t happy.”
He set down his mug on the tiled counter and crossed his arms. “Of course I wasn’t happy. I mean, I guess I was okay with you and Levi being…whatever…but yeah, it kind of came as a shock to hear he isn’t even human.”
“He is human,” Hayley retorted. “Weren’t you listening?”
“All right, physically human. But his soul, his spirit…whatever you want to call it…that came from someplace else. What can someone like that know about human emotions?”
She supposed she should be glad that Brandon had said “someone” instead of “something.” At least it was a start. “And there are people who are supposedly ‘human’ who might as well be monsters — like the Escobars, for instance. Levi’s origins might be a little unusual, but he’s a good person. He’s learned a lot in the time he’s spent here. Tell me — if he hadn’t actually told you that he’d come from someplace else, would you have ever guessed?”
Brandon frowned and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I don’t know. Maybe not. We didn’t interact much — said ‘hi’ if we bumped into each other on the landing, that sort of thing. It’s not as if we had any heart-to-heart talks.”
“No, but if he couldn’t pass at all as one of us, you still would have noticed something, even with as little as you seem to see each other.”
“Maybe. But that’s not the point, is it? The point is that even if he can ‘pass,’ he’s still not human. Not really. Which means he’s not the sort of person I’m all that thrilled to have macking on my sister, you know?”
“We’re not ‘macking,’” Hayley shot back. Well, at least not yet, she added mentally. She certainly wasn’t going to rule out the possibility of things going further with Levi, although she knew she’d have to be discreet. Yes, she was an adult and so could do as she wished, but she could only imagine the shitstorm if she didn’t get Brandon on her side, if he decided to take his protective big brother routine too far and actually called their parents to let them know what was going on with his little sister and the guy next door…who just happened to be not entirely human. “Anyway, you shouldn’t be so narrow-minded. There’s nothing wrong with Levi.”
“Maybe not on the surface. But have you really stopped to think this through? Right now, he just looks like a regular guy — ”
An insanely hot guy, she thought, but she knew better than to interrupt with that particular observation. Brandon was obviously trying his best to keep things civil, but she doubted he wanted a verbal reminder of how attracted she was to Levi.
“ — but what about the long run? Will he age? Will he always stay looking human? You just don’t know.”
True, she didn’t. This was all uncharted territory. But really, how many guarantees were there in any relationship? Illness happened. Physical changes occurred. People fell out of love for reasons that didn’t have anything to do with appearance, though. Hayley wondered, however, if she even knew how she would react if Levi changed, if underneath that handsome face were hidden the features of — well, of one of the demons who’d attacked them, or maybe something even worse. She wanted to think it wouldn’t matter, that it was Levi’s strong and generous spirit that really attracted her, but she just didn’t know. She doubted she would have reacted the same way when she’d first seen him if he hadn’t been movie-star gorgeous.
“No, I don’t,” she said. “And it’s something I have to think about, maybe talk over with Levi. I don’t really know where all this is going…we’ve only known each other for a few days. The only thing I do know is that I like him…a lot. He’s different from anyone I’ve ever met.”
“No shit.”
Hayley forced herself to stare back at her brother, to compel him to meet her eyes. It was difficult; she wasn’t used to this sort of forced intimacy. But she knew she had to do what she could to make him understand. “Maybe. But it’s his very difference that allowed him to save Lucinda Santiago last night. To drive off those demons. No one else in this clan could have done that.”
“I’m not disputing his courage, or his magical skills.”
“Then what are you disputing?”
Brandon went silent. He reached for his mug of coffee, took a large swallow. Then he said, sounding very tired, “I’m not sure I know.” Another swallow of coffee, and he put the mug back down on the counter. “Anyway, I need to get in the shower. I called work and said I’d be coming in late, but I still have to get down there before the morning’s totally gone.”
“Okay.” While part of her might question Brandon going to work after the night they’d all just put in, on some level, she understood. Tinkering with engines was his Zen. He clearly had a lot he needed to work through, and trying to make him stay home, just so she could continue to plead her case, didn’t sound like a good idea. This wasn’t going to get settled right away, and she would have to deal with that. At least he wasn’t threatening to rat her out to their parents. She could argue all she wanted that she was an independent adult, and in the civilian world she was, but things didn’t work quite that way in the witch clans. Parents still had a good deal of say when it came to the lives of their unmarried children, and the last thing she wanted was them trying to meddle in what was already a delicate enough situation.
Brandon nodded, and drank the rest of his coffee before he disappeared down the hallway. Hayley hesitated for a moment, then went back to her bedroom and retrieved her phone. No messages from Levi, but then, she’d said she would reach out to him. Probably he hadn’t wanted to take the risk of waking her up.
And if he was still asleep? Well, she had to hope that he’d been here long enough to learn how to turn on the “do not disturb” function on his phone. She went to the messaging app and typed in, Late breakfast sound good?
Maybe that was jumping the gun. After all, she was nowhere close to walking out the door. But she’d washed her hair the day before, which meant she could skip it now. If she moved fast, she could be ready in less than half an hour.
Her phone pinged. She picked it up, felt a rush of relief as she saw Levi’s reply. Yes. The Mine Café serves breakfast until noon. Do you want me to come over?
I still need a half hour, she typed back. Is that OK?
Of course. Then just come and knock when you’re ready.
Will do.
Hayley set down the phone, joyful anticipation filling her. So what if she was running on less than six hours of sleep, or that she didn’t know whether the Escobars weren’t already on the warpath, just waiting for their best chance to get revenge?
She was going to see Levi again very soon, and right then, that was the only thing that mattered.
12
Hayley certainly didn’t look as though she’d just spent half the night evading demons and traveling down dark highways. No, her fair skin was positively luminous, and Levi liked the way she’d drawn her hair back into a low, loose ponytail, with a few wisps falling around her face. The style called more attention to her fine, high cheekbones, the delicate lines of her jaw and chin.
They sat in the Mine Café, which at that hour of the morning wasn’t particularly crowded. The restaurant was built slightly below street level, so the window in the room where they sat afforded them a view of the wheels of parked cars, and the feet of passersby, and not much else.
Not that Levi minded. Right then, all he wanted was to look at Hayley.
She’d ordered iced tea, saying that she’d already had coffee with Brandon. Levi wondered how that had gone. Had they spoken of him? Argued? He thought that was a distinct possibility, considering how her brother had behaved the night before. Levi didn’t hold any of that against the other man, because he knew Brandon was only being protective. Still, he didn’t like to think that he might have been a cause of discord for Hayley and her brother. Levi wasn’t quite sure how close they were, and he hated to think that she might walk away from her nascent relationship with him if Brandon made it clear that he would continue to be unhappy about the situation.
“Have you heard anything about Lucinda?” Hayley asked after the waitress brought their drinks and then retired, saying their food would be out shortly.
“Yes, I called Rachel earlier this morning. Lucinda is awake, and seems to be a little more herself. That is, she isn’t acting out, isn’t hostile. She seems confused more than anything else, doesn’t understand how she got here to Jerome.” Which, he thought, could only be a blessing. With any luck, the Santiago witch would forget all about the time she’d spent as Matías Escobar’s hostage…and unwilling lover.
“That’s good.” Hayley swirled the straw through her iced tea, pushing the slice of lemon around. “It has to be so strange for her, to wake up someplace she’s never been before.”
“Yes, but hopefully she’ll get her bearings soon enough, will understand that she’s safe. It’s good that she’s staying with Rachel, since Rachel has always been one to look out for others.”
“Did she look out for you, too?”
“Yes. Of course I didn’t really know anyone when I came here, but she made sure that I felt as at home as I could.” Looking back, he realized how much work Rachel had really done — introducing him to the other McAllisters, inviting him over for dinner practically every night for the first few months until he could muddle along on his own, or at least interact with the staff at the local restaurants without giving away what a stranger he really was. He had to hope Lucinda wouldn’t require quite that much coddling, would be able to find herself at home here, once she was able to shake off the fog of Matías Esco
bar’s dark magic.
Hayley nodded. “It sounds like Lucinda’s in good hands, then.”
“The best, I think.”
The waitress returned with their food, and asked if they needed anything else. Both Levi and Hayley demurred, which meant they were left alone again soon enough.
She picked up a piece of sourdough toast and broke off one corner. “I don’t think Brandon is very happy with me.”
“No, I suppose not.”
A lift of an eyebrow as Hayley popped the bit of toast in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “You don’t seem too worried about it.”
“I — ” Levi stopped himself there, because he had to pause and consider why he wasn’t worried. After all, if asked, he would have said that the last thing he wanted was to be a source of friction between Hayley and her brother. “I suppose it’s a lot for him to take in. I can’t blame him for being upset. Did he forbid you to see me?”
“No, of course not.” She picked up her fork and gathered up a mouthful of omelette. “He’s not stupid. And he knows he can’t really tell me to do anything. The thing is, we’ve always gotten along pretty well, but it’s not like we’re super-close, either. I know having to even think about my love life is uncomfortable for him. In this case, though, he feels like he has to, just because….” The words trailed off there, and a faint flush tinged her cheeks.
“Because of who I am.”
“Exactly.”
Levi thought he knew how she would answer, but he guessed it was better to ask, just to be sure. For one thing, he had very little experience with women. Yes, Hayley had kissed him, seemed interested in him, but it was quite possible she didn’t intend for matters to progress any further than that. “And it doesn’t bother you?”
“Didn’t we already have this discussion, Levi?”
“Yes. But I feel as if I have to ask again, especially now that you’ve seen how your brother has reacted to the situation. It may be that he’ll never understand. Can you live with that? What if your parents feel the same way?”
Deep Magic Page 15