Burning Yves (Benedicts #2.5)

by Joss Stirling

  ‘I know nothing about that stuff you’re doing.’

  The first truth he had heard from her, he realized.

  ‘Yes, I guessed, Miss Geoscience.’ She swayed and stumbled a step. ‘Are you OK?’

  She didn’t answer. Yves carefully supported her arm as he helped her into the seat next to his. ‘Sorry, guys. I’m so embarrassed we broke up the class messing about. It’s a dare thing. Totally idiotic of us. Meet me in the bar and I’ll buy you all a drink later to apologize.’ She pulled away, trying to put as much space between them as she could. ‘Got any handcuffs?’ he murmured, more to himself than to his reluctant partner. Her reply was to lay her head on the desk. He didn’t like her colour—so white he could see the blue veins at her temples. He dug out his water bottle. Drink.

  Can’t.

  Why not? I haven’t even opened it.

  Please let me steal something from you.

  Something very peculiar was going on here but he decided to run with it. Keeping his eyes fixed on hers, he put the bottle back into the open top of his bag. That’s my water. Whatever you do, don’t take it from me.

  A look of relief flashed across her features. Reaching down, she took the bottle, twisted off the cap and gulped it down with the desperation of a desert explorer reaching an oasis.

  Confused by her signals, Yves shook his head. You’re strange.

  The plastic bottle crumpled in her fist. And you’re not?

  Finally, the seminar ended. Yves hadn’t heard a word, spending the entire time wondering about the girl beside him. What could he do with her? Victor was in the middle of a sensitive police investigation and wouldn’t thank him for bringing a suspicious savant home. Then again, all bets were off when a soulfinder came into the picture. Every single one of his brothers, even Victor, would understand that she had become his first priority. Still undecided how to handle the explosive situation, Yves waited until the room emptied, going through the motions of answering the invitations to lunch and other chatter that came his way. OK, why not begin at the beginning?

  ‘Shall we start with our names?’ He took her bandaged hand in his. ‘I’m Yves Benedict. I come from Wrickenridge in Colorado.’ He paused but she didn’t respond. ‘That’s in America. In the Rockies.’ He could have been talking to one of those stone mountains right now. ‘I’m one of seven brothers and I’m number six. My younger brother Zed found his soulfinder a few months ago.’

  He didn’t know her at all but he felt as if she might be close to tears. Her bottom lip was definitely quivering. She bit it to get it under control. He wished he knew how to comfort her, assure her he was a nice guy really.

  ‘What about you? Is Wendy your real name?’

  She tugged off the bag and threw it on the desk with such despair it hurt Yves to feel its echo inside. He pulled her to his shoulder. ‘Hey, hey, what’s the matter?’ He swallowed against his dry throat, trying to cast this situation in the best light he could. ‘Finding you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, don’t you understand? Aren’t you pleased that it’s me, not even a tiny bit?’

  He could feel the tremors running through her and felt a little desperate that he might say the wrong thing. ‘Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, but give it time. I realize I come across a bit geeky—you know, correcting you about the petroleum extraction and everything.’ He rubbed the back his neck, conscious of a flush of embarrassment. ‘We didn’t get off to the best start, I admit.’

  She made a funny spluttering sound. ‘You mean because I stole your stuff?’

  He stroked the back of her head, wishing he had Xav’s calming powers in his fingertips. ‘Well, yes, but I also hurt you when I blew up my gear. I’m really sorry about that. What did the doctor say?’

  She eased away, wiping her eyes with the bandaged hand. ‘It’s fine.’

  Looking more closely, Yves realized that she had wrapped the burn in cling film under the bandage, a lame attempt to protect it. ‘You didn’t go to a doctor, did you?’ He was furious with himself for causing the harm. His agenda for the next few hours crystallized: get help for her. The first rule of being a soulfinder was that you looked after your other half better than your own self—he had kicked off by injuring his.

  His anger intensified as she tried to draw away again. ‘People like me don’t go to doctors,’ she muttered.

  ‘They do now.’ He got to his feet, bringing her with him. ‘Come on, I’ll find out where the nearest emergency room is. I’ll never forgive myself if that scars.’

  ‘I’m not going. I can’t.’

  Was there nothing easy about this girl? ‘Wendy, don’t make a mistake. I’m ready to forgive you for trying to steal from me—twice, wasn’t it?—but if you won’t get yourself medical attention then I’ll have no choice but to turn you in to the police and let them make sure you get seen by a qualified practitioner.’

  She shoved the chair back with a squawk of wood on tiles, dark eyes flashing. ‘Get the hell away from me. You don’t know the first thing about me and my life and already you’re ordering me around!’

  ‘You’re completely wrong. I do know the first thing about you: you’re my soulfinder. That fact takes first, second, and third place in my life. What about in yours?’

  She was shaking with her own fury now. Covering her face with her hands, she moaned, ‘Just … just go away!’

  ‘I can’t go away. You’re being foolish—reckless with your own health.’ A pile of papers next to him began to smoulder. Hell, his control was bolting but he couldn’t catch hold of the reins. He thumped the papers with a book to put out the sparks. ‘Goddamn it, look what you made me do!’

  ‘Me? The fire thing is your business, not mine.’

  She was right, though that wasn’t what he wanted to hear right then. He took a breath. ‘Look, I’ve got to stick with you—that’s the deal with soulfinders, you know that. Do you think I’m pleased that mine’s a thief—a sneak that uses her gift to rip people off? Hell no! I dreamed about this moment—but it involved, I don’t know, moonlight and roses or something, not a kick in the stomach and a thousand dollars of property up in smoke! So the least you can do is see to that burn if I tell you you should!’

  The little thief straightened her spine and looked at him as if she would spit in his eye rather than bend to his will. ‘I’ve seen to my injury as best I can. You needn’t worry about it.’

  She wasn’t fobbing him off with that asinine statement. ‘Not good enough, Wendy. I made my gear explode, and that hurt you, so I am responsible for clean-up.’

  ‘Not this time. I am not your mess to clean up.’

  ‘That’s exactly what you are.’ Even as the words slipped from him, he knew she wouldn’t like them.

  ‘Well, thanks for that. Nice meeting you. Really must be going.’ She headed for the door.

  ‘You can’t leave.’

  ‘What are you going to do? Wrestle me to the floor? Oh, I forgot, you did that already.’

  The tense moment was broken by Jo and Ingrid butting into the room, asking why he hadn’t joined them for lunch. He had to get Wendy out of here before she gave away that she wasn’t supposed to be at the conference in the first place. He announced firmly his intention to take her to the hospital and marched her out of there, calculating that she wouldn’t make a fuss in front of the two strangers. Not to be deterred from his mission, he got the information about the nearest ER from the overly friendly lady at reception and escorted Wendy out to the main road, never once letting go of her.

  Once outside, she tried to shake off his hold on her arm. ‘That’s enough. What part of “I’m not going to hospital” don’t you understand?’

  ‘The “not” part. Look, Wendy, what harm can a little trip to ER do you? You guys don’t even have to pay, so it can’t be the money or insurance problems.’

  She gazed out at the street like a zoo animal through the bars. ‘It’s not that I’m stupid. I just can’t.’

  Yves wanted
to tear his hair out in frustration. ‘Wendy, why do I get the impression that you are about to sprinkle your fairy dust and fly away from me?’ He caught the tip of her chin on his finger and angled her head so he could read her expression. ‘Wendy, talk to me. Let me help you. I’m sorry I said that stuff inside, but I was angry. I act like an idiot when my gift gets loose—just ask my brothers. It annoys the hell out of me that even after all these years of discipline and practice, I’m not in full control of my emotions. Don’t suppose you’ll give me a pass for it being the day I met my soulfinder, hey?’

  Turning a little towards him, she nodded.

  ‘Wendy, I can’t bear to see you in pain when we can do something about it.’

  Her stiff shoulders slumped. ‘Phee. My name’s Phee.’

  Finally, something real from her! ‘Just Phee?’

  ‘Short for Phoenix.’

  The mythological bird that rose from the ashes in a burst of flame. Yves felt hopeful for the first time. Their soulfinder relationship might look a disaster from the outset but phoenixes were about rebirth. ‘Any other names?’

  She hesitated, as if each detail about herself that she gave was like dealing out gold from a miser’s purse. ‘Corrigan.’

  Phoenix Corrigan. His Phoenix. She might be stubborn, but in that she had met her equal. A plan was already forming. What was the point of having a brother with a healing touch if he didn’t get to use it? That way no hospitals would be required and he’d have Phoenix where he wanted her, safe with him for the moment. He put in a quick call to Xav.

  ‘Hey, Xav, got a minute?’

  Phoenix was watching like a creature hunkered down in a burrow, scared of the least move he made.

  ‘Sure, bro. What’s up?’

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘At the Globe with Mags, my very talented and knowledgeable guide.’

  Yves could hear a girl’s giggle in the background. ‘I’ve got a bit of a situation here. Can you meet me back at the apartment in half an hour?’

  ‘Really? Now? You’ll so owe me for this.’

  ‘OK.’

  ‘Your timing sucks.’

  ‘Yeah, I know, I’m a pain in the butt. Tell her you’ll call her later.’

  ‘But negotiations have reached a critical phase.’

  ‘Uh-huh. But trust me, you’ll want to be part of this.’

  With a few more choice words, Xav ended the call, promising to get home as quickly as possible.

  Yves smiled at Phoenix. ‘Problem solved.’

  ‘Who were you talking to?’ Her gaze skittered across the street, checking the drivers of passing cars, the pedestrians.

  ‘My brother, Xav, he’s in London with me.’

  ‘Xav?’ She dragged her attention back to him.

  He wondered whether, if he gave her a little more of himself, she would start to trust him. ‘Yeah, my mom and dad had this alphabetical thing going with us, starting with Trace and ending with Zed. Xavier, he’s the next one up from me. We told them they should’ve started with “A” and then we could all have been things like Alan, David, and Ben, but they thought that was too boring. Mom and Dad can be like that—you know, different to make a point.’ Maybe he shouldn’t tell her too much all at once; she had enough to adjust to right now. He’d better get her to the apartment as quickly as possible. He began looking for a cab. ‘Xav’s a healer, not that you would guess that, terrible bedside manner. I’m taking you to see him. You won’t have to put a foot inside a medical practice.’

  A taxi appeared at the next set of lights and Yves flagged it down. ‘Take us to the Barbican, please.’

  Phoenix got into the back of the cab without a fuss. In fact, Yves thought he might have made the first good decision of the day as she stroked the leather seat, seeming to find the experience a novelty.

  ‘He’s really annoyed with me,’ Yves continued, picking up on where he had left the conversation. More of a monologue, he acknowledged silently. ‘He’s spent all morning chatting up a guide at the Globe Theatre and now he’s having to dump her just when things were looking promising.’

  A little crease appeared at the top of her nose as she frowned. ‘He shouldn’t—not for me.’

  She really didn’t get it, did she? Risking rejection, Yves slid closer and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Course he should. You’re mine, so that makes you family. Our need is greater than his.’

  Any hint that she had relaxed with him vanished. He’d hit a sore spot. ‘Don’t you have brothers and sisters?’ he asked. It was hard to imagine growing up without a bunch of brothers rattling about the house with you. He’d hoped she hadn’t been alone.

  But Phoenix seemed to fold inside herself, locking her thoughts and emotions tight within her, a little hard nub of stubborn refusal to cooperate.

  ‘I wish Sky were here,’ Yves murmured. Right now, Sky’s ability to read emotions would be very helpful.

  ‘Who’s Sky?’

  Maybe this was the way to go? Keep feeding her with stories about the people she would be joining. ‘My younger brother’s soulfinder. She’s British.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘She sees people’s emotions. Makes her really intuitive. And she’s come from a rough place. I think she’d understand you better than any of us.’

  ‘But she’s not here?’

  Would Phoenix like another girl to talk to? That made sense. ‘No, she’s on vacation with Zed and her parents.’ Should he put in a call, get her to come to the UK to help out?

  The cab pulled over. Phoenix made a fuss about leaving the driver a big tip—Yves had noticed that English people weren’t used to tipping generously—but he won the tussle. He had millions in the bank thanks to his security app, so tipping a driver a measly few pounds was no big deal.

  Follow me. Dipping back into the intimacy of telepathy, Yves held out a hand. He wanted to get his Phoenix out of the gloomy underpass beneath the Barbican as quickly as possible. Like a mistreated cutting put on a windowsill to recover, she needed sunlight and care.

  Lead the way, O master, she snapped back.

  Yves was pleased to see a little spirit had returned, even if it was aimed at him. Glad to see you’ve seen the light. I only want what’s best for you.

  Mr Arrogant or what?

  I don’t mean it like that. She was driving him crazy. I just want to make this right but I seem to be doing it all wrong.

  Then let me go.

  That would be a tragedy. Give me a chance here. Please.

  She hovered uncertainly, a falcon circling, undecided whether to land on the falconer’s glove or not. He must not underestimate her. Would she go with him, risk meeting yet more savants, enter his world; or would she vanish, taking with her the chance for them both to find happiness? He had to remember that she was wild and saw him as both promise and threat. But neither should she take him for a fool. Now he’d found her, he wasn’t going to let her get away from him again.

  Yves waited her out. He refused to lose her, not his soulfinder. If she did run, then he’d just have to find her and steal her back, wouldn’t he?

  The story continues in Stealing Phoenix …

  Joss Stirling lives in Oxford and has always been facinated by the idea that life is more than what we see on the surface.

  You can visit her website at www.josstirling.com.

  Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  About the Author

  Copyright