Page 24 of City of Love

“We want you to come home. We’ll even fly out and get you, help you pack up.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine right here.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun. We’ll drive back across the country together, the three of us. Like one of our old family vacation road trips.”

Lexi recognized all too well the particular tone of cheery her mom had forced into her voice. It meant, “I’m trying to sound light and supportive, but really, I’m worried out of my freakin’ skull.”

“I appreciate it, I do. But Phoenix isn’t my home. Hell, it’s barely yours. You only moved out there a few years ago. And I hate the desert. My home is here.” Anxiety flared at the idea of leaving Philadelphia, particularly now, and her face grew flushed and hot. She considered sticking her head in the freezer.

“All right, honey. Calm down. We won’t do anything rash. But please, Alexa, if you don’t find another job soon, or if the visions keep happening, let’s talk about your options.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“Speaking of visions, have you had any more since the other day?”

She hadn’t. Unless, of course, you counted the real life, flesh and blood versions of the dreams crossing her path all night long. As of this morning, Lexi had more intriguing things on her mind than the curse of her precognition.

Or was it even a curse? Alana’s words came back to her. The ability of foresight is considered quite a gift to us. And maybe not just foresight. Alana had thought perhaps Lexi had other skills as well. Telepathy, she’d mentioned, and clairvoyance, which was the ability to remotely observe something occurring elsewhere in real time. Lexi had never experienced anything like that before.

“Nothing since the other day.”

“That’s good news. You call if you need us. And if things don’t look up soon, let’s talk about that road trip, all right?”

Lexi sneezed. She adored the scent of hay, so clean and fresh. But it always made her nose itch, and boy was she surrounded by it… right… now…

She blinked, confused by the sudden overwhelming aroma. Turning slowly in a circle, she half expected to find she’d been transported to a stable. She sneezed again, though her apartment appeared bale-free as usual.

“Alexa?” Her mom’s voice startled her, but cleared the phantom smell.

“I will. I promise,” she said, shaking her head at the second weird sensation of the morning. Had she become possessed by the ghost of a ravenous cowboy? “Love you, mom,” she said before clicking off.

She was overly excited and short on sleep, that’s all. Meditation might help.

Sitting down on the living room floor, she folded her legs into the lotus position and took some deep calming breaths. But she couldn’t stop thinking about what Alana had said. Honestly, she’d been pretty freaked out by her use of the world oracle, which Lexi thought of as a powerful image, and not one she’d associate with a person who blacked out in public and got fired from jobs.

She wondered if someone in the other world could teach her to control her skill, make use of it. Her one four-hour visit had opened the door to possibilities, but there’d been no time for actual lessons. If there were a way for her to learn, maybe she could create a more meaningful life for herself here.

Or better yet, there. Because in this world, she was a freak. And she was lonely. Now she’d found an entire universe of people who would understand her. Where she wouldn’t have to hide. Wouldn’t have to be lonely.

She released a breath she now realized she’d been holding for decades.

A new world, new knowledge, new possibilities.

And Gideon. The thought of him sent an instant buzz through her core.

Yeah, she’d talk to Margot immediately. Find out if her visit had been a one-time ride or not. She prayed it wasn’t. She’d beg if that’s what it took. Because now she had to go back.

She needed more information, and she needed… she needed…

Pancakes! Big fluffy, syrup-soaked pancakes. Her mind suddenly filled with an outrageous desire for flapjacks. And who even uses the word flapjacks anymore?

She jumped back up, raced to kitchen, and grabbed her mixing bowl.

Gideon poked at the remains of his Saturday brunch, the once fluffy flapjacks now a syrup-soaked paste, but his stomach was finally full. The previous night had gone so unexpectedly off-course, he’d never taken a moment for dinner, and fell asleep in the wee hours having not eaten. This morning he’d overslept and had to race to the stable, saddle up, and make a hurried ride out to meet his cousin Julian at their favorite tavern in the Philadelphia countryside. By the time he sat down at the table, he was so famished he’d been ready to order almost everything on the menu, and nearly did. Eggs, bacon, fruit, and the buckwheat hotcakes.

“When do you plan on meeting with the Council?” Julian’s voice barely penetrated Gideon’s thoughts.

They’d been discussing the previous night’s events, but the longer Gideon had sat there talking and eating, the more he’d become distracted by a stream of disjointed and intrusive images running though his mind’s eye. Images that made no sense to him. The more they inundated his thoughts, the more convinced he became they were coming from someone else. And due to the nature of what he was seeing, that someone else had to be Lexi.

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