Page 14 of Blood Brother Cursed

The winning smile Phoenix gave the hostess caused her to go a little pink. “I spent enough time in Alaska and Russia to not be bothered by a bit of breeze.”

The hostess giggled. “Ok, sir. Follow me, and I’ll take you to a table that has a bit of protection against the breeze. You maybe used to it, but I hope you feel that we are a bit warmer and friendlier than the places where you’ve been.”

Astrid got the impression that the hostess moved her hips a little more as she led them to a table. She looked over at Phoenix, who seemed oblivious to the hostess’ attempts to get his interest. She turned around and tried to ask him a few personal questions, totally ignoring Astrid as they walked toward a table. His responses were pleasant and as detailed as was necessary, which seemed to encourage the young woman. When they reached the table, the hostess reached out and put her hand on his bicep.

“Here’s your—oh, my. You must work out.”

He looked over at her with a smile as he took a small step away from the hostess. “When I get the time. Thank you very much.” Phoenix then moved over and pulled a chair out for Astrid. “Where were we?”

Astrid looked at the hostess, who glared at her, then turned and flounced away. Shaking her head, the young woman sat down, and then she felt Phoenix easily push the chair under the table.

He sat down and looked at her. “I think we were talking about family.”

“Um, yes, you were telling me about your family and the Sextons.”

“Oh, um, yes, you asked if I had any more questions, but I can’t think of any. So, in the spirit of being more transparent,” she took a deep breath, “I suppose I should tell you a bit about my family.”

“If you aren’t comfortable because of where we are, then…”

“No. You invited me out to talk, and I agreed to it. I don’t know exactly why you are researching this particular region, but you’ve said enough that I can hazard a guess.”

Phoenix threaded his fingers together and rested his chin on them, but he simply looked at her. Feeling a little uncomfortable, Astrid shifted a little in her seat, “Since you said that the military is working with shady organizations, and you said we are researching the same thing, I guess you are trying to find out exactly what’s happening on the base nearby.”

He nodded a little. “That is a very good guess.”

She tilted her head a little. “Is it an accurate one?”

“It has a lot of merit and is… at least partially correct.”

“Well, that’s vague. But I also understand you’ve given me a lot more than…”

Suddenly, someone walked around the table. “I hope this is something – Oh.” The cold green eyes looked down on her, blinking a few times, the only part of the young face that indicated a sharp intellect. “It’s the woman who set off the sprinklers. And here I thought you told me that I was to leave this one alone.”

Phoenix stood up, then held out his hand toward her. “This is Astrid. Astrid, this is Elliott Sexton.”

“Astrid.” He looked at her. “She doesn’t have a last name?”

She was about to say something, but Phoenix spoke up, “Not one you need to know at the moment.”

This got sharp looks from both Astrid and Elliott, but Phoenix ignored it and sat back down. Finally, Elliott took a seat, but he never took his eyes off of her. He leaned forward a little. “So, you can control water? How much water? And to what level?”

“She is self-taught, Elliott, so she doesn’t have answers.”

“I would say that’s a shame, but we would both know I’m lying. Would you mind if I observed you for a few days?”

Astrid’s eyes widened as her nostrils flared. “Why would you want to do that?”

“Elliott has been deeply fascinated by people with powers because usually shifter abilities are more limited. Not all of us, of course, but for the most part, it’s an ability to shift and heal. Victor is definitely a different sort on that one.”

Elliott scoffed. “Victor’s a weird one on all fronts.”

“Who is Victor?” Astrid was looking between the two, starting to feel very much like a third wheel.

Elliott sniffed. “One of my many brothers. Nice enough guy, but not a normal shifter. I mean, acidic blood is not normal and really not safe.”

“Wait, are you kidding? Acid blood?” Astrid was starting to think they were making fun of her. At least, she hoped that compared to the alternative.

Phoenix looked at her and nodded. “No, he does have acidic blood. There’s a lot that’s special about him, but he’s a great guy. Very different from his twin. Good kids.”

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