Page 36 of Power Shift
Neit laughed. “True. Cliona has always been one of my greatest opponents. Unpredictability is rare and interesting, don’t you think?”
“Depends on who it is and if it’s me and I’m winning. Then unpredictability is great.” I watched him sip his tea, surprised by how carefully he held the cup. “Are you here only to discuss my mother?”
“No. I’m here to tell you of the Chimeras.” His eyes flashed violet, a blip of magic there and gone. “Though I suspect you already know.”
My blood froze. “I’m not sure why you think I’d know anything about a Chimera.”
Neit leaned forward, so close we could have kissed, and whispered. “One of my underestimated and little-known talents is sniffing out bloodlines, Evangeline. And yours is very curious indeed.”
I swallowed hard and leaned away from him. “Is this why you’re in Joy Springs?”
“I am here for more than one reason. Cliona is here, and I will locate her soon enough. The Chimera threat cannot be allowed to grow, but I am not allowed to interfere. Not yet.” He smiled. “For that, you should be grateful.”
Ash tensed. Moira’s eyes flashed with anger. Tess narrowed her eyes and studied the god for a moment before she floated closer.
Neit’s eyes flicked over her, dismissing her after a quick glance. “You’ve lost someone recently. Someone you loved.”
Neit went deathly still. “Be careful, young banshee.” His voice shook with anger.
But Tess spoke again. “She is beautiful. Would you like to see her?”
Neit’s hand jerked, tea spilling over the edge of his cup. His tanned face went white with grief.
“Tess,” I warned.
The banshee didn’t wait for Neit to answer. Her eyes went an unholy silver, and her hair blew across her face in a phantom wind. “Be seen,” she commanded, her voice echoing with the sound of a thousand lives overlapping.
A woman appeared beside Neit.
I sucked in a shocked gasp and froze.
“Tess,” Ash said with horror.
Neit’s attention snapped to the spectral figure, his handsome face falling. The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, theslight hand of time written in the faint crow lines of her eyes. She was dark-haired and green-eyed, dressed in a modern, mid-length sundress. Her coloring was faded, like watching a sun-washed moving picture.
Her hand trembled as it rose to cup Neit’s cheek.
I quietly rose and jerked my head toward Moira and Ash. This was not for us to witness.
Tess’s neck craned back, and her hands were palm up, spread away from her body in a T shape. Silver light washed over the shop as the temperature plummeted at least twenty degrees.
Ash’s face tight with worry, he hurried to the door and turned the lock so no one would interrupt. On silent feet, we went into the small break room and shut the door.
“Holy shit,” Moira whispered, her eyes wide. “Did we know she could do that?”
I rubbed my hands over my arms, trying to wash away the feeling of horror touching me. To hold the power over life and death must be extraordinarily difficult. “No,” I whispered back. “I hope this doesn’t get us all killed.”
“It’s a gift and a curse,” Ash murmured. “Neit’s face told us all we needed to know. What Tess has done is a violation but also a precious gift Neit will never forget. Whether he will thank her remains to be seen.”
No one else said a word for several minutes. As soon as the temperature began to rise, I poked my head out the door. Neit still sat on the couch, his face wet with tears.
Tess was nowhere to be found.
Heart pounding, I stepped back into the main area of the shop and resumed my place on the couch. The silence was tense but fragile, and I hesitated to break it, but I was worried about Tess.
There was no evidence of violence in the room, but Neit could have dusted her in an instant if he wanted to.
“Who was that?” Neit croaked, lifting a hand to dash away the moisture in his eyes.
