She shivered at the strange sensation that quivered along her nerves at the idea of actively trying to protect another Mythean. All her life, her job had been to kill rogues. It was a solitary existence. The only beings she’d ever considered risking her life for were Andrasta and the Chairman. Now she’d aligned herself with some other unknown soulceress?
Yes. For the chance to meet another Mythean, one who wouldn’t judge her for something she couldn’t control? To have her questions about her power answered? Absolutely.
Resolutely, she stuck out a hand. “Deal.”
Relief coursed through Warren when Esha offered to shake on the deal. He gripped her hand, trying to ignore the goose bumps that rose on his skin. Electric.
“Thank you.” He released her hand and stepped back, then cursed when he nearly tripped over the damn cat, who’d moved from his post beside the car.
“Watch it,” said Esha. “You don’t want to get on his bad side.”
“What, or he won’t use the litter box?”
“Please, that’s my punishment. You, he’d wait until you were asleep, put a spell on you, and then eat your face.”
His head snapped to the side to look at her. “The
hell you say.” When he saw the gleam in her eyes, a short burst of laughter escaped him.
“Seriously, though,” she said, “he’s got his ways.”
Warren looked down at the soot-black cat at his feet. The beast turned its head to glare at him, white fangs gleaming in the light. He growled back.
Esha laughed. “Get over it, alpha dog.”
Warren looked away from the cat. He’d just had a pissing contest with a house cat. Fucking embarrassing.
“So now what, boss?” She looked him up and down, her face daring him to contradict the title the way he had the other night in the pub.
He didn’t. He liked the idea of having control over her. The setting sun gleamed on her rich black hair, a striking contrast to her pale skin. Aye, this was a woman he wouldn’t mind telling what to do. She wouldn’t listen, of course. But he liked that too. “You’re supposed to be able to find her.”
“Sure, but how?”
“You doona know?”
She shrugged.
“Well, think, damn it.”
“I thought you’d have some inside info on how this soulceress tracking is supposed to go.”
“I doona.”
Esha rolled her eyes. “What do you think, Chairman?”
No response. Did she expect it to answer?
He searched his mind, turning away from Esha because she did nothing but cloud his thoughts with images of her, ideas of what he might do to her if she weren’t a soulceress and didn’t hate him. He stared out at the grove of oaks in the distance and caught sight of a rabbit bounding between the trees. An idea sparked to life.
“Packs of shifters can sense each other when they’re nearby. Sometimes they can even find each other from far away. Now that Aurora has escaped, maybe she’ll pop up in your subconscious.”
“What, like radar?”
“Just try.”
“Fine.” She leaned back against her car and closed her eyes. Eventually her breathing calmed. Movement behind her eyelids gave him hope. This was working. It had to be.
Suddenly, she snored. Then laughed.