“Alright. For Chrissakes. He’s Nigel. He was a ghost at the hotel.” Julian frowned at Derek. “Wait. You can see him? Really? I can’t even see him. All I do is hear his yada yada comments all damn day.”
Rude!
Derek’s mouth twitched. He had that ethereal yet aloof beauty of a supermodel, with a side of murder face.
“Do you think you could get him out of me?” It was worth a shot. As soon as the words left his mouth, his palms began to sweat; his heart rate ramped up and he couldn’t catch his breath. He clenched and unclenched his fists, forcing his breathing to slow. Relax. Was this the damn ghost? Shrugging one shoulder, he corrected his wording. “Maybe not extricate but… is there a way to like, talk to this guy? I just get emotions flooding me all the time. It’s gonna give me a heart attack. God. Maybe that’s what he wants?”
Don’t be silly. Of course not.
Derek indicated the seat across the table. “May I?”
Oh yes, please!
If there was an equivalent of a kid jumping up and down in his brain, Julian felt it. He rolled his eyes and nodded.
Derek sat down. “My friends and I really didn’t mean to scare you the other day, but I sensed your intentions toward Hunter were not… friendly.”
Nodding, Julian pressed his lips inward. “True. That’s changed though. I have no plans to hurt him. Or Regge. Or anybody really. I just want to get out of this mess.”
Aw. You’re so kindhearted, Juli.
A growl rumbled in Julian’s chest. Derek’s eyes flicked up, studying him. An unusual, inhuman, blue green. How beautifully they shimmered in the bar lights and—
“Stop it,” he barked out. Derek sat back. “Not you. Him. He keeps…never mind.”
“He seems harmless.” Derek smiled, causing Julian’s breath to catch. “It can be tricky, sharing a vessel. I’ve seen it work, but it takes cooperation, a lack of ego, and practice. May I talk to Nigel?”
“He can hear you,” Julian said.
“Of course, he hears everything you do. But what I need is to speak to him directly. You’ll be aware of the conversation, but he’ll have control, if only for a bit.”
Julian hesitated. “I’m already sharing a body with someone I barely know, and you want me to let him have control? First, I have no idea how to do that, and second, I don’t trust you.”
Derek’s full lips twitched. “You don’t have to trust me. Do you trust him? I mean, he hasn’t given you nightmares or weird cravings or suicidal ideations has he?”
“No.”
“Then trust him. You’ll have to eventually.” He held a hand across the table. “Take my hand and relax. It will feel like going to sleep, but you’ll be aware. Relaxed. And aware.”
Even with his hesitation, Julian reached across to grasp Derek’s hand. It was rougher than he’d guessed it would be. Like a manual laborer. He blinked as Nigel smiled.
He felt his own lips stretch across his face, but it was different, like a fake smile. “Hello, Derek, I’m Nigel. How may I be of service?”
“Aren’t you lovely. It’s nice to meet you. You know what I am, don’t you?”
Julian felt himself nod. “Yes. I have seen your kind before. You won’t hurt Julian, will you?”
“No. I have no intentions like that.”
“Good. Because I quite like him.”
“Would it be okay if I asked you a couple of questions? Maybe? For Julian?”
“Yes.” Nigel perked up and got all fluttery. Julian saw his free hand skip across the table to fondle Derek’s hand. Shocked and embarrassed, he could do nothing about it as Nigel’s giggle came out of his mouth.
“Okay. So can you tell what Julian is thinking?”
“No. He wasn’t happy to see you, but I only know that because his blood pressure spiked a bit. And he growled. Did you hear it?”
