Wyatt elbowed Shepherd. “Why don’t you show her?”
Shepherd lifted a reluctant gaze to Viktor, who nodded in agreement. Shepherd stubbed out the cigarette on his plate and abruptly stood up, rounding the table with an angry stride.
When he neared me, I almost reached for a pointy fork.
He placed his rough hands on my shoulders and moved them down as if he were about to feel me up. I reactively gripped his wrists, ready to fly out of my chair, when suddenly…
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
A faint red glow emanated from his palms, spilling magic into me. A sensation rushed through my body, so real that it felt as if someone were tickling me.
I couldn’t control the laughter.
He let go and returned to his seat.
Gem giggled and raised her glass. “Wasn’t that fun? Shepherd only ever gives us the tickles.”
Viktor tapped his knife on the table to get my attention. “I don’t allow sensory exchanges in my house. This is not a circus, and that also goes for sharing light. Unless you have a metal pin coming out of your skull and need to heal, I don’t want you drawing light from anyone. Gifts become curses when they’re not given their due respect.”
I sat back in my chair. “Won’t be a problem. I hate being tickled.”
Viktor set down his knife. “Shepherd detects emotions, but he can also pull them from people and store them. That’s how Sensors make their money—sensory exchange. They sell emotional experiences, and in some cases, remove them. For customers it’s temporary, addictive, and recreational. But it can also be used to gather information, and that’s what he does best.”
“I guess that makes going into public restrooms an unpleasant experience,” I said with a snort.
Viktor ate two more grapes. “Sensors live for hundreds of years, like Shifters.”
“Mileage may vary,” Wyatt remarked, loading up his plate with cheese. “Gravewalkers live to a thousand.”
“Good for you,” Shepherd said. “More generations to annoy with your fashion.”
Wyatt glanced down at his T-shirt, which said THE FUCK I GAVE WENT THAT WAY, with an arrow.
“I’m just here to educate,” he replied, scrunching up his disheveled brown hair, absent of the knit cap I’d previously seen him wearing.
Claude’s nostrils flared. He continued eating, but his eyes remained watchful as they analyzed me. “What are you?”
I only hesitated for a second. After coming out in front of Viktor, Christian, and Niko, it felt good to be open about what I was, even if no one understood it. “I’m a crossbreed.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
“Is that why you’ve got them funky eyes?” Wyatt asked.
“Not exactly.”
“Raven is half Mage and Vampire,” Viktor added.
Gem’s jaw unhinged. “That’s impossible!” But her reaction wasn’t as smarmy and bemused as Christian’s had been. More of excitement and curiosity.
I looked past Blue, who stared at me wide-eyed. It seemed that Viktor hadn’t told everyone, so Niko must have heard the rumor from Christian. “Viktor, can we get back to this whole ‘partner’ thing? I work alone.”
“Not anymore,” he replied nonchalantly. “Everyone is paired up based on their strengths and weaknesses. Although Gem is a Mage, she is not physically strong, so I chose Claude. They protect each other in all ways. Blue is Niko’s eyes and he is hers.”
I touched the stem of my empty glass, spinning it. “It sounds like you put a lot of thought into it, except why do I feel like we’re just getting thrown together because there’s nobody left?”
He bit down on a piece of cheese, staring at it. “Sometimes we can’t choose our fate, and it is fate that chooses us.”
“Maybe we can rotate,” I suggested. “Switch it up every so often.”
