I approached him and looked up, wind at my back. “How’s Gem?”
Wyatt shivered. “She snapped out of it. I guess she caught Shepherd off guard and got a taste of some of that power. Never sneak up on a Sensor. Holy Toledo, it’s freezing up here!” he exclaimed, his teeth chattering as he turned away.
The blustering wind blew up his skirt, and the mystery of what men wore beneath their kilts was revealed.
I stared at Wyatt’s bare cheeks and squinted. “Is that a tattoo?”
He gave a mischievous smile from over his shoulder. “You bet. And you’ll find out more about it soon enough.”
Chapter 30
The Regulators questionedus for a grueling three hours. Once they finished taking our statements, Viktor sent us home. Wyatt made a quick detour to get chicken wings, and once we arrived at the mansion, I went up to my bedroom and slept like the dead. I didn’t even bother to light a fire; I just stripped out of my clothes and crashed within minutes. All that flashing had drained my energy, reminding me that all gifts come with pros and cons.
Something pulled me out of my slumber, and without opening my eyes, I used my Mage ability to tell me it was already morning. I swept a tangle of hair out of my face and noticed someone had lit the fireplace at the foot of my bed. What a long way I’d come from the trailer parks. It was hard to believe that just a few months ago, I was sleeping in abandoned buildings and on the streets.
Through the window on my right with the diamond-shaped metal lattice on each shutter, I saw an overcast sky. No rain yet, but it made me want to crawl back under the covers and sleep for the rest of the day.
A delicious smell drew my attention toward the bedside table on my right.
What the hell?
I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t still dreaming. I smelled coffee, and when I touched the thermos, it was hot. Beside it was a packet of sugar and a spoon. I smiled. Christian just couldn’t help himself with another spoon joke. I sat up, my heart-shaped necklace sliding around my neck, and put my feet on the floor. After a sip of what tasted like gourmet, I decided not to admonish him for entering my room without permission.
Once the caffeine woke me up, the first thing I wanted to do was check on Gem. The Regulators had separated us during questioning, and afterward, she rode home with Viktor and went straight to her room. I put on a pair of sweatpants and a red shirt and jogged down the hallway, the stone floors chilling the soles of my feet. When I reached the second level, I pounded my fist against her door.
“Gem, it’s me. Are you in there? I came to check on you.” Then I tapped my thermos lightly against her door, wondering if I might have scared her. “Gem?”
“Come in,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically melancholy.
Despite the clouds, Gem’s room had a warm and vibrant atmosphere because of the rugs, fabrics, gemstones, and twinkle lights. She was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, facing the windows. I knew something was wrong when I saw her outfit. The only thing flashy about it was the pink platform sneakers. Her dark grey sweatshirt was three sizes too big, and her matching leggings had a small hole in the knee. She had her hair pulled up in a messy knot, one wayward lock hanging in front of her face. No makeup.
“Are you okay?” I closed the door behind me and offered her my mug. “Have some. It’s just coffee.”
After a quick sip, she grimaced. “Don’t you like cream and sugar?”
“No. I like it black, like my heart.”
She snorted. “You don’t have a black heart. Speaking of hearts, where did you get that heart necklace?”
I sat facing her and touched the red stone. “Just a cheap trinket Christian gave me for the party, but I kind of like it. What happened last night with Shepherd?”
She shook her head. “That was all my fault. I got carried away and should have known better. He pushed emotions into me by accident, and I experienced the whole thing from that little boy’s eyes. The terror he felt when the man threw him, falling… Shepherd didn’t mean to do it. I shouldn’t have gotten near him right after it happened. He hasn’t looked at me since then, and I don’t know if he’s mad at me.”
“It was just an accident. You had everyone scared, though. One minute we’re rejoicing, and the next… Bam! You’re lying in the middle of the floor.”
She smacked her hand against her forehead. “I’m mortified.”
The way Sensors could transfer emotions and experiences gave me the shivers. If that little boy’s panic could make Gem faint, what would the experience of feeling death do to a person?
Gem studied the opalescent polish on her short nails with a vacant look in her eyes. “Feeling all those emotions from that little boy brought back memories I’ve spent my life trying to forget. Children shouldn’t have to feel that kind of terror.Ever.” Her voice cracked, and she gripped the quartz pendant around her neck. “I must look like one of Wyatt’s ghosts. I barely slept at all last night.”
“No. You look angelic without makeup on. I’m the one who looks like a troll that crawled out from the mire. Do youseethis hair?” I asked, pointing at my head. “There are probably squirrels building nests in there as we speak.”
Gem laughed, and the sparkle returned to her violet eyes. “After I fainted, I was expecting to see Claude at my side when I woke up.”
“He was upset. I think he was afraid of flipping his switch around a crowd.”
“Niko was real sweet about the whole thing. I woke up crying, so he told me an ancient story from his clan about a little bird caught in a thunderstorm. He just kept talking until I calmed down. Now I feel awful about putting that pink shirt in his wardrobe.”
