“Like what? I could get up and walk out of here.”
“But you won’t. You want to hear what I have to say. Sometimes choice is an illusion.”
I reached for my seltzer. Remi felt old, and there was something profoundly detached about him that gave me the creeps. He seemed like a sensible, polite guy, but I’d never met anyone so emotionally distant. The vacant look in his eyes and even the unnatural way he moved made it easy to imagine what sitting with a god would feel like—absolutely terrifying.
The top buttons on his black silk shirt were undone, as if he wanted the world to see his tattoo.
I set down my glass. “So if my choice doesn’t ever change, what does?”
“That’s an interesting question. Accidents happen. Serendipity. Is that how you wound up with this organization?”
“That’s how I wound up in this world. My entire life is one big accident. So… do you read palms? I have questions about a case I’m working.”
“Just to be clear, I can’t elaborate on my abilities, but we were once trusted advisers to kings. I can understand the outcome of a situation.”
I scratched an itch on my head. “Have you ever played the lottery?”
“Money should be earned.”
So much for a sense of humor.“Someone gave me a list of names and thinks there might be a connection between their deaths. Most of them are unexplained, they’re all Shifters, and we even have some kids. Can you tell me how they died?” I reached in my jeans pocket to pull out the paper.
Remi waved the paper away. “No need. It doesn’t work that way, Raven. I can’t reveal details.”
“And why not?” I asked, trying to quell my anger.
“Too much knowledge can alter the outcome. I already see the path, but if I give you too much, it’ll change. And I’m not certain which new path will open up.”
“Doesn’t speaking to you change things?”
“The future I sense is without the influence of my reading. That’s why I’m careful about details that could affect the outcome. I don’t see everything, Raven. There is too much to know, and choices are constantly altering the landscape. But I know enough. I know that you are thinking about quitting, and that’s why we’re here.”
I leaned forward and looked at my drink. He didn’t seem to know when to stop staring, and it was unnerving.
“Crossbreeds aren’t accepted,” he said, shifting topics, “but there are more out there than you think. Some have both gifts, some have neither. And some keep very special secrets. You seem caught between two worlds.”
I slowly looked up, my body tense. “Did Christian tell you about me?”
“No, Raven. I see you. And you walk between light and dark. Your past is haunting you.”
I shot up to pour myself a glass of tequila. “I didn’t come here to lie on your therapy couch.” I knocked back the drink and felt my irritation dissipate. “What do you need to know about my case that will help? I’ve got all these new distractions. This job has opened up a lot of closets, and skeletons are falling all over the place.” I returned to my seat and met his gaze. “Am I on a wild-goose chase? Should I quit and take something else?”
“You can always drop the case. That’s not what you want to know.”
“Are the deaths connected?”
Remi leaned forward and mirrored my position. “It’s quite a conundrum. These distractions you mentioned—what would be the outcome had you given up right away? You can’t walk a path without making footprints. And yet you seem more concerned about what’s happening behind you than ahead. Does that make sense?”
“It kind of does actually. I live with someone who talks like you. But you see, bears and wolves are chasing me down the path. Literally. We’re inadvertently pissing off a few people, and I just don’t know if it’s worth it. Obviously the woman and girl were worth it, but isn’t there anything you can tell me? Something that’ll speed things along? I don’t want to keep working on this if it leads nowhere and ruins our reputation. Is the path a dead end?”
Remi’s hair slid forward, but he kept those stony eyes on mine. “I have conflicting feelings about your future. There’s so much darkness in your past that it threatens to put out your light. I don’t mean your Mage light, but the humanity that still dwells within you.”
“Immortals think humanity is a weakness.”
“Emotions are a weakness. Humanity is something else entirely. It’s what keeps us from becoming monsters.”
“Maybe it’s too late for some of us.”
He flicked a glance at the door and sat back. “Your love will be tested.”
