“Why on earth did you agree to this?”
The baby began to cry at the harsh sound of her mother’s voice. Kathy picked her up and soothed her, all the while shooting eye darts.
“He was the one who trickedmeinto coming here. I didn’t want to come. He followed me to the beach like...like some kind of stalker.”
“Did he tell youwhyhe thinks he needs you?”
Zoe felt her blood go cold. Of course, there was a reason. She shook her head.
“He needs you to augment his powers because his cousin is threatening to kill him.” Kathy stood and paced back and forth over the hardwood floors with the baby bouncing at her waist. “Kyle’s into some very bad shit. Last time they dueled, Kyle almost won. Now the little twerp is claiming he found a perfect match.” Kathy stared daggers at Zoe. “Do you understand what this means? If Jack doesn’t find the same, he won’t survive. Last night’s sneaky blast was just a sampling of what Kyle will do.”
“So if I’m not his match, then he could die?” Cold shock crawled through her body.
Kathy nodded with a grim face. “My brother’s desperate and not in his right mind.”
Zoe frowned. She wondered about her own state of mind. How had she let him talk her into this? She should leave now, before things got any weirder. She didn’t owe these people anything. She glanced at the door and thought about making a beeline for it.
“Jack thinks you’re his match, but what do you think?” Kathy let out an exaggerated sigh.
Zoe blinked and licked her lips. Just the thought of the man made her toes curl and her skin tingle.
“You like him?” Kathy raised an eyebrow.
“There’s definitely something between us. Ever since he first touched me at Olivia’s shop–”
“Youwere there? My brother Josh said that some other healer saved Jack last night, not Olivia.”
“Yeah, that was me.”
“But you’re warring, not healing.” Kathy’s brows drew together sharply. “You can’t be both.”
“That’s what I keep hearing.” Zoe shrugged. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
“How’d you heal him?”
“I–” Zoe cringed. It sounded surreal to say it aloud. “I created this black and purple-dust-devil-thingy.”
“Whoa.” Kathy stepped away with fascination and a bit of fear in her eyes. “Vortex energy. I’ve heard bedtime stories, but no one’s ever seen it, let alone conjured it.”
“I don’t even know how I did it. Or even if I could do it again.”
Kathy paced, bounced, and then paced some more. She refused to make eye contact. Finally, she stopped and looked at Zoe. “I can try to help. I don’t know how much I can teach you in such a short time, but I can try.”
Zoe blinked in surprise. If Kathy was willing to train her, then things must be bad. “If Kyle’s as bad as you say he is, it’s not good for Jack.”
“No.” Kathy’s lips thinned. “It’s not good for any of us.”
Chapter 8
Three months prior
Zoe waited at Nan’s apartment door, her heart still thumping like crazy. Her best friend appeared in a simple black suit and silk shirt. The long white sleeves and neck scarf covered most of the tats. All of the pink hair stripes were gone, along with nose, eyebrow, and lip rings.
“Did someone die? You look so…different.” Zoe followed Nan into the small apartment, carrying a bag of their favorite Chinese takeout.
“Had a job interview today.”
“No way! You swore you’d never go legit.” Zoe gave Nan an awkward hug. More like a pat on the back, but it was a start.
