The more we talked, the more Lexi impressed me and the more I understood why she, of all people, caught my attention. There was more I couldn’t see—something or someone behind the curtains, I was sure—but Lexi was a fascinating creature. I couldn’t have chosen better, but there was a lot of herself she was keeping from me.
It was rare for me to form any kind of attachments, especially the mortal kind, but I had a habit of being generous with those few. My intervention was directly responsible for my friend Galileo’s lifetime house arrest in a day when heresy meant execution by the Church. I didn’t have the reservations of direct involvement my holier brothers had or I would be carrying the guilt of his death the way Michael did Joan of Arc’s.
After our second course, I was ready to move away from prying ears.
“Would you like dessert outside?” I asked her.
“I could use some air.” She stood, straightening her skirt. “It’s a bit stuffy in here.”
I snorted and led her to the patio doors, signaling the server as we passed the kitchen. “I think it’s just the staff.”
There was a slight chill on the breeze, but Lexi opened her arms to it, inhaling deeply. “So tell me, why did you pay them to close early?”
I leaned against the railing nearby. “On the off-chance there was another light show.” I felt more than saw Lexi whirl toward me. “Don’t get me wrong. I love fireworks and sprinklers as much as the next guy, but not everyone is ready to see what you can do when you get worked up.”
Lexi’s eyes were wide with panic and the candles on several patio tables lit up. I gave her my most reassuring smile and snapped my fingers, lighting the rest. Small things like that were easily masked by her power, but the more I used, the higher the potential for detection. I didn’t use it much unless I was hunting. The breath whooshed from her lungs, and she sat down hard in a chair.
“Why didn’t I feel you when we first met?” she asked. “Your presence, I mean. When we touched, I didn’t feel anything.”
Without exactly lying, I said, “I’m especially good at masking my presence. I don’t like to advertise what I am if I can help it.”
“Oh, it makes so much sense now.” Lexi pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “Why you never reacted to the weird stuff that happened at the shop or in my room. Youknew.” She looked up at me, narrowing her eyes. “You knew what I was the minute I walked in.”
I shook my head and took a seat beside her, waiting long enough for the server to come with dessert and leave. “I didn’t—still don’t, not exactly. And you don’t have to tell me, as much as I’d like to know. I felt your power before you ever walked into my shop.” I huffed a laugh. “You’re shit at concealing it.”
She tapped her lip with the spoon thoughtfully. “Hmm. I’ll have to work on my talismans the next time I’m home.”
“You mean the necklaces you wear?” I clarified.
“The bracelets, too. My mom helped me make them, but”—she hesitated, lowering her eyes—“I guess they’re not that great.”
I shook my head and smiled. “Honestly, they do take the edge off. I noticed it’s louder than normal tonight without them.”
“My magic is?” she asked, and I nodded. “I’m sorry. Does it bother you?”
“Just feels like I’m standing beside a super-powered electric fence.” I gestured at the plate. “Are you going to eat that?”
She spooned a bite into her mouth, closing her eyes and moaning in a way that made me hard almost instantly. “What the fuck did I just eat?”
“Cioccolato.” I frowned, confused at the conflict between her reaction and her words. “It’s a molten chocolate cake with vanilla bean gelato and chocolate sauce. Did you not like it?”
Lexi rolled her eyes, going for the second half. “No, I’ll just be trying to recreate this for the next month in between shifts, but in a bigger portion. Open up.”
She held the spoon to my mouth. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight, lips twitching in a challenge. I opened my mouth and took the bite. Our eyes locked and the candle flames wavered and grew. They had nothing to do with the heat building up around us, though.
“Do you want me to take you home?” I asked.
A slow grin stretched across her face. “No, take me to your place.”
I tipped the valet handsomely when he brought my car around. Lexi was about to see a place I never brought people, and I wasn’t nearly as concerned about that as I normally would’ve been. I lived in a small but expensive neighborhood just south of the college campus. My house—well, mansion, if I was being honest—had once been a condo, living spaces separated by the three floors once upon a time but easily converted back to the original design Apollo had intended.
She was the very first person I’d ever brought here, and oddly enough, I wanted her to be impressed.
Chapter 10
Lexi
There was no better way to describe how I felt than dumbfounded.
