He knew it was those natural chemicals flowing through his blood that gave him the strange sense of connection. It wasn’t real—but it felt fantastic.
Deep inside him, a little voice tried to remind him that the feeling was strangely similar to that subtle knowing he had when he was working, but he shook it off. This endorphin-high sense of connection was nothing like that other feeling.
He had learned early on not to think too much about the other feeling, and never to talk about it. He’d been sixteen when the world had suddenly seemed to come alive. When he’d seen a hazy movement in everything, strange auras and tumbling halos. When he’d realized that he could tell if someone was sick just by looking at them.
He’d been so stunned that he had opened his mouth and told a teacher that she should see a doctor. Of course, he was promptly sent to the principal for his efforts. Sitting there alone on that cold bench, waiting for his punishment, he’d realized that what he’d thought he’d seen was impossible. Worse, it was the furthest thing from being normal—the furthest thing from fitting in—that he could imagine. And he had spent his entire childhood working hard to fit in.
He had amazing adoptive parents. They had made him feel wanted and loved every day since they’d brought him home. They had often told him the story of how they had fallen instantly in love with him and couldn’t imagine a world without him. How precious he was to them.
But risking that they might change their minds wasn’t a chance he was prepared to take. He’d been given up once, and he was determined never to be given up again. Certainly not over claims that he could never support. Claims that made him seem deranged.
Logically, he knew that his birth parents had clearly had their own difficulties. But buried deep in his heart, in his blackest moments, he couldn’t help wondering if it was him, something about him, that had been the problem all along. Because the truth was, he knew he was different.
Sitting there, waiting for the principal, he’d realized that if he wanted to be normal, if he wanted to fit in, he had to shut down that strange sense of knowing. Shut it down and never speak of it again.
So, he’d pushed it all away. He’d ignored the strange auras and closed his eyes to things he couldn’t possibly know, until those unhelpful, almost certainly delusional, fantasies faded. He didn’t talk about it. He didn’t even think about it. And if he had a particular sense for where someone might be hurt and a natural aptitude for helping patients recover, that was just years of training and practice.
Ithadbeen better that way. He’d had a perfect, normal life. A life with friends and a future. He’d been happy. Right up until he’d realized that his carefully ordered life couldn’t protect him from other people’s lies and betrayal. Until he’d realized that trusting himself was one thing, trusting other people was entirely more dangerous. That was when he’d learned that he was better off alone anyway. That it didn’t matter what he thought he saw or felt if he didn’t get close to anyone who could hurt him.
But he wasn’t thinking about any of that today. Not with the open sky above him and the warmth pulsing off the rockface in front of him. The falcons were calling, and his muscles burned with effort. He was exactly where he wanted to be.
ChapterThree
Kay lookedout at the dark skies and heavy clouds, and worried about Elizabeth. Misty rain surrounded the Circle House in a sea of gray, adding to her sense of isolation.
The plush Highgate house was massive. Years of Seers’ visions informing careful investments had funded its basement-level dojo and training rooms, indoor pool, and three floors of elegantly furnished living areas. It was like staying in an expensive hotel every day. But even before she visited Elizabeth, she’d been feeling stagnant. As if nothing ever really changed.
She’d thought it would be difficult to avoid the others. David had welcomed her into his Circle. He’d guided and mentored her, and she respected him. More than that, she liked him. Despite Elizabeth’s antipathy, he was far more of a father figure to her than her own had ever been. She didn’t want to look him in the eye while knowing she was keeping a secret that, as Custodian, he really should know. And Zach and James were usually her training partners as well as her closest friends—the brothers she’d been promised all those years ago.
But they’d all been busy without her, and it was surprisingly easy to keep to herself. In fact, it was slowly occurring to her that it had been some time since she’d spent any real time with either James or Zach. They’d all become wrapped up in their different responsibilities and separate lives despite their shared duties. She missed her friends, and it added to the feeling of restlessness that had plagued her all week.
But now, thank God, her work was finally done, and she was looking forward to Friday evening pizza with her friends.
Kay made her way into the entertainment room with its massive dove-gray sofas, vibrant art in shades of red and orange, and long wall of glass doors that gave a glorious view of the manicured back gardens.
James was sprawled out over the sofa beside Riley, their new resident Healer. He had the remote control already in his hand, his bare feet balanced on the low table in front of him as they bickered about what to watch. Riley looked comfortable in yoga pants and a soft T-shirt, her thick auburn curls loose down her back.
Zach sat a few feet away with his laptop balanced precariously on his knees, scowling at something on the screen. Unlike the others, he was still wearing his usual charcoal gray suit and a crisp white button-down. He’d draped his jacket over the back of his chair and rolled up the sleeves as he worked.
Damn, it was nice to see other humans.
“Kay!” James looked up and grinned. “Where’ve you been all week?”
She smiled down at him. “Working…. You know, that thing you never do.”
James chuckled as Zach grunted beside him. Somehow James always managed to cruise through his life on natural ability and charm.
“Speaking of which, is David joining us?”
“No. He had something else planned,” Zach muttered, staring at his screen.
“You okay, Zach?” Kay asked, throwing scatter cushions to the side to make a space to sit.
“Yeah… I’m just… there.” He clicked something and then folded down the screen and shifted his laptop onto the coffee table. “Bloody hell, I need a weekend,” he muttered.
She was about to agree when her phone buzzed. She glanced down to see a text from Elizabeth.Kayleigh, I’ve had another vision. Can you call? Love Gran x
She waved at the others apologetically and stepped out of the room to call Elizabeth. “Hey, Gran. What’s up?”
