Nix doesn’t like the sound of that.The one?
“He has a worthy Time Affinity? You’re certain?” The man cannot hide his eagerness.
“He does, sir. Precognition off the charts, and the transcripts from my surveillance show he’s holding back on something big. Even today, his…mate”—she grimaces at the word like it leaves a bad taste in her mouth—“hispartnerprevented him from speaking of it. They’re hiding something significant, sir.”
“My Pre-cog is not ‘off the charts,’” Grayson whispers, always so humble, but this time it’s the truth. Grayson’s precognition is often just seconds.
Maybe it had been so obvious to her that Grayson was holding back his access to The Plain that she assumed he was hiding something bigger than he really was. Itwasbig—to Grayson and to Nix—but not in the way she must think.
“You got him to break?”
“Yes, sir, and it was miraculous. I could feel the pure power.”
“That is not your Talent, Ms. Kirwan. Your ability to detect Time Affinities is limited to location, not strength.”
She flinches again, and her shoulders droop. It’s like his disparaging remark is an old wound she’s had poked a hundred times before.
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry. I haven’t forgotten. What I meant to say is that, given my vast amount of experience in locating Time Affinities, I can tell he’s different. And he can draw on it in a single instant.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Until today, he’s been subverting my experiment, lying to my face. As far as I can tell, he doesn’t do it with his other instructors. They’re fools, bragging about his talents as if they were theirs. Even Headmaster Percival won’t stop boasting about how he stole such a treasure out from under the Florida Guild’s nose.”
Grayson groans as his cheeks flood with heat. “I’m not a fucking treasure.”
Dahlia continues, building up steam and pacing the floor. Her eyes glow with a zealous fire. “But none of them see it. They keep him tied up in children’s classes, finding rocks and making weather when he could be at the Academy. They don’t know that he’s dest—”
The man hisses in a gasp before barking, “Ms. Kirwan! That’s enough. You speak of things beyond you.”
She gasps, sinking into the couch as a glow on her chest becomes visible beneath her nightgown, flaring red-hot. Her head lolls back, jaw clenched, the phone trembling in her grip.
Unmoved by her whimpers, the man keeps speaking. “We will take your report under advisement. The Oracle says that the threads are weaving around Nashville, so you may very well be useful yet.”
She holds the phone to her ear again. “How should I continue? I need to be of service to the Ob—” She stops abruptly, catching herself in time.
The horribly familiar scent of burning flesh wafts across the room, and his stomach turns over. His grip on Grayson’s hand tightens.
“I should also mention…” Her voice trails away before her breathing picks up. “His pack saw me earlier…at their home.”
There’s a dead silence on the other end of the phone.
“I beg your pardon? I thought you said you approached the subject at his home. A Were’s pack dwelling. Without our consent.”
Dahlia must realize how serious an error her visit to the compound had been. Her eyes fly open wide in surprise and fear. “Sir, I felt the foci break, and I thought if I could just speak with him in person. About how important our goals are. That it is his destiny to—”
When her nightgown glows even brighter red, and she begins to scream, she drops her phone, clutching the five-inch circle where her nightgown just melts away. It doesn’t spread beyond the red-hot glowing brand of a spider in the center of her chest.
Jumping back, Nix accidentally drops Grayson’s hand. Memories of the same agony and impotence force black spots in front of Nix’s eyes, and he realizes he’s been holding his breath.
Together, they tumble back through space and time.
He slams back into his body. Shoving Finn aside, Nix throws up over the side of the nest.
“Nix! Fuck!” Jamie jolts awake, arms locking around his waist to keep him steady as he heaves bile.
“We Traveled to Professor Kirwan’s,” Grayson whispers, before he, too, escapes to the restroom, slamming the door. Sounds of retching make Nix gag again.
“What the fuck happened?” Gideon asks from the doorway. He and Leo are on child duty, and the noise must have brought him running.
