61
LEVIATHAN
Heat. That was all I could think of. The heat of her lips, the heat of her body pressed into mine, the warmth of my skin as blood rushed through my body. When she kissed me, all I could think of was having her right then and there. It had been like being cast under a spell, and I’d allowed myself to be bewitched in a moment of weakness.
Angry at myself, as well as her, I sprinted down the street to the rental house, wishing I could turn back time if I ran really fast. When I got back, I found three women waiting outside. Had I been in human form, they would have seen me rolling my eyes in irritation. Right now, there were more important things at stake than finding Naphele’s reincarnation. Especially when, if June was right, Naphele hadyetto come back due to her murder being unsolved. This was pointless, and a waste of time for meandthese women.
Though, I was a gentleman and didn’t want to wear out my welcome in town. After shifting, I brought each of the women inside and spoke to each of them for fifteen minutes. Of course there was no connection, no spark, not even a whiff of them being my mate. The only good thing that came of the wastedhour was that it helped get my mind off June and what had happened in the store.
By the afternoon, I’d calmed down enough that when she sent me a text, I wasn’t stressed looking at it.
June:Levi, I’m sorry for today. It wasn’t me. I had another vision. I really hope you can believe that.
Staring at the message, I thought back on what had happened. The glazed look that had come over her eyes. How she’d moved almost like a zombie, until that last second when her hands had snapped out and pulled me in close. Shehadacted strange. If she was right, then she hadn’t kissed me as some sort of cruel joke, but because her mind had been taken over by visions of Naphele.
Sighing, I tapped out a message to her, my thumbs clumsy as I continued to get used to the device.
Levi:I understand. We’re good. No worries.
Once I hit send, I wondered if that sounded too cold, then added another message.
Levi:Can we try to work on the case tomorrow? You said you had a vision. We could talk about that and maybe see if you can have another. Did today’s vision have anything to do with Naphele’s death?
As I waited for her response, I looked out the window at Idlewild. How strange it looked compared to when I lived here. So much had changed, yet so much had remained the same.
June:We can. I need to tell you something first. Anders knows about the sight. I told him. He needs to know exactly what’s going on. I hope that’s okay.
I blinked at the message in confusion. What did she mean? Hadn’t shealreadytold him that? Wouldn’t she have told her paired mate that she had this gift? If she hadn’t, did that mean she didn’t truly trust him? I pushed those thoughts away.
Levi:I get it. That’s fine. How did he take it? Is he good?
June:He is, but he wants to be involved. I’m not sure if he wants that because he actually wants to solve a murder that happened a hundred years ago or if he wants to keep an eye on you and me. Either way, it is what it is, and I hope you can respect that.
Levi:I can.
Could I, though? I’d have to. Having June’s help might be my only way to find out what happened to Naphele. I ran my hand across my face, scrubbing at the stubble on my cheeks and then added another message.
Levi:So, we can meet tomorrow? See if we can get another vision to happen?
June:Sure. Meet at the store? Around noon?
Levi:I’ll be there. Bye.
I addedthat last bit because I couldn’t do more emotionally. This method of conversation was exhausting. How did I know what she was thinking or feeling if I couldn’t see her body language or hear her tone of voice? This modern world was difficult to get used to. Though, there weresomebenefits, I decided, as I slowly traversed the internet to order myself a pizza delivery for dinner.
When I walkedinto the store the next day, I did so with as much confidence and outward calm as I could muster. The moment I laid eyes on Anders, however, that vanished.
“Howdy,” the other man said, tilting his chin up in a greeting nod. “Glad you could join us for the…seance, or whatever.”
“It’s not a seance,” June said, swatting his shoulder. I didn’t like how casual they were together. Hated it, in fact.
“How are we doing this?” I said, approaching the counter.
“A man who gets right to business,” Anders said with a smile. “I like that.”
June glanced from Anders to me. “I thought we’d use the storeroom. My grandparents are out to lunch. We should have an hour before they get back.”
As she spoke, my eyes drifted down to see that the necklace I’d given her was missing. Out of nowhere, I experienced a hollow pit opening in my stomach. Something about that gave the impression of another tie between us being undone. That intense moment we’d had, the kiss, and how excited it had made me faded to memory. Now all I felt was sadness and loss.
