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I took a deep breath as I processed Marie’s words. “Okay, so how do I meet him? Where is he?”
“He’ll come to you. His name is Ryan Wisters. I just wanted to wait until I spoke to you before telling him where you were. Have you seen any sign of your father?”
“No, and it’s driving me crazy. I don’t know what he’s waiting for.”
“I didn’t think you would have. Ryan has the ability to track vardogers, and it’s what makes him so valuable. Once I told him what happened, he started to track your father but he doesn’t seem to be headed towards you.”
Hope bloomed inside of me at the thought that there was another seer willing to help me. A powerful seer that could help me defeat my father. Marie told me that Ryan would arrive by this evening and gave me his phone number. Everyone looked at me expectantly when I hung up the phone.
“There’s a seer who’s willing to help us. A powerful one that can track vardogers. He’ll be here tonight.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows. “It’s a guy?”
“Yeah, I thought the same thing, but apparently not all seers are female.”
Simon was frowning but he didn’t speak while I continued to share what Marie had told me. “Apparently, a lot of seers are afraid to help me because of my father. But this seer, Ryan Wisters, is willing to help. Marie thinks he’s going to be pivotal in not only defeating my father and other vardogers, but seers who have become traitors.”
“And we’re just supposed to trust him, sight unseen?” Simon’s tone was caustic and he looked on edge. I was surprised when Grant chimed in to agree with Simon.
“He could be sent by your father,” Grant said. “How do we know this isn’t some sort of trick?”
“We don’t, but we have as much reason to trust him as to not trust him. You said yourself that we have no plan. Maybe he can help us. It’s better than waiting here like sitting ducks.”
“Caitlin’s right,” Sarah interjected. “We can’t do this alone. We need help.”
Grant just sighed and didn’t voice any further objections, but Simon continued to watch me with an unreadable expression.
“What if you’re wrong? What if we trust this seer, only to be betrayed?” There was underlying steel in Simon’s voice, belying the calmness of his tone.
“Let’s just wait until we meet him,” I said. “We’ll have a better idea once we actually have a chance to meet him in person.”
The rest of the day was tense as we waited for Ryan. Simon’s mood worsened as the hours went by, while mine lifted. Waiting for Ryan was better than waiting for my father to attack, and it gave me a sense of purpose. We were doing more than just waiting to react.
It was late when the doorbell rang. We all jumped at the sound and Simon immediately walked over to answer it, although I was close behind him. He turned around before opening the door.
“We can’t blindly trust this guy. He has to earn our trust. We have to be careful with how much we tell him.” Simon’s words were directed towards all of us, but he was looking straight at me. I felt irritation rise at the tone of his voice, like I was some child to be lectured, but I tamped it down and instead just nodded at him.
I was surprised by how young Ryan was when Simon opened the door. He didn’t look much older than his mid-to-late twenties, and his height rivaled Simon’s. His sandy brown hair was cut short and his hazel eyes looked intelligent as they narrowed in on Simon and me standing before him. I was startled to feel a thrill of awareness from his gaze. He was attractive, but it was more than that. I felt an instant connection, and I wondered if it was because we were both seers.
“You must be Simon and Caitlin. I’m Ryan Wisters.” His voice was deep, and the timbre of it was pleasant. I tried to hide my reaction. The last thing I needed was for Simon to get jealous.
Simon just stared at him without answering, his gaze hard, so I answered for the both of us. “We are. Thanks for coming here to meet us. Come in.”
I moved back to allow him to enter, and I was relieved when Simon didn’t stop him from stepping into the apartment. Sarah and Grant were standing by the couch, staring at the scene as if they were watching a fascinating movie.
“Marie told us a little about you, Ryan,” I said, trying to ease the tension. “How much has she told you about our situation?”
“She told me everything that happened with your father.” Despite Ryan answering my question, he was staring at Simon. “So you’re the vardoger?”
Simon’s lips thinned but he nodded stiffly.
“Amazing.” Ryan studied Simon as if he were a fascinating specimen. “I can usually sense vardogers, even from a distance. It’s what makes me able to track them. But I can barely feel your energy. Are you purposely trying to mask it?”
“No,” Simon bit out. I could feel his impatience rising with Ryan’s questions, so I interjected.
“Why don’t we all sit down,” I suggested. “We have a lot to discuss.”
I gestured for Ryan to sit down on the couch and sat across from him in the recliner as Simon settled onto the armrest. Ryan looked surprised when Grant and Sarah sat down on the couch as well, and I belatedly introduced them to Ryan.
