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Gideon shrugged. He looked as clueless as I felt.
“I don’t know,” I continued, “but the snakes were piled high and drowned the Yonas family. It was awful. I couldn’t do anything.”
We sat in silence. I had the feeling Gideon was wracking his brains for some clue. A snake demon or maybe some kind of river monster. While my visions were helpful at times, sometimes they could be downright frustrating. You’d think for as much life force as they cost me, I’d get a clearer sense of direction.
Gideon stood up suddenly. “I have to go,” he said. Tucking the notepad in his jean pocket, he stowed the pictures inside his jacket. “I have to look into this. Reach out to my contacts. Call me if you think of anything more.”
He strode to the door, pausing before opening it. I thought he was going to turn around and thank me or something. Maybe apologize again for ruining my night.
“Enjoy your date,” was all he said. And then he was gone.
Chapter Five
Not a moment later, Johnny and Steven breezed through the door to our apartment. In their arms were several brown paper bags worth of groceries, with bunches of greenery hanging over the tops. Johnny spotted me at the kitchen table and raised an eyebrow.
“Who was that just leaving?” He set down the bags and looked at the wine glass Gideon had abandoned. “Did someone have a date that I didn’t know about?”
“No, not a date.” I buried my head back in my hands. The throbbing in my temples had yet to subside. “He’s an SI agent. He thinks I had something to do with the Yonas family disappearing.”
Steven gasped. “But he’s so yummy. Why would he accuse you of that?”
I rolled my eyes at the table. Leave it to Steven to notice Gideon’s distractingly good looks.
“Because I made the mistake of reporting that vision I had last week. Apparently, it was the Yonas family that I saw. And now he thinks I can help him find them.”
I wasn’t quite sure if Gideon was convinced of my innocence yet. He was so guarded, I couldn’t get a good reading on him. Obviously, I was at least a person of suspicion. The way he stared at me told me that much.
“I heard about that down at the courthouse,” Johnny said. He pulled an eggplant from one of the bags and dropped it in the sink. “I guess they’re feeling pretty hopeless about the situation, so it’s no wonder they’re grasping at straws. The SI’s been questioning everyone and their dogs. No leads.”
“Yeah, that’s the impression I’m getting.”
I glanced at the clock. My blind date was supposed to be there in less than forty minutes.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to cancel.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Johnny said. He’d been watching me from the kitchen window. “I know that look and you’re not getting out of this date. Angel worked hard to set this up.”
I pushed out my bottom lip at him, but it had no effect. Johnny was tough as nails and twice as sharp. “I have another blind date for tomorrow. Isn’t one enough?”
“No, because if I have to hear you whine one more time about being single, I’m going to drive this corkscrew through my head.” Johnny pursed his lips at me and stepped out from behind the kitchen counter.
The air shimmered around his form, his human legs morphing into the hind legs of a horse. When I first met Johnny, I thought he was a centaur. I made the mistake once of calling him that – it’s a mistake I’ll never make again.
Johnny was a proud Seilenoi. Cousins of the fauns, they had a human upper body, and stood upright on a single pair of horse legs. In ancient Greek times, the Seilenoi were revered as guardians. Johnny certainly fit that mold.
“What’s the point? I’ll never find what you two have.”
I faked a glare at both of them and they smiled at each other. They’d been together for several years, way before I came into the picture. Steven was an elemental of the earth. He looked totally human, but had an innate connection to every organic and living creature. Even stray animals tended to follow him home. I used to joke with Johnny that he was just another stray animal that followed Stephen home.
One random night a while back, I’d asked Johnny why they didn’t get it over with and move in together. Kick me out. But he said their relationship was perfect the way it was – they both kept a little autonomy, and enjoyed the best parts of each other. I didn’t press him. After all, I didn’t want to lose my perfect roommate.
“Get your arse in gear,” Steven said, pointing a knife at me before slicing into the eggplant.
I reluctantly obeyed, dragging myself out of the chair and into my bedroom. If I was going to go on a blind date, I might as well make a little bit of effort. It’d be a great distraction from the horror of today’s events.
I pulled a black dress with a lacy back out of my closet. It was the kind of thing I usually bought on a whim, but never wore. Tonight, would be its maiden voyage. It paired great with my knee high boots and NARS Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl red.
Checking myself out in the full length mirror, I admired the way my muscular thighs peeked out from under the short dress. The tattoo outline of my wings barely showed through the intricate weaving of the lace back. I left my customary silver cross necklace on, which fell just above the neckline. It was a reminder of better times – times when I wasn’t constantly in fear for my life. Topping it off with a dangly pair of silver earrings, the outfit was complete.
