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“Ansin?”
“Yes, Jeni.”
“I know you already do this, but can you keep an eye on things while I’m away?” Ansin pretended not to care, but I was no fool. He’d had this house wired, and I was sure he kept an eye on things remotely. Also, he was never far away. Like today. Some stranger showed up, and Ansin appeared. Not a coincidence.
“And who will keep an eye on you?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not worried about me.”
“That is a shame.” He left the room, leaving behind a sadness in the air. Maybe sadness wasn’t the right word. Disappointment.
A twitch of guilt niggled in my stomach until I remembered who I was dealing with: the man who’d killed King. A man who never gave up pursuing what he wanted.
So was Ansin truly done with me? If this woman could give him powerful children, would he really let me out of our deal?
CHAPTER FOUR
“Dad!” I hugged him tightly, noting how his doughy midsection had become more solid. “Oh, wow. You’ve really been working out.”
I stepped aside to let him in and closed the door.
“Well,” he flexed one arm, “turns out I’m a catch for ladies my age.”
He’d recently joined one of those new dating apps. Looked like he was enjoying it.
“Of course you are. I mean, just look at all that hair.” I laughed. He’d let his sandy blond hair grow out just past his ears. It made him look more relaxed, as opposed to his old crewcut.
“Now, where is that baby?” He rubbed his hands together greedily, his light brown eyes filled with grandfatherly affection.
“Napping, but don’t worry; he’ll be awake in about thirty minutes.” Just enough time for me to go over everything. Dad was a truck driver and worked a lot, but he’d still managed to stay the first few weeks after Draco was born. After that, he made hauls to Miami whenever he got the chance and stayed the night, but a baby-refresher was always a good idea. Draco was growing up so fast.
“Good, because I wanted to talk to you about something, Jeni.”
“Sure.”
“Since that King fellow died, you’ve been very…”
“What?” I prodded.
“Different.”
I inhaled slowly. He wasn’t wrong.
“And I’m not just talking about the baby, honey. It’s more than that.”
I bobbed my head slowly. “Well, I witnessed a horrific murder and then was told I’m the reincarnation of a Seer named Hagne, who apparently thought it was hunky-dory to go around stabbing pregnant women and babies.” I shrugged. “So yeah, you could say I feel different.”
My dad knew all about King, Ansin, and the Seers. He knew why I’d chosen to live five hundred miles away in Ansin’s fortress, too.
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Honey, you know you could never do something like that. Doesn’t matter what those witches say.”
“They’re not witches.” I really didn’t know what Seers were. “They don’t run around casting spells and flying on brooms.”
“Didn’t you say they place curses on people. Like King.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I guess they kind of are witches.”
“Well, it’s like I said before. I don’t like what they’re about. I wouldn’t trust them.” He knew they were after power and intended to change the world with it.
“Me neither.” I especially didn’t like that they’d been so quiet lately. They were up to something—I could feel it—which was why I was tempted to visit them. With only one exception that I knew of, Seers never truly died. They were bound to the earth. So when their physical bodies expired, their souls went to this other plane of existence. Unfortunately, without my Seer power, I couldn’t get there.
“Jeni,” Dad said, “whatever happened in the past is the past. You can’t blame yourself for something you don’t remember. Hell, you weren’t even born yet.”
“I know.”
“But is that all that’s been bothering you?” he asked. “I feel like something else is going on.”
“No,” I lied. “Why do you think that?”
“You don’t laugh anymore. You don’t talk about the future or going back to school. You’re a much more serious version of the Jeni I used to know.”
I shrugged. “I’m just tired is all.”
“All right, but you know you can tell me anything.”
I did know. But until I understood what was causing my headaches, it was best not to say anything.
“Everything’s fine, Dad. Nothing to worry about.”
I kissed Draco’s fat little cheeks a million times before leaving the house. But from the way he kept reaching for his grandpa, I suspected Draco was ready to take a break from me. Couldn’t blame him because Dad was right; I’d been giving off the heavy vibes lately.
I got into my Suburban, “the tank,” and hit the road. Ansin had purchased the SUV for me and insisted I drive it. My hunch was that he’d lifted it off some drug dealer or statesman or something because the windows had bulletproof glass, and the doors were heavier than hell. It even came with an extra-large fuel tank and two spare car batteries. For what? I didn’t know.
