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“We can’t do this.”
He gazed down at her, his dimple on full display. “You want me to stop?”
“No…but we must.”
He gazed into her eyes, the twinkle disappearing into seriousness. “Why must we stop, Zoey?”
His eyes held mysteries, and quite suddenly, she was tired. Tired of dodging questions and denying the attraction between them. Tired of telling lies and looking over her shoulder. Tired of being tired. Only one thing stopped her from tearing off the wig and pouring out her heart. If she let Tristan into her world, she was handing him a potential death sentence. And she didn’t want that for him. She didn’t want him to have to fight anxiety every day and pretend everything was all right.
“I can’t do this.” She pushed against his chest. To protect him, Lillian must disappear from his presence as fast as she’d entered it. “I’ll get my things and then we need to see your mom.”
“Zoey, wait.”
She ignored his plea, nearly tripping in her haste to get away.
ChapterTwenty
Tristan didn’t talk much on the car ride over, except when he reminded Lillian again not to put herself in danger. In all fairness, he tried to engage in small talk, but she avoided his gaze and gave him one-syllable answers until he quit trying. By the time they pulled up to his mom’s house, her throat burned with all she’d wanted to say but didn’t.
“What is your name, honey?” Brenda King said now, squinting at Lillian from her recliner, her hands curled around a pair of wire-framed glasses in her lap.
Lillian had figured Tristan’s mom might still be in bed, but Tristan had reassured her that wouldn’t be the case, and he was right.
He crouched beside his mom’s chair and captured her hands between his own, his voice taking on a gentle note. “Mom, this is Zoey Mills, remember? You met her yesterday when you were getting your tests.”
Brenda frowned and put on the glasses with trembling hands. She blinked at Lillian, her eye movements not quite normal. “I did?
“Yes, you said it felt like someone hugged you.”
“Oh, I remember now.” A wide smile broke through. “You’re Tristan’s girlfriend.”
“Just a friend,” Lillian rushed to say. She didn’t know whether she should be grateful she wasn’t Tristan’s girlfriend or disappointed. She was pretty sure she’d dreamt about him, and ever since she saw him this morning, she couldn’t stop thinking about the intimacy they’d shared and how it felt to be in his arms.
His sharp gaze caught hers before she could look away, and he grinned. “I’m working on that, Mom.”
Warmth flooded her cheeks, and she avoided his gaze by focusing on Brenda. Much as she wanted Tristan in her life, it was dangerous to allow herself to think it possible. The sooner she attempted the healing, the sooner she could get herself out of temptation’s way. She stepped forward. “Is it okay if I hold your hands like I did before?”
“All right.” Brenda’s expression didn’t change, making Lillian wonder if she had any idea what Lillian had asked or what was about to happen.
“Let me get you a chair, Zoey.” Tristan lifted a blue padded armchair from the dining room table and placed it behind Lillian. “Can I get you something to drink—coffee, tea?
She shook her head. “I’m good.”
He hovered over her, far too near.
“Why don’t you sit over there?” She tilted her head toward the dining room table. She needed Tristan nearby but not so close she couldn’t concentrate.
Tristan smiled because he understood exactly why she sent him away. “Of course.” But still he didn’t move, and despite herself, she found herself glancing up at him. His gaze locked on hers. “Remember what we talked about.”
She nodded, and warmth flooded her body. Of course, she remembered. He did not want her overusing her talent. As anxious as he was to see if Lillian could cure his mom, he didn’t want to put her own life at risk.
Once Tristan was seated, Lillian clasped Brenda’s hands, closed her eyes, and focused on the dark shape in her mind.Breathe in.Power inflated Lillian’s lungs, zipped through her veins, and poured into her central nervous system. She latched onto the light, and in seconds, a tiny spark of orange flame erupted between the two of them, shifting and multiplying.
Breathe out.The energy reversed direction, racing along her nerve endings, pulsing from Lillian’s fingertips into Brenda’s hands.
Breathe in.Lillian absorbed more of the energy in the room. Tristan’s energy.
Breathe out.The energy rushed from her fingertips, pulsing and glowing orange, covering the dark figure in her mind.
