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for me, either. For Helen, as well. A thought seemed to clear the shadows from Bale s eyes. Does this mean that you and Skylar have discussed conceiving already? No. Bale grinned. Duse suddenly looked exactly like their sulky younger brother. You should, you know, Duse. This is all new to her. And you need to tell her about the aging process and the elixir as well, he said softly. Duse opened his mouth to respond when someone knocked at the door. Duse barked out an order for entrance, and Ainge stuck his head in the room. Duse, King Bale, he said briefly, giving a slight bow to both men. His dark eyes swept the large office. I didn t think she was in here. Duse tensed. Skylar? Where is she? he asked. His anxiety built when he tried to sense her location, something that should have been easy for him. But he couldn t. Other than the fact that he knew she wasn t here in the penthouse, he couldn t tell where she was. Fear slowly began to build in him. Ainge shrugged helplessly. I don t know. That s why I was looking. She and Jax and Ravi went to the nursery early this afternoon. I assumed they were still there, but Sally Generis, the manager, just called here to ask Skylar a question. She said Skylar and Jax left the nursery over an hour and a half ago. 102 Subtle Magic Bale rose to his feet to face Duse, who had already stood. Calm down, Duse. They probably just stopped by the store or something on the way home. No, Duse said harshly. I can t sense her. Your fear is blocking your ability. Calm yourself. Duse did as his brother commanded. He closed his eyes, shutting out Ainge s concerned expression and Bale s impassive one. He reached out to Skylar with his mind. A feeling of relief hit him when he realized he could faintly sense her vibrant presence. Yet, the connection was unnaturally weakened. He tried to communicate with her, but couldn t. He got a brief image of Ravi sitting contently while Skylar petted him. At least Ravi wasn t upset, which meant that Skylar likely was probably calm, as well. She s by the lake. She and Jax must have taken Ravi for a walk without telling anyone, Duse said grimly. He hadn t actually seen Lake Michigan, but deductively, given his shortcomings when it came to large bodies of water, and the brief image he had received, it was the obvious conclusion. Still, his bond was so strong with Skylar, he should have been able to sense her much better than this. Ainge, you take Oak Street going north, and I ll take North Avenue going south. Skylar s sitting somewhere, or at least she is as of this moment, Duse ordered tersely. Can you sense that something s wrong? Bale asked intently. No. She s okay. It s just that& Duse trailed off, unable to put into words his feelings of unease. I m trying to communicate with Jax, but I can t. Can you, Bale? Perhaps that was from where his feelings of unrest were originating. Although Duse was not strong in water, Jax was very strong. He should have been able to pick up on Duse s weak attempts to contact him. No, I can t either, Bale said after a moment, a little surprised. Bale was strong in air, like Duse, but his other talents were evenly distributed among water, fire and earth. In addition, both he and Duse typically had a strong telepathic connection with their younger brother. Duse s mouth hardened when reality hit him. Jax has shielded them, he said incredulously. Bale s face still gave nothing away, not wanting to prejudice or defend either brother s actions. I m coming with you. * * * * * Jax mentally checked the shield that he d put in place to guard him from Rolland Ockley. He felt gratified when it was still present, seemingly as strong as it was when he d set it since Skylar had asked him to go to her nursery with her. His visit with Batos had offered Jax hope, something Jax had completely lost on the day that Duse had marked Skylar with his sigil and he d realized the depth of his stupidity and dishonor. Maybe Duse should come and play chess with these guys, Skylar said as she nodded toward the chess pavilion just south of North Avenue Beach. She, Jax and Ravi 103 Beth Kery were sitting nearby the structure that housed curved benches and tables that included black and white chess sets. Four pairs of players were competing presently. Three of them were regulars that Skylar noticed frequently on her walks with Duse. Today, she especially liked the match-up between the fourteen- or fifteen-year-old Goth girl and the ancient, shrunken black man who chewed incessantly on his unlit cigar, slowly causing it to disappear. Duse can beat me in like& eight moves, Skylar said with a laugh. In truth, their chess matches usually lasted longer than that, but that was just because she suspected Duse was humoring her. Jax gave her a rare smile. It faded slightly when she returned it so generously. His love for her was only growing painfully every moment that he spent with her. Gratification filled him when he saw how natural she seemed to feel around him once he d finally reached out to her. He d been a little worried that she d been completely alienated from him when she d walked in while he and Jana were making love. He hoped that she didn t have a clue how incendiary that bit of information would be to Duse if she ever happened to mention it to him. He d been avoiding her purposefully, knowing nothing good could come of it. By now, Jax knew how selfish his betrayal had been. It had been for his own benefit, not Skylar s. She was obviously very happy being Duse s mate. His restless energy and desperate need for her had distilled to a painfully sharp feeling of loss and heartache. Devon would never be his, not in this place, not in this time. The only way that he could serve her would be by protecting her from his asinine mistake. That s not too surprising. None of us can beat Duse at chess, not even Bale. Uncle Paim taught him, and he s the only one who can still beat him. Really? Skylar asked with wide eyes. Yep, Jax said. Skylar liked the way his normally cool eyes warmed when he looked at her. I imagine they re about even at this point. Tell me more about you, Jax. Jax was surprised out of his usual cool withdrawal by her question. What do you want to know? Well, Bale is the Watcher leader, right? And Duse is a leader, too, and he s a scientist, as well. What s your specialty? Skylar asked. She liked talking to Duse s younger brother. Jax had some of the impenetrable calm of Duse and Bale, but there was also a strange blend of confidence and cocksureness about him that contrasted with a vulnerability that called out to Skylar. His hair was long, untamed and as glossy as a raven s wing. His jaw was often shadowed with whiskers. He was indescribably beautiful in a savage, exotic way. She thought she might even have some memories of him, but they were brief& elusive. Jax shrugged his broad shoulders. I hate to disappoint you, Skylar, but I don t think I have one. 104 Subtle Magic Sure you do. Everybody s got something they re good at. She realized her casual topic of conversation was likely a mistake, however, when Jax didn t speak for several moments. When you have brothers like Bale and Duse, it can be kind of hard to compete, Jax finally said quietly. Skylar let out her breath slowly. She hadn t meant to touch on such a vulnerable chord, but now that she had, she couldn t just leave it. Yeah, I can see what you mean. But do you have to compete with them? Isn t there anything you enjoy doing despite whether or not your brothers do it or excel at it? He frowned. I have what a human might call the money talents. She raised her eyebrows in question. I have the ability to sense things that are hidden, both in the subtle world and the material. I m able to locate water far beneath the earth, so I can tell companies where to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |