A Whisker's Breadth, page 8
“By yourself, or with someone else?”
Reg thought about it. “I’ve been swimming with boys.”
Corvin shrugged. He scratched his beard. “Maybe there is something special about the water here. Or you weren’t old enough for it to have kicked in yet.”
Reg stared through the windshield at the boats, festooned with lights, moving into and out of the marina.
“Or it could be that meeting your mother triggered something. A genetic memory or on-switch.”
“You were kind of out of it at the time. But she told me that this would be my territory. To stay away from her waters.”
“Competition can trigger different behavioral patterns. Some species even change sexes if the opposite sex is in short supply.”
“Well, I hope that isn’t going to happen.”
Corvin allowed a small smile. “I haven’t heard of that happening with humans or sirens.”
“But who knows what else might be in the mix.”
Corvin opened his mouth, then closed it. Reg rubbed her forehead. It was throbbing with pain.
“I’m sorry…” she told Corvin. “If that’s worth anything.”
“Of course. I know this wasn’t something you planned out. I was the one who brought you to the marina. And I do understand something of… instinctual behaviors.”
So there they were. Was Reg a natural predator like Corvin? It was something she could never have imagined. She wasn’t the kind of person who enjoyed hurting others. She’d always been the one to stand up against bullies, even though they were hurting someone else and she was putting herself in the line of fire. She could just never countenance it.
Even watching herself as Reg had, she couldn’t believe that had actually been her. Was she losing her mind? Maybe it was all just a bad dream.
When was she going to wake up and find that everything had gone back to normal?
“I think… maybe I should go to bed.” She covered her face, trying to hold herself together.
Corvin put his hand on her shoulder. “Reg… it will be okay.”
“It will be okay? I’m falling apart. I’m losing my mind. I can’t control my own behavior. That’s not okay! That’s never going to be okay!”
“I know you’re upset. You have every right to be. But this isn’t the end. It’s just… a bump in the road.”
“You could be drowned on the bottom of the ocean! How can you say that?”
“Because… I know how it is to be different. And because I’m not drowned on the bottom of the ocean. You didn’t do that. You might have wanted to do that, but you didn’t.”
“Only because you pulled away.”
“No.” Corvin shook his head. “You could have incapacitated me, but you didn’t.”
“I don’t know how to do that. Whatever it was Norma Jean did to enchant you.”
“Maybe not yet. But you have stopped me before, blocked me using magic, not your physical body. And you could have snapped my neck or choked me out. You chose not to do that.”
“How do you know that?” She’d had her arm over his artery. The one that would feed oxygen to his brain. She’d known on an instinctive level that if she’d cut off that blood flow, he would not have been able to fight her any longer.
“I know,” Corvin said softly. “And I know that you were telling me to get out of the water. That you said you didn’t want to hurt me.”
“But then I… I still would have.”
“This is the first time that you’ve had to fight this instinct, and you were able to do it. Next time it will be easier.”
“Is that how it is for you? It’s easier when you resist?”
He looked away from her. His answer was clear. Reg’s heart felt like it was being squeezed. She tried desperately not to let the hot tears escape her eyes.
“Please take me home.”
Normally he would have teased her, told her he’d be happy to take her home. He would have made it a joke and an invitation and tried to work his way past her defenses.
But he didn’t.
He put his key in the ignition and backed the car out of the parking spot.
Chapter Sixteen
Corvin drove her back to the cottage. There was no teasing, no attempt to charm her. She would normally have been ecstatic that he wasn’t trying to use his charms on her, but it threw her off balance.
Was he no longer interested? Was he repulsed by what he had seen her do? Or was he tired after the struggle and didn’t have the energy to charm her? She didn’t know how to take it.
When they reached the house, he seemed more his normal self. He walked around the car to open the door for her and, when she opened it without waiting for his help, he still took her by the arm to escort her back to the cottage.
“You dare to touch me after that?” Reg demanded.
His fingers slid away from her and he studied her. She could feel his wariness, his uncertainty whether to still consider her a threat. Away from the water, was she back to her normal self? Or, once awakened, would she continue to see him as prey?
Reg wouldn’t mind knowing that herself.
“Let me help you, Regina.” His tone was smooth and silky, like it always was when he was trying to seduce her. He was good at hiding what he was feeling. Without her psychic powers, she probably wouldn’t have been able to tell.
What would happen if he tried to take her powers now? Were her siren instincts something that he could take? He’d suggested that he could once before, but Reg wasn’t sure it was true. He’d just wanted an opening. What she had felt hadn’t been the same as any of the gifts that she had. It wasn’t something that she could wield and control. It was something that had controlled her.
“If you tried to take it, would you become a siren?” Reg asked, as they walked slowly down the dimly-lighted path. “There aren’t any male sirens, are there?”
“Well, there are, yes. Very rare though, which is why the bloodlines are getting thin.”
“So would you become a siren?”
“No.” Corvin shook his head, frowning. “I couldn’t become another species.”
“So you couldn’t take… whatever. The part of me that is a siren. Right?”
They stopped at Reg’s doorstep. Corvin faced her, holding both of her arms gently, her sleeves protecting her from skin-to-skin contact.
“You will always be part siren. Neither of us can change that. But I may be able to… dampen some of those abilities. The ability to ensorcel a man… maybe whatever strength you get from the water…” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know until I tried.”
“But I didn’t do that. I didn’t ensorcel you like Norma Jean did. So I can’t do that anyway.”
“Maybe. You weren’t really trying, were you? But I’ve always found you… captivating.”
Reg thought about that. He’d often said that he found her more attractive than others he could have pursued. He wanted to consume her gifts even when he’d built up his strength from other sources. She was his ‘dessert.’ Was that because she gave off some kind of sireny vibes? Or just his ego because she was the one person he’d ever returned his stolen gifts to?
“I don’t think you’d better touch me. Or even… to be close to me. How do we know I won’t go after you again?”
His lip curled in a smile. “I don’t mind living dangerously. There isn’t much in this world that poses a risk to me. It’s rather… exciting.”
Reg rolled her eyes. Trust Corvin to find everything about her attractive, even the danger. Did men ever grow out of wanting to tempt fate?
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I think… everybody had better just stay away, until I get this sorted out.”
“You don’t want to live like a hermit. You’ve been fine up until now. I don’t think you’re suddenly going to start hunting anyone who comes by for a visit.”
“Don’t you?” Reg challenged.
“No.” Corvin shook his head. “I don’t.”
“Well, you’ve got a lot more confidence than I do.”
“I’ve studied more and lived more in the magical world than you have. I’m pretty confident that you will be able to stay in control. At least for the most part. And if you start behaving strangely, I’m on notice. I’ll take off.”
He wouldn’t.
Reg grabbed Corvin’s shoulders to pull him closer, and kissed him. He didn’t even flinch. He didn’t try to pull away or shake her off. He leaned in, sliding his hands around her. Reg pushed him back and jerked away.
“You’re a liar!”
Corvin looked confused. Then it slowly dawned on him that it had been a test. She had been checking to see if he would retreat if she began to pursue. In the dim light from inside Reg’s cottage, she could see him flush.
“I knew it wasn’t the prelude to an attack.”
“Right. How would you know that?”
“Because… you would…” He shook his head and shrugged. “We’re not near the water. What point would there be in seducing me here?” He raised his eyebrows. “I mean… I can think of reasons, but not as part of an attack.”
“You know better. You know Norma Jean charmed you at The Crystal Bowl, right there in the middle of town. And you know that she tried again here, to claim you and take you with her. So why wouldn’t I?”
He gave off a very faint whiff of roses, quickly blown away in the evening breeze. He was too tired to charm her properly after their encounter on the beach.
“You’re too weak.”
His eyes slid away from her. He looked slightly chagrined at having failed to perform.
Reg opened her purse. Unlike her usual heavy shoulder bag, which contained everything but the kitchen sink, she’d only been able to fit a few small items into the tiny clutch purse. Finding her keys wasn’t a problem. But that didn’t mean she liked the little purse. It was cute, but she missed having her possessions with her. The security she felt at having her things close.
“Allow me,” Corvin offered, reaching out to take the key from her and open her door. Reg jerked it back. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. Harrison had taught her all about the power that attached to keys. If she gave Corvin the key to open her door, it would defeat all of the wards of protection she had against him. And she wasn’t about to do that again.
Reg fit the key into the lock, trying to keep an eye on him at the same time. But she wasn’t as nervous of him as she would normally have been. She knew he was in a weakened state and still confused by what had happened. They both needed some time to think about it. To work out what it meant.
“Goodnight.”
Corvin reached out and touched her neck and jaw just below her ear. It still sent lightning bolts of electricity charging through her. “Goodnight, Reg.”
She pulled back from his touch and quickly entered the cottage. Once she was over the threshold, she felt a bit of a letdown. She knew that she was safe from him, and that now he would go home. Part of her wanted to let him in. To continue the dance between them and see where it would lead.
But she already knew where it would lead. And she wasn’t about to let him drain her powers and leave her an empty husk.
Not again.
She was strong, and that wasn’t going to happen again.
“You won’t go to bed right away?” Corvin asked, before Reg shut the door.
“I don’t know yet.”
“You won’t. You’ll still stay up a few more hours.”
“What difference does it make?”
“I’ll be thinking about you. Maybe I’ll call you.”
“Don’t. Leave me alone tonight. I need to think… all about this.”
“I can help with research.” He smiled, leaning closer to the opening in the door. “Try some experiments.”
“Go away.”
“I am serious, though,” Corvin said, the smile disappearing. “Let me help you. We can work this out together.”
Reg shook her head. There was something wrong with him, to still be attracted to her when he knew she had tried to drown him. And something wrong with Reg that she was still attracted to him.
She closed the door and bolted it.
Chapter Seventeen
When she turned around, Starlight was sitting behind her. He was tall and thin, as if he’d been stretched like toffee. He blinked at her, watching her every move.
“What’s wrong. Are you hungry?”
Reg moved toward the fridge, but Starlight didn’t break his gaze. He kept watching her.
“We had ribs tonight,” Reg told him. “I should have brought some home. Though they all had sauce and spices on them, and those things aren’t very good for your digestion.”
Even when she opened the fridge door, he still didn’t start meowing and wrapping himself around her legs. Reg took out a takeout container of chicken and put it on the counter.
“Is something wrong? Are you sick?”
Norma Jean had done something to make him sick before, and now he was paying no attention to food. Did he sense that she was a siren too, and something about that had taken away his appetite? Could he sense that she’d tried to pull Corvin into the ocean, under the waves, where she could be alone with him and still be unafraid?
Reg swallowed.
“What is it, Starlight? Don’t look at me like that.”
He finally broke eye contact and looked toward the door.
“Is that it, you’re just mad that I was out with Corvin?”
He meowed at her, a low note of agreement.
“Everything was fine. He didn’t get into my head. He didn’t steal any of my powers. Just the opposite—I—”
Her words dried up. She didn’t know what she wanted to tell Starlight, how she would explain what she had tried to do. She felt powerful, knowing that she had nearly overcome Corvin, and could have if she hadn’t fought herself. But that was sick. Not something she should have been proud of. Not something that Starlight would be proud of.
She swore under her breath and started to pull apart one of the drumsticks to feed the meat to Starlight.
He gave up on being tall and stern like an Egyptian cat statue and meowed for his supper. He rubbed against her legs, letting her know that all was forgiven. But would he forgive her if he knew what she had done? What she had tried to do?
Starlight had eaten and was sitting beside Reg on the couch. She petted him and closed her eyes, thinking over the evening. Somehow, evenings with Corvin always turned out to be way more challenging and eventful than they should. There were no quiet nights out with Corvin. She was just going to have to accept that.
“I should just stay away from him,” she told Starlight. “Or he should stay away from me. I shouldn’t have said yes to him. I don’t owe him anything. We don’t need to have any more dates.”
Starlight purred loudly.
“You’re not supposed to agree quite so fast.”
“Humans are confusing.”
Reg jumped, and looked around for the source of the voice.
She hadn’t seen Harrison for some time, not since Yule. She hadn’t called him during that time, but it still surprised her that he hadn’t been around. Maybe she should have called him. Maybe he would have healed Calliopia for her without them having to go all the way to the mountains to have the blade unmade. Or maybe she should have called him to ask about Jacky Lane. But if she, a human, had problems understanding Jacky’s motivations and behavior, then how was an immortal like Harrison going to unpack it?
“Harrison.”
He sat in one of the wicker chairs, one long, skinny leg up over the arm like a teenager lounging. He was wearing all black, including a floppy-brimmed black hat, and looked something like a demented Zorro. Without a mask.
“What are you doing here?”
“Checking in on my goddaughter.”
“You’re not really my godfather. Or my uncle.”
He shrugged. “That makes no difference.”
“I suppose you know all about what went on tonight.”
He arched an eyebrow. “I was trying to figure it out from what you said to Starlight, but…”
Starlight jumped down from the couch and marched over to Harrison, who instantly picked him up and began to stroke and cuddle him, making a low purring noise himself.
“Oh, good grief. The way the two of you go on.” Reg shook her head and looked away from them, embarrassed by a grown man—or something that took the form of a grown man—being so silly over a cat. “I think the two of you must have been lovers in a previous life.”
Harrison chuckled. “We all play many roles in many lives,” he said obliquely. “One never knows.”
“For once, could you say something that didn’t sound like it came out of a fortune cookie?”
Harrison frowned, his brows bunching together, as he considered the question. Eventually, he shook his head. “No.”
“It was a rhetorical question.”
“Rhetorical.”
“That means one you weren’t supposed to answer, because I already know the answer. It’s implied in the question.”
He considered this. “Now you sound like a fortune cookie.”
“It’s your influence. That’s what happens when I’m around you.”
He smiled and nodded happily. “Good.”
“No. Not good. Because I want answers.”
“Then you should not… ask questions rhetorical.”
“Ugh.” Reg tried to shake off the confusion he always inspired. “I’m glad you’re here tonight because I have some questions.”
“Unrhetorical?”
“Unrhetorical.”
Harrison put Starlight down in his lap and kept patting him.
“Did you know that Norma Jean was part siren?” Reg demanded.
He gave an easy nod.
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“You did not know?”
“No. How could I know?”
Harrison pursed his lips.
