Free Until Death Do Us Part: A Kismet Knight Mini-Story by Lynda Hilburn Page B

wondered if Falcon had a laboratory where he turned out bodyguard clones, but tonight’s versions, a young Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hugh Jackman, bucked the trend, looking more like he’d hired them from a celebrity look-alike agency. At a flick of Falcon’s fingers, the two pillars of muscle retreated into the waiting room and closed the adjoining door.
    Falcon glided fluidly toward the nearest chair and sat.
    I sucked in a deep breath to center myself. Intense eyes followed me as I claimed my own chair and collected my notebook and pen. Creating a comfort zone in the strange world I’d become involved with required a steep learning curve. I now knew what was on the other side of the Looking Glass and that knowledge required lots of antacids.
    I gazed at each of them and smiled. “So, how has the week gone? Yvonne, why don’t you begin?”
    She gave a slow smile, which never reached her eyes. “I practiced what we discussed, Doctor. I gave Falcon the benefit of the doubt about his ludicrous and fantastical explanations of his whereabouts. I know he’s being unfaithful. I don’t understand why you would ask me to disregard my own awareness.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “What good is being able to read minds if I don’t use what I discover?”
    “Yes,” I said, “under most circumstances that would be true, but you’ve both mentioned previously that your ability to read each others’ minds is limited. Due to the strange side effects of your blood linking ceremony, you’re only able to retrieve partial information from one another. And, since that’s the case, you’re each likely to interpret what you receive according to your own expectations – not unlike the human tendency to project personal fears and patterns onto others.”
    Yvonne’s chin jutted into the air and her eyes narrowed. “I see no reason to be insulting, Doctor.” She arched a perfect eyebrow.“You can’t possibly compare my superior experience with anything about a – a food source. Their minds are less than a century old; they’re – barely formed. What could they possibly know about the art and craft of telepathy?” Her lavender eyes darkened. “How would you --?”
    Feeling momentarily like an entrée, I shifted forward in my seat and raised a hand, palm out. “Yes, we’ve discussed this before and I understand your position. But my point is that you might be misunderstanding – mis interpreting – whatever you’re picking up from Falcon’s mind. Perhaps you should ask him what you wish to know?”
    Yvonne shrugged gracefully. “You expect a man who has spent centuries lying to tell me the truth about anything?”
    I turned my attention to the man in question. “Falcon, would you like to respond to Yvonne’s comment?”
    He crossed his legs and tapped a finger on the arm of the chair. The corners of his lips quirked up in a mischievous smile. “Doctor, I have explained to my lovely mate thousands of times that I have no need of anyone but her luscious self. I can’t be held responsible for other women throwing themselves at me. I always do my very best to extricate myself without bruising feelings or giving false hope. I am utterly faithful.” He said the last four words with academy-award-winning innocence, using his mesmerizing vampire voice to attempt to sway me to his cause. Luckily, I’d built up my defenses. Having my own psychic abilities had finally begun to pay off.
    “Ha!” Yvonne exploded, twisting her body in his direction. Her canines descended slightly, causing certain words to be slurred. “You wouldn’t know faithful if you snagged a fang on it. And stop trying to entrance the therapist! I only agreed to come to therapy if you didn’t try any of your tricks.” She scowled, giving him a steely gaze. “Where were you all day? You weren’t in your coffin when I awoke.”
    He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, staring at Yvonne. “I told you. I had to work late. The