Free Deceiver's Bond: Book Two of A Clairvoyant's Complicated Life by Katherine Bayless Page A

was nothing you could have done. Not even a Warrior of the Holy Cross could have saved us from that creature.”
    He blew out a breath and folded his arms, muscles tight. “Yeah? Then why don’t I believe you?”
    “What?” I could hardly get the words out. “You think I’m lying? Why would I lie?”
    He continued to stare at me, frowning.
    “I’m totally serious. Once a high demon like Paimon has that kind of access to our world, there are very few mortals who have the skills to close its portal.” Conscious of his continued scrutiny, I said, “You still don’t believe me.” I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
    “Maybe you should ask Daniel.”
    Huh?
    “What does Daniel have to do with anything? And how the hell would he know? He wasn’t even there.”
    Vince’s stony expression told me nothing. I wanted to get up and shake some sense into him, or give Daniel a hard pinch on the ear. Honestly, both sounded good.
    “He said something to you. And it wasn’t just about a sidhe wanting to meet you. What else did he say?”
    “If I had accepted my sidhe … heritage , I could have easily saved you.” He spat the word ‘heritage’ like it was something contemptible.
    “That’s—” I stopped before I could say ‘ridiculous.’ For all I knew, the sidhe did have the power to banish demons. I bit my lip and then admitted, “Okay. That’s not something I’d considered. Maybe it’s true. I’ve never met a sidhe. Who the hell knows what powers are passed down through a blood connection? And I’m willing to bet Daniel doesn’t—the smug bastard. The next time I see him, I’m going to kick his ass for implying you’re somehow at fault for what happened to me.”
    His expression remained tense as he rubbed the back of his neck.
    I got up, accompanied by the squeak of chair legs, and stomped around the table to stand over him. “And I don’t lie.” I poked his chest. “You got that?”
    After a moment to consider my face, his shoulders eased and he sighed. “Yes.” He took my hand, squeezing it. “Got it.”
    “Good. Now, let me finish making dinner and then we’ll talk more about this. Think you can manage a conversation about the sidhe without getting all—” I twirled my fingers in the air before settling on, “Testy?”
    He grunted. “Testy, huh? Is that how I’ve been? Testy?”
    “Yes.” I put a hand on my hip and stared down at him. “That’s right. I said it.”
    He laughed. “Okay. You win. I’ll do my best to avoid getting … testy. ”
    Twenty-five minutes later, we sat down to eat, easier in each other’s company.
    He twirled his fork into his steaming plate of spaghetti before devouring another bite. He complimented me.
    “It’s not like it was hard. You boil it. You drain it. You put it in the sauce.”
    He made a dismissive sound. “The sauce isn’t from a jar. It’s delicious. Accept the compliment.”
    “Fine.” I smiled. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.” After another few bites, I said, “Think we can talk about the sidhe?”
    “I suppose.” He speared his salad and came up with a stack of multi-hued green leaves and a red tomato at the end of his fork.
    “Why does the possibility bother you so much?”
    He shrugged. “How would you feel if a bunch of people started saying you’re not human? I know who I am. I know my family. They don’t.”
    I hadn’t considered myself to be completely human for a long time, but kept the thought to myself. I swirled my favorite pinot noir in my broad-bowled glass. “Fair enough. I can understand not believing someone like Daniel. But even Maya and Tanu said you have ancient blood. My building’s djinn have no reason to lie. Doesn’t that make you wonder, just a little?”
    “You think I should meet with this contact of Daniel’s, don’t you?” Vince asked.
    “No. If it doesn’t feel right to you, you shouldn’t do it.” I put my glass back on the table. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.