Page 19 of The Psychic and the Vampire

“Are you referring to the people in the park who were watching us? The ones you disappeared with?”

Viktor scowled. “I didn’t disappear with them. They started running away from me the moment they saw me coming for them. The scratch you noticed on my face came from me trying to stop the car they were using as their getaway. Damn bastard hit me with the door as he was closing it.”

Ant frowned, his lips pressed together and tilted on one side. “I got the impression from Bridget that you were the right-hand man of a mob boss. I’m assuming those people work for the same organization. Why would they be after you or run away from you? That sounds shady to me.”

“The whole organization is shady and there are people in Tony’s family who want my job. It comes as part of the job description.” Viktor swallowed hard. “When you touch me, what do you see? I know you mentioned the shadows,” he added quickly when Ant’s frown deepened, his beautifully shaped eyebrows almost meeting in the middle. “But do you see actual faces, as if you were looking at a picture, or is it just impressions of people I associate with?”

“I only touched you the once. No, sorry, twice. Although that second time you were touching me, and I was just hanging on. I was distracted that second time, so if I was reading anything from you then I didn’t notice. I was working out vampire/donor feeding positions. I’m not adding the time you picked me up at the Mage Academy parking lot.” Ant looked as though he wanted to argue with himself, but then shook his head. “No, that time doesn’t count. I was barely coherent and totally exhausted. If anything came through to me then, I would’ve been just as likely to dismiss it all as a dream as I’m never sure of the moment when I fall asleep.”

That’s not helpful.Viktor tried another tact. “Let’s say, hypothetically, that sometime in the future I decided to buy you a surprise anniversary present. I bought the gift two days early and have hidden it in the house somewhere I don’t think you’ll find it.

“Later, that same night, we’re cuddled up on the couch. Are you going to pick up I’m excited because I think the gift will make you happy, and that’s it? Or would you actually see what I’d bought you as a gift? Or would you also know, just from being with me, where I’d hidden the gift?”

“You’re talking about a hypothetical situation,” Ant said slowly. “It would depend on what you were thinking and feeling at the time, when we were touching. I can’t read your specific thoughts. I’m not a mind reader. I read your energies and get impressions from the things you might be thinking. So if you were excited about the actual gift and thinking about it, I would probably get an idea of what it was and where.”

“So you can read specifics just by touching a person?”I’m in deep shit.Suddenly that orgasm didn’t seem like a good idea no matter how badly Viktor’s balls was hoping for one.

“On some things, yes. If you were buying a gift for a fictitious anniversary, then I’m assuming we’d been together a while. We would know each other quite well by that point, so I would expect to be able to read you more easily.”

Ant’s mouth drooped. “I can’t help the way I am, anymore than you can stop wanting my blood. That’s normal for you, and reading people is normal for me. If you think about it, we – that is our bodies – we all carry with us scenes from previous events we’ve been through. It’s not like we think about everything all the time – that would be impossible – but if someone is thinking, dwelling, worrying…”

Viktor realized Ant was getting agitated.

“It’s not like I enjoy any of this. I’d be quite happy if I never read anyone or anywhere again. I rarely go out in crowds because I run the risk of picking up thoughts, feelings, or even specific scenes just by someone brushing past me and nudging my shoulder. Do you know how disconcerting that is?

“One minute I’m window shopping for a new watch and the next minute, I’m thrown into a vision of someone’s argument with their significant other they’d probably had a week before. All because they bumped into me. Being a mage isn’t an exact science – sometimes things just happen, and that’s what I have to live with. That’s why Able comes with me everywhere.”

“I have no idea what that would be like.” Viktor tapped the table. “When you said about me being in the shadows, back when you gave me your blood... What did you mean? What did you see?”

“Shadows!” Ant threw up his hands. “You were surrounded by dark shadows that were reaching for your neck. Shadows indicate negativity around you. Those shadows reaching for you indicates someone wants something from you that you don’t want to give them. Bridget told me of your association with yourmob boss the next morning and I made the leap from there. What I don’t understand is what you’re so desperately trying to hide now? That is obvious in your energies. You’re projecting that worry so hard I can’t ignore it. Mates don’t lie to each other. What don’t you want me to know?”

Able came running in from outside, sitting by Ant’s chair and pressing against his leg. Ant’s hand dropped into Able’s fur. “It’s all right, boy. I’m fine.” But the dog did not move and turned his head, so his chin rested on Ant’s knee.

What the hell am I meant to say now?“There are some things,” Viktor started slowly. “Some things from my association with Tony that are not…they’re not very savory. I’m trying to work out how much of those times you might see. If you could just give me some idea of how specific, or how detailed those visions of yours are or...”

Pressing his lips firmly together, Ant shook his head, his eyes darkening.

“You’re not going to answer me?” Viktor had a sudden image of himself standing naked on the side of a snowy mountain and the ground was starting to rumble under his feet. His only issue was he had no idea if the impending avalanche was going to hit him on the head or sweep him off his feet.

Ant shook his head again.

“Do you remember when we first saw each other?” Viktor was clutching at straws, trying to stop the inevitable.

“The Fallows murder trial.” The deadpan delivery was back.

“Did you ever wonder what I was doing there in the first place?”

“No. I know you weren’t responsible for the murder in any way.” Ant looked down at Able and then added, “The prosecutionoffice thinks the crime family you work for is implicated somehow.”

“My presence alerted them to that possibility?”Double, double, double shit. If Tony learns about that…

“That and the fact the man who confessed had clearly been paid to do so. Perhaps you were there to make sure Duncan stuck to his story.”

“Fuck no!” Slamming his fists on the table, Viktor jumped out of his chair, pacing between the kitchen and the living area. “I did not do it,” he said, twirling around and thumping his chest.

“I already said you didn’t.” That lack of tone was disconcerting. “But you know who did.”

It wasn’t a question. It was Ant stating a fact. All Viktor could do was nod.

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