Page 54 of Scattered Glitter

She scoffs, but there’s hesitation behind it like she’s not sure whether to dismiss me or take me seriously.

“And girl…” Levi chimes in, “… he wouldn’t even need patterns to read you. Even I can read you right now.”

He’s been watching her as closely as I have, but not the way I am.

He’s amused.

I’m not.

There’s way too much at stake here—more than she could possibly understand. This isn’t only about tricks and illusions, not some game we’re playing under neon lights and half-truths. This is about survival, ensuring we don’t end up buried in the wreckage of our own plans. She’s a wildcard, a skilled, fiery wildcard, but even the best cards can burn you if you play them wrong.

I can’t afford to play her wrong.

I can’t afford for her to be anything less than what we need her to be. One slip, one misread, and everything we’ve built and are fighting for could turn to ash. The ghosts of the past are clawing at our heels, and Veronica isn’t the kind of enemy you fuck around with. She’ll rip us apart if we let her.

Glitter scoffs again, louder this time as if the volume will make it more genuine. “Patterns?”

“Yeah.” I step closer into her space, deliberately testing her reaction. She stiffens but doesn’t retreat.Ah. She’s competitive, prideful, and always ready to hold her ground. I’m not buying the act. Not entirely. “Eye movements, facial tics, body language all shift when someone lies. It’s not magic. It’s reading people. And knowing which people to pick because they show you how open they are to what you’re doing. A mentalist can read people’s true intentions from the tip of their noses in seconds.”

Something flickers in her eyes. Whatever it is, she shakes it offquickly. But I saw it. Ialwayssee what people want to hide.

And she hides a whole fucking lot.

“It’s just another field of magic,” I continue, acting as though I didn’t notice. “Instead of fast hands fooling the eyes, I get into people’s heads. The subconscious is easy to persuade when you’re in. It’s a skill, one you can learn.” I’m too close now, but I don’t step back. I need to see what she’ll do with this proximity. She’s clearly uncomfortable, her body tense. There’s something about this girl, this woman, that’s making me curious despite the alarms going off in my head, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. “Still want to learn?”

I don’t know if I can really teach her to get into people’s minds. It’s a skill you can learn, yes, but still, not everyone is capable.

What I absolutely need her to learn, and quickly, too, is how to keep others out.

I’m not the only mentalist in town. I’m just the best, and I have no idea what kind of people are working for Veronica. We can’t have her get close to Harrington and Nicholas only to be manipulated against us because she’s such an easy target.

Glitter’s throat bobs as she swallows, and she meets my eyes. “How does this even work?”

“There are five ways to hypnotize someone,” I start, holding her gaze. “The first isshock induction. You enter the mind through a moment of shock, catch someone off guard, saysleep, and they’re under. The second is apattern interrupt, like when someone offers you their hand to shake. They’re willing, open, and that’s when you pull them into a trance.”

Her eyes don’t leave mine. They’re almost emerald green in this light.

“The third is what you’ve seen in movies… the pocket watch, the swaying pendulum. That’sfascination. We use the eyes to relax someone, bring them into a trance. Then there’s therelaxationmethod itself. The wholeclose your eyes, breathe,you know the drill.” Her posture softens a fraction, and I know I’m getting to her.

“And the fifth?”

I smile, knowing I’ve caught her attention. “Conversation.But I combine one and two most of the time. When we are baffled, we become hyper-suggestible. And it’s the most effective with people who are already receptive.”

“Like me,” she mutters as if on reflex.

“Exactly. Likeyou.”

She’s too easy to pull under. Too receptive.

Why?

I’ve had a lot of easy, gullible marks over the years, but I don’t think she’s one of them. I study her, still trying to figure out what it is that keeps her teetering between defiance and curiosity. She’s not the kind of person who lets her guard down without reason.

So why does she open her mind so easily for me?

My gaze wanders to her elegant neck, and I watch her pulse quicken.

“All right,” she says as if unfazed, but her heart is giving her away. “Teach me.”

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