Page 272 of Seer Prophet

“You would not have been capable of it.”

At Revik’s angry look, Dalejem held up a hand in a peace gesture.

“…Not in the way it needed to be done,” Dalejem clarified. “I do not mean that as an insult, my brother, believe me. I have been around enough of these traders by now to understand their rationalizations, as well as the easiest ways to distract them from what is rapidly evolving into a brutal culture, one that might have killed us, if we said too many of the wrong things. I have witnessed the evolution of their thinking towards their brothers and sisters, as well?the ones they consider ‘foreigners,’ at least. Trust me when I tell you, I was as gentle as I could be, without raising suspicion.”

Thinking about his words, Revik nodded.

He still couldn’t make himself feel it, though.

Forcing a breath out of his lungs, he combed his fingers through his hair, fighting again to pull his light under control. He took another step away from Dalejem as he did it, feeling the other male reacting to the pain in his light.

The truth was, Revik was nearly panicking from the lack of proximity to his wife.

Realizing that much as the seconds ticked past, he fought to breathe through it in some way. A part of him couldn’t stop wanting to look for her in the Barrier. He forced the impulse back, along with the one that still wanted to threaten Dalejem’s life for what he’d done to Allie.

“Fine. Where is it?” He shifted his eyes back to watch the light of the approaching train. “Where’s the goddamned auction?”

“We are going there now, brother,” Dalejem assured him. “It was never my intention that it be otherwise. This train will take us within walking distance, and within only a few minutes. The auction begins early here. Several of our people will be stationed in the audience as soon as the doors open, waiting to make contact with the buyer, if Dontan makes an appearance.”

Revik nodded, still watching the train approach.

He winced when he felt the other seer reacting to the pain in his light a second time, and took another half-step back. Neither of them looked at the other, but Revik felt something like regret on the other male.

Shoving that out of his mind, he blanked his thoughts as best he could, if only to be more in line with the strategy they’d outlined for operating inside the construct. He knew an argument wouldn’t get picked up by Barrier security, but if he started obsessing too much on his wife it might, especially if they felt him thinking about the auction?or List seers?or any other combination of key words they might already scan for.

He’d nearly succeeded in forcing all of that deeper into his light by the time he could make out the front engine car. The wind blew sand up from the dunes as the train approached, biting into his skin and peppering his clothes. He got another whiff of hot desert air, which smelled almost like burnt glass, even in the middle of the night.

Staring at those tall buildings, some in the shape of pyramids and giant sails, he pulled the cloak more tightly over his light, managing to blank the more charged of his thoughts. He still felt sick, and increasingly off-balance, but his mind was beginning to still.

He felt Dalejem in his light again, and clenched his jaw.

He knew why Allie reacted to the other seer.

He understood her jealousy, whatever he might have told her to try and minimize her reactions. He knew why she didn’t trust Dalejem, and why she got angry when Revik downplayed the other male’s behavior.

Really, Revik would have felt the same in her shoes.

The situation with Dalejem needed to be handled, just like the Jaden situation needed to be handled?preferably before Revik ended up breaking the human’s neck. He’d already asked Allie to talk to Jaden. He brought it up a few days previous, during one of their late night, post-sex talks, which had been happening with increasing frequency.

She hadn’t done it yet, but she promised she would once they got back from the op.

Since then, Revik realized he wanted her to talk to Jorag, too.

Before that, though, he needed to hear from her that she’d made things clear with her ex-boyfriend. Revik basically told her if she didn’t talk to Jaden, he would?and both of them knew that likely wouldn’t end well.

Feeling what he did off Dalejem’s light as they stood together on that train platform outside of Dubai, Revik realized he needed to have a talk with Dalejem, as well.

Now wasn’t the time for that, either, though.

“I’m sorry, brother,” Dalejem said from next to him.

Revik gave him a narrow look. Seeing the emotion on the other male’s face, he flinched, then fought back a wave of anger.

What the fuck was this? A guilt trip? Seriously? After weeks of the weird crap he’d been feeling on Dalejem’s light?

Revik continued to study the seer’s face, even as it occurred to him that maybe there wasn’t much to say to Dalejem, after all. Dalejem already knew. For reasons Revik didn’t understand, the other male just couldn’t seem to control his light.

Maybe it wasn’t even specific to him, meaning Revik himself.

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