Page 23 of The Heir
Messing with him was way too easy. “Reading someone’s mind is a violation of their privacy. I try to stay out of people’s heads unless they ask me to help them understand their thoughts… or in case they piss me off and I want to know if they’re lying to me.”
“Piss you off, huh? Does that mean you’ve read my thoughts?”
“Just a little, but don’t worry, I haven’t planted any.”
Thor pulled back a little. “Nice try, but you can’t plant thoughts in others. That’s impossible.”
I looked away. “Yes, of course. I shouldn’t have said that. It came out wrong.” Using his own words, I bit back the smile that pressed on my lips. My father, Finn, had once believed that my mother put a curse on him. Nmen didn’t like to admit it, but in general they were superstitious and believed in the paranormal.
“Linea.”
“Mm-hmm?”
Thor stared into my eyes. “Can you read my thoughts right now?”
I nodded. “You’re concerned that I planted thoughts in your brain.”
There was a slight tic at his right eye as he spoke again in a deep, serious, tone. “What am I thinking about right now?”
“Me, naked,” I guessed.
His eyes widened. “Fuck you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Youdoread minds!”
It was hard not to break into laughter, but I kept my face stern. “I told you energy work is powerful.”
“Does it always work?”
“No. Some people are harder to read than others, and if I’m tired, I can’t pick up anything.”
“Fucking hell. You should come with me to a casino.”
“A gambling house?”
“Yes, we have them in the Northlands.”
“I’ve heard about them and my brothers already suggested going, but it wouldn’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t tune in when there are too many distractions around me. Gambling houses are noisy and the energy of the people there would drain me fast.”
“How do you know if you haven’t been?”
“My brothers went once and they called me up to have me help them win. Even though I wasn’t physically in the place, I could sense the heavy energy of desperation. It’s just an unpleasant place to be for an energy worker like me.”
For a while Thor didn’t say anything, but then he asked, “That time when you interviewed the candidates for the Explorer program…”
“Yes?”
“Did you plant something in my brain?”
“Such as?”
Scratching a spot on the seat, he muttered, “Desire.”
