from getting him back. And the other guys, too, if they’re out there.”
Heat enveloped her hand, traveled up her arm to her heart. The agony in her chest lessened, and she wondered if this was Zan’s gift—easing people’s pain.
“We know Savage is,” Ryon put in.
“Yeah, the snarky son of a bitch.” Jaxon’s words held no real heat, and his tone was sad, his eyes brimming with guilt. “It’s my fault he’s not here.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Kira breathed, hugging him tight. “You’ve got to stop blaming yourself. Aric’s being taken was Chappell’s doing, not yours.”
Confused, Rowan waited for someone to enlighten her. Zan obliged.
“Jaxon’s gift, other than his wolf, of course, is that he’s a Timebender. He can literally bend time backward, but by no more than a few minutes. A few weeks ago on a rescue op, Kira was killed and—”
“No offense, but she’s looking pretty good to me,” Rowan interrupted, studying the other woman.
Zan continued while Jaxon stared at his plate. “That’s because Jax bent time back and saved her. But that caused Aric to be taken prisoner by Chappell’s minions instead.”
“Uh-huh.” Her cop’s brain balked at this one. She pinned Jaxon with a steely look that had made many a suspect squirm. “Show me.”
“What?”
She waved a hand. “If you can bend time, show me. Back up to when I walked in with the angel here.”
“Fae,” Sariel corrected.
“Whatever.”
Jax gave a wry chuckle. “I can’t. Wouldn’t do any good.”
“Why not?”
“Because you wouldn’t remember if I did. How do you know I didn’t perform it already, and we’re simply repeating the same conversation?”
She stared at him a few seconds, trying to process this, then snorted. “Damn, what a mindfuck.” The men laughed, and she supposed the joke was on her. Undaunted, however, and determined to get some sort of proof of these gifts Nick told her about, she addressed Zan. “So what’s your talent? Bet you can’t prove it, either.”
“I’m a Healer,” he said, arching a black brow. “And actually, I can. Ryon, give me your hand.”
The blond held it out. “Man, just don’t leave a scar.”
Zan turned his friend’s hand palm up, then reached into his pants, extracting a pocketknife. “This will make a cleaner cut than the steak knife.”
Rowan’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. I didn’t mean—”
“Just watch.” With a grin, Zan flipped open the blade. Quickly, he made a swipe across Ryon’s palm. A thin line oozed red, but not too badly. “Do you see that? His hand is bleeding, right?”
“It is,” she agreed. “I think you’re both crazy.”
Without answering, Zan laid his palm on top of Ryon’s, aligning their fingers.
“Um, guys, that’s a good way to pass HIV or hepatitis,”she warned. Her cruiser was stocked with latex gloves in case she ran across someone with blood on them while on duty, which happened more often than one might think. Blood-borne illnesses were always a concern in her line of work.
Ryon winked. “It would be, if we were still able to catch human diseases.”
Before she could respond to that nonsense, Zan lifted his hand, turning it so she could see their palms.
“Now you both have blood on you. So?”
Zan took his cloth napkin and dipped it into a nearby water glass. Then he used the napkin to wipe Ryon’s palm clean and held the man’s hand closer to her. “Care to inspect it?”
Leaning over, she peered hard at the skin. His
perfectly unmarred
skin. She grabbed Ryon’s wrist and rubbed his palm with the pads of her fingers. No mark at all!
“I’ll be damned!” Releasing Ryon, she sat back in her chair and looked away from the small group as the total impact of everything she’d seen and heard in her short time here hit her full force.
Really
hit. Micah was part of a paranormal black ops team, and the nonhuman type of evil truly did exist. As an LAPD cop, she faced danger every day, but even
Heat enveloped her hand, traveled up her arm to her heart. The agony in her chest lessened, and she wondered if this was Zan’s gift—easing people’s pain.
“We know Savage is,” Ryon put in.
“Yeah, the snarky son of a bitch.” Jaxon’s words held no real heat, and his tone was sad, his eyes brimming with guilt. “It’s my fault he’s not here.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Kira breathed, hugging him tight. “You’ve got to stop blaming yourself. Aric’s being taken was Chappell’s doing, not yours.”
Confused, Rowan waited for someone to enlighten her. Zan obliged.
“Jaxon’s gift, other than his wolf, of course, is that he’s a Timebender. He can literally bend time backward, but by no more than a few minutes. A few weeks ago on a rescue op, Kira was killed and—”
“No offense, but she’s looking pretty good to me,” Rowan interrupted, studying the other woman.
Zan continued while Jaxon stared at his plate. “That’s because Jax bent time back and saved her. But that caused Aric to be taken prisoner by Chappell’s minions instead.”
“Uh-huh.” Her cop’s brain balked at this one. She pinned Jaxon with a steely look that had made many a suspect squirm. “Show me.”
“What?”
She waved a hand. “If you can bend time, show me. Back up to when I walked in with the angel here.”
“Fae,” Sariel corrected.
“Whatever.”
Jax gave a wry chuckle. “I can’t. Wouldn’t do any good.”
“Why not?”
“Because you wouldn’t remember if I did. How do you know I didn’t perform it already, and we’re simply repeating the same conversation?”
She stared at him a few seconds, trying to process this, then snorted. “Damn, what a mindfuck.” The men laughed, and she supposed the joke was on her. Undaunted, however, and determined to get some sort of proof of these gifts Nick told her about, she addressed Zan. “So what’s your talent? Bet you can’t prove it, either.”
“I’m a Healer,” he said, arching a black brow. “And actually, I can. Ryon, give me your hand.”
The blond held it out. “Man, just don’t leave a scar.”
Zan turned his friend’s hand palm up, then reached into his pants, extracting a pocketknife. “This will make a cleaner cut than the steak knife.”
Rowan’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. I didn’t mean—”
“Just watch.” With a grin, Zan flipped open the blade. Quickly, he made a swipe across Ryon’s palm. A thin line oozed red, but not too badly. “Do you see that? His hand is bleeding, right?”
“It is,” she agreed. “I think you’re both crazy.”
Without answering, Zan laid his palm on top of Ryon’s, aligning their fingers.
“Um, guys, that’s a good way to pass HIV or hepatitis,”she warned. Her cruiser was stocked with latex gloves in case she ran across someone with blood on them while on duty, which happened more often than one might think. Blood-borne illnesses were always a concern in her line of work.
Ryon winked. “It would be, if we were still able to catch human diseases.”
Before she could respond to that nonsense, Zan lifted his hand, turning it so she could see their palms.
“Now you both have blood on you. So?”
Zan took his cloth napkin and dipped it into a nearby water glass. Then he used the napkin to wipe Ryon’s palm clean and held the man’s hand closer to her. “Care to inspect it?”
Leaning over, she peered hard at the skin. His
perfectly unmarred
skin. She grabbed Ryon’s wrist and rubbed his palm with the pads of her fingers. No mark at all!
“I’ll be damned!” Releasing Ryon, she sat back in her chair and looked away from the small group as the total impact of everything she’d seen and heard in her short time here hit her full force.
Really
hit. Micah was part of a paranormal black ops team, and the nonhuman type of evil truly did exist. As an LAPD cop, she faced danger every day, but even
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