She sent Atticus a soft, teasing smile. “From him, I felt a different kind of energy—like I had just met my fate.” Atticus squeezed her hand in encouragement. “The two instincts were in conflict, but my desire to follow Atticus was stronger than the feelings of dread.”
“Thank heaven for that,” Marc said with feeling that surprised her. “If you hadn’t been on board and survived the crash, I doubt my good friend would still be among the living. No,” he held up a hand to stall Atticus’s response, “don’t object. I’ve sensed what was in your heart for months, brother. Without your One, you were nearly lost to us. Fate plays a bigger hand than we know. You were on that shuttle bus for a reason, Lissa, though you knew it was dangerous, you boarded anyway. That is significant.”
“You think so?” The idea was startling to her, but it felt right.
“I do. I also think, until we know more about who and what caused the crash, you both need to be careful. It’s unclear who the target was, but that wreck was no accident and quite a few innocents paid the price.”
Lissa was struck with renewed sadness at the reminder of the loss of life. That she’d survived when everyone else died was nothing less than a miracle. A miracle named Atticus. And if Marc was to be believed, if she’d succumbed to her injuries, Atticus would have had no reason to save himself. They would both be dead.
The idea that someone deliberately caused the wreck by magical means was nearly overwhelming, but she’d been exposed to a number of strange happenings in her life. The existence of vampires was only the latest—and admittedly most astounding—of many odd things she’d seen. The idea that magic was real was somewhat easier to accept, given her recent experiences.
“You think whoever did that might have meant it for one of us?” Lissa’s eyes widened at the thought. “I don’t have any enemies that I’m aware of. Particularly not of the magical kind.”
“I’m sorry, my dear, but you yourself said you were psychic. Certain beings would have been able to sense your power and some might even target you because of it. The supernatural world is a more brutal place than your mortal one sometimes. We try to preserve a delicate balance between those of us who would leave humanity to their own devices and those who would seek to dominate and even enslave them. And there are even a few groups of mortals who are aware of certain aspects of the supernatural world and seek to eradicate it. If someone knew of your abilities, you could very easily have been the target of the magical tampering.”
Lissa held one palm over her racing heart. “I can’t believe it.”
Atticus squeezed her other hand, turning toward her on the couch. “But you must, my love. You must believe that the threat could be to either of us and act accordingly. For starters, I want you to move in here. We’ll go over to your apartment together and retrieve your things.”
“But not tonight.” Marc interrupted Atticus and stood to leave. “Ian is coordinating surveillance on Lissa’s apartment and a few other places. I want to know who the target of the wreck was and why. Tipping our hand too early might cause them to scurry away. If one of you is still being targeted, we’ll find out. The vineyard is well protected, but Lissa’s place is not. It makes sense for you to stay here then, milady, though it might seem odd to your mortal friends. You’ll have to inform them of a whirlwind romance and perhaps an impulsive wedding can be planned? You two can decide how to best handle that, but leave the dangerous part to me.”
“I hardly know what to say.” Lissa was at a loss. Marc was indeed a powerful man with a dominant way that she’d never encountered. Atticus was the strongest man she’d ever met. Before meeting him, she’d never dreamed the kind of man she fantasized about even existed. Atticus was perfect for her, but Marc…he was
“Thank heaven for that,” Marc said with feeling that surprised her. “If you hadn’t been on board and survived the crash, I doubt my good friend would still be among the living. No,” he held up a hand to stall Atticus’s response, “don’t object. I’ve sensed what was in your heart for months, brother. Without your One, you were nearly lost to us. Fate plays a bigger hand than we know. You were on that shuttle bus for a reason, Lissa, though you knew it was dangerous, you boarded anyway. That is significant.”
“You think so?” The idea was startling to her, but it felt right.
“I do. I also think, until we know more about who and what caused the crash, you both need to be careful. It’s unclear who the target was, but that wreck was no accident and quite a few innocents paid the price.”
Lissa was struck with renewed sadness at the reminder of the loss of life. That she’d survived when everyone else died was nothing less than a miracle. A miracle named Atticus. And if Marc was to be believed, if she’d succumbed to her injuries, Atticus would have had no reason to save himself. They would both be dead.
The idea that someone deliberately caused the wreck by magical means was nearly overwhelming, but she’d been exposed to a number of strange happenings in her life. The existence of vampires was only the latest—and admittedly most astounding—of many odd things she’d seen. The idea that magic was real was somewhat easier to accept, given her recent experiences.
“You think whoever did that might have meant it for one of us?” Lissa’s eyes widened at the thought. “I don’t have any enemies that I’m aware of. Particularly not of the magical kind.”
“I’m sorry, my dear, but you yourself said you were psychic. Certain beings would have been able to sense your power and some might even target you because of it. The supernatural world is a more brutal place than your mortal one sometimes. We try to preserve a delicate balance between those of us who would leave humanity to their own devices and those who would seek to dominate and even enslave them. And there are even a few groups of mortals who are aware of certain aspects of the supernatural world and seek to eradicate it. If someone knew of your abilities, you could very easily have been the target of the magical tampering.”
Lissa held one palm over her racing heart. “I can’t believe it.”
Atticus squeezed her other hand, turning toward her on the couch. “But you must, my love. You must believe that the threat could be to either of us and act accordingly. For starters, I want you to move in here. We’ll go over to your apartment together and retrieve your things.”
“But not tonight.” Marc interrupted Atticus and stood to leave. “Ian is coordinating surveillance on Lissa’s apartment and a few other places. I want to know who the target of the wreck was and why. Tipping our hand too early might cause them to scurry away. If one of you is still being targeted, we’ll find out. The vineyard is well protected, but Lissa’s place is not. It makes sense for you to stay here then, milady, though it might seem odd to your mortal friends. You’ll have to inform them of a whirlwind romance and perhaps an impulsive wedding can be planned? You two can decide how to best handle that, but leave the dangerous part to me.”
“I hardly know what to say.” Lissa was at a loss. Marc was indeed a powerful man with a dominant way that she’d never encountered. Atticus was the strongest man she’d ever met. Before meeting him, she’d never dreamed the kind of man she fantasized about even existed. Atticus was perfect for her, but Marc…he was
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