Page 20 of Shifter Situations

“Did they look cozy to you?”

I turned to watch his expression as he stared at the now-empty porch of their cabin. He shook his head.

“Not really, nah. Blaire’s flirty, and so is Jack.”

“Grim was touching her back,” I told him, but he didn’t know what that would mean. “I think I can count on one hand how many people I’ve seen him touch casually.”

“Stop overthinkin’ it. Blaire has a way of makin’ people feel comfortable.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

I disagreed with him, but I didn’t know why. It was odd, yes, though it wasn’t entirely out of character for Jack to be… Jack.

Grim, on the other hand, was not being himself. It wasn’t a significant change, but it was subtle enough for me to notice and wonder.

Palmer sat on the stairs, tugging my hand until I joined him. I perched on the stair below him, leaning my back against him and propping my arms upon his thighs.

He ran his fingers through my hair absently while I watched the light from the overhead sun highlight the forest floor.

After a few beats of silence, Palmer’s hand stilled where it was tangled in my hair, so I asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“Not gonna read my mind?” he inquired.

“No. Are you thinking about last night?” I teased, peeking over my shoulder to smirk at him.

He rolled his stormy gray eyes. “Thinkin’ about new punishments and how you were able ta read my mind through the barrier. It was supposed ta negate the powers of everyone inside except the caster.”

“I don’t like the telepathy powers, and I mostly try to avoid them,” I confessed. “The barrier blocked some of my other powers, though. It felt sort of heavy… No, not heavy. It was like looking through a veil. I only saw or felt it when I was trying to.”

“Why don’t ya like that power in particular?”

“It feels like… an invasion of privacy. I don't know. It seems unfair to know every single thing that crosses your mind. I block it out, kind of like your muting spell, I guess. I turn the volume down, only listening for urgent shouts from voices I recognize.”

Palmer hummed under his breath, and I twisted to study him. His head was slightly tilted as he thought through whatever was tumbling around in his mind, then he snapped his fingers.

“Can ye read my thoughts now?”

“No.”

“Are ya tryin’?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Try,” he commanded.

“Why?”

“I want ta know if I can feel ya inside my mind. I know I can hear when ya want ta be heard, but I’ve never tried ta seek out a presence. If I can find yers or Novak’s presence inside my thoughts… then I might be able ta find others.”

“Ahh, gotcha.”

I saw where he was going, what he didn’t want to say aloud.

Angels had ways to corrupt and infiltrate the mind. It wasn’t as simple as a vampire’s telepathy, though. They needed to be touching their victims somehow.

Clearing my mind, I reached for Palmer mentally. His walls were up, and I took a minute to appreciate how sturdy they were before I tore them down.

Bright orange rippled with what appeared to be yellow electricity. Every three seconds, the bolts stuck at measured intervals, and they hit the edges of his wall in a circular pattern going counterclockwise.