Chapter 13
THURSDAY ALL DAY
IN WHICH JAMISON IS LEARNING
After hours of checking the warehouse records for possible liquidated witnesses, Jamison’s mind whirled as he drove back with Dessa silent in his passenger seat.
Though he’d never witnessed an Uncanny ability before, Dessa’s little show hadn’t sounded like memory erasing at all.
It sounded like she’d compelled them. Compulsion was an ability he’d thought Vampires were supposed to have, but he’d learned instead that if they drank your blood directly from you, the coating on their fangs simply gave a euphoric high that made the victim naturally malleable.
What he’d seen from Dessa was different.
She’d directed them to do something, and they’d wordlessly obeyed in a trance-like state.
But who else had she compelled? Had she compelled him?
And who knew about it? Was Brad McKinney also lying about his gift?
He couldn’t imagine the amount of power they must wield.
But if so, then why were they hiding it?
Dessa broke the silence as the sun sank on the marshy horizon. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“I, uh, didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Jamison said. “I was just poking my head in to see if you needed help. Okay, well, and maybe I was a little curious, but for the record, you took longer than two minutes.”
Her lips twisted, and she looked out the passenger window at a woman on a bench feeding a small flock of Azalea Springs’ rogue parakeets. “Aren’t you going to ask?”
Jamison tapped the steering wheel. If he pressed her too hard, she would clam up, and more than wanting to know the answers to his endless questions, he wanted her to trust him.
“Are you hungry? I’m hungry.” Dessa turned to him with raised eyebrows, but he continued, “You’ve got to be.
You haven’t had anything since that coffee, and that was ages ago.
” He tried for a smile, but it balanced tremulously on his tight lips. “Why don’t we get something to eat?”
Dessa blinked once, twice, and then finally her shoulders relaxed. “Sure, why not?” She pointed to a restaurant on the corner ahead. “This burger place is actually really good.”
Jamison pulled into the parking lot and slid his car into a space. “I’m assuming it caters to the paranormal neighborhood?”
Dessa grinned as she grabbed her bag. “You know it does.”
Ten minutes later they were both seated in a wooden booth with monster-sized burgers in front of them, a sea of fries, and three dozen different hot sauces.
Still, Jamison didn’t feel like he could quite relax.
Besides the fact that they’d just dealt with a case involving Vampires ripping each other’s heads off and almost killing the witnesses, Dessa was still on edge too.
If she decided to keep her secret from him, would she just compel him to forget it?
He had to win her over before she took drastic action.
“I’m still waiting for you to ask,” Dessa said around a mouthful of burger, as if she’d read his thoughts.
Hell, could that be one of her Uncanny abilities as well?
“I know you’ve been thinking about it nonstop since we left.
” She pointed two fingers at him in mock seriousness; a healthy glow returned to her cheeks with the meal.
“I can see it in your eyeballs, Jamison Kane.”
Jamison took a swig of his coke, his legs bouncing under the table. “Do you want me to ask, Blue?”
Dessa squirmed in her seat. “I guess I kind of do? At least that way we could get it over with instead of just waiting for you to find the most awkward moment to bring it up again.”
“Look, I’m not going to lie, I’m curious about what happened in there,” Jamison said, his gaze dropping to the table. “But I also feel bad that I invaded your privacy when you told me to wait outside, and I don’t want to ask you anything that’d make you uncomfortable.”
For a moment, Dessa just stared at him as she munched a fry, and he could practically feel her weighing him in the balance.
Finally, she let out a sigh. “Oh, fire away already. What do you want to know? Just…” She glanced around the restaurant, but there was only a family and a couple on the other side of the dining room while poppy, ambient music drifted over them all. “Keep your voice down.”
His pulse kicked and he leaned forward, his voice barely above a whisper. “Your gift isn’t to make people forget, it’s compulsion.” He waited for her to nod before continuing. “Is it the same for all Uncannies? Is your uncle’s gift the same?”
“No.” Dessa munched into another fry, not meeting his gaze. “My uncle’s gift really is to make people forget.”
“Could you compel anyone?” Jamison asked.
“I’m not sure,” Dessa said. “I tried to compel my uncle when I was young, but I couldn’t, and I’ve never tried to compel anyone else in the paranormal world.
For one, it’s too much of a risk that someone would find out, and two, their magic seems to provide some level of protection from me.
Thirdly, it’s a morally gray area, so it wouldn’t be a good idea to open that can of worms anyway.
Magic wants to be used, and hanging out with Nescis can be… tempting.”
Jamison went still, afraid any sudden movement might make her retreat back into silence. “So, before I had the pepper smell, you were tempted to compel me?”
“Yes.” The word was so blunt, Jamison had to wonder just how strong the temptation was. “That’s why, as a rule, I stay away from Nescis. In New York, I made sure my friends had some magic in them.”
“Even more reason to keep yourself isolated in high school.” Jamison started reframing every conversation he’d had with her. Hell, any conversation she’d had with anyone. It could’ve been so easy for her to just compel them to do what she wanted. “How many people know?”
“You, my uncle, my ex, Alana, and Zach…” She frowned, a shadow passing over her face. “If he’s still alive. There are a few gifts in the PC considered forbidden—too powerful to be allowed—and having one can be, um, detrimental to your life expectancy.”
“Holy hell, Dessa, then why are you telling me? I’m the class-clown himbo, remember?” Jamison hissed in a low whisper. “You have to be more careful!”
For a second, Dessa only stared at him, and then she burst out laughing.
“I’m serious! And stop giggling so much; you’re going to choke,” he added, a whole new wave of concern splashing over him. “I don’t want to do the Heimlich in here.”
Dessa wiped mirthful tears from her cheeks.
“I guess the years away have thrown me off my game, but to be honest, if you and I are going to be working together, it was inevitable. I think even Uncle Brad must’ve known that.
With Brad and Alana both gone…there’s no one else I could tell, and keeping the secret might’ve driven me insane eventually. ”
She sipped from her straw, her expression dipping back to pensive.
“And, yeah, I was nervous about telling you, but if your knee-jerk reaction is to worry about me, then I think Brad made a pretty solid choice.” She paused, wrinkling her nose.
“Also…I’m sorry about the whole class-clown-himbo thing.
I always knew you were smart, Jamison, even if you played it off like you weren’t. ”
Now it was Jamison’s turn to stare as Dessa bounced in her seat like she was years lighter. Wow. She hadn’t just wanted to tell someone, she’d needed to. And the sight of her unburdened smile sent a ripple of jealousy through him. Cuz like, man, he wished he could unload his dark secret to someone.
“I try not to use my gift unless I have to, but sometimes I use it for small things to take the edge off.” Her lips flattened, and Jamison wondered at how confining that must’ve been for her.
In the Nescient world, she would’ve felt like an other—using magic on the sly while no one was the wiser. But then here in the PC, where she used it to help people in a way no one else could, she was constantly in danger. In some ways it was a lose-lose.
“I swear I won’t tell anyone.” The whisper came out hoarse and almost fierce, and he wished there was some way he could impress on her how much he meant it.
“I know, Jamison Kane.” Her smile turned soft. “Thank you for asking.”
The conversation turned to easier things like movies and songs, and in another hour, Dessa was unlocking the empty office. Jamison picked up his things from his desk with a tired smirk, the day wiping him out. “Don’t forget we have to do the activity reports tomorrow.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Dessa waved him off as she picked up a piece of paper from the floor. He turned toward the door but paused when he saw her brows scrunch together.
“What is it?” He leaned over her shoulder to get a look at the big bold letters staring back at them.
Digging makes graves.
“Would you look at that.” Dessa grinned up at him. “What would an investigation be without our very first death threat?”
Because, apparently, the day hadn’t been crazy enough.