I glanced at him warily. “What?”
“How did you get in the demon’s head?”
That was a very good question. I hadn’t wanted to do it. I didn’t want to have anything to do with him at all if I could help it. “I don’t know.”
“Can you read my mind?”
“I don’t know,” I said again.
“Try.”
We slowed for a moment and he looked into my eyes. I concentrated, but I didn’t exactly know how to access this ability, only that it had been really easy with Kraven. With Bishop, his nearness was a major distraction, but staring into his blue eyes did nothing but make my heart start to pound hard and my breath come faster. “I don’t think I can. No—there’s nothing.”
Oh, there was something. But it had nothing to do with reading his mind.
“Maybe there’s nothing in his skull to read in the first place,” Kraven grumbled. “Or nothing that hasn’t already been all shaken up like a snow globe when he slammed through that barrier.”
“Or maybe his mind is stronger than yours,” I countered.
“Doubt that.”
“Have you had moments of psychic awareness in the past?” Bishop asked, ignoring the demon’s jibes.
I shook my head. “Never.”
“No mind reading? No uncanny intuition of things that might happen in the future?”
“Like I said, never.”
“Only since you’ve been turned.” Bishop and Kraven shared a look. For an angel and a demon who hated each other, their confusion about my newfound skills had finally given them some common ground.
“When I first touched you,” I said to Bishop, “I had a vision. And even before I met you I had a dream about…well, I’m pretty sure it was you.”
I decided not to mention the dream where I’d killed him.
He was right at my side then, studying me intently while we continued to walk toward the searchlight. I kept my eyes locked on it in the distance.
“What did you dream?” he asked.
“Sex dream, probably,” Kraven said with a smirk. “Right?”
“No.” Did I mention I hated this guy? I could definitely see why he lived in Hell. I wanted him to return there as soon as possible. “It was a bit fuzzy, but I was about to fall into a black hole and Bishop…well, he had a hold on me until he let go.”
Kraven snorted. “Nice. Maybe that was a premonition that he’ll come to his senses and kick you straight into the Hollow.”
I looked at him. Bishop had used that term in Crave earlier as a threat to Stephen. “The what?”
Bishop glared at Kraven. “Shut your mouth.”
“Why? She’ll find out soon enough. Thought we were in sharing mode tonight. Or is that only okay when it’s you doing the sharing up against a brick wall?”
Again, Bishop chose to ignore the demon and turned his gaze back to me. “What about the first vision, Samantha? What was that?”
“I don’t really remember it. At first it was vivid and then it, like, started slipping away. It was bad, though. Epically bad. Something about this city—about Trinity.” I glanced around at the tall buildings. The darkness tonight felt almost like a living, breathing thing closing in on me. “Destruction. Everything and everyone gone.”
Silence was my only answer to that. Even Kraven didn’t have a snappy comeback, which wasn’t reassuring.
“I figure I was sensing you were going to help save the city. I don’t know.” I shrugged and shoved my hands deeper into my pockets to try to warm them so I’d stop shivering. I knew one way to get rid of the chill I felt—hold Bishop’s hand. But that wasn’t going to happen. Not with Kraven around. The thought made a strange longing burrow into my chest. I’d told Bishop earlier that I wanted to touch him as little as possible. I wished that had been the truth.
“But you didn’t see that I succeeded,” he said. “You saw only destruction.”
“I—I don’t know. I don’t remember. Why? Is that what happens if you fail? The city goes boom?” I said it flippantly, but the looks on their faces was so collectively bleak it sent a deep chill through me. “Will it?”
“No,” Bishop said firmly, flicking a glance at the demon. “Because we won’t fail.”
“Just a gray,” Kraven mumbled as if he was talking to himself more than us. “I know you are. I don’t get anything else off you. But what’s with the sight? Nothing all that special about you that I can sense.”
I glared at him. “Then why can I see the searchlights? Why could I zap you before? Why can I read your mind when I look into your eyes?”
The reminder earned me a sour look from the demon. “That is the question of the day, sweetness. But a warning…don’t try it again.”
“Why? Afraid of what I might find in there?”
He grabbed my arm to pull me to a halt and drew me closer. A shudder of fear ran through me.
“Just don’t,” he said.
“Let go of me.”
He did. I wasn’t sure if I could zap him again like I had at school this morning, but I didn’t have to try.
I jumped when Bishop took my arm, drawing me away from the demon. The moment he touched me, a wave of warmth flowed through me and my fear faded. A little.
“We’ll figure it out, Samantha,” he said. “Doesn’t have to be all at once.”
“How did you get in the demon’s head?”
That was a very good question. I hadn’t wanted to do it. I didn’t want to have anything to do with him at all if I could help it. “I don’t know.”
“Can you read my mind?”
“I don’t know,” I said again.
“Try.”
We slowed for a moment and he looked into my eyes. I concentrated, but I didn’t exactly know how to access this ability, only that it had been really easy with Kraven. With Bishop, his nearness was a major distraction, but staring into his blue eyes did nothing but make my heart start to pound hard and my breath come faster. “I don’t think I can. No—there’s nothing.”
Oh, there was something. But it had nothing to do with reading his mind.
“Maybe there’s nothing in his skull to read in the first place,” Kraven grumbled. “Or nothing that hasn’t already been all shaken up like a snow globe when he slammed through that barrier.”
“Or maybe his mind is stronger than yours,” I countered.
“Doubt that.”
“Have you had moments of psychic awareness in the past?” Bishop asked, ignoring the demon’s jibes.
I shook my head. “Never.”
“No mind reading? No uncanny intuition of things that might happen in the future?”
“Like I said, never.”
“Only since you’ve been turned.” Bishop and Kraven shared a look. For an angel and a demon who hated each other, their confusion about my newfound skills had finally given them some common ground.
“When I first touched you,” I said to Bishop, “I had a vision. And even before I met you I had a dream about…well, I’m pretty sure it was you.”
I decided not to mention the dream where I’d killed him.
He was right at my side then, studying me intently while we continued to walk toward the searchlight. I kept my eyes locked on it in the distance.
“What did you dream?” he asked.
“Sex dream, probably,” Kraven said with a smirk. “Right?”
“No.” Did I mention I hated this guy? I could definitely see why he lived in Hell. I wanted him to return there as soon as possible. “It was a bit fuzzy, but I was about to fall into a black hole and Bishop…well, he had a hold on me until he let go.”
Kraven snorted. “Nice. Maybe that was a premonition that he’ll come to his senses and kick you straight into the Hollow.”
I looked at him. Bishop had used that term in Crave earlier as a threat to Stephen. “The what?”
Bishop glared at Kraven. “Shut your mouth.”
“Why? She’ll find out soon enough. Thought we were in sharing mode tonight. Or is that only okay when it’s you doing the sharing up against a brick wall?”
Again, Bishop chose to ignore the demon and turned his gaze back to me. “What about the first vision, Samantha? What was that?”
“I don’t really remember it. At first it was vivid and then it, like, started slipping away. It was bad, though. Epically bad. Something about this city—about Trinity.” I glanced around at the tall buildings. The darkness tonight felt almost like a living, breathing thing closing in on me. “Destruction. Everything and everyone gone.”
Silence was my only answer to that. Even Kraven didn’t have a snappy comeback, which wasn’t reassuring.
“I figure I was sensing you were going to help save the city. I don’t know.” I shrugged and shoved my hands deeper into my pockets to try to warm them so I’d stop shivering. I knew one way to get rid of the chill I felt—hold Bishop’s hand. But that wasn’t going to happen. Not with Kraven around. The thought made a strange longing burrow into my chest. I’d told Bishop earlier that I wanted to touch him as little as possible. I wished that had been the truth.
“But you didn’t see that I succeeded,” he said. “You saw only destruction.”
“I—I don’t know. I don’t remember. Why? Is that what happens if you fail? The city goes boom?” I said it flippantly, but the looks on their faces was so collectively bleak it sent a deep chill through me. “Will it?”
“No,” Bishop said firmly, flicking a glance at the demon. “Because we won’t fail.”
“Just a gray,” Kraven mumbled as if he was talking to himself more than us. “I know you are. I don’t get anything else off you. But what’s with the sight? Nothing all that special about you that I can sense.”
I glared at him. “Then why can I see the searchlights? Why could I zap you before? Why can I read your mind when I look into your eyes?”
The reminder earned me a sour look from the demon. “That is the question of the day, sweetness. But a warning…don’t try it again.”
“Why? Afraid of what I might find in there?”
He grabbed my arm to pull me to a halt and drew me closer. A shudder of fear ran through me.
“Just don’t,” he said.
“Let go of me.”
He did. I wasn’t sure if I could zap him again like I had at school this morning, but I didn’t have to try.
I jumped when Bishop took my arm, drawing me away from the demon. The moment he touched me, a wave of warmth flowed through me and my fear faded. A little.
“We’ll figure it out, Samantha,” he said. “Doesn’t have to be all at once.”
