He nods. “Read that. You’ll learn a lot. But there’s something in particular you need to know. Visionaries suffer from a curse if they ever lose their ability to view the past, present, and future.”
That takes me by surprise. “Kimber is cursed?”
With a frown, he says, “Yes. And now she has fixated.”
What the—
“On you,” he adds.
“What the hell does that mean?”
He stands and comes closer to me, opening the book to a page that has been marked. “Kimber isn’t the first to lose her visions. Their powers are the easiest to strip. In fact, they’re the only ones ever known to be stripped of power. But as a result, they go a little… crazy.”
I cock an eyebrow at that comment, but he continues on.
“Kimber is the only one to ever live beyond the first two years after the loss of visions, and that’s only because she also has gatekeeping powers. But that doesn’t mean she gets to bypass the curse. Visionaries never encounter a mystery because they can see everything around them at all times—past, present, and future.
“But if they lose their visions, they encounter mystery. Unlike us, they’re not equipped to handle it. Calypso and Drackus helped Kimber learn to channel her gatekeeping abilities. That was the first mystery she encountered that she fixated on. Unlike the other visionaries, she can handle some mystery, as long as she doesn’t become intrigued. By channeling her energy into one fixation at a time, she keeps her sanity.”
I’m more confused than ever right now, even though he thinks he’s explaining things.
“So…”
“So, as I said, now she has fixated on you. You’re a big giant mystery, and we both know you never talk about your past. I’ve never asked you for anything, but I’m asking you for this. Tell her something—anything. She can’t have two fixations at once. She’s already reckless. She hates feeling weak. It makes her feel like a victim all over again. If she fixates on you and this mission to take down slave rings, she’ll end up getting herself killed.”
Leaning back, I scrub my hands over my face. “I’ll go talk to her,” I groan, knowing damn well this can only end badly. She better be okay with the fucking highlights.
“I suppose this fixation has something to do with the… chemistry between us.”
Thad laughs as though something is funny.
“The fixation doesn’t have a damn thing to do with that. Or the fact you kissed her outside a werewolf bar. That’s all between the two of you. Good luck with that.”
A lot of damn help he is. Now I have to spend time alone in a room with Kimber—the only girl I’ve not been able to shrug off in decades. Maybe I can talk to her without thinking about getting her naked and under me.
“Try to answer questions without letting her know that I’ve cued you in on everything. She doesn’t like being viewed as weak, and you’re already giving her a damn complex about it. Stop doing that. She’ll only work harder to prove herself.”
Complicated. My life is always complicated.
“I happen to have a bit of charisma. No worries, Thad. I’ll handle it.”
Chapter 11
KIMBER
“Anything at all would help, Ella,” I say over the phone.
“I wish I knew anything. I asked Alyssa, and she knows less than you do about him. Shit. I can’t believe you’re fix—”
“Can we talk?” Gage asks, walking into my room and looking like sex on legs.
My mouth goes dry as I take him in. His long body is lean, but defined with layers of muscle. I really wish he wasn’t something I found fascinating.
“Um… yeah… um…”
“Is that him?” Ella asks, clearly interested. “Because his voice sounds… wow. You’re in deep shit¸ you know?”
“He can hear you, you know?” I grumble, ignoring the smirk Gage has on his face as he drops down to the chair next to my bed.