He growled at her. He’d perfected the growl, thanks to the animals Whitney saw fit to include in his enhancements. He was pleased to see goosebumps rising on her skin. She lifted her chin at him, and her eyes showed her laughter, but she couldn’t hide her response to his aggression. She liked it.
He set his plate on the table and sat down across from her. “Why do I think you know far more than you’re telling me?”
Her eyebrow went up. “Why would you think I would know about the landscaping on your property when I’ve never been here before?”
There was that little enigmatic smile again, the one that told him she knew exactly what he was talking about. She liked teasing him, and he liked her teasing just a little too much.
Camellia took her first bite of omelet. “Mmm. This is really good.”
“One of my many talents.” He grinned and took his own large bite. Cheesy, savory goodness melted on his tongue, reminding him of how long it had been since he’d eaten. He tucked into his meal and didn’t stop until his plate was clean.
Leaning back in his chair, he eyed Camellia across the table. “It’s time you give me the rundown on what you did for Kaden, Camellia. That wasn’t the same as a psychic healer, at least not according to any of the explanations I’ve ever heard. You used the same method healing him that you did when you helped Kyle when he was using the eyes of the owl to spy on Crawley and his men, didn’t you?”
She nodded slowly, finishing off her omelet. She pushed the empty plate toward the middle of the table and took a drink of water before she sank back in the chair. “I don’t have a psychic healing talent the way Ryland expected me to. Or you for that matter. That isn’t the way my gift works. You have a bit of talent yourself, Jonas. You just haven’t discovered or developed it yet. Didn’t you feel it when you were connected to me when I was working on Kaden?”
“Yes.” There was no denying it. He had. “But whatever gift I have is nothing compared to yours. Even if I worked at it day and night, I’d never come close to your ability. It’s possible, since Whitney paired us, that my talent is more of a support system for yours.”
Her brows came together in that little frown he found far too adorable. Adorable. What the hell kind of word was that for a man like him? It suited that look though—and her. She could melt him so easily. Her dark lashes fluttered, went down, covering her blue eyes, and then lifted so he found himself drowning there. Small white teeth bit at the side of her lower lip for a moment.
“That’s a possibility I never considered, Jonas. Are you sure your healing gift isn’t the same? Maybe you just need to practice more.”
“Think about it, honey. I know you were caught up in what you were doing, but did it feel as if I could have actually saved Kaden without you?”
More frowning and biting on her lip. The long lashes veiled her eyes while she replayed the healing session in her mind. Jonas was right there with her, but he kept his distance. She fascinated him the way she remembered every detail. He was able to see more clearly how the various elements in the bloodstream had rushed to Kaden’s defense. She had marshaled Kaden’s body’s natural defenses but also used others. Where had she gotten them? She hadn’t just manufactured them out of thin air.
“You’re using abilities given to you from Middlemist Red,” he guessed. “The properties she has in her. Whitney suspected all along she possessed far more benefits than oils to be used for skin care or antiaging. Does she give you the ability to create the mist and the illusions in it?”
Camellia nodded. “Yes.”
“She’s the reason we can hide in the mist.”
“Absolutely.”
Jonas drummed his fingers on the table. “Do you know why Middlemist Red disappeared all at once when she used to be so plentiful in China?”
Again, Camellia nodded slowly. “Plants communicate with one another, and Red is extremely advanced. She uses the mycelium network to reach out to trees and plants for miles, not to take over the world, as some came to suspect, but to ensure the health of the plants. Humans became suspicious and she caught wind of a conspiracy to burn the camellias down. To prevent that, she had them all disappear.”
“How?”
“She took them underground. Just as she did in England when the Nazi bombs blew out the windows to the conservatory and let in the freezing cold air. She took all the rare camellias underground with her, where they could stay warmer and survive.”