The Revelation of Light and Dark (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 1)

But it’s not Carrick and Titus I’m hearing.

I’m startled, but it only takes a few moments to realize I can hear the two fae on the bench as they converse.

One asks, “You got any oxy?”

The other nods. “I have ten of the five milligrams. Hundred bucks.”

The first guy leans on his hip, then pulls out his wallet. Flipping through it, he grabs a bill and hands it to the other guy. In return, he has a plastic baggie shoved into his hand.

It’s a bold drug deal going down with people walking around—clearly no cops in the vicinity—and I know I’m hearing these two talk clearly because their words matched their bodies’ actions.

Holy shit.

“It’s a drug deal,” I exclaim before I can even think it might be very stupid to reveal this new gift I seem to have.

“How could you possibly know that?” Carrick asks dubiously, glancing back down to the park. The two fae are walking away from each other in opposite directions.

“I saw the exchange while you two were yammering,” I reply quickly, hoping that sounds legit. “We both know it’s common.”

Both men seem to accept this, and I sigh internally.

It appears I have a new gift. Or maybe I’ve had it all along, but I didn’t know how to access it. Regardless, I certainly stumbled upon it, and it could come in handy one day.

The fact I’m not willing to let Carrick in on this means no matter how much I need him to help me figure things out, I just don’t have enough trust in him. My gaze moves to Titus, and I wonder if I’d tell him.

Probably not, because he’s good friends with Carrick and his loyalty will be there. He’d tell him.

So, for now, this will be my secret alone.

Carrick and Titus have me look for other fae and daemons. I’m able to accurately find them, searching out the vibe first, then using my sight to pinpoint them. Each time, with a little bit of extra concentration, I’m able to listen in as well.

I try to test the boundaries of this power. To my disappointment, it seems to slip away if I take my eyes off the target. I’m not sure if that means my sight and hearing are connected and only work in conjunction, or if I just need to hone my skills, much in the same way I did with breaking through glamours, which is quite effortless now.

It’s something I intend to practice when Carrick and Titus aren’t around.

After about an hour, Carrick announces it’s time to leave. But this is only after I let out a few yawns I can’t contain. I’m really tired. It’s been a long week so far, and it’s still not quite over.

As we walk down the fire escape to the main floor, I ask Carrick the same thing I’ve been asking at the end of each night before I left his condo. “Have you been able to arrange for us to take a trip to Faere?”

“Not yet,” he replies.

Same answer each time.

“What’s the hold-up?” I press.

“It seems my contact isn’t around,” he replies from a few steps ahead of me as we descend. “I got word out that I need to see him, though. He’ll show up.”

Hmmm. That’s more information than he’s given me before when I’ve asked, so I actually might be inclined to believe it just a little bit.

I wonder if there will come a day when Carrick will prove to me that he’s totally worthy of my trust.

Or, in the alternative, prove to be my enemy, which is always still a possibility.

CHAPTER 21

Carrick

Most criminals who break into someone’s home choose to do so in the dead of night so the dark cloaks the crime.

Not Carrick Byrne.

While he parked his motorcycle two blocks down from Finley Porter’s house, it was just around ten in the morning when he walked right up to the front door as if he were invited.

He was not.

With the confidence of someone who felt he had every right to be where he was and to be doing what he was doing, Carrick pulled a set of lock picks from his coat pocket and made efficient work of opening the front door.

Slipping inside, he closed the door behind him. He did a quick perusal—small living room and kitchen separated by a round dining table. Door opened into a half bath, staircase leading up, double sliding glass doors leading out onto a deck in the back, and a door off the kitchen that led out to the detached garage.

Carrick expected no one home at this time as he was well versed in all the residents’ work schedules. The investigator he had casing this house for the last few weeks had solid information that could be trusted. At this time of day, everyone should be at work, but it was possible someone was still here. If that were the case, he’d deal with it.