Read Online What Doesn't Kill You by Cate Dean - Free Book Online Page A

him? I don’t want him to have to relive it.”
    “I’ll be happy to. But he’s got something to show all of you.” Letting her go, he moved to her side, met her eyes. The fear in his had her heart racing. “This James is bad news, Claire. The power surrounding him is dark, and it’s old.”
    “Is it his?”
    “More like he belongs to it. The power surrounds him, but it’s not part of him. And don’t ask me how I know. It’s part of my talent I’ve never been able to explain. I just know.” He let out his breath. “Like I know something happened with you. It’s imprinted on your energy.”
    Claire opened her mouth to deny, to stall. Annie’s furious voice saved her.
    “He did what ?”
    “Annie.” Zach inched away from her. “You promised not to be mad.”
    “So sue my hormones. Damn it, I want to wring his skinny little neck—” She grabbed Zach’s wrist. “Called himself J.J., the bastard. We need to nuke that tarot deck.”
    Marcus pushed off the wall. “He has been as elusive as a desert snake. We need to lure him. With irresistible bait.”
    “I might have just the thing,” Zach said. Standing, he reached down and carefully zipped open the thigh pocket on his cargo pants, his free hand hovering just over it. Claire understood why a moment later. The gilt edge of a tarot card appeared, sliding up to meet Zach’s waiting fingers. The thought of him touching that deck, of holding even a single card, sent panic up her spine. “He’ll be missing this. And if I’m right about that deck, it’ll be sooner instead of later—”
    “It was him,” Claire said, as the memory snapped into place.
    “Mom?” Zach touched her wrist. “What?”
    “I knew I had met James before. It was in London. The first time I saw that deck, the same night I met Houdini.” Simon raised his eyebrows. Claire knew she’d have to fill him in, but he got the main point. She gripped her amethyst heart, wanting to ground herself to the now, and the not the past she spent so long forgetting. “The woman, the fake medium who owned the deck. James was her nephew.”
    She heard a collective gasp. Simon moved to her side, and Marcus closed both hands over her shoulders. Simon picked up the card, flinching when his fingers touched it. “So, its longevity extends to whoever owns it.”
    Claire looked at him. “That seems to be the case. Which means that if we destroy it, James will suffer.”
    “Are you good with that?”
    She closed her eyes. “He gave us no choice.” Turning around, she looked at everyone in turn, and saw only support. “He will kill eventually, if he hasn’t already. I won’t allow it to get that far.”
    “Right.” Simon squeezed her hand; when she glanced over at him, he winked. “Time for a plan.”
     
    *
     
    S imon listened to his friends hash out possible scenarios. He’d missed all of this—especially the mix of voices and personalities. There had been so much silence, too much introspection.
    At first he needed that solace; the constant bombardment of power in a country so ancient almost flattened him. After a while the weight of it wore on him, and he sought out people to help hone his talent—including a demon monk, who showed him the meaning of compassion. He saw that same mix of energy in Claire now—the darkness tempered by love.
    Claire’s voice brought him back to the conversation. “We need to find him, now.”
    She pushed away from the table, and Simon saw the giveaway flash in her power. He grabbed her arm when she headed for the door, no plan in place, and anger pouring off her. He stomped down his own need to choke the life out of James, slowly, and stopped her with three simple words. “He’ll hurt Zach.”
    She turned on him, that anger jumping to rage before he took in a breath. Simon forced himself not to step back.
    “He won’t live long enough,” she said. He heard the violence under her deadly calm voice.
    “Mom.” Zach moved between her and the front