were able to solve the case?â
Instantly, he stoked her ire. She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. So he truly wasnât interested in her. âWhat are you inferring?â
He cleared his throat. âDarien and his brothers wouldnât let me speak with you concerning this matter when I was here before, first, because you had been injured so, and after thatâ¦â Ryan shrugged. âThey were being protective, I suppose. But after giving your situation further thoughtââ
âFor five months?â Her voice was rife with annoyance, yet she wondered why heâd truly thought about it for that long. Just a rabid need to learn the truth? Or was there more to the story than he was letting on?
Calmly, he ignored her outburst and continued. âJust that you may seem to have psychic powers or a sixth sense or something, but in truthâ¦â He let his words fade, allowing her to draw her own conclusions, his gaze studying her eyes, observing her reaction. Like a P.I. and former cop would. Most likely jaded. Believing the worst in anyone they thought might have something to hide.
In truth, what did he believe?
She opened her mouth to speak but then clamped her lips shut. Hell, ever since her seventh birthday, after nearly drowning in a lakeâwell, technically she had drowned in the lake, been declared dead, and then revived, sheâd had these unwelcome visions Sheâd thought everyone else did, too, until she mentioned one to her mother.
She still remembered that day as if it were yesterday. Sheâd explained how sheâd seen a man driving apickup truck down the street from where they lived and running over one of her classmates. Except that the accident didnât happen until two days later. And the boy died. Night terrors followed, waking her, and sheâd try to catch her breath, tears streaking down her cheeks, her pillow soggy.
Horrified and unable to deal with what sheâd seen, she finally told her parents. Theyâd immediately sent her to a special doctor to get rid of her episodes . After three years of visits, he gave up on her, declaring her utterly hopeless. Well⦠even worse than that. To mollify her parents, heâd said in an appeasing, but not very sincere way that sheâd probably grow out of it. The real reason he dropped her as a patient in such a hurry went deeper than that.
Waiting for her to respond, Ryan cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets.
âSorry. You had a question for me?â She tapped her fingers on her folded arm, an insincere smile playing on her lips. He hadnât asked her a question, but the way he spoke was definitely a ploy to get her to respond to his observations. And she wasnât biting.
âDonât you suppose you might have come by the information you did through some means other than a psychic connection?â
âHmm, sure. Thatâs what happened.â
Ryanâs mouth curved up ever so slightly, but she could tell he wasnât being taken in by her surrender.
Before sheâd become caught up in the werewolf culture, sheâd kept her abilities secret. Now that those in this pack knew about her, she really didnât care if any were skeptical. As long as they didnât try to tell her thatshe didnât have a sixth sense because it wasnât possible. She supposed that was all because of Dr. Metzger and the way his icy blue eyes would peer through his brass-rimmed glasses at her, while his big chin tilted down, condemning, judging.
If people didnât believe her in private, fine. Yet, usually if people confronted her like this, she would smile disingenuously and tell them how right they were. She never felt the need to defend what she could see when others couldnât, or what she could envision or perceive sometimes when she touched an object.
âBut you truly believe otherwise,â Ryan finally said.
This time her smile
Instantly, he stoked her ire. She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. So he truly wasnât interested in her. âWhat are you inferring?â
He cleared his throat. âDarien and his brothers wouldnât let me speak with you concerning this matter when I was here before, first, because you had been injured so, and after thatâ¦â Ryan shrugged. âThey were being protective, I suppose. But after giving your situation further thoughtââ
âFor five months?â Her voice was rife with annoyance, yet she wondered why heâd truly thought about it for that long. Just a rabid need to learn the truth? Or was there more to the story than he was letting on?
Calmly, he ignored her outburst and continued. âJust that you may seem to have psychic powers or a sixth sense or something, but in truthâ¦â He let his words fade, allowing her to draw her own conclusions, his gaze studying her eyes, observing her reaction. Like a P.I. and former cop would. Most likely jaded. Believing the worst in anyone they thought might have something to hide.
In truth, what did he believe?
She opened her mouth to speak but then clamped her lips shut. Hell, ever since her seventh birthday, after nearly drowning in a lakeâwell, technically she had drowned in the lake, been declared dead, and then revived, sheâd had these unwelcome visions Sheâd thought everyone else did, too, until she mentioned one to her mother.
She still remembered that day as if it were yesterday. Sheâd explained how sheâd seen a man driving apickup truck down the street from where they lived and running over one of her classmates. Except that the accident didnât happen until two days later. And the boy died. Night terrors followed, waking her, and sheâd try to catch her breath, tears streaking down her cheeks, her pillow soggy.
Horrified and unable to deal with what sheâd seen, she finally told her parents. Theyâd immediately sent her to a special doctor to get rid of her episodes . After three years of visits, he gave up on her, declaring her utterly hopeless. Well⦠even worse than that. To mollify her parents, heâd said in an appeasing, but not very sincere way that sheâd probably grow out of it. The real reason he dropped her as a patient in such a hurry went deeper than that.
Waiting for her to respond, Ryan cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets.
âSorry. You had a question for me?â She tapped her fingers on her folded arm, an insincere smile playing on her lips. He hadnât asked her a question, but the way he spoke was definitely a ploy to get her to respond to his observations. And she wasnât biting.
âDonât you suppose you might have come by the information you did through some means other than a psychic connection?â
âHmm, sure. Thatâs what happened.â
Ryanâs mouth curved up ever so slightly, but she could tell he wasnât being taken in by her surrender.
Before sheâd become caught up in the werewolf culture, sheâd kept her abilities secret. Now that those in this pack knew about her, she really didnât care if any were skeptical. As long as they didnât try to tell her thatshe didnât have a sixth sense because it wasnât possible. She supposed that was all because of Dr. Metzger and the way his icy blue eyes would peer through his brass-rimmed glasses at her, while his big chin tilted down, condemning, judging.
If people didnât believe her in private, fine. Yet, usually if people confronted her like this, she would smile disingenuously and tell them how right they were. She never felt the need to defend what she could see when others couldnât, or what she could envision or perceive sometimes when she touched an object.
âBut you truly believe otherwise,â Ryan finally said.
This time her smile
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