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“Whatisshe, then?” I asked.

Jem’s jaw hardened. That time, he definitely heard my prod.

“I’m not fucking crazy.”

I let out an exasperated breath, unable to help it.

“I never said you werecrazy,Jem,” I said, annoyed. “No one is saying that. But this isn’t exactly your usual reaction to things, even things you don’t like… even things having to do with your mate. Are you really that surprised we’re all wondering what the hell’s going on with you?”

“I’d rather you focused on what I’m actuallysayingthan my gods-damned demeanor, Miriam, how about that?” The hand on his thigh clenched harder.

My eyes fell to it, watched it clench, unclench, then clench again.

“…Maybe if any of you actually fuckinglistenedto me,” he growled. “I wouldn’t be in here talking to the patronizing shrink. I’d be in the conference room with the actualinfiltrators,strategizing around how to approach this from a damned ops perspective.”

My jaw definitely ticked that time.

“You’d be in there right now, if you weren’t acting so strangely,” I told him frankly. “Whatever Black said when he lost his temper with you, he absolutely wanted you for this. They’ve been waiting for you to get back from New York before they proceeded with the Prometharis break-in. And I know Holo wanted your input on––”

“You’re still notlisteningto me. None of you are!”

“You think no one is listening to you?” I asked, bewildered. “Jesus, Jem. What the fuck am I doing right now? Despite your constant screaming at me and trying to insult me, I’m listening to every word you say––”

“Maybe you’re not the right person,” he growled.

“Maybe I’m just not obeying your every command,” I retorted back.

His eyes left mine. He stared down at his clenched fist on his leg and took a breath.

“Whowouldbe the right person?” I asked, my voice subdued. “Who do you want to talk to right now, Dalejem?”

His eyes looked strange to me now, though.

He continued to stare down at the fire, but something in his eyes seemed to shift, like a flickering light. I saw the color morph darker, like what happened to a vampire’s eyes when they started to fill with blood. Jem’s eyes didn’t turn red, though. They turned a darker green, mixed through with some colder color.

I watched, bewildered, as Jem’s expression began to smooth.

It grew strangely calm, but not in a way that reassured me in the slightest.

It was like the emotion was leeched out of his face, leaving it blank, statue-like.

“Dalejem,” I said, wary. “What the hell is going on?”

He didn’t look at me.

He stared at the fire.

Then, gracefully, he glided to his feet. His expression remained closed, his eyes empty.

He didn’t glance in my direction as he walked around my chair, then in the direction of the office door. I half-stood and turned around to watch him walk across the rug and part of the hardwood floor towards the white-painted door. He bent downenough to grip the door’s handle. Then he jerked it open, and began walking left in the corridor outside.

That direction led to the Black Security and Investigations office suite, not the elevators.

Was he going to crash the planning meeting in there?

“Jem!” I called out, sharp. I climbed to my feet, and walked to the door. “Black won’t let you back in there,” I said. “Not without talking to me.”

The seer didn’t look back.