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She led us down a carpeted corridor to a narrow elevator with burnished copper doors. Her hips swished inside a short, clingyskirt as she walked, her feet carefully balanced on five inch heels. The elevator required both her badge and a security code she keyed into a panel once we’d all stepped inside.

I don’t know if it was fully conscious, much less a realdecision,but I found myself positioning myself between the assistant and Black. I also, mostly out of habit, memorized the code she inputted into the elevator door.

That second part was probably Black’s influence.

As for the first part, and my twinges of jealousy, I blamed that morning’s conversation, and the unwelcome reminder of our time in New York. Had Black even picked up on my reaction to that? Or was he too focused on the new case to notice?

I noticed, doc,Black’s mental voice murmured in my mind.I always notice… and I always notice you.A breath of warmth swam over my skin.And it’s not just you, by the way. Although I wish you’d stop worrying about toddlers… all it’s doing is getting me wound up.

A touch of longing tinged his thoughts. Heat lived there.

I swallowed.

He was right.

It wasn’t just me. That was another way we’d both been struggling lately.

The only time things felt remotely normal between us now was when we were––

Fucking,Black interjected, finishing the thought for me.When we’re fucking.That coil of intensity in him grew hotter.Things feel normal when we’re fucking, doc, and right after. I’ve noticed that, too.

Liquid fire swam over and through me.

It felt disconcertingly sexual in the cramped space of the elevator.

It’s making it damned hard to keep my hands off you. Maybe we need to talk about that… instead of work shit, andinstead of dealing with it by basically ignoring one another whenever we’re around other people, and then fucking until we’re exhausted when we’re alone…

My face grew uncomfortably hotter at his words.

It struck me that the sex and awkwardness thing might be a lot of why I’d resisted working in the same building as him. Some part of me was trying to keep at least part of my professional life… well,professional.Or maybe I was just trying to keep myself from being too distracted by him, and by whatever the hell was going on with us.

The thing going on with us is that we’re seers, we’re married, and we’re trying to adjust to a major change in our light, not to mention our lives,Black murmured, seemingly incapable of not eavesdropping on my every thought.I don’t see that getting resolved without us actually talking about it, doc… and maybe we can’t do that while avoiding one another. Maybe now that we’re starting to adjust individually again, we can start to adjust as a couple. Maybe we really should do that bonding trip thing. Or maybe that’s what the new house is for, if we can find something soon enough––

What bonding trip?I murmured in his mind.

The one Jem keeps going on about, telling me we both need.Black grunted audibly under his breath.But alone this time. Not with every fucking person we know along with us, like we did on ourgaos-damned honeymoon.

I thought about that.

But you just took this job,I pointed out.

Yes,he conceded.

You said it’s probably a big job,I added.One that will likely go on for weeks. Not to mention, it’s an extremely dodgy and potentially dangerous job.

Yes,he admitted, sighing inside my mind.It is all of those things. But my point still stands.He paused.After, maybe?

Whydidyou take this job?I pressed.

Because it’s important, Miriam,he said, making me shiver like he always did when he used my full name.And you were right before… my reasons aren’t about Archangel or murder clubs. I think they’ve developed a brain implant that allows humans to block seer minds.

He paused, maybe so that part would land.

I want to know exactly what they’ve made, and what it does,he added next.I also want to knowwhythey made it. If they know about seers, and it’s designed specifically to block seer light, then that’s a problem for us. If it’s part of that weird-ass obsession a lot of these fuckers have with artificial intelligence, then we still need to know about it, but the issue is less dire. I’ll still want to limit or have some say in how the tech is developed.

He gave a subtle shrug.

I was hoping to talk about this back at the office,he added, thoughts subdued.Or over lunch. I thought I’d let you and Nick go into this with fresh eyes, but after, I fully intended us three to have a detailed discussion on where to go from here.He gave me a bare glance.Also, if you think they’re setting me up for Rucker’s murder.