Page 5

Most of the shifters who worked in their building knew a bit about what he and the other men of his unit could do, but he’d never really talked about it openly with any of them.

He figured if he was going to get used to being a weirdo with a special power, he was going to have to talk to someone.

He was also going to have to get used to dealing with shapeshifters.

He preferred to talk to Celine, if he had a choice in the matter—and right now, he did.

He wasn’t completely sure why, but she felt comfortable to him in a way nobody else that he’d met on the island did. He liked talking to her and being around her, though they hadn’t really had as much interaction as he’d like. He wanted to remedy that. As long as she felt the same.

“Wait,” she said, eyeing him carefully. “So how did you know it was mine?”

Zeke cleared his throat and chose his words. Now was the moment for truth. He wondered how she’d take it. Only one way to find out.

“My peculiar little talent is called psychometry,” he told her and waited to see if she knew what that meant.

“You mean…” She paused, then seemed to regroup. “You mean you can see the history of an object just by touching it?”

Zeke nodded, glad he wouldn’t have to explain it. Every time he tried to put his gift into words, he felt foolish. It still seemed so unreal, even though he’d been living with this new state of affairs for months now.

“You saw me lose the locket?” she asked when he remained silent.

He paused. She should know the extent of what he’d seen. She had a right to that information.

“And I know why you were looking at the photos today of all days,” he added quietly.

He wanted so badly to reach out to her, but he wasn’t sure about the protocol for touching a shifter.

He knew they shared hugs and touches easily among themselves, but they were standoffish with strangers.

Zeke didn’t want to push her too far. “I’m sorry, Celine.

You have my sympathy. And if you ever need someone to talk to, I just want you to know…

I’ll listen. I’ve lost friends and even a close family member to violence.

I can understand a bit of what you must be feeling. ”

Her eyes widened, then filled with tears that she somehow refused to let fall. The wet shining of her eyes made him feel like he’d just kicked a puppy, but her words helped ease his discomfort.

“I appreciate that,” she said, and he could hear the honest emotion in her words.

“Gramps has been a big help, along with being here, away from where it happened.” She hiccupped a bit and paused to regain her composure.

“But it’s hard to talk about it with him or the others.

He’s so strong and resilient and perfect… and I’m still a mess.”

Zeke reached across the table, unable to stop himself, though he didn’t touch her. She didn’t move away, which he counted as a positive sign.

“You’re allowed to be a mess,” he said softly.

“Grief affects everyone a little differently. When my older brother was gunned down right in front of my eyes, I went off the rails for a while. I was angry at everyone and everything. I wanted to find the older kids in that gang and beat them to death with my bare hands, but the cops caught them first. Which turned out better for me in the long run, I know. But I was angry at the world for a long time, and joining the military was the only thing I could do to honor my brother’s memory that felt like I would actually accomplish something good in his name.

” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but he’d never really told anyone about his reasons for joining the Army before.

Not like this. Not the whole truth. “So, I beat up terrorists and people who want to kill innocents for a living, sanctioned by Uncle Sam. I used all that anger to do something good. But I still miss my brother. I’ll never stop missing him.

Just like you’ll probably never stop missing your folks. ”

She surprised him by covering his hand that was still stretched out on the table with hers. She squeezed it gently.

“Thank you,” she said with quiet dignity. “I think you do understand.”

She sniffed just once and then removed her hand, but she didn’t leave. Zeke waited patiently to see what she’d say.

“I want to hunt down the bitch who killed my parents and rip her to shreds,” she admitted.

“But I’m a selkie. A few of my ancestors had lion spirits, and I think that’s where my bloodthirstiness comes from…

” She shook her head and smiled a little at her own words.

“But I’m not really good at hunting on land.

And I don’t know where to start to find the mage that killed my mother and father. ”

“Wait a minute,” Zeke said, as something began to click into place in his mind. He didn’t know why he hadn’t made the connection before. “You’re sure the killer was female? And how do you know she was a mage?”

Celine nodded. “There was a witness who saw a female shape enter the house, though it was dark, and they didn’t get a good look at her. And for a single person to subdue and kill two shifters in such a way, they had to have dark magic on their side. They also found some evidence at the scene—”

“A carved stone?” he asked, cutting off her words with an eager feeling in his gut.

“Yes. How did you know?” She looked at him oddly, but he just nodded.

“Because I read that stone a few minutes ago for my last feat of psychometry for the morning. I saw the scene and how the stone was lost. I was also able to identify where the mage was, along with some other details. I didn’t realize the stone was associated with your parents, though.

I told Rick and the gang everything I saw.

Lynn was going to contact her grandmother to see if she could get more information on the mages, and Rick is reporting the location I saw to our chain of command.

I’m sure Commander Kinkaid is in the loop. ”

“But that’s great,” Celine said, sounding hopeful. “This could be the break we need.”

He wasn’t sure how much to tell her. She deserved the truth, but there were protocols that had been put in place since the unit had acquired their new abilities.

He’d have to check with his commanding officer first, before he divulged any more.

He’d probably already said too much, but that would likely be forgiven since he hadn’t realized the two readings were connected at first.

“Let me talk to Captain Haliwell, and then, maybe I can tell you more about what I saw after lunch?” Zeke suggested.

He saw her look over his shoulder, and he turned to catch a glimpse of the master chief watching them through the window on the swinging door. She jumped up from her seat, and he rose as well.

“I’m going to explain a bit of this to Gramps.

If you’ve cracked the case, he’ll be notified.

He has a personal interest, after all, and was promised a place in the hunt by the Kinkaid Alpha,” she told him.

Zeke was learning a bit more each day about how the shifters did things, though he still wasn’t sure about all the lingo.

“I can’t thank you enough, Zeke,” she said, surprising him with a quick hug and kiss on his cheek that nearly took his breath away.

He couldn’t help but notice how nicely she fit against him.

And the clean, fresh scent of her long blonde hair made him want to breathe in and imprint that delectable scent on his memory.

She moved away all too soon, heading back toward the kitchen, putting the locket back around her neck as she went.

At the swinging door, she paused and turned back to look at him. She waved and then went back into the kitchen, a smile on her face for the first time since they’d met.

He’d done that. He’d put a smile on her face. Finally. It might not be due to humor or enjoyment, but it was a smile, nonetheless. He counted that as a win.