He touched me a few minutes ago. When the other man sat up straight and glanced around sharply, Kalen explained. No, hes not here in body. But he projected some type of astral form of himself to me long enough to let me know he could get me whenever he wanted. Or anyone else, too.
A warning, Hammer said in a low, pissed-off tone.
Yeah.
Its a bluff. Has to be.
How so?
Think about it. If Malik could actually do significant physical harm to you or anyone here, he wouldve done it already.
Maybe, Kalen conceded. The idea gave him a bit of hope.
And if he could, wouldnt he just go straight for Sariel, perhaps snatch you as a bonus? Im thinking its smoke up our asses, man. If the motherfucker was all that strong, he wouldnt need you, and he sure wouldnt be so bent on murdering his own son.
Makes sense. God, he hoped Hammer was right.
Something else just occurred to me. The big man rested his elbows on the table and eyed Kalen. Can he hear us talking? Can he hear me , right now?
Shit, he breathed, stunned by the question. Scouring his brain for past contact with the Unseelie, the creatures taunts, he shook his head. I dont think so. He only seems to react to my thoughts or when I speak to him directly, or hell project himself into my head and mess with me out of the blue.
He likes to prey on my emotions, but Ive never gleaned any hint of him listening in on my actual conversations with others. If he could do that, Im sure hed be driving me crazy with it.
You mean, sort of like when youre in the room with somebody whos on the phone, you can only hear their end of the conversation?
Exactly. For whatever reason, it seems Malik can only tune in to me .
Interesting. Thats something helpful, anyway. But while thats good, youll need to work on being careful about your thoughts, or blocking them altogether. Imagine a wall or some crap between your mind and his. Whatever helps.
Ill try. He didnt hold out much hope of it working, but it was worth a shot. Is Nick having any luck tracking down Evan Kerrigan? That the Unseelie was walking among the unsuspecting public, posing as a wealthy entrepreneur, was a source of real fear for the team. Involving innocent humans in their battles was always a frightening prospect, to be avoided at all costs.
Not yet. He and his contacts have to tread carefully so they dont raise his suspicions.
I have a feeling he wont hide forever, Kalen speculated grimly. If we dont get him under surveillance before he comes out to play, its gonna be bad shit.
Hammer snorted. A handful of us against an Unseelie king and his army of giant, rabid bats? No fuckin problemwe got it handled.
Those giant, rabid bats being the Sluaghfallen Seelie whod given themselves to evil and lived to serve Malik. God, they were all going to get massacred. Unless Kalen could pull off a miracle.
There are no miracles, my boy. Only the path that you and I will forge together. Once you learn to embrace your power, accept me as your master, well rule the universe.
You mean the dark side of my power, Kalen hissed. I wont use it to hurt innocents.
You will, pet. You have no choice.
Fuck you.
Kalen? Hammer leaned forward, looking worried. Is it him ?
Feeling sick again, Kalen pushed from his seat. I have to go. Thanks for the talk.
Without giving the other man a chance to reply, he strode for the door. In the hallway, he leaned his back against the wall, sucking in a lungful of air and releasing it slowly. Searching for calm.
Are you okay?
Mackenzie had followed him out, and she stood in front of him with her hands tucked in the pockets of her lab coat, blue eyes apprehensive. Christ, he didnt deserve the concern on her sweet face.
As he fumbled for an answer, he noted that her eyelids were reddened. A bit puffy. Her expression was strained, her body tense, and he immediately went on alert. Ive had better days, Doc. Now, same question back at you. Whats wrong?
Some emotion that mightve been remorse, or sorrow, flashed across her features and was gone. Seriously? Whats right ? See, I can be evasive, too.
There was an edge to her tone that was new for the normally happy, bubbly woman. His heart sank. Its me, he said softly, moving from the wall to get closer, touch her cheek. I put that look on your face. Baby, Im so sorry She stepped back to avoid contact, and the action skewered his gut like a blade.
No. You dont get to do that, she snapped. You dont get to baby me and act like you give a damn. Im not your problem, remember?
The dagger in his gut twisted. I never said you werent my problem or that I didnt care. I didnt mean to imply I felt that way. Just the opposite, in fact.
She crossed her arms over her chest in a protective stance. Seemed like it to me. Anyway, does that really change anything?
He looked away, heart aching. Maybe not. But either way, staying far away from me is the best thing for you to do right now.
Why? Because of this Unseelie character, Malik? Hes the one who tried to get into my head a few weeks ago and now hes after you, right?