“But…as his son, so do you, right? He’s not actually all powerful in that respect.”

A brief smile pulled at Kieran’s lips. “Yes. As I said, my father is not rational in some things. He has a fragile ego.”

“Well…I mean…he is a man, after all.”

“Once she was back, he took her skin. Hid it. Which, at first, I think she treated like a game. She loved him, after all. She fell into a life of luxury and power, pampered and treated like royalty. But, as before, the ocean called.”

“And he wouldn’t let her go to it.”

“She was pregnant at the time, but even if she hadn’t been…” Kieran’s fist clenched. “His love is of power. Of complete dominance. When she begged to leave again, even promising she would return, his regard for her turned. She became a prisoner. A prisoner he no longer sexually desired. He banished her, kept her at arm’s reach. Kept her landlocked.”

“And you?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “One in ten children created from the union of a Demigod and a non-Demigod develop a Demigod’s power. My mother was a class five. That surely helped. My father has had twelve children, but only one Demigod materialized. I am the heir. Together, we can control more territory.”

“But…you lived with your mother, right?”

“Ah. I see what you’re getting at. I forget, you don’t think like the people around me.” His look said that was a good thing. “I was banished with her, yes, but just for safekeeping. He kept tabs on me my whole life, first to see if my powers would materialize, and then because they did and he wanted to groom me.”

“To sculpt you into a clone of himself.”

“Essentially, yes.”

His tone raised my small hairs. I swallowed a sudden dose of fear.

“He made sure I had excellent tutors,” Kieran continued, “who taught me about ruling and warfare. He invited me here after my mother died so I could expand the family business.”

“And you came to free your mother?”

His penetrating stare reached down into me, baring my soul to him as he was baring his to me. Silence descended between us and heat built, fueled by the passion and electricity burning between us.

He leaned my way slightly, and expectation washed over me. I licked my bottom lip, remembering the feel of his kiss. Of his hands on me, and the gloriousness of his body.

His gaze dipped, lingering on my tongue. His pupils dilated and he bent, cutting the distance between our lips in half. My body pounded and I couldn’t get enough air.

“Among other things,” he said softly.

40

Alexis

Shivers coated my body, and suddenly I wasn’t sure what he would do, and what I would do in reaction.

I needn’t have worried.

A wrinkle wormed between his brows, and with a surge of strength, he rose from the bench. He jammed his hands into his pockets, and my gaze snagged on the bulge between them.

“I may not have kidnapped you, but I forced you into this position,” he said, his voice pained. “I want you, that’s no secret. I want to fuck you so hard you forget your name.”

A small moan escaped my lips. When I was near him like this, feeling the electric chemistry between us, I wanted the same thing. I wanted to let go and give in to his awesome strength and power.

“And I need you,” he went on. “I need you to free my mother. Fate brought you to me. What were the odds that I’d meet someone with your rare ability in the place it would do the most good?”

I could barely feel confusion through the pounding in my body. Rare ability? Weren’t there plenty of Ghost Whisperers in magical San Francisco alone?

“I found your weakness, and I exploited it.” He glanced back at me. “Just like my father would’ve done.”

I unstuck my tongue from the top of my mouth and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. “I came here to refuse your job offer.”

His head jerked my way before he turned slowly back toward the water. His brow furrow didn’t match his gorgeous smile.

“Did you?” he said.

“I did. Don’t get me wrong—you didn’t underestimate me at all. I would’ve caved in a heartbeat. But the kids don’t want your money. They’re convinced we can do this on our own.”

His stormy eyes assessed me, glimmering. His smile grew. “Strangely, I’m relieved to hear it.”

“But I will be taking the job.” A mental gut punch took all the breath out of me. I struggled to get it back, sheer panic trying to steal the moment.

He cocked his head, and his smile dripped away.

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat and beat on my chest a little. “I really don’t want to. If you can’t tell.”

He shifted, his back nearly to the ocean. “Then why are you?”

“Because of your mother. She pleaded with me to help you. And because I’ve lost a mother too. I can’t imagine how helpless I would feel in your situation. Actually…” I held up my hand, still struggling for air. “I can imagine it. It’s how I feel about Mordecai.”

He nodded slowly. “It is the same, yes. Exactly the same. Which I realized when I was sitting here, waiting for you. That’s why I called and made an appointment for Mordecai before you got here. The details will be delivered to you tomorrow. I’ve prepaid for the procedure, but everything’s in his name. I meant it as an apology, of sorts, for having forced your hand. But now…” His smile drifted back. “Let’s call it a nod of respect, for misjudging you…while still getting my way.”

An unexpected laugh shook me. I looked away, trying to get my bearings. This version of Kieran was the man his minions saw, I had no doubt. A real guy with a surprising sense of humor. If I was around this guy too much, I was liable to forget about his possessive, domineering side. And that was dangerous.

“You bought the blanket for Mordecai before you knew what I was,” I said, back to reality (except for the deep ache that would not go away). “Why? Or could you feel what I was even then?”

“Without assessing you, I never could’ve known the entirety of what you are.”

I shifted on the seat. This was the second time he’d alluded to my being more than someone who could see and work with/boss around spirits. But before I could ask about it, he’d already plunged on.

“My mother died a slow death,” he said. “The sickness of a selkie kept from her skin is like cancer. I watched her erode from the inside out.” He clenched his jaw, and rage burned brightly in his eyes. “Toward the end, we couldn’t rely on in-home care. We needed machines. Equipment. It was in those trips that I learned, firsthand, what it was to be poor and sick. What it was to see suffering people who couldn’t get help. At first, I shrugged off most of it. I ignored it. But one day, a child with a scarf on her head walked by, so weak she could barely keep upright. She was dying, but her parents couldn’t afford treatment to ease her pain. It…” He turned away. “It woke me up, to say the least. It struck me deeply. So when I saw you studying those blankets, trying to figure out a way to afford the one that would comfort him most…” He shook his head. “It was the least I could do. A tiny gesture.”

“It wasn’t a tiny gesture for him.” I shrugged and smiled. “Well, it wouldn’t have been if the situation hadn’t involved stalking and unresponsive mace.”

“We’ve already discussed my struggle to avoid being like my father.”

“Right, yes. Yes, we did. Anyway…” I clasped my hands and leaned forward, not really sure where to go from here. My perception of him was changing. Had changed.

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, since now we’d be working together, or a really, really bad thing.

“Anyway,” he said, mimicking me, back to facing the ocean. “I’ll let you get your affairs in order and look over the contract. After Mordecai is seen to—if you haven’t changed your mind—then let one of my guys know. We can handle the paperwork and get started.”

Hearing the finality in his voice, I stood from the bench. “No one gave me their phone number. Besides, my phone is dead, remember? It’s sitting in a bowl of rice, but won’t turn back on.”