"You're a Healer, aren't you?" he asked.
"I don't think I can heal your soul, Dusty," she said with a small smile.
"If anyone can, you can."
"Don't you have to go?"
"The good thing about being in charge is the ability to make your own schedule," he replied.
She hesitated before taking his hand. He drew her into his body, reveling in the flow of her cool energy. It managed to calm the sense of urgency he always felt. He smoothed her bouncy curls, wanting to let his hands continue down her body. He didn't. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
There was something very different about this woman, and it was more than the feel of her energy flowing through him. She was fully a part of him when they touched, as if he'd been missing more than a piece of his soul all these years and just now realized it. The sensations-- and the moment of peace he'd been denied for thousands of years-- made him uncomfortable. For the first time in his life, he felt like running away from something.
His cell phone rang. Bianca propped her chin on his chest and gazed up at him.
"I have to go," he said.
"I figured," she said. She withdrew, taking the feeling of peace with her. Dusty pulled his phone free and saw Toni's number flash across the screen. He answered.
"Boss, Iggy at the lab sent me her report." There was a puzzled note in Toni's voice. "I'm already here with her. Wanna meet me?"
"Yeah, on my way," Dusty said. "Give me five minutes."
"Groovy."
Dusty hung up and met Bianca's gaze again. Her arms were crossed and she was chewing on her lower lip again.
"We'll talk later," he said in the awkward silence. He already felt the loss of her calm energy, but he had no idea what to do about it.
"You know where I'll be," she said, a smile pulling up one side of her mouth. "Don't think it's possible for me to leave, so whenever you're ready …"
"You're calling me a chicken," he said.
"Not at all," she said. Her smile widened, and she walked away into the living room.
His body screamed for him to follow and let Toni handle whatever it was Iggy wanted. Dusty hesitated and then snatched his dinner before he did something they'd both regret. He Traveled to the basement lab and perched next to Toni on a stool at a table bearing something that should've made him lose his appetite. He ate anyway, surprised to find the chicken tender and juicy and the veggies still slightly crisp and well-seasoned. Bianca was the only one of those around him who could cook.