Katie's Hellion

His presence and words were as soothing as Kris's were not. She felt herself relaxing at his even tone and the words that seemed logical enough. She didn't want to be dead, and she definitely needed more whiskey. At her hesitation, he motioned for her to sit again and turned, continuing to block Kris from sight.

"Brother," he said with gentle command. "Jade, you, too. Gabriel, do whatever you do."

The death dealer disappeared. She heard Kris stir, and the cocoa-skinned Jade followed. Andre relaxed and sat on the couch near her while Ileana drew close as well. Ully reappeared with a carafe of whiskey and set it down, taking Andre's head nod as a cue to leave.

Andre poured her whiskey and sat back. She sipped it, rubbing the back of her neck.

"You are handling this well," he said.

She eyed him. His words appeared genuine, unlike Kris's.

"You'd have to be pretty mentally tough to go through all this without cracking."

"Oh, I'm cracking."

He chuckled. Despite her fury and fear, she found his presence oddly calming, like sitting in a spa surrounded by incense with her feet in a salt bath. The air around her felt heavy and still.

He was doing something to her. Even with her precious whiskey, she shouldn't feel like she did. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the fog he'd placed there.

"I don't need you to placate me!"

He leaned forward, curiosity flaring in his tanzanite eyes. Whatever fog gripped her dissipated suddenly, and she breathed a sigh at the palpable release. She tossed back the whiskey, meeting his gaze only when he placed his hand across the top of the carafe.

"You've had enough," he said with genuine concern. "I apologize. I won't do it again."

She pulled the carafe from his hand and poured herself another two shots. He pursed his lips then poured himself a shot and sat back to sip it. They gazed at each other for a long moment.

"Did I really die?" she asked at last.

"No. But mortals shouldn't travel through the shadow world. It's hit and miss on what'll happen."

"What exactly is going on?"

He leaned forward and placed the glass on the table.

"It's a long story, one you don't necessarily need to know to understand your circumstances. My brother's people found you and identified your unique gift for…blocking their natural talents. It makes you valuable and dangerous. If our enemies find you, they can take your blood and modify the creatures who work for them to make them immune to us."