The Ring Bearer (15 page)

Danato wasn’t sure what Efrat had meant about Cori having episodes, but he did agree with his concerns regarding Clark. He wasn’t sure what happened up there last night, but Cori had hinted at feeling personally assaulted by Hirem’s death. Her animosity toward Clark was warranted, but he wasn’t sure he had ever heard her actually wish someone dead, with the exception of Efrat and even that didn’t last.

He was certain that there was still something missing from Cori’s story, but he didn’t have the energy to investigate it properly. He was already missing an entire night of sleep so he had no guilt about leaving Heaton to fill Belus in on the fem-wolf situation. He knew from Heaton’s presence that things hadn’t gone as planned, but as long as no one was dead, he didn’t really care.

By the time he made it to the house he remembered that Cori wasn’t going to be home to make dinner, and since Ethan was likely to spend the remainder of the evening with her, he would need to make dinner for the crew himself.

When he walked in to find Daniel and Nevia behind his stove, and the smell of sizzling onions wafting through the house, he let out a sigh of relief. He caught the tail end of an argument about whether or not to add the rest of the vegetables into the pan with the onions, or fry them separately.

“Where did you learn to cook?” Daniel said. “Everybody knows you fry all the veggies separately.”

“No one does that. It’s ratatouille just throw it in a pan and cook it until the crunch is gone.” Nevia scoffed at his perfectionism.

“Give me that spoon.” Daniel ripped the wooden spoon from her hand, and pretended to swat her with it before he was interrupted by the front door shutting.

Danato nodded to the two faces that were equally surprised and embarrassed to see him. “I wasn’t aware that you cooked, Daniel,” he said after hanging up his coat.

Daniel cleared his throat and shrugged. “It’s not my best talent, but I haven’t killed any taste buds yet.” Daniel shifted uncomfortably when Danato didn’t laugh. “That was just a joke.”

Danato nodded. “I know Daniel.” Danato offered him a small smile. “I’m just a little tired. Thank you for starting dinner and…for taking care of the trial.”

Daniel looked like a deer in headlights, but he recovered enough to pull Nevia’s hand away from the skillet to keep her from adding the next vegetable. “I…ah…the fem-wolf was attacking. I didn’t intend to…”

“I don’t even want to know tonight.” Danato was surprised that Daniel was even offering an explanation. He was usually closed mouthed when he thought he had done something wrong. He imagined that change in his personality was due to the introduction of Nevia.

“Jordan,” Danato said with unconcealed exhaustion in his voice. “Would you mind joining me in my office?”

She gave him a hint of a nod and she started to come around the counter. Daniel caught her arm. She looked at him for the answer, but Daniel was already looking at. “Anything you have to say about me, you can say to me Danato. I can handle it.”

Danato exchanged a glance with Nevia before responding. “I’m glad to hear it Daniel, but this isn’t about you.”

Nevia waited for Daniel to release her before she continued around the island. Danato gave her the lead to the office. He glanced back at Daniel before he left, but his eyes were back on the skillet.

Nevia sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk, while he took his main desk chair. He had many times brought Ethan or Cori in this room to disarm them when he needed to be the disciplinarian. Never before had he felt disarmed himself, until now. Even sitting in his dominant chair with a gigantic desk between them, he felt exposed before this woman.

He shifted uncomfortably, trying to decide how to approach the subject he needed, but didn’t want to discuss. “This afternoon…” He started, but didn’t continue. He half expected Nevia to jump in, but she waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. “I hadn’t taken into consideration how much insight you might have into my life,” he finally managed to say.

Nevia nodded. “I haven’t told anyone about your…condition.”

Danato sighed in relief. “Good, good. I hope that it won’t be too much trouble to keep it that way.  Belus is the only one that knows about my little hitchhikers.”

“I’m pretty good at keeping secrets, but I’ll tell you the same thing that I told my last secret holder.” Nevia paused either for affect or to offer him the opportunity to dispel her opinion. “Secrets eventually surface and usually at the most inopportune time. So, be prepared for the consequences of holding onto them too long.”

“I’ve already suffered the consequences.” Danato raised his cane.

“I’m no one to you, but if you want my opinion I’ll give it.” Nevia paused and waited for his permission to continue. Danato raised his brow and nodded. “Ethan and Cori love you, and you love them, you should open yourself up to them.”

Danato furrowed his brow. “That’s it?” He had expected a lot more: a scathing retribution for his deceit or perhaps a poetic proverb.

She stood up and headed to the door. She stopped with the doorknob in hand and looked back at him. “Isn’t that enough?” She left shutting the door behind her. It wasn’t a scathing retribution, but it served the same purpose.

24

“Ratatouille!” Heaton scoffed at Daniel as he took the casserole out of the oven. “Who the hell eats that?”

“You do, you twat. The fridge was overflowing with vegetables from Cori’s gardening.” Daniel threw the potholders at him. They smacked him in the face, and he retorted with a playful slap on the cheek. “Ohhhh! Now it’s on you cheeky English bastard.”

Daniel and Heaton mock wrestled until they heard Danato harrumph from his chair in the living room. They both released there grips and went back to their corners. Heaton grabbed a piece of the casserole and tasted it. He shrugged a vague consensus on its palatability.

“Where’s Ethan anyway?” Daniel asked.

“Saying goodnight to Cori.” Heaton tipped his eyebrow.

Daniel scoffed. “Yeah, right, I don’t think the General would allow that.”

“How’re things here?” Heaton offered another tip of his eyebrow along with a nod at Nevia who was sitting on the coach reading.

Daniel smiled, but covered it quickly. “Fine.”

Heaton grinned at him relentlessly. “You’re such a child.” He reached for another nibble of the casserole and Daniel smacked his hand.

“Speaking of.” Daniel looked over to Danato and leaned in a little closer to conceal the conversation from him. “Danato and Nevia had a little talk earlier.”

“What about?” Heaton leaned in as well.

“I don’t know. She won’t tell me. Says it’s not her secret to tell.”

“Really,” Heaton’s brow furrowed.

“Yeah, that’s the second time I’ve heard that from her. Apparently, she has the burden of keeping two secrets from me.”

Heaton’s face donned with the insinuation. He drew in a breath like he was about to explain something, but Danato interrupted. “You boys have something to share or were you thinking that gossip wasn’t just for twelve year old girls.”

Heaton and Daniel perked up and looked to Danato before exchanging a look. “We were just commenting on how many secrets there are running around this house,” Daniel said coming around the island. He looked to Heaton to back him up. Heaton rolled his eyes and rounded the other side of the island, but he didn’t offer any verbal backup.

“There are indeed,” Danato commented with suspicion in his voice.

Daniel stood between the couch and Danato’s chair with his arms akimbo. Danato stared at him with a sort of amusement in his eyes. “For example,” Daniel started. Heaton groaned. Nevia shook her head at him. Danato raised his chin no doubt hoping for an excuse to throw him into a wall. “What is the secret to getting this house to switch décor?” Daniel pointed to the dead animal hanging above the fireplace.

Danato actually laughed at his ill-timed joke, which wasn’t entirely a joke. The house had the same décor every time he had been in it, which wasn’t often, but over the span of a half decade, it seemed to be lacking in the subtle updates one might expect.

“I wasn’t aware that my furnishings offended you,” Danato said.

“They don’t offend, but the spare bedrooms offer more variety than this room, and they only have three furnishings, and one wall hanging.”

Danato smiled, for a moment Daniel thought he might have just been placating him, waiting for the best time to surrender to his urge to yell at him, but he didn’t. “I sure do like it when you boys come to visit. Makes me appreciate Ethan and Cori’s bickering a lot more.”

Daniel tipped his head at Danato. He looked back at Heaton to confirm it. Heaton shrugged and snickered. “Was that a jibe?” he asked Heaton. “I think I just got slammed and it wasn’t my head.”

“That could be arranged if you’re disappointed,” Danato donned another smile letting him know he was kidding.

“Wow, two in row.” Daniel reveled as Ethan came in. “I think I’ll stop while I’m ahead.” Daniel greeted Ethan with raised arms. “At last we can eat.”

“I hope you didn’t wait on my account,” Ethan said smelling the air.

“Well, we weren’t sure you’d make it home.” Daniel winked as he brought the casserole to the table.

Ethan sat down and Heaton settled in beside him, while Daniel took a seat across from them. “How is she?” Heaton asked as Danato sat down. He looked just as interested in the answer.

Nevia sat on the far end of the table. Daniel made it a point to push out the chair beside him, but she seemed content to sit away from him. He wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep her distance, or was just used to sitting away from everyone, either way he didn’t like it. Not after making so much progress to get close to her that afternoon.

“She’s more stressed out than I anticipated. She had an incident with Leona.”

“Leona?” Danato nearly choked on his first bite. “Is she alright?”

“Yeah, apparently she got a got mental block to keep Leona from hypnotizing her.” Daniel looked up when he heard mental block mentioned. Ethan gave him a small glare. “Yeah, I know you healed her.”

Daniel frowned and shoved a finger at Nevia. “She made me do.”

“Nice pluck, dude,” Heaton chided him.

“Fuck pluck, he won’t hit
her
,” Daniel complained.

“I did make him do it,” Nevia defended him. “I was the one who advised Cori to get the block. She wouldn’t have even been down there if it weren’t for me.”

“Down where?” Danato chimed in sounding offended that he had to ask.

“The basement,” Ethan said. “She went to see Cleos.”

“Cleos,” Danato balked, “I thought we were done with that?”

“We are,” Ethan clarified slowly, and he attempted to enjoy his food.

“Clearly not if Cleos is messing in her head again,” Danato snarled.

“Cori needed the block,” Nevia intervened. “She is one of the lucky few that are prone to being hypnotized by fem-wolves.”

“Hypnotized?” Danato balked again. “I’ve never heard of that.”

“That doesn’t negate it as a truth. She took my advice. I take full responsibility for not accompanying her, but I was under the assumption that Cori was a grown adult.”

Daniel grimaced as Danato bristled at Nevia’s condescension. Heaton did his best to hide his smile.

“She is, but she is an employee and I expect to be informed of her activities,” Danato growled.

“Frankly, this is what I was referring to earlier, Danato. You have such high expectations of translucency for your employees, but you don’t offer that in return.”

Daniel could see Ethan join the ranks of the shocked. Heaton lost his smile when Danato’s napkin slapped up onto the table.

“That’s enough,” Danato threatened, but the storm belying his controlled voice didn’t seem to affect Nevia.

“From what I gather of the situation, Cori saw a problem and she fixed it. The only issue that is causing so much condescending examination is the fact that she did it without your express permission.”

“I am her boss.” Danato’s chest puffed.

“Hardly, you live in the same house as her. You express your love through exaggerated protectiveness. I assure you Danato, she views you as a father. Take it from someone who knows, that kind of love can have its limits.”

“I appreciate your insight Jordan, but I don’t—“

“There is no need to placate me Danato, it doesn’t work. I know you’re pissed to have a new comer telling you your business, but I can’t help it. Cori doesn’t need you to keep saving her. She needs you to back her up. That’s how you’ll get her trust and translucency, which is how you’ll keep her safe. I back up my partners, and they back me up. That’s how we get our job done and stay alive. I know I’m just a lowly hunter and not the warden of an entire prison, but I think that particular system might also be affective here.”

Everyone stared down at their plates trying to slowly inch themselves down in their chairs until they disappeared under the table. Nevia finished her rant with a perturbed huff like she was just as frustrated at having to say it, as Danato was to hear it. She dug into her food without regard to the steely glare coming from across the table.

Danato stayed poised for a verbal counterattack, but eventually he sobered and placed his napkin back in his lap. “How does the mental block work?” he asked taking a bite of his food.

Nevia nodded as she finished chewing her food so she could swallow before speaking. She delicately dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin. Daniel couldn’t help but be amused since she was usually the first among them to let out a rumbling burp when they were drinking.

“The brain contains a section that is designed to allow psychic activity. On supernatural beings this area is hyperactive. On regular beings it’s only slightly active, but it is susceptible to hypnotic suggestion from beings of higher psychic activity. A mental block is designed to dampen outside influences.”

Daniel glanced at Ethan and Heaton who were shocked by the sudden change in conversation. They started to eat once again, and the discomfort washed away with Nevia’s description. 

“It won’t prevent psychic readings, but it should keep her safe from your lesser seducers. I would actually advise all of you to have it done. Even though you’re unsusceptible to fem-wolves, it could help you keep a mental standing if you had to interact with a seducer.”

Daniel smiled as she continued to educate Danato. She caught his eye once or twice, but she didn’t offer him the smile that his now love-sick ego desperately wanted. He was so screwed.