Isn’t there anything they can give you for them?”
“They can give me enough morphine to knock me out until it passes. I don’t like that option.”
Pursing her lips, she nodded. Willem wasn’t the kind of man who would enjoy being unconscious and helpless. He would rather bear the pain and remain in control.
“How often?” she asked.
“Like the duration, the frequency is increasing. I’m up to two a week now.”
She reached out a hand, smoothed her fingertips over his forehead, his temple. “I’m so sorry, Will. It’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair. I’ve had a better one than a lot of people, I’m not complaining.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“It’s ‘Fina I’m worried about. Frankly, I don’t think she’ll do well, if I.” He met her eyes. “She’s going to need all the help she can get. Even then, I’m not sure she’ll make it.”
“I’m worried about her, too,” she admitted. “We’ll all be here for her, Will. You know that. In the end, that’s really all we can do. The rest is up to her.”
“I know.” He smiled at her. “Your turn. What’s up with you?” Before she could speak, he added, “And I expect you to be equally blunt, Amber.”
She thinned her lips. “Okay. Well … I’m not sure at all, but I don’t think I’ve aged since Connecticut.”
He frowned at her, seemed to look her over more closely. Then he tipped his head to one side. “It’s not like there are all that many changes between eighteen and twenty-three, you know.”
“I know.”
“Still, there probably should be some.”
“I’ve been watching Alicia. She’s the only other person I’ve spoken to about this, by the way, so keep it between us.” He nodded. “The changes are subtle. Really very subtle, but she has changed. Her face has changed. Her hips are a little wider, and it’s not weight, it’s adulthood. You know?”
“I know.” He frowned. “You aged normally up to that point, grew from a baby to a little girl to an adolescent into a beautiful young woman. Why do you think you suddenly stopped?”
“I’m thinking maybe it was death.”
He frowned.
“Stiles killed me several times while he held me. You know that. I don’t think I’ve aged a day since.” She shrugged.
“It’s a solid theory.”
“It’s the only one I have right now.”
He nodded, crunched a few more bites of cereal and finally pushed the bowl away. “So tell me about Edge.”
She almost choked on a banana slice. Will leaned back in his chair, smiling, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for her to come up with an answer.
She got up, stumbled to the fridge for some orange juice, poured two tiny glasses and took a drink from one of them.
“You’re stalling for time, right?”
She put the juice back, carried the glasses to the table. “You’re too sharp for me.” Sitting down, she added, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, just that I’m not sure yet what there is to tell.”
“'Fina said you hit him with your car.”
“Yeah, only I’m sure it was no accident. I got out to see if he was all right, and he said he was on his way to Salem. So I offered him a ride.”
He nodded slowly. “You think that part was a coincidence? That you were both going to the same place?”
She shrugged. “I suppose it’s not impossible. Last night I got him to admit that he deliberately bounced himself off my bumper, hoping to guilt me into a ride. Said his car had broken down and he wasn’t looking forward to the walk.”
“At least he was honest with you, then.”
She licked her lips. “I have the feeling there’s more.”
“You think he’s dangerous to you?”
“Yeah, but not in the way you mean.”
He stared at her blankly for a moment, then his brows went up. “Oh.”
She had to avert her eyes.
“So you like him, huh?”
“Hell, Willem, I don’t even know him.”
“But you’re attracted to him.”
She nodded, not meeting his eyes. “Big time.”
“And it’s mutual?”
She shrugged. “Either it’s mutual or he’s faking it because he’s up to something, and I’m having trouble figuring out which.”
“You want me to kick his ass for you?”
She laughed at that, and Will made a wounded expression. “What, you think I’m not up to it?”
“I’m sure you’d manage, Willem. You’re not untalented in that area, for a mortal. I was just thinking you’d have to stand in line behind your bride, my parents and Aunt Rhiannon.”
He nodded in agreement. “I doubt they’d leave me any scraps.”
“Pandora has dibs on the scraps. But frankly, I’d rather give Edge a chance to show his true colors.”
He nodded slowly. “That makes sense. So what’s the plan?”
“He seems to want to see me. Keep me around. I can’t imagine what he wants from me, but—” She ignored the quick look he sent her. “But I think I’ll figure it out, given time. And as long as he’s here on the Rock, and I’m here, I may as well spend some time with him, see what I can find out.”
He licked his lips, saying nothing.
She met his eyes. “What?”
He seemed uncomfortable, shifting in his seat. Then he said, “Dammit, Amber, it’s not my place. This is out of my field, you know. But … well, given what I know about your parents and your upbringing, I would guess you’re not altogether … experienced. With the opposite sex, I mean.”
She shrugged. “I’m psychic. I’m powerful. I’m strong. I’ve fought at my father’s side more than once.”
“But you’ve never had a boyfriend.”
She licked her lips, averted her eyes. “Well, there was Jimmy in high school. But the most we ever did was—” He held up
