Page 20 of Tanglewood Legacy (The Three Sisters 3)
“But you can see why I’d think it was you.” He held a hand toward her.
“Non, I’m afraid I don’t see.”
“What is a man supposed to think? I was watching you last night from my observatory, Isis. I saw you… disappear. You stepped into a shadow and never stepped out.”
“You were watching me? How incredibly rude!”
He ignored the protest. “The man this morning was drained of all his blood, just like the last one, and his body was left near to where you disappeared. Nothing like this has ever happened inlaNouvelle-Orléansuntil now… Until you arrived!”
“Another one.” She sipped her tea and blew out a heavy breath. “I thought the vampire might strike again, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.”
“Vampires! Again, this talk of them.” He flipped a hand through the air dismissively.
“A vampiric creature is the most likely perpetrator.” She shrugged.
“I am a man of science, Isis! I am telling you, they do not exist!” His outburst hung in the air around them. Her expression seemed nonplussed, until, after what might have been a full minute, she gathered herself and asked, “Sugar?”
He glanced down at his steaming cup of tea. “No, thank you.”
Pointing a finger at the sugar cubes on the table, she rotated her wrist. The cube rose in the air, floated to her cup, and plunged into her tea. Another circle of her finger and the spoon began to stir within the cup, without her touching it.
Pierre blinked at her, then at the cup.
“Tell me, man of science, do I exist?”
ChapterTen
She’d gone and done it now. Isis watched Pierre’s face turn bloodless and wondered if she’d made a terrible mistake. Everything in her told her she could trust the man, but if she was wrong, she’d have to take drastic steps. She’d promised her sisters she’d hide her powers. Medea would throw a fit if she knew what Isis had done. If Pierre proved unworthy of her secret, she’d have no choice but to wipe his fragile mind. Oh, how she’d loathe to do so. The man was clearly brilliant; his brain contained a delicate network of interconnected knowledge. Along with removing his visit to Tanglewood Plantation, she’d risk removing other memories. Other…connections.
“You are real,” he said softly, swallowing hard. “But I think… not human.”
That made her laugh. “I am human—” she began, and his body sagged from relief. “But not the same kind of human you are.”
The tension was back, and she saw his hand tremble where it rested on the table, the cup beside it rattling in its saucer.
“Don’t be afraid.” She held up her hands, searching her mind for a way to explain to him so that he would understand. “You’re a man of science, and you’ve studied the stars. You told me you have wondered… You have considered that there is something else out there, something beyond what you understand to be true.”
He swallowed nervously. “Are you from the stars?”
She tipped her head, considering. “I am from a parallel dimension. There are universes, Pierre, realities happening at the same time as your own, like two ships sailing across an open sea but at a distance, never to meet, never to know that the other existed.”
For a long time, he just stared at her, eyes abnormally wide, until he reached for his teacup, as if he needed a drink to steady his nerves. He took a sip, the liquid sloshing slightly in his trembling grip, then closed his eyes as if savoring the flavor. “This tea is delicious. I’ve never had a finer cup.”
“Thank you.” She winked at him, and he examined the cup again, clearly uneasy with the idea that magic might have been involved in its making. Well, she wouldn’t apologize for that.
“Do all humans from your… realm do magic?” he asked, and Isis could almost see the emotions warring within him. He was afraid; undeniably, the fear was there, but he was also curious, and the curiosity sparking in those sharp, intelligent eyes was far stronger than the fear. She’d known it would be when he’d kissed her last night and then spoke of the stars as if he longed to explore the heavens. He was a man who lived to discover, and she was giving him a great unknown.
“Oui,” she said simply. “All humans on Ouros are witches or wizards.”
He jerked back. “Then you are a witch.”
She couldn’t contain her laugh. “Yes, but that word is different where I come from. It might be how you would describe yourself as French. It is what we are, not what we do. My power comes from my heritage, not from any devil or demon.”Not usually anyway. She had encountered demons using magic, but Pierre needn’t know about that.
Visibly perplexed, he studied her. “Tell me about Ouros.”
“There are other creatures there, elves, fairies, dragons, and vampires.”
“Vampires…”
