Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(73)

“Not these assholes. They come in once a month, order all the expensive alcohol, and then start shit with any and everyone. I can’t blacklist them because they compensate the manager for allowing them in. Rich guys get away with everything. You know how that goes.”

Niko’s fingers touched the edge of his glass. “Shepherd, why don’t you see if Gem is all right? I think, given the circumstances with Raven, we can’t be too careful.”

Shepherd’s light flickered, and he stood up. “Are you trying to make us all paranoid? Be right back.”

When he was a good distance away, Niko shifted in his seat to face Hooper, who’d taken the chair to his left. An awkward silence fell between them, and Niko sensed by the delicate flutters of orange in his light that Hooper wasn’t comfortable in his presence.

“Does my blindness bother you, or is it something else?”

Hooper cleared his throat. “Neither. You’re Gem’s friend, so you’re cool with me.”

Niko hooked his arm on the back of his chair. “Speaking of Gem, did you know she doesn’t drink?”

“Of course I know that.”

“Then would you care to explain why you’re spiking her drinks?”

Hooper’s light crackled black and red—a dead giveaway that he was hiding something. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Niko slid his glass forward. “How rude of me. Can I offer you my drink?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but—”

Niko leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. “I first thought nothing of her obsessive behavior when she spoke of you, but something seemed off when we met.” Niko didn’t explain his gift to Hooper, and he was certain Gem wouldn’t have divulged that about him. “I’m a perceptive man, and I’ve been around long enough to spot when someone’s drunk with sensory magic.”

“It’s not alcohol,” Hooper argued. “Look, don’t make me out to be the bad guy. I really like Gem, but sometimes women have a hard time getting to know the real me because of how I look.”

“Are you trying to convince me that you’re too ugly to date women?”

Hooper snorted. “Gem marches to the beat of her own drum, but she’s also one of those intellectuals. It only took a conversation to figure that out. Ever hear her go on about Sanskrit? I just want her to get to know me.”

Niko bristled. Hooper wasn’t spiking her drinks with courage or lack of inhibitions—he was spiking them with false feelings of adoration. Just that one little taste had softened Niko’s mood, steering his thoughts immediately to Gem. Perhaps the spell connected you to the one nearest in your thoughts.

Good thing he hadn’t been thinking about Wyatt.

“Do me a solid and don’t mention this to her,” Hooper said. “You’re blowing it out of proportion.”

Niko pulled the pommel of his katana out just enough to show metal. “You seem like a nice man, but people aren’t always what they seem. If you continue spiking her drinks, you’ll experience a level of fear you’ve never felt in all of your sensory exchanges.”

“Spiking isn’t illegal,” Hooper said tersely. “Why don’t you ask your friend when he gets back? We do it all the time, just like you use your magic whenever you like. Don’t judge me on something you don’t understand. Sensor magic is one of the greatest gifts there is. It’s almost spiritual. We help people lose their fears, forget their pain, and relive the greatest feelings of their life.”

Niko let go of his sword and drew back his hood. “Put your finger in her drink again, and I’ll cut it off.”

“I’ll stop if you insist, but maybe you shouldn’t be so concerned where my finger spends its time.”

“Did I keep you boys waiting?” Gem asked, taking a seat across from Niko. “Sorry I took so long. There was a line.”

Hooper laughed. “That sounds about right. Come here, baby.”

Gem was a bright creature, but sometimes her emotions blinded her. It wasn’t Niko’s place to meddle in her personal affairs, but if Hooper continued tampering with her drinks, he’d have no choice.

A knot formed in the pit of Niko’s stomach as he sat back in his chair.

Shepherd pulled his chair out, and the table wobbled for a moment as he sat down. “Did I miss anything?”

The cadence in Hooper’s voice changed from what it had been moments ago. Slower with more fluctuation. “We were just discussing Sanskrit, weren’t we, Niko?”

Gem’s violet light rippled with pink waves. “Oh, really? Or are you just teasing me because I went on about it for an hour the other night?”

“I like listening to you talk,” he said.

“Oh, Jesus,” Shepherd muttered. “If you two are like this all the time, I’m going to need a whole pitcher.”

“No, you don’t,” Gem snapped.

Niko could tell there was something physical going on—perhaps she was grabbing his wrist to keep him from getting up. Niko missed so many little things, and despite his advanced perception, those moments always made him feel like an outsider.

Gem’s light dimmed. “I wish Christian had come with us. I feel so bad for him. Just when they start to get along, Raven goes missing.”