Jeffrey shrugged, like it didn’t bother him one way or another whether Conrad believed him.
“And just to prove I’m not upset, I’m not going to get up and storm out of the room. That’s what you’re expecting, isn’t it?” Conrad pointed when he said this.
“Right,” Tina said. “Let’s try something a little lighter. No more invasive information about people who aren’t receptive to it, okay?” Tina donned a quirky smile. “Let’s find out who’s going to hook up by the end of the two weeks.”
There was much grumbling, chuckling, and eye rolling at this announcement. Grant and Anastasia were sitting detached, observant but not involved.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Ariel said. “Let all that subconscious stuff come bubbling to the surface.”
“Come on.” Tina grinned at Jeffrey. “It’ll be fun.”
Sighing, he reached over the board, and they returned to their positions on the planchette.
Again, nothing happened. This would try the patience of saints.
I imagined the sound of a ticking clock, which would have been a perfect backdrop. That, and a hard wind beating against the house. Maybe a cat knocking something over. This whole scene was begging for the haunted- house treatment. Gemma giggled, and someone shushed her.
“Maybe nobody hooks up,” Jeffrey said. “If there’s nothing there, there’s nothing there.”
“Provost won’t be happy about that,” I said. “I hear they always rig a hot romance on these things. You have to have at least one cavorting-in-the-hot-tub scene.”
“Shh,” Tina said, and I ducked, because I should have known better. “I don’t like this.” She suddenly pulled her hands away, shaking them as if she’d touched something hot.
“Are you getting something?” Jeffrey said.
“No. I’m just not feeling good.”
Conrad said, “All this psychic stuff is showmanship. It’s all an act.”
I was really going to get sick of that tone of voice by the end of the two weeks. Half of us shushed him.
“Try again. Focus on what’s causing that feeling,” Jeffrey said.
Once again, they placed fingers on the planchette. Again, we waited. Tina had her eyes closed. Jeffrey watched Tina. He seemed worried. My own gaze went back and forth between them.
The candles flickered.
Tina’s lips started moving, like she was speaking silently. Her brow furrowed.
“Tina,” Jeffrey said and reached for her.
She gasped. The planchette and board jumped, skittering from her touch. She sat back, holding her head, gasping for breath. I rose half out of my chair, along with a few of the others. Jeffrey shoved past us, making his way around the table to her side. He knelt by her, and she clung to his shoulder.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice strained. “I don’t think I like it here.”
This wasn’t calming my own paranoia at all.
“Could it be something that happened in the past?” Jeffrey said. “A past accident or death?”
“No. That sort of thing isn’t this… insistent. That’s it, I’m done.” She pushed her chair away from the table. “Sorry, guys. Obviously the stars are not aligned tonight.”
“Can I get you something? A glass of water?” Jeffrey said, and Tina smiled a thanks.
I didn’t like it. Tina wouldn’t act like that unless something had really gotten to her. She had guts. I’d seen her scared, but she never backed down.
Someone turned the lights back on, and the group broke into different conversations. Grant and Anastasia were watching Tina closely, studious, like they expected her eyes to roll back in her head while she chanted in tongues. Which I’d seen her do before, but still.
Then they caught each other watching. Exchanged the briefest glance. Grant left the table and made his way to the living room window, to look out at the night. At nothing.
Tina had her hands around the glass of water Jeffrey had brought her, but she hadn’t taken a drink yet. Jeffrey was hovering. Something was definitely sparking between those two. If I had my way I’d have shuffled everyone out of the room and let them have their moment. But the cameras were probably eating this up.
I sat at the table and folded the Ouija board out of the way; I had the feeling it was staring at me.
“Jeffrey, are you sensing anything?” I asked.
He hesitated, glancing around like whatever it was had physical form and he could really see it. “It’s hard to tell if there’s really something here, or if it’s the strain of a dozen strangers pushed together in an artificial situation. I wouldn’t expect the energy here to be rosy.”
“Maybe that’s it,” Tina said. “Just normal weirdness.”
“You know how odd that sounds?” I said, and she smiled.
“Tina,” Grant said, turning from the window and marching over. “I’d like to try something, if you’re game.”
She looked wary. “Depends. I may just have a beer and call it a night.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Hell, no,” she said, glaring.
“You saw something,” he said. “You didn’t like it, and I think your mind decided to block it. Now, I suspect you’re the kind of person who doesn’t scare easily. If something has scared you, I’d really like to know what.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I’d like to hypnotize you.”
“Can you do that?” Tina said.
“I can try. It may not work. I may be wrong and you may not have any idea what’s bothering you, subconsciously or otherwise.”
She didn’t look convinced. “I’ve seen a lot of freaky stuff, but I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“We can do it here, in the open,” Grant said. “The moment you’re uncomfortable, we’ll stop.”
“Is it dangerous?” I said.
“It can be,” he said. And that was why I liked Grant. He could be evasive, but he didn’t sugarcoat.
She looked at Jeffrey, gave him some expression I couldn’t see. He shrugged and said, “I’m curious to see what would happen.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. We can try it.”
Sounding amused, Conrad said, “So, you have a watch on a chain? A crystal ball or something?”
“No,” Grant said. “Lie down on the sofa, here. Everyone else, you can watch, but keep your distance.”
Under the gathering’s watchful, curious stares, Tina moved to the sofa and lay down. Jeffrey didn’t leave her side. He sat on the edge, near her knees. She shifted to give him room, and they both looked at Grant, daring him to argue. The magician didn’t. He moved a pillow under her head and asked if she was comfortable. She shifted and fidgeted for a moment, then settled. Even I could tell she was tense. The room smelled tangy. It wasn’t just the smell of a house filled with people and growing ripe; it was nerves, tension. Lee and Jerome, the other lycanthropes, glanced at me. All our noses were flaring. This was getting thick.
Grant knelt by the sofa near Tina’s head.
“Relax,” he said, his voice soft, steady. “Take a deep breath. In, and out.”
He managed to project even more intensity than usual. Like he had collected all his focus, which had been spread equally around the room, observing, and pointed it toward her. If he had pointed all that attention toward me, I’d probably have jumped out of my skin. Never mind relaxing.
I had to say something: “I’m sorry, weird question, and if I don’t ask now I’ll forget.”
I expected the glare Grant gave me. But it was an indulgent glare—he knew me pretty well by this time. “Yes?”
“Are psychics like Tina more or less susceptible to hypnotism? You know, are their minds more receptive to being open like that, or do they actually have stronger defenses against that kind of prying?”
Grant said, “I wouldn’t call it prying. When it’s done well, it’s more like drawing back a curtain. It all depends on how cooperative the subject is. We’ll find out soon how cooperative Ms. McCannon is.”
“Just get on with it,” Tina said.
Grant raised a brow, asking my permission. I ducked out of the way.
“All right,” he said, returning his attention to Tina. “Again. Relax. Breathe in, and out.” He spoke slowly,
