Lucas didn’t meet her gaze. “Just thinking.”
The second brow joined the first. “About what?”
About you.But when his mouth opened, he said, “About Nikolai.”
Her sculpted brows dropped low. “I’m worried about him too.”
Lucas just nodded as they passed through the gate. He’d seen the garden when they’d come with Nikolai, but once again, he was amazed by the diversity of life within it. How could the Watchers pump so much into life energy, while Nikolai, in a single breath, could take it all away?
It was as though he walked among gods.
The concept only added to his angst as they approached the house. Before they got there, the door swung open.
“Welcome,” Cara greeted them with a smile. Her eyes slid to Ash. “I take it we’re on target?”
The golden Dragon shifter nodded. “The timelines have converged, but we still have several likely scenarios.”
Cody’s eyes narrowed. “Timelines converging? Just how much of today did you foresee?”
Ash grimaced. “I didn’t know which ones were a possibility until Lucas and Aria went to the park.”
The Sabre’s dark brows twitched. “Did you see the tree?”
“Oh yes. I am an Oracle.”
As Cody’s brows lowered, Cara turned away and waved a hand. “Come on in. I’ve put the tea on.”
Cody was still glowering at Ash, so Lucas slipped by them to follow Cara. If she was a god, at least she was a friendly one. But what was all that crap about timelines and he and Aria going to the park?
He’d heard about the Oracle. Most of it seemed too far-fetched to be real. But Ash had found him and Aria at the park. He’d offered him a hand, and heaven help him, appendages.
That anyone could see his future made him uneasy as hell. Because if Lucas believed anything at all, it was that gods loved to mess with Fate.
33
Cara’s property vibrated with rich life essences.
Just as it had when she’d come through the gate with Nikolai, it set Aria’s entire body alight. So powerful that all the fine hairs on her body stood on end.
She was about to follow Lucas into the house when a little squeak drew her attention to Mai. The shrew sat on Aria’s hand, wiggling her nose at Cara.
“I think she’d like to round up her own lunch,” Cara noted. “Set her down, Aria. She won’t get lost.”
Aria was curiously reluctant as she bent to set the shrew free. The little creature scampered off into the bushes.
“Are you sure she’ll be okay?” she asked.
The Watcher nodded. “Oh, yes. My employees have excellent benefits, one of which is immunity to predation while in my garden. Can’t say the same for the insects destined to be her snack, but the great cycle of life speaks for all, in the end.”
Lucas regarded the Watcher warily. But Aria noted even Dani seemed relaxed around Cara, and her instincts told her the woman didn’t trust easily.
When they entered the kitchen, both Lucas and Dani gravitated toward the chair that faced the door. Their eyes met, and they exchanged a knowing smile before Lucas gestured to it.
“It’s all yours,” he said, squeezing past her to take the next one over.
As a bodyguard, or rather, an ex-bodyguard, Aria understood all about strategic seating. As she selected her own chair, also facing the exit, Ash started to transfer tea cups and plates from the cupboards to the table.
Cody ignored everyone else, instead hovering in front of the oven, peering in. “Do I smell potstickers?” he asked hopefully, reaching for the handle.
