"Let's not give up now," Jack said firmly. "I'll climb up the tree from here and meet Mackenzie in the middle. One of us is going to find something."
"The most powerful Fae objects emanate a magical resonance that we, who are touched by the supernatural, are very susceptible to," Carlos said. "You'll feel it if it's in the tree, or if it has been there in the recent past. I should feel it as well."
Jack nodded. "I know. I've felt it before, so I know what to watch out for. So has Mackenzie. Honestly, I'm surprised I sense nothing from here, if this dagger is powerful enough that a Fae queen will kill for it."
Jack shifted into his tiger shape and, before I could even think to tell him to be careful, five hundred pounds of beautiful wild cat began climbing the tree.
"I didn't know tigers climbed trees," Carlos mused, watching him.
"Yes, but usually only cubs do. Tigers love to swim too," I said absently, watching Jack. When I realized Susan and Carlos were both staring at me with identically amused expressions, I felt my cheeks get hot. "What? When Jack came back to town, I got a book about tigers."
"Of course you did," Susan said, grinning. "You read more than anyone I've ever met. Thanks for the recommendation of those Valerie Bowman Regency romance novels, by the way. I love thatFootmen's Clubseries."
"She's great, and she's from Florida," I said. "Always a bonus. Jack! Be careful! You're too high!"
My tiger boyfriend was now about forty feet up the tree, and I was getting a very bad feeling. Also, my head was pounding. I stepped back to get a better view of Jack and Logan, tripped on a root, and groaned, clutching my temples.
"Let me help, Tess," Carlos said. He stepped over to me and peered down into my eyes. "I'm going to try the smallest bit of compulsion if I have your permission. It won't take away the cause, but it will give you relief from the pain until you can figure out what's wrong."
"It would be better if you could take the cause away too," I muttered, and then felt bad. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be ungrateful, and it's silly to be so bothered by a headache when the fate of Dead End is on the line. It's just … it reallyhurts."
"I know, sweetheart, and I'm sorry," he said sympathetically.
Jack, so high above us I could barely glimpse orange, black, and white, made a loud chuffing noise, and Carlos laughed.
"I'll call her sweetheart if I want to, Kitty Cat. She's my friend. Now be quiet and let me help her," he called out to Jack.
Then Carlos looked a question at me.
I nodded. "Yes, you have my permission to try, but I'm not susceptible to compulsion."
"Think of it more as therapeutic hypnotism. I have your permission and your cooperation; nothing is being done against your will here."
A sharp spike of pain decided me. "Okay. Let's do this."
Carlos's lovely dark mahogany eyes glowed as if back-lit by molten gold, and he murmured, almost too quietly for me to hear, "The pain will flow away now. Flow down from your head, through your body, out to the tips of your fingers and toes, and through there, out into the air and vanish with the breeze. Focus, Tess. Let the pain flow away."
I closed my eyes and visualized the pain leaving my body, floating on golden streams of light, and actually felt my nerve endings tingle as the pain traveled through me and then out into the air and vanished.
My eyes flew open. "It worked! I can't believe it worked! And so fast! It's magical vampire healing! Wow, you could make a fortune with this."
Susan snorted. "It's basic biofeedback technique combined with a vampire's natural compulsion powers, but I'm glad it worked for you."
"Thank you so much, Carlos," I said fervently.
I feltgreat.
"You are very welcome. If it comes back, we can try again. Or you can take the serious cure, if you like." He shrugged. "I didn't offer, since I knew you might feel bad about declining."
"The serious cure?"
He flashed an entirely too-seductive smile for six in the morning. "Drink some of my blood."
"Oh. Oh, no, thank you. I'm not—I can't—" I stammered. I didn't to be rude, but nope. Definitely not.
He grinned, clearly more amused than offended, and I relaxed.
"If you're done making Tess stumble over her own tongue, I think Jack found something," Susan said, pointing.
