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Roman’s mind spun at his behavior with Kris the night before. The moment he'd touched her, an electrical shock ran up his arm and for the first time, he’d looked at her. When the electricity invaded his senses, he’d been taken by her.
He also felt angry at Kris, who thought she’d dreamt about him. Roman heard her speak to the other women living next to her and what she'd said about their encounter annoyed him. In a way, it hurt his feelings, but he knew he’d behaved out of turn. What could have made him touch and kiss her? Remembering that cyanide taste in her mouth, he wondered where the bitter flavor came from? His thoughts ran in every direction as he checked the water quality reports.
Roman hadn’t dealt with women in so long he didn’t remember being this distracted. Something drew him to Kris. The Oracle said she wasn't aware of her abilities, but from the electrical shock he'd felt, he could tell she held a very strong power.
The day dragged by, but he did his duties, tested the bottom silt and checked on the various animals. Every time he’d had a minute, he remembered how her skin felt and the taste of her soft lips. He shook his head and got back to work. By midday, he finished writing his reports at the Guardian headquarters in Parcel.
The Oracle said she would be his and for the first time in many years, he felt such tension. He'd found Kris held a special, strong power within her sub-conscious. He wondered why she didn't utilize this gift. He stared at the report while his mind wandered.
There were so many things he wished he’d said to her last evening. He felt angry with himself for letting his tongue get tied up. Perhaps if he’d started a conversation, she would have realized he wasn’t a dream.
When he noticed Kris's aura changed from her usual soft blue to a pale yellow color, he felt stunned. Could it be true she’d opened to spiritual awareness? He could only hope she would continue to be able to see him, but what caused the change? These were questions which rolled around in his mind and made concentration on his work difficult.
Where did the cyanide come from? This one question needed to be answered before he let his emotions get carried away by this charming woman. The poison tasted subtle. He remembered what the Oracle said about the innocent being tricked by a bitter taste. His gut churned.
Roman flew back to the lake when he’d completed his work. He dove in and headed straight to the portal and skimmed along the bottom of the lake on the Parcel side. Finding the lighted portal, he pushed himself through to Haller Lake and stayed out in the middle of the water. Treading down low, he watched her house.
Near dusk, he saw her return. She did something in the kitchen and he wondered why she opened so many bottles of wine. Kris brought a cooking pot out to the back lawn. He felt his brow crease.
What the hell are you doing? he wondered.
She struck a match and threw it into the pot. The liquid flamed up and caused Kris to fall backward. He started to move forward, but stopped. Black smoke billowed up out of the pot. Roman saw wisps of the smoke move toward Kris and she breathed it in. He could see flashes of light in the smoke and new it contained demons.
Growling low in his chest, he moved fast out of the water. He saw her stare into the pot and he leaned down to wrap a strong arm around her waist.