Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton Page B

that’s all. My gifts are rather limited in the area of far-seeing. You should shake Dorrie’s hand. Far-seeing is her strong suit.”
    â€œThanks, but no thanks,” Larry said.
    He smiled. “You are not police, or you wouldn’t havethreatened me with the police, but you were with them earlier. Why?”
    â€œI thought all you saw was blood,” I said.
    He had the grace to look embarrassed; nice to know he could be embarrassed. “A little bit more, perhaps.”
    â€œTouch clairvoyance isn’t a traditional fey power.”
    â€œOur many-times-great-grandmother was the daughter of a shaman, so the story goes.”
    â€œGetting magic from both sides of the family tree,” I said. “Dirty pool.”
    â€œClairvoyance isn’t magic,” Larry said.
    â€œA really good clairvoyant will make you think it is,” I said. I stared at Magnus. The last clairvoyant who had touched me and seen blood had been horrified. He hadn’t wanted to touch me again. He hadn’t wanted me anywhere near him. Magnus didn’t look horrified, and he’d offered to have sex with me. Different strokes for different folks.
    â€œI’ll take your order through to the kitchen myself, if you’ll just decide what you want,” he said.
    Larry stared at the menu. “A salad, I guess. No dressing.” He thought about it some more. “No tomatoes.”
    Magnus started to stand.
    â€œWhy won’t you sell to Stirling?” I asked.
    Magnus cocked his head to one side, smiling. “The land has been in our family for centuries. It’s our land.”
    I looked at him and couldn’t read his face. It could have been the absolute truth, or a bold-faced lie.
    â€œSo the only reason you don’t want to be a millionaire is because of what . . . family tradition?”
    The smile deepened. He leaned closer, long hair spilling forward. He whispered, and it was quiet enough that he needed to whisper. “Money is not everything, Anita. Though Stirling seems to think it is.”
    His face was very close, just barely far enough away for me not to complain. I could smell his aftershave, faint as if you’d have to get very near his skin to smell it, but it would be worth the effort.
    â€œWhat do you want, Magnus, if it’s not money?” I stared at him from too close. His long hair trailed over my hand.
    â€œI told you what I wanted.”
    Even without the glamor he was trying to sweet-talk me, distract me. “What happened to the trees out by your road?” I didn’t distract that easily.
    He blinked long lashes. Something slid behind his eyes. “I happened.”
    â€œYou cut down those trees?” Larry asked.
    Magnus turned to him, and I was glad not to be staring at him from inches away. “Sadly, yes.”
    â€œWhy?” I asked.
    He straightened up, suddenly businesslike. “I got drunk and went on a little rampage.” He shrugged. “Embarrassing, isn’t it?”
    â€œThat’s one word for it,” I said.
    â€œI’ll go get your food. One naked salad coming up.”
    â€œYou remember what I’m getting?” I asked.
    â€œMeat burned to death; I remember.”
    â€œYou sound like a vegetarian.”
    â€œOh, no,” he said. “I eat all sorts of things.”
    He walked away through the crowd before I could decide if I’d been insulted or not. Just as well. For the life of me, I couldn’t think of a good comeback line.

10
    D ORCAS BROUGHT OUR food without a word. She seemed angry—maybe not at us, but with us. Or with everything. I sympathized. Magnus went behind the bar, spreading his own special brand of magic to his customers once more. He glanced our way and smiled but didn’t come back to finish our talk. Of course; we’d been finished. I was all out of questions.
    I took a bite of my cheeseburger. It was almost crispy around the edges,