He sighs. “There are a few who still doubt you can fully convert into a bardia. That the remnants of numa are gone. We’ll just have to show them that they’re wrong.”

Um. What? I knew Vincent wasn’t my biggest fan, but there were others who doubted me? The thought makes me feel queasy. “I’ll be on my best behavior,” I promise.

Bran clasps my shoulder as he looks me straight in the eye. “I know you will.”

Chapter Six

Siaka is waiting for me outside the front door. My breath catches when I see him. His black leather jacket stretches tight across his shoulders, and under it is a soft grey T-shirt and blue jeans. He’s so handsome, like movie star handsome, and though I try to keep my cool, I know I’m staring.

He smiles and holds up a helmet.

“You have a motorcycle?” I ask.

“Not quite.” He nods to a red scooter parked across the street.

“No way! A vintage Vespa!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty in love with it. I found it in the garage at La Maison. It used to be Vincent’s. He said he took Kate out with it on one of their first dates. It was a bit banged up, so I put some time and money into fixing it.”

He opens the seat compartment and takes out a second helmet. “Want a ride home?”

“Um, that’s a definite yes.” I fit the helmet over my head but struggle with the chin strap.

“Let me,” Siaka says. As he clicks the strap ends together, his fingers brush my neck, giving me a full-body shudder.

His eyebrows pop up. “Sorry. I should be more careful.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Flame-finger-revenant surge thing,” he says, grinning.

And then I remember. When Bran placed his hands on me to heal me, it caused something like an electrical current to run through my body. But now, instead of being a not-at-all-attractive older man, it’s a totally hot teenage boy. Who’s looking at me with an expression of amusement. I wonder if he can see auras like Bran can, and if so, what mine is doing right now. Because my whole body feels like it’s sparking with high current voltage.

Now that he’s so close, I realize he’s slightly taller than me. His jade green eyes are accented by his brown skin. He smells like a mix of peppermint and a Brittany beach roasting in the sun. And his lips, well...I have to look away.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Yeah. That guérriseur-revenant skin shock...I didn’t know it was a thing, besides when Bran was healing me.”