Ria's mouth hung open. Ryver’s glowing green eyes pierced her through. And they were definitely glowing.

She shifted her gaze, unable to take his scrutiny. She stared at the dregs of her cosmopolitan instead. Maybe someone drugged her? Being able to hear people's thoughts was pretty bizarre. Having someone listen to you and then answer you back? Bloody hell!

She felt a nudge in her ribs. "Ria?"

Snapping her attention to her right, she found Jessie staring at her.

"Sorry?" she croaked.

Jess's eyes widened. "What the hell is going on?" She glanced at Ryver and then back again. "You look like you've seen a ghost," she whispered.

Ria risked a look at Ryver. He was still staring at her, his face stoic. She gulped and looked away slowly.

"Right, you have about ten seconds to tell me what the hell is going on, or we're outta here."

If only Jessie could hear her. How did she explain what just happened? Even worse, how did she explain she wanted to stay?

Ria cleared her throat. "I'm fine, honestly."

"You don't look fine."

Jess narrowed her eyes and practically screamed her thoughts back at her. You want to leave?

Oh God no! Knowing that any extreme reaction would spook her friend, she gave a slight shake of her head. When Mercury asked if they'd like another drink, she replied, "I'd love one, thanks."

Mercury grabbed Ryver by the collar. "C'mon, sunshine. You can get this round."

Ryver finally blinked and looked at his brother. As if in a daze, he rose and stumbled after him. Ria watched them go.

Jessie wrenched her shoulder back, demanding her full attention. "What the fuck is going on?" she hissed.

Her friend had supported her whole "I hear voices" thing without batting an eyelid, but seriously, it was kinda weird. Ria wanted nothing more than to be normal. She wasn't sure she could tell Jessie what had just happened. She played with her shirt cuffs as her gaze wandered over to the bar. Mercury was waving money at the barman. Ryver was staring. At her.

The look on his face was unlike anything a man had ever bestowed on her. It was full of wonder and need. And it took her breath away. Heat flushed through her as his burning chartreuse eyes bored into her very soul. Taking a shaky breath, she looked away. Nobody had ever had that kind of effect on her.

"Right. C'mon. We're leaving." Jessie's order pulled her attention back.

"What? No, we're not," Ria shrieked as she grabbed Jessie's hand.

Jessie searched her face and her pinched features smoothed out. A grin pulled at the corner of her delicate mouth as something dawned in her eyes.

"W-what?" Ria asked.

"You like him." Jessie beamed at her.

"No I don't." Her retort was immediate.

Jessie just cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Do I?"

Her friend's laugh was melodious. "Ria Dalton, are you blushing?"

Blushing? She was pretty sure she looked like a Belisha beacon right now; her face felt like it was on fire.

"You do like him!"

Maybe she did. It was just that... "I've never met anyone like him," she told Jessie.

"Ooh. This sounds interesting. What do you know? You have to tell me everything!"

"Well...um." She wasn't sure what to say. What's more, she wasn't sure she should say anything. She trusted Jessie with her secret, but this wasn't hers to tell.

"Oh c'mon! You must have heard something."

"He's complicated," Ria replied.

Jessie laughed. "What bloke isn't?"

Ria gave her a playful nudge. "I'm serious! There's something about him." Yeah, there was something about him alright. She just couldn't bring herself to say the words. Not yet at least.

"Uh huh. Being six-two of pure muscle doesn't help at all."

Ria giggled. "No. Not at all," she answered as Jess joined in the laughter.

"What's the joke, ladies?"

Mercury's booming voice made her jump. She hadn't heard him coming—again.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Jess said as she took the two cosmopolitans he was carrying. "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome, darlin'."

Jessie just grinned back at him as he took a seat on the bench next to her. Ria rolled her eyes. So much for the concern, Jess!

"What are you?"

That thought wasn't her own. Ryver hadn't returned with his brother and Ria's gaze shifted frantically as she scanned the bar looking for him. How did he do that?

She heard the shock in his mind for just a second before he disappeared. She strained as much as she dared without making herself look like some demented psychopath, but she couldn't hear him at all. A deep frown tugged at her brow as she searched for him. Shit. She still couldn't see him anywhere either. She studied each weird and wonderful person at the crowded bar in detail, double checking she hadn't missed him. Her gaze made it from where she'd last seen him, up the bar and back again. Still nothing.

He didn't seem like the dancing type, but maybe he was on the floor? She craned her neck to see, but it was no use. The dance floor was more crowded than the bar, and with everyone jumping around, she couldn't be sure what anyone looked like from a distance. She needed to get closer.

"I'm just popping to the loo," she told Jess as she scooted out from the booth.

Jess stopped kissing Mercury long enough to utter some vague offer to come with her, but Ria didn't want to draw attention, so she just carried on walking and waved "no" at her friend.

It turned out the toilets were nowhere near the dance floor. She had to at least look like that was where she was going, so she headed in that direction. Ryver was taller than most of the guys in there; he should’ve stood out like a sore thumb. No such luck.

She made it to a less frenetic corner and eyed up the dance floor, bracing herself for the onslaught. Taking a deep breath, she started forward.

"I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

She stopped dead. Where the hell was he?

Spinning around to face the bar she searched for him again. Frustration burned in her mind when she still didn’t see him.

"Where the hell are you?" she screamed.

A crowd of Goths next to her dropped their conversation to stare. A guy with a green Mohawk frowned and took a step towards her. "Is everything alright, love?"

"She's just fine." Ryver stepped out from the crowd as if he'd been there all along.

Mohawk looked at Ryver then back at Ria. "Are you sure?"

Her voice deserted her as she stared back at Ryver. How had she not seen him there?

"Miss? Are you okay?" Mohawk pressed.

She shook her head and blinked before turning her attention to her Gothic would-be saviour. "I'm fine, honestly. Thank you."

He shot another dubious look at Ryver then leaned over and whispered, "If he's bothering you and you don't want to say, just play with your hair or something and we'll see you right."

She couldn't help but smile. She really wasn't sure if she was alright or not. The heat hadn't subsided. In fact, now she was so close to him, it had racked up a notch. She did know one thing: she needed to talk to Ryver. "I'm honestly fine. I just couldn't find my friend. That's all."

Mohawk nodded. "Fair enough. But you know where we are if you need us, okay?"

"Thank you."

The group moved off, leaving her and Ryver in the only unoccupied space in the place. It was as if everyone else was avoiding coming too close. Now she'd found him, she didn't know what to say. She had so many questions.

"How about we just start at the beginning?"

She jumped.

Ryver splayed his hands by his side and ducked his head a little, like he was trying to show her he meant no harm. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Ria nodded. "It's alright. I'm just not used to it."

"You and me both!"

"What say you buy me a drink as an apology?" she said with a confidence that surprised her.

"Fair deal." He held out his hand.

She slipped her hand into his and gasped as white-hot electricity shot through her.

Ryver's beautiful eyes widened as he relaxed his grip. His gaze lifted from their hands to her face, a look of awe painted on his face.

"W-what was that?" she whispered.

He kept his eyes firmly fixed on hers as he took her hand again. It was still there, the electric heat, but it was less intense. It wound its way slowly up her arm, spreading a fizzling heat through her. When he placed his other hand against her face, her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't hear his thoughts, but she found she didn't really need to. He seemed as unsure as her, but he wanted to know more. He wanted to explore. He ran his thumb over her lower lip and she took a shaky breath.

Her gaze dropped to his lips. She couldn't help it. She had never wanted anyone to kiss her more.

The relentless heavy bass of the music seemed to disappear as he closed the distance between them. When his lips touched hers, just the lightest of grazes, white-hot need bloomed within her. His hand slid into the curls at the back of her head as he pulled her closer. Another light kiss teased her lips and her body melted into him. Unable to help herself, she kissed him back. When he swept his tongue across her lower lip, she opened for him willingly. The taste of him as his tongue danced with hers was intoxicating—the warm taste of chocolate mixed with the sharpness of raspberries, so heady she felt she could drown in him.

When he pulled away, both of them breathless, she felt so bereft at the loss, it was almost as if someone had died. The thunderous music slammed back into her ears and she remembered where she was. Embarrassment followed quickly on grief's heels. What the hell was she doing—crawling all over a relative stranger like some sex-crazed cat? She raised a shaky hand to her lips as she risked a glance up at him.

He looked almost as embarrassed as she felt.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice strained and hoarse.

She took a stumbling step backward. Oh God. He regrets it already.

"No!" He reached for her hand again. "How could I ever regret that?"

A shy smile tugged at her lips. "What exactly was that?"

Ryver ran a hand over his military-short hair as he smiled back at her. "I have no idea, but I do know I wouldn't mind a repeat."

She felt her cheeks flush as she tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. She needed a second to unscramble her brain, just a minute to get her heartbeat back to some sort of normal rhythm. "How about that drink, first?"

He laughed. "Good deal."

Ryver led the way back to the bar. She'd love to know how he got people to just move out of the way for him. After her scouting mission, she felt sure she'd be covered in bruises in the morning. Nobody made way for her!

They made it to the bar in no time and were furnished with drinks almost immediately. Apparently Ryver didn't need to wait to be served either.

She took a delicate sip of her cosmopolitan wondering whether she ought to really have any more. She wasn't really a drinker.

"I'll get you a coke next time."

"Thanks. Wait! Stop doing that!"

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself. You're not very good at shielding and you're the first person I've met who can answer me back."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "So this is new to you too?"

"The answering me back part is new. Listening? Not so much."

"How long has it been?"

"As long as I can remember."

"Wow."

"Yeah. How about you?"

"Only about the last six months or so. I've always been able to read people but actually hearing their thoughts was a new one on me. At one point, I was afraid I was losing my mind."

"I can imagine. It's not exactly normal."

"No, it's not. But now there are two of us."

Ryver's brow furrowed and for a moment she lost sight of him in her mind's eye.

"I didn't mean anything by that. I just meant it's a relief to know I'm not the only one," she said quickly. She'd die if Ryver thought that was some crappy chat-up line or something. Jesus, Ria. You're an idiot.

* * *

Ryver locked his shields down tight. He never normally had to think about things like this. He was the only telepath in living memory. Usually he spent his time trying not to hear everyone else, not worrying about whether anyone was listening in on him.

He watched Ria become more and more uncomfortable as his shields held firm. She played with the cuffs of her shirt, shoved her hands in the pockets of those deliciously tight jeans, then went back to poking her thumbs through the designer rips in her shirt. Despite himself, he found it adorable that she should worry what he thought.

He desperately wanted to know more about her. Sure, he could delve into her mind, see her whole life story, but it wasn't the same. And then there was his honour-bound duty, not just to his brothers and the Order, but the whole damned race. She was human. He most definitely was not. In order to share more of himself with her, he was in danger of revealing secrets that weren't his to tell. He endangered them all by even thinking about it. In the back of his mind, he acknowledged he'd already gone too far, that he should have left as soon as he realised what she could do.

Yet there he was, still staring at her, still intrigued.

He let his defences down just enough that she could hear him. He didn't think she knew the full extent of her power but he wasn't taking any chances. If she heard even a fraction of what lay within his mind, the consequences didn't bear thinking about. Her relief was palpable.

"It's unsettling that you can do that, you know." Ria’s voice echoed in his mind again.

"Sorry."

She stared up at him, those brown eyes searching his face. He felt the extra push against his mind as she tried to get more from him. He rebuffed her attempt and her eyes flew wide with shock.

"Ow!" She rubbed her temples as she staggered backward.

Ryver's hands flew out to catch her. "Holy shit, I'm sorry, Ria. Are you alright?"

He really hadn't meant to hurt her. His defence of her attack on his mind was automatic.

Still unsteady on her feet, Ria held on to him as hard as she could. She shook her head as if rid herself of the effects of his attack. "How did you do that?" she croaked.

"I didn't mean to. It was a knee-jerk reaction. I'm really sorry."

She nodded and swallowed hard. "I know."

Whoa. She'd snuck into his mind again and this time, he'd been caught completely off guard. Goddess, she was powerful. He rebuilt his shields quickly, leaving just a small chink so she wouldn't feel him retreating from her. He didn't want to alarm her after having just injured her—even if it was an accident.

"How do you do that?" she asked again.

"Do what?"

"Protect your mind like that?"

He couldn't help himself. He stepped inside her mind. He needed to know whether she could feel his rebuilt shields or whether she meant the pain she'd felt when he rejected her intrusion. Cool relief washed over him when he discovered she was still reeling from his brute force attack. He still regretted hurting her, of course, but at least she couldn't break his defences when they were fully raised. Not yet at least.

"It's a little hard to explain," he finally replied.

She nodded again, her curls bouncing. "Can you show me?"

He supposed he could, but now was neither the time nor the place. It would mean seeing the intriguing Ria again, and no matter how he looked at it, he just couldn't see that as a bad thing. "The easiest way to start...is to envisage a wall around your mind."

"A wall? That's all?"

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, but that's a good place to start. Next time—"

"Next time?"

He laughed. "You don't seriously think I'd let you kiss me like that and not see you again, do you?"

Her blush was adorable.

"There you are, bruv! We thought you'd done a runner." Mercury's dulcet tones smashed through his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, he smiled at his brother, slapping the guy on the back. "Now, would I do a thing like that?"

Mercury scowled at him. "Yeah. You would."

"Where have you two been anyway?" Jessie looked straight at Ria. "You said you were going to the loo ages ago!"

Ryver tried to hide his smirk as he sensed Ria's sheepishness.

"I did go to the ladies. I bumped into Ryver on the way back, that's all."

Jessie didn't look convinced but whatever she was about to say was interrupted by Mercury digging his mobile out of his back pocket and swearing. Seconds later Ryver's phone vibrated and when he looked at it, he understood why Mercury was cursing. They were being called in.

"I'm sorry, ladies. We're gonna have to make a move," Mercury said.

Jessie just pouted. Ria, on the other hand, was knocking on his mind to discover why he and Mercury suddenly had to go. He double checked his shields and told her they needed to go because of work. He definitely didn't need her to know they were going to help Skylar and Phoenix hunt down a rogue Fallen currently marauding her way through Camden.

Jessie and Mercury quickly exchanged numbers. Ryver smirked. The guy must really like her; it was probably one of the only times he'd actually given a girl his real number.

Ria was silent and Ryver knew she was holding her breath, waiting for him. Ryver's heart constricted—as if he wasn't going to get her number.

"How's your memory?" he asked.

She smiled up at him. "Pretty good."

He nodded and told her his mobile number.

"Will you remember mine?" she asked.

"Of course." He didn't tell her he'd already heard her reciting it. He ducked his head and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Until next time, Miss Dalton."