Echoes From the Mist by Blayne Cooper Page B

sharply. "I am not moody! And I’m certainly not a baby."
    Liv stopped as well, then stepped backwards so that several people who were scurrying up the street could pass between them. She pinned Kayla with a glare. "I didn’t say you were."
    The scowl on Kayla’s face was replaced by a tense, worried look. Oh, shit. "I… uh… I just— "
    "You read my mind," Liv said evenly.
    Kayla cringed. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to." Her heartbeat sped up. This is where things go all to hell and I get accused of spying on her thoughts. I’ve got to learn better control! I— "I was just walking along and the thought popped into my head."
    Liv chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, fighting the urge to get good and pissed off. Then her better judgment took over and she sighed. "Did you do it on purpose?" she asked, already fairly certain of the answer and hating the poorly veiled anxiety she saw in Kayla’s eyes.
    "No!" Kayla moved forward in reflex, needing to close the gap between her and Liv. She looked around self-consciously to see if anyone was staring. "No," she repeated a little more quietly as her eyes met and held Liv’s. "I swear."
    There was an intensity to Kayla’s answer that made Liv’s heart ache and she gentled her gaze. Time to start working on this. For both our sakes. She reached out and took Kayla’s hand. "Relax, will ya? I’m not mad."
    The dark-haired woman remained warily silent.
    Liv sighed again. "You might need to remind me of this every once in a while, but I really shouldn’t get mad at you for something you didn’t intentionally do. Okay?"
    Kayla blinked dumbly at Liv. She couldn’t have heard her right. "You-you shouldn’t?"
    "No," she told her seriously, "I shouldn’t." Who did this to you? "Honey, I’m not going to blame you for something out of your control." A smile tugged at her lips when she saw Kayla’s face begin to relax. That’s it, love. "Unless I have PMS." She grinned recklessly. "Then you’re screwed." Liv’s words where greeted with a tiny burst of laughter from Kayla that was equal parts happiness and relief.
    I am so lucky. I’d better not fuck this up. Kayla looked at Liv with utter affection "Thank you," she said simply, still a little dumbfounded, but not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
    "You’re welcome." You’re not going to get rid of me that easily. We’re going to talk about this… just not in the middle of the sidewalk.
    "So," Liv deftly steered the conversation in another direction as they began walking again, "were you surprised that Bridget was still alive?"
    Kayla willingly allowed herself to be distracted and her brows knitted as she thought. "I guess not," she finally decided. "I know it’s all fantastic, nearly too much to believe. "But deep down inside I had this niggling suspicion that their story wasn’t quite over yet."
    Liv tucked an errant lock of fair hair behind her ear. "Mmm," she acknowledged with a small nod.
    Kayla carefully guided them around a tall postcard stand and a pack of student tourists. "You?"
    Liv took several steps before answering. "Oh… Well, the same as you, I guess." She didn’t feel comfortable sharing with Kayla that her stomach had been in knots until Badger made it very clear that Bridget had survived the cliff. There was something indefinable about Bridget Redding that reminded her of Kayla. It went beyond the obvious physical similarities, touching on subtle, emotional elements that Liv found undeniably interesting as well as attractive. She thought about that for a moment and Kayla’s over reaction a few minutes ago. Maybe there is something about this story that stirs something in us both. Maybe.
     
    *  *  *
     
    Liv and Kayla turned off the Royal Mile and began winding their way through the Gothic streets of Old Town. Within a few moments they were standing in front of the Keith House, a tall, narrow three-story structure that had clearly undergone recent renovations. The centuries of