voice strengthened. “A young, beautiful woman living alone. It’s never been completely safe, but these days . . . These are rough times.”
“You’re right about that,” Alec agreed grimly.
“She’s such a lovely girl, inside and out. I would like to see her find someone special and this afternoon when you left . . . Well, she looked a bit lost. I think there’s something there.”
“Mrs. Basso—”
“I hope things work out between you, that’s all. I won’t embarrass you anymore. I feel like a meddling old woman as it is.”
Eve caught the edge of the drawer and blinked back tears, deeply touched. It was then that she saw the large, clear glass bowl on the counter filled with water and a single, beautiful white water lily.
Her mother was an amateur horticulturist with an impressive green thumb. She often brought over plants and flowers from her garden. But she’d never brought over anything like this.
“The water lily is beautiful, Mom.” Eve sniffled, arrested by its perfection.
“Isn’t it? I am still reserving judgment on your Alec, but such thoughtfulness is a good sign—if he keeps it up. Men always try hard in the beginning, then they slack off. Anyway, you should put it on the table as a centerpiece.”
“Alec brought that?” Eve glanced over her shoulder at the living room. He was seated on the couch with Mrs. Basso now.
“I guess so,” her mother said, “unless you have another boyfriend somewhere.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” Would Reed have given her such a thing? She didn’t know what to think about that.
Miyoko hummed doubtfully. “It was delivered when you were in the shower and Alec was changing his clothes. Nice delivery man. Refused a tip. Handsome, too. He reminded me of that blond actor from A Beautiful Mind.”
Eve froze with forks in one hand and knives in the other. She felt like her heart should be racing, but it couldn’t. Not anymore. “Paul Bettany?”
“Yes. That’s the one. Very Scandinavian looking. Had a bit of an accent, too.”
The water lily took on new meaning, changing from a lovely gift to a sinister warning. A whiff of something noxious wrinkled her nose and she realized what that meant. Eve’s hands shook violently.
The Nix knew where she lived.
As soon as Alec heard the bathroom door lock behind Miyoko, he left the living room and went in search of Eve. He found her in her office seated before her computer.
Her work space was a large room, capable of comfortably holding two large desks—one for her computer and one drafting table for her renderings. It also held a contemporary futon in a soft camel color, a coffee table, and three bookcases.
“Your neighbor is . . . interesting,” he said.
She laughed. “She thought you needed some dating pointers.”
“I knew you were laughing at me.” His hands settled on her shoulders. As he kneaded, his gaze came to rest on the monitor. She was Googling Nixes.
“What do you want to know?” he asked softly. “I can tell you more than Google can.”
“Can I kill it with a bullet?”
A grim smile curved his mouth. Eve didn’t think she was cut out to be a Mark, but he had no doubts. That didn’t alter the fact that he was going to find a way to return her life to her.
“You can, if you blow his head off when he’s in full mortal form,” he said. “It won’t work when he is in liquid form. Decapitation will kill everything except a hydra. You can also dehydrate Nixes by separating them from water. Unlike humans, a Nix will shrivel up within a couple of hours. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Any source of water can recharge them—tap water, puddles, tears, humid air. Unless you drop them off in the middle of a desert, the kill isn’t guaranteed.”
“That’s it?”
“Fire is good. Flame-covered swords work, I’ve been told.”
“And where exactly do I get one of those?” Eve blew out her breath and turned her chair around, forcing him to release her and back up.
“You’ll be trained in how to request one.”
“Eventually. Someday. If he doesn’t kill me first.”
His fingertips brushed along her jaw line. “You know I’d show you, if I knew how. I’ve never figured it out myself and since I’ve managed to survive this long without one, learning hasn’t been a priority.”
Her dark eyes were troubled. “What do you think of his gift?”
Alec crossed his arms. “I think he means to kill you.”
The knowledge gutted him. He remembered eating at a sushi restaurant