Determinant, a YA Paranormal Romance (Book 3 of The Guardians of Vesturon)

by A. M. Hargrove

  I could feel her trembling with her tears.

  “Maddie, it’s water under the bridge now. I didn’t want anyone to know, so that part is all my fault. Don’t be upset about it now. Please?”

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t imagine how hard it must have been. And then I just added to it all with my disappearance.” Her voice was edged with emotion.

  I leaned away from her and said, “Look, none of this was your fault. You couldn’t help what happened to you, but the thing with my parents was out of anyone’s control. So don’t waste your tears on it. In fact, I’ve decided after the other day that they just aren’t worth my time at all. They have tried everything to destroy me, but I won’t give them that satisfaction anymore. I guess it took me seeing how they had turned my little brother and sister against me to understand that they are evil people.”

  The bedroom door burst open to Rykerian carrying a massive tray filled with all sorts of food.

  “Anyone hungry?” he asked. Then he noticed our faces and thundered, “What has happened?” He set the tray down and rushed to my side. “Are you okay? Have you become ill again?”

  The whole situation hit me as funny and my slight chuckle quickly turned into a roaring laugh. Maddie began laughing as well and Rykerian looked at us like we were both insane.

  “Females! Who can figure them out?” he asked, scratching his head.

  The bubbles of laughter tapered off and I explained what had occurred, but he couldn’t find the humor in it.

  Instead of belaboring the point, I said, “I am starving and would love some food.”

  He was only too happy to comply. When I was finished eating, I said, “I have one request.” They both looked at me in question. “I would love a bath!”

  Rykerian glanced at Maddie and gruffly said, “Leave us please.”

  “I hardly think that...”

  “Maddie, I care not what you think. I can remember a time when you...”

  “Okay! Okay, I’m outta here!” Maddie said as she darted out of the room.

  “What was that all about?”

  “Nothing that should excessively concern you January. I will go and run you a bath.”

  He left the room leaving me perplexed over his exchange with Maddie. For whatever reason, my apprehension began mounting over this bath thing. Did he think he was going to bathe me? If so, he had a big surprise waiting for him! It was one thing to be in the heat of the moment, hormones raging, and passion burning through our veins. At that point I probably would have run straight through the streets of Atlanta, buck-naked. But this? Now? That was another story. There was no way on God’s green Earth I was going to strip down, naked as a jaybird in front of this Greek god! Uh huh...absolutely no way.

  When Rykerian returned, I was finishing up the last of my tea.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  I twisted the coverlet in my hands and licked my suddenly bone-dry lips. I knew his intentions would always be above board but yet I had this gnawing feeling of awkward embarrassment in my belly.

  I looked up at him and he recognized it instantly for what it was. I wondered at this uncanny ability of his. He was at my side in a blur of motion, something I speculated if I’d ever get accustomed to.

  “What is it? What has distressed you so?”

  “I...er, I don’t know.” I lied. I knew exactly what had distressed me.

  “January, it is not necessary to hide your feelings from me. I can discern them on my own but I do not want to do that. I want to hear it from your lips.”

  I dropped my gaze to my knotted my fingers, unsure of this shyness that had descended on me.

  He took my chin in hand and lifted it so he could look into my eyes. “Tell me please,” he softly implored.

  “For some reason I feel incredibly self-conscious and awkward right now,” I admitted.

  “Is it the bath that has made you so?”

  I nodded.

  “I do not intend to do anything other than escort you to the bathroom and show you where everything is located. I will remain outside the door and you only have to think my name if you need me.”

  “Okay,” I whispered, relief etching my voice. Phew, my inner brain screamed. I feel like a ton of bricks has just been lifted off my chest.

  He leaned in and planted a feathery kiss on my lips and helped me to my feet.

  “You did not think my intentions were to join you, did you?” His eyes were filled with mirth.

  “Well, yes I was sort of thinking along those lines.” I’m sure my cheeks were flame red. They felt like they were on fire.

  Laughing, he said, “Not that it hasn’t crossed my mind, among other things, but have no fear on that account.”

  “Okay...honestly, that’s a relief. I was a bit worried about that I guess. I don’t feel lightheaded anymore. It must have been the hunger or something,” I mumbled, taking a stab at changing the subject.

  “Maybe so.”

  We walked into the sumptuous bathroom and I felt like I was at an elite spa...the kind you read about in magazines. The jetted tub looked large enough for four and the vanity, located in a separate room, had two sinks and went on forever. There was all sorts of storage space, a huge linen closet filled with stacks of white fluffy towels and shelves and drawers everywhere.

  What in the world does he have stowed in here?

  I heard him chuckle so I turned my eyes to him and crinkled up my brow.

  “Many of them are empty, but feel free to look around and inspect their contents,” he snorted. “I know, it seems a bit ostentatious, doesn’t it?”

  “It’s quite beautiful Rykerian. I’ve never been in a bathroom like this. Very luxurious.” I ran my fingers along the smooth marble vanity, feeling its coolness against my skin.

  “Please make yourself at home. I thought you would prefer a bubble bath, but there is a shower in here as well,” he explained as he indicated the shower with his arm.

  My curiosity got the best of me so I went to examine the shower. It was an amazing thing. There were water nozzles everywhere...on three walls and the ceiling. It looked like an upright Jacuzzi tub.

  “I can show you how to operate it if you’d like,” he offered.

  “Maybe some other time. Right now, I just want to sink into that water over there.” It looked totally tempting.

  “As you wish. I shall be right outside in the event you should need something. Just think my name and I shall be right here. And January? Take all the time you want. I want you to enjoy this. If you press this button over here,” he said pointing to a chrome button on the tub, “it will turn on the jets. Enjoy!” Then he was gone, leaving me to savor this chance and to spoil myself.

  Chapter 4

  I emerged from the bathroom feeling like a new person. I felt clean and refreshed and energized. I was wrapped in a humongous fluffy black terry robe that dragged on the floor.

  Whhe heard to door open, Rykerian turned to look at me and a huge grin spread across his face.

  “I can see that we will need to get you your own bath robe. That one is a might too large!” He chuckled.

  I joined him in his mirth and added, “Yeah, I didn’t know what I was going to put on until I found this. It’s so soft though! I love the feel of it,” and as I lowered my eyes, I whispered, “and it smells so good. It smells exactly like you.”

  His eyes widened and he pulled me to him and took possession of my lips. At first he was gentle as his lips grazed mine but then I felt a current of electricity rip through me and his kiss became demanding and possessive. He lifted me until our heads were level and continued to pour his passion into me. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and let my fingers slide through his hair. I felt his tongue seek entrance and it danced around mine until we were both breathless. When he pulled away, I could feel his harsh breathing on my neck. His thoughts rained down on me letting me know how I took his breath away. It took me a moment before I could speak as I was having a bit of a problem
breathing myself. Gawd I loved how he made me feel!

  “You take my breath away Rykerian. Does kissing feel this way all the time?”

  He smiled and shook his head and admitted, “Never like this before you January. You own me. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

  “Yes,” I murmured. “I do, even though it frightens me.”

  “Why does it frighten you so?”

  “I didn’t think I had to ability to feel this way about anyone. It scares the crap out of me that I even trust you. I’m damaged Rykerian. I was never shown love so I guess I’m not sure how I should feel about it.”

  “Hmmm, I can understand that. Not the way you feel because I was lucky to be born to two wonderful parents. Love was abundant in our home, but I can understand why these feelings frighten you.”

  I could only nod. That huge lump had returned to my throat.

  “January, I promise you I will never hurt you or play you false. I am yours whether you want me or not. If you decide you do not want me, then say the word and I will go. But know this; you will always be mine, no matter what path you choose.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean by that.”

  “Vesturions are a strange lot, we are. As I’ve told you before, we mate, or unite for life. When our souls find each other, there is no going back. So what I am telling you is that if you decide to choose a path away from me, our souls will always be joined.”

  “That’s kind of creepy Rykerian. What happens when someone dies?”

  “The link is broken and the soul of the deceased enters another plane. It is a difficult thing for the one remaining behind to deal with, but that is the way of things. One other thing—Vesturion males may seem highly possessive of their mates. It is because they hold them in the highest esteem. They have the utmost respect for their mates. I am talking out of turn here, and I should be getting her permission to say this, but you can ask Maddie about this. She had a difficult time adjusting to Rayn’s possessiveness at first. We only want to protect our mates and sometimes it comes across as controlling.”

  “Hmmm. I have no experience with boys so I have nothing to compare any of this to, but I don’t think I want someone telling me what to do.”

  “It is not that at all. We do not tell our mates what to do. In fact, we encourage them to follow the dreams of their hearts with everything. However, where their safety is concerned, we become quite...brutish,” he explained. He turned a delightful shade of pink at this admission.

  “You know, you really should blush more often as it’s such a lovely shade and goes very nicely with your tanned skin!” I joked.

  “Are you toying with me Ms. St. Davis?”

  “Maybe!”

  With that, he threw me over his shoulder and carried me to the bed where he gently tossed me. Then he grabbed me and started tickling me unmercifully.

  I was laughing so hard my sides were cramping. I begged him to stop repeatedly and finally he did saying, “That will teach you to poke fun at me!”

  These Vesturions were strange people, but I needed to stop comparing them to humans since I was, in part, one of them. That was a sobering thought and Rykerian recognized immediately that my thoughts had turned serious once more.

  “No need to worry about your genetics now January. I think you will find that being Vesturion has its advantages. Once you learn how to use your Power of Telepathy to its fullest, you will quickly discover how lucky you are. We will explore whether you have inherited any other Powers as well. For instance, Maddie’s Power of Telekinesis rivals just about anyone’s I know.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Uhhum.” He was staring at my lips again and I was hit with a sudden flow of thoughts coming from him.

  For the love of God! Does he genuinely think that about me?

  “I absolutely, one hundred percent think you are the most beautiful creature I have ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes upon.”

  My heart was tripping over itself. My breath caught in my throat. I ran my tongue across my lips and he grabbed my chin and started kissing me again. His lips trailed across my cheeks, over my eyes and descended to my neck. I found that there simply wasn’t enough oxygen in the room.

  Okay, we need to stop this before I come apart at the seams.

  He pulled away again, sighed deeply and said, “How would you like to walk down to the terrace out back and take in the view for a while?”

  “Yes, I’d love that!”

  Chapter 5

  In seconds I had taken off the fluffy robe and threw on some clothes and we were heading outside. The day was beautiful. It was late September and the weather was changing. The sky was bright Carolina blue and the sun was warm on my skin. The mountains in the distance rose before us and I ironically thought I had never been happier in my life. It scared me though because the last time I said that was right before things went south at work and I ended up becoming deathly ill. But in the whole scheme of things, if I hadn’t contracted smallpox I would never have met Rykerian. Fate has a strange way of showing itself sometimes.

  “It was meant to be January. You do realize that don’t you?”

  “Were my thoughts that loud again?”

  He nodded, smiling.

  “How can I keep them quieter?”

  “There is a shield within you that needs to be activated or turned on, if you will.”

  “Okay, now I’m totally confused.”

  “Let me explain. Deep within your mind there is a shield. It is not something you can feel unless you seek it out. You need to recognize its presence and then put it to use. But first you must concentrate.”

  We made our way to the back terrace and he indicated that I sit.

  I took a seat on one of the sofas and he sat next to me.

  “Close your eyes,” he said. “Now envision a shield like maybe a glass partition or a window. You can see out but it is totally soundproof. Now raise the partition bit by bit. Hold it steady there. Keep your eyes closed. Can you feel that?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it feels like a filter or something.”

  “Exactly! Now relax, yet keep the partition up.”

  I sat there with my eyes closed when I began feeling something probing the filter. I felt tentacles moving around, much like a soft tickle. I angled my head, trying to grasp what it was I was feeling when I heard Rykerian chuckling. I opened my eyes to see him grinning and shaking his head.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Not funny at all. I am amazed at how quick you were able to accomplish that.”

  “Accomplish what?”

  “I’ve been tele-communing with you...or at least attempting to for the past few minutes with no response from you. You completely tuned me out. I landed on a blank slate. Tell me, what did you feel?”

  “Do you mean I was blocking you?” I asked incredulously.

  “Oh yes. And very effectively I might add. Could you feel anything?”

  “Yeah, I could. It was like more of a soft barrier or something. I felt the brush of something moving on the opposite side, but didn’t know what it was.”

  “January, you were feeling my thoughts...my mind trying to probe yours.”

  I looked at him as my chin dropped to the ground. “Seriously? Is that what that was?”

  He nodded, beaming, “Oh yes. I was very insistent too, yet you allowed me no quarter. That was excellent!”

  “Rykerian, how can I do that though without concentrating so hard?”

  “Ah, that will come with practice and experience. Once you master the technique it will be much like...how do you say it? Oh yes, it will be much like riding a bike. You will do it like second nature, without thinking about it,” he explained.

  “Will that take a long time?”

  “That depends on several things. First, how strong your ability is. Second, how much you practice. And third, how badly you want it.”

  “Do you think my ability is very strong?”

  “Most defini
tely. You have been hearing thoughts your whole life. Most telepaths don’t develop until they are appropriately trained. That you managed to block me after one attempt is undoubtedly impressive. The other thing that is extremely spectacular is over the years, you have learned to tune the thoughts of others out. Albeit they were human thoughts, and even though humans don’t have the ability to probe, you accomplished that without being taught. You are very talented where Telepathy is concerned.”

  He sat there grinning at me and I felt myself smiling in return.

  It was surreal sitting there with Rykerian, looking at the beautiful scenery when people were dying in massive numbers across the globe. I told him as much because I couldn’t get the feeling out of me that we should be doing something.

  “Yes, but do not forget, the Guardians are currently implementing their tactics. They are getting the vaccine where it will benefit humanity the most and in doing so, will stop the pandemic from worsening. Besides, you need to recover and regain your strength before you can do anything. I do not want you to have any more episodes like you recently had.”

  I nodded, agreeing with him.

  I was looking at him, admiring him beneath my lowered lids, when I heard the first strains of music reach my ears. Rykerian began smiling, and when he did, it felt like the sun shining down on me, with his amazing aura, coupled with his unreal looks. It felt weird describing a boy as beautiful, but that’s what he was. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone that could come close to matching him in the looks category.

  “Maddie must be at the helm of the sound system,” he remarked.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because she loves Adele, and that is what is playing now. January, dance with me.”

  “Uh, I don’t know how to dance,” I said as my face flushed with embarrassment. “I never learned.”

  “Oh, it is easy if you let me lead. Come, I can teach you,” he said excitedly. He held out his hand and I had no choice but to take it. He pulled me to my feet and took my left hand and placed in around his neck. He held my right hand in his and encircled me with his left arm, pulling me close against his body.