by Tamara White
"That was weird, right?"
He frowns deeply, looking down the hall in the direction she went. "Very."
I shake off my concerns and knock on my parents’ door, waiting for them to answer.
After a moment, my father answers with a smile, moving aside to let us in. The moment my mother sees me, she jumps up from her seat and crosses to me, encasing me in a bone-crushing hug.
"Emerald! What a wonderful surprise." Her fake cheeriness makes me sad. She’s pretending that Heather wasn’t here and that I didn’t see them talking. I hide my disappointment, though, knowing it’s not my place to tell her what to do.
Talon shakes my father’s hand, and my mother lets go of me and moves over to Talon, offering a kiss on the cheek, while my father embraces me.
When he lets go, he throws an arm over my shoulder, the same way my dad had many times over the years. My mother grabs Talon and leads him to the couch. "Come, sit."
Talon and I take the offered seats, pressing close to each other. He reaches out to grip my hand, giving me strength I didn't know I needed.
I smile to myself, glad of the change between us in the past twenty-four hours since the curse was broken. To think we went from fighting to happy, it's amazing. If anything, I thought we'd be weaker together now than we were before the curse, but our tie seems to have strengthened instead. Even now as I sit here, I feel a sense of satisfaction and protectiveness from Talon directed at me. I'm actually able to determine each of their individual ties to me, which makes everything feel like it’s finally coming together. Like now, our life together can truly begin.
The worst is over, and we can finally just focus on being together.
I take a deep breath and look over at my parents, watching their happy expressions disappear as they take in my worried gaze. "I, uh, did actually come here for something in particular," I apologize. They exchange glances and nod for me to continue.
"What is it?" my mother asks, her voice filled with fear.
"Well, it’s three things really. Last night, I, uh, found out what my ability is."
My mother's eyes widen in surprise, and she leans forward eagerly. "Oh, that's great, honey! We were a little worried that your wolf side might cancel out any chance you had of getting one."
My father beams at me, filled with pride. "So, what is it?"
I open my mouth, feeling hesitant to answer, knowing that once it’s revealed, more pressure will be put on my shoulders. The rarity of my ability and the dangerousness of it, will have more people fearing me and everyone will most likely try and use it as yet another reason to coddle me.
My gaze swings to Talon, beseeching him with my eyes. He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze before turning to my parents, taking the spotlight off me.
"Em's power is telepathy. She can project words, emotions, and images straight into our minds.”
Just as expected, a series of expressions quickly cross their faces, like a movie on fast forward. Fear, awe, sympathy, wonder, and curiosity. Each expression goes by, until they finally get enough control to meet my eyes, with only curiosity left in their own.
"Can you show us?" my father asks, his voice filled with intrigue.
I smile shyly and close my eyes, bringing an image to my mind. The moment I first saw them and realized who they were to me. Wonder, joy, and sadness filled me. I had missed out on getting to know them, and they had missed out on my entire life.
That moment is one I will always carry with me. I project the memory out to the room, and Talon grips my hand harder as sadness runs through his bond, followed by wonder and joy, before sadness returns again.
When I open my eyes, my mother is crying openly with a bright smile on her face. My father is trying to be stoic, but his eyes are glassy with the threat of unshed tears.
"Beautiful," my mother whispers in awe.
My father stands abruptly and moves over to the side table. He pulls out a potion similar to the ones I remember seeing down at the market and opens it, throwing it at the door. A pale blue liquid coats the door, which turns to a mist that spreads out from the point of impact until we're in a room that is completely shielded by blue mist. It seems to have sealed off the cracks under the doors as well.
My father turns his intense green eyes to Talon. "We've got an hour before the spell wears off."
Then his gaze swings to mine, and I blanch at the fear I see in his eyes. "What do you know about vampire telepaths, Emerald?"
"Uh, only that there hasn't been one in hundreds of years. Why? You're acting like this is a horrible thing? I thought you would be more excited."
My mother gets up from her seat and squeezes herself next to me, reaching out to hold my free hand between hers. "It is good. But, some others may not see it that way. The last known vampire telepath was killed because he went mad with power. He could push images into people’s minds like a form of torture, and eventually he grew too dangerous and had to be stopped. Some of our kind still remember him and the madness he instilled in people. We are just worried what people will think of your ability, especially when combined with the fact you are not completely a vampire."
My father hovers near the door, concern evident in his gaze. "What your mother is trying to say is your gift is powerful. Many people would kill to be able to do what you can, and would stop at nothing to get their hands on someone who had such a power."
Well, fuck. Not exactly the news I wanted to hear. I glance to Talon and know that now more than ever, I need to tell my parents about my magic. "Okay, so then you should also know that I, uh, accidentally drank a witch’s blood when we were attacked, and now I seem to have witch powers on top of everything else."
The heavy silence in the room makes me fidget, and I wish Dev or Nik were here to crack a joke to lighten the mood.
My father's gaze swings to Talon, a menacing growl slipping from his lips. He dives across the couch, landing on Talon, who pushes me out of the way before my father can accidently hurt me. My mother grabs me and pulls me out of the fray, just as the couch tumbles backwards.
I watch in horror as my father throws a punch at Talon's face. My soul-tie just lays there and lets the blow connect. "Hell fucking no!" I spit out, feeling enraged. Father or not, no one hits my soul-ties!
My mother tries to keep me by her side, but I shake her off and march over to where my father is sitting over Talon, beating into him like he's done something unforgivable. I grab my father by the hair, lifting his head sharply so he can see the fury in my eyes as my beast pushes to the forefront. Her anger is nothing compared to my own.
My father growls as I use my grip on his hair to pull him off of Talon. When I know we're a safe distance from Talon, I fling him away, letting go of his hair as I do so. He takes a step towards Talon again, but I move to block him. "I fucking dare you to try that shit again!"
"He was supposed to protect you!" He growls out each word slowly as if that will excuse his behavior.
"No, it was never his job to protect me. As a matter of fact, I recently fired all of them from their positions as my guards." I smirk, enjoying the dumbfounded look that crosses my father’s face.
My mother takes a step forward to my father’s side, wringing her hands nervously. "Emerald, you need guards. You could get hurt."
And that's exactly why they were fired. "I know I can be hurt, but what kind of life is it for any of us if the men I love are being ordered to protect me? We've come up with our own arrangement, but if you aren't happy with that, I can leave."
"Leave?" My mother’s face pales at my words. I know it seems childish to be threatening to leave, but I just want to live a normal life. Sure, I was picked on in the pack for being an outcast, but here I am under a constant spotlight, and I’m not sure if that’s any better. I would much rather find my own place, get a job like humans do, and support myself, instead of relying on them and feeling locked away from the world.
I could live on my own, and I think if I found a good outlet f
or my beast, then I'd be fine.
"You'd let her leave, knowing the danger she's in?" my father spits at Talon like this is all his fault.
Talon gets to his feet slowly, his face already showing bruises, which just amps up my anger. "Emerald is an adult. I know that's hard for you to hear, Ax, but the sooner you and Sie see her for the capable young woman she is, the sooner you'll realize just how amazing she is becoming and that she’s able to care of herself. But if she wants to leave, Dev, Nik, and I will follow her wherever she chooses to go."
My heart melts, and I feel him wrap his arms around my waist from behind me. He rests his chin on my shoulder, meeting my father’s eyes.
"I think it’s best if we leave you guys alone now, so you can think over some things," I tell them, my own anger still needing an outlet. If I stay here much longer, who knows what I'll do?
Talon uncurls from behind me and laces our fingers together, sensing my boiling point rising through our tie. He leads us to the door, but then I turn, having one last thing to say.
My mother is watching us nervously, while my father's wolf is still clearly pressing close to the edge. As someone who has to deal with a wild beast on a daily basis, I can understand his struggle, but I need him to understand this.
"If you ever lay a hand on one of my soul-ties again, we're done. I lived without you for twenty-one years, so there's no reason to stick around if you don't respect either me or my soul-ties."
My father nods in understanding, and I let Talon guide me out of the room. I watch in interest as the pale blue mist starts to dissolve as soon as the door opens. It must automatically lose its power when the room's seal is broken.
We close the door behind us, and Talon hurries us into the elevator, pride oozing from him along the tie. As the elevator doors close behind us, he meets my eyes with an intense expression, before claiming my lips in a hungry kiss. The elevator beeps when we reach our floor. We break apart, panting, and walk back to our room in silence.
As I reach out to open the door, Talon stops me. "You didn't have to stand up for me in there, although I appreciate it. And if you truly do want to leave, Nik, Dev, and I each have houses of our own, so we would have plenty of places to stay. But I need to know, did you say that just to get a reaction from them, or did you actually mean it?"
I smile fondly and reach up to cup his cheek with my hand, running my thumb over the small line of stubble that's growing, taking in the small bruise that is slowly fading. "I meant every word I said. I want you three. My life has been so lonely, and if I have to leave behind the supernatural world to have a real life with you, I will do so willingly. You three are my future, and as much as I want to have a good relationship with my biological parents, we barely know each other. Besides, even if I left, I would still visit and try to build a bond with them, but I won't force it either way."
"Good," he says, pressing a light kiss to my cheek. "Now we have to tell the others what happened."
I grimace as he opens the door. Damn, I didn't think that far ahead. I hope they're okay with my decision.
Dev is the first to see me. He smiles brightly and moves towards me, pausing when he sees the state of Talon's face. "Jeez, Em, I know Talon is prettier than you, but did you really have to make his face that grotesque just to try and compensate?"
Laughter bubbles up in me. I know Dev is joking, but with everything that’s happened in the last hour, I’m now in a state of hysteria, giggling like mad until my laughter dissolves into tears.
Nik appears suddenly, pulling me into his arms as tears continue to trail down my face. "I take it a lot more than just an explanation of Em's powers occured," he says over my head, looking at Talon.
"Yeah," he replies sadly.
Dev looks at me worriedly. "I'll make some coffee. It looks like she's going to need it."
I don't even care right now that they're talking about me like I'm not here. I just want a moment to get control of myself.
Thirty – It’s a Trap
Emerald
Talon explained to the guys about everything that went down in my parents’ suite. Their eyes went wide with shock when he told them about me threatening to leave.
I offered a nervous smile to try and reassure them, but I could tell they were still worried. Now, we're waiting for Nik to rearrange our schedule. We were supposed to be on patrol in a few hours, but the guys didn't think I was up to it emotionally, and for once, I agreed.
When Nik returns, he slams the door closed behind him, fuming as he enters. "Jasper is refusing to reschedule our patrol. We have to leave in an hour."
They each frown and their gazes swing to me. "It's okay, we can go."
Talon opens his mouth to object, and I place a hand on his knee. "Talon, the world doesn't stop because we're dealing with shit. Just give me a moment to myself, and then I'll be good to go."
"Em... We don't have to, we'll just go out somewhere and pretend we're on patrol. No one has to know," Dev suggestions with a look of concern.
"That's sweet, but if we're not on patrol because I was feeling emotional and someone ended up getting hurt, I'd never forgive myself. So, let’s just get ready and go. Maybe we can grab me another coffee before we leave. Coffee always helps."
"Fine, but only one. I don't want you bouncing off the walls." Talon frowns, and I can see his worry. Even though he knows we’re doing the right thing by leaving, he’s worried about my emotional state.
I do agree, though, the last thing we want is for me to be hyper and distractible when I need to be concentrating on the task at hand.
***
An hour later and I'm strapped with my weapons in the front seat of the car, while Nik goes to grab us all coffee. I wanted to go in with him, but they pointed out it wasn't exactly easy to conceal the two short swords at my hips, whereas Nik's could easily be hidden with his ability.
After Nik returns with our coffee, we get back on the road. Talon sits in the passenger seat, giving me directions, and I think the further out of town we go, the more nervous he's getting. Not because of where we're heading, but because of my driving.
"Take a right up here," he directs, pointing up ahead. "Gently," he emphasizes when I press on the accelerator with a grin. His warning doesn't stop me from taking the corner at a sharp turn, and I let loose a carefree laugh when one of the guys squeaks.
God, Britt would love to hear about this. I send the image through to her mind, and let her feel my joy and happiness, hoping it will help brighten her mood. Sure enough, I feel the light trickle of her laughter in return, and it boosts my mood immensely. Anything to make her happy.
The place we've been assigned to for patrol is on the opposite side of the city, in a small housing district. According to the note Jasper left the guys, there was recently a reported incident of a vampire feeding on some humans in the neighborhood.
We finally reach our destination, and as I climb out of the car, I have to wonder if we're in the wrong place. There are only five houses on the street we’re parked down, and they all appear abandoned. Either that, or everyone in this neighborhood goes to bed before the sun is down, which I doubt.
"Uh, guys? I have a bad feeling about this," I say, looking up at a flickering lamp post nearby. Like why the hell would a lamp post be flickering in the middle of a seemingly deserted street? If that's not a bad omen, I don't know what is.
Nik comes to my side and looks over at Talon and Dev with concern. "As soon as we find this vampire, we should leave."
I shrug and pull my jacket out through the open car window, putting it on to protect my bare arms from the night chill.
"Okay, but if you want to keep an eye on me, how about we all just stick together? Something tells me if we split up, things will go badly.”
Dev reaches out and links our hands together, squeezing comfortingly. "We'll stay close, don’t worry."
We make our way down the street, and the feeling of dread grows with each darkened house we pass. I let go of
Dev's hand a minute ago, reaching down to grip my magic swords for comfort.
Britt thinks the man who made them knew I was meant to carry them one day, which is why no one has ever been able to access their power. They were specifically designed for me. They hear me when I'm in need and will come to my aid. What we don’t know is what their limitations are as far as distance, or if they’ll be able to appear no matter where I am.
During our mind training, Britt made sure to reiterate that she thinks I'm a lot more important than I give myself credit for, saying that if a witch had the foresight to craft such unique and powerful swords for me, then they must have seen a reason I would need them one day. Foresight is a very rare gift, and the visions are guided by the spirits to help keep the world running on its proper course.
As we walk down the sidewalk, the guys are on alert, while I'm lost in my thoughts. A shiver runs through me when I hear rustling from a nearby garbage can.
I freeze, sending my mental voice to Nik, who is closest to me. Nik, did you hear that?
He pauses mid-step, cocking his head to the side as he turns to me. "Hey, babe, are you okay? Is the dark frightening you?"
Talon and Dev turn at his mention of me being frightened, which I knew would give them some kind of signal. Me being frightened is not something that happens often.
Nik starts to takes a step back to me, and I frown as a sudden pain blossoms in my chest.
Talon and Dev pale, their eyes darting to my chest. I reach up, touching the source of the pain, and coming away with blood-soaked fingers.
My heart pounds, and I feel everything going fuzzy as I fall to the ground. Nik manages to catch me just before I hit the pavement.
My eyes close on the world around me, only to open in a new one. I see a hand in front of me, extended in invitation. I reach up and take the proffered hand and stand. I see a woman before me, and the last time I was here suddenly comes rushing back to me.
"Seriously? I'm dead again?! What the fuck?"