Empath: The Flawed Series Book One

by Becca J. Campbell

  Cam turned his cards faceup on the table. A three of a kind.

  Josh showed his hand, beaming proudly at his own five club-suited cards. “Flush!”

  “Dang it!”

  “You want another go?” Josh asked with a note of teasing in his voice. He popped one of the candies into his mouth.

  “Nah,” Cam said, “I think the girls are getting bored.”

  Chloe had her elbow on the table with her head resting on her hand, idly tapping her fingers. But Jade found the rivalry between the brothers entertaining. Even now as Cam sulked about his loss, she had to fight back a grin. Josh’s victory was contagious. And Cam’s mood wasn’t as low as his appearance might suggest. He was having a good time, even if he was pretending to be angry.

  “Do you guys want to watch a movie?” Chloe asked.

  “Sure,” Cam said.

  “I don’t know,” Jade said. “I’m really tired. I’m not sure if I can make it through a whole one.” She yawned as if her body was trying to prove her point.

  “Oh, come on,” Josh said. “This is our last time to hang out with you before we leave for California.”

  Jade smiled, glad that Josh had finally opened up enough to be himself around her. “All right, I’ll stay a little bit longer. But no promises on staying awake.”

  The two men made their way past the mess of pizza boxes and soda cans to the living room. When Chloe began to clear away the mess, Jade rose to help.

  “So what is this trip the guys keep talking about?”

  “We have a family reunion in California. Dad’s flying us all out there for the week.”

  “Oh, cool. Cam didn’t mention you had family out there.”

  “Distant relatives. They’re on my mom’s side. My brothers couldn’t care less about the reunion though. They’re all hyped up about going surfing.”

  “Of course,” Jade said. “What about you? Do you surf?”

  “No. I prefer to lay out on the beach and get a tan rather than getting drenched in the ocean. Watching Josh and Cam make fools of themselves is entertainment in itself.”

  “You guys have such a tight relationship,” Jade said. “When I’m around you I almost feel like I’m a part of it. It’s really nice.”

  Chloe put her arm around Jade, giving her a squeeze. “You are a part of it, Jade. We’re glad to have you. I’m really glad you and Cam met.” The warmth Jade felt was bittersweet. She attempted a smile, but knew she should be feeling guilty, and would feel that way later. She might be on the verge of losing them all.

  “You girls coming, or what?” Cam called from the living room.

  Chloe dropped her arm and rolled her eyes, giving Jade a look. “Yeah, we’re coming. Men,” she muttered. “So impatient…”

  When they entered the living room, Jade saw that Josh had snagged Cam’s recliner. The movie was starting, and Chloe grabbed a spot on the floor in front of him and settled in. Cam sat on the couch with the spot next to him wide open for Jade.

  She took a deep breath and approached him. He was lounging with his arm draped casually over the back of the sofa, slightly reclined, with his body angled at the best position to see the television. Jade sat down in the center of the sofa, not touching him but directly in front of his arm. If she moved any farther away, it would be nearly impossible for her to see the screen at all. As she leaned back, Cam’s arm gently pulled her into him, so that she ended up against his chest with her head in the crook of his neck. He slid his hand down and his fingers rested on her forearm. The position felt so warm, so comfortable. His chest moved slowly with his deep breathing, and she relaxed as her own breath matched the soothing rhythm.

  The next thing Jade knew, she was waking up, groggy and disoriented. Still lying against Cam with his cheek resting on her head, she realized that the movie was over, although she hadn’t remembered falling asleep. As the credits rolled across the screen, Chloe stood to turn off the TV and left the room with a yawn. Josh stretched, excusing himself to the bathroom. Jade waited for Cam to move, but when he didn’t, she realized that he had fallen asleep, too.

  Slowly and gingerly, she extricated herself from his arms. As she pulled away, he stirred.

  “Hey there.” He blinked, his voice husky, and gave her a drowsy smile. “I guess I fell asleep.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “You were out about five minutes into the flick.”

  “What movie were we watching again?

  “The Monty Python one.”

  “Right.”

  Cam chuckled.

  “Well, I guess I need to get going,” she said.

  “Do you think you can make it home without falling asleep?”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “Maybe you need a stimulant,” he said, his eyes twinkling. Jade’s mind was still fuzzy and she was about to ask what he meant when, suddenly, she knew. Before she could speak, his lips were on hers. She felt the passion flame up inside of her. His passion? Or hers? At that moment any coherent thoughts she might have had dissolved completely as the emotions took over. The only thing she knew was desire. Her body yearned for him as her lips responded to his, her arms grasping him tightly.

  Then he was pulling away, kissing her lighter now. While her eyes were still closed, he kissed her cheek, her eyelid, her forehead. Reluctantly, she released him and opened her eyes. There was something behind his gaze… Amusement? The passion still flowed as strong as a river through the room, but unlike herself, Cam had regained control rather than getting carried away.

  “I guess I don’t need to worry about you missing me after all,” he said. “I’m going to miss you incredibly this week, but we’ll have plenty of time when I get back. I’m just relieved to witness your… enthusiasm.” He hugged her one last time and then she rose to leave.

  ~

  Deep into his workout, Ethan pondered his plan as he did pull-ups. He’d known for a while that he’d have to go through the annoying surfer at the gym if he wanted to reach the girl who was so much like Kelsey. There were so many ways to capture her—the capturing wasn’t the problem. It was the keeping.

  The thing was, Ethan was tired of one-night stands. Every time he was with a woman, the time was cut short by the arrival of morning. Daylight put an end to his games. With the cleanup and disposal required afterward, he wasn’t even allowed that long.

  But anything more required detailed planning. He needed a den like his nocturnal friends… someplace eternally dark and eternally terrifying. Somewhere they’d never be found.

  He would do things differently with this one—forgo his typical luring techniques. He wasn’t taking any chances that what happened with Kelsey might happen again. No, this girl wouldn’t get the weak, demure Ethan. She would get the real deal.

  Right now the problem was that the loser, whose activity-centered chatter usually annoyed the snot out of Ethan, was nowhere to be found. Ironic that on the one day he needed the surfer guy, the gym was mysteriously void of his presence.

  During his second set of pull-ups, Ethan caught a bit of the conversation from the front desk. His back was turned, but his ears were on alert.

  “Where’s Cam?” one of the gym members asked.

  “He’s out this week—went to California for some family thing.” It was the surfer’s buddy. Ethan recognized the voice.

  “When’s he get back?”

  “Next Monday.”

  A week. Apparently the plan required more waiting. But that was fine. He had a bit of research to do. But when the surfer returned, Ethan would be ready.

  Jade sat at the small desk in her room, staring at her open journal, letting her mind wander as she waited for her friends to arrive.

  The week after her summer finals had been a relief. Not because she had some free time, but also partially due to the absence of the Schuylers. On the one hand, she missed Cam’s company, but on the other, she didn’t have to worry that she would screw something up… again.

  Even now whe
n she thought of their last night in the city, she couldn’t believe the intensity of her own reaction when he’d kissed her. The worst part was that now she knew her feelings hadn’t been genuine. His feelings, however… well, there was no room for doubt at this point. Cam was falling in love with her. She wasn’t sure how far gone he was, but she knew that if she didn’t set things straight soon, it would only be a matter of time before he was completely attached.

  After his departure, she spent several days deep in her thoughts, writing in her journal. She’d never really been in love before, but she knew that, despite a few warm fuzzies, thinking about Cam failed to produce that spark of excitement inside her that was overwhelming whenever she thought about… well, other men in her life. Okay, one specific man in particular.

  The downside of having so much free time to think was the amount of time she found her thoughts lingering on Logan. She kept expecting him to appear in the shop again. The tinkling of bells at the door would set her heart racing, only to let her down again when the face that greeted her wasn’t his. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him? Was there even a chance that he thought about her a fraction of the amount she thought about him? That he thought about her at all? Highly unlikely.

  The way her heart fluttered when she saw him, and the thrill of exhilaration she felt in his presence, were legitimate, even if they were juvenile and unreciprocated. Those emotions were most definitely hers. Emotions included, Cam was an extreme guy, and always would be. It was the reason she could never be totally free around him.

  Lauren and Sydney arrived, interrupting her thoughts. She ushered them into her apartment, and the three of them settled into the living room with the long, orange rays of afternoon sunlight streaming through the window and creating distorted patterns on the rug.

  “How has your summer been so far?” Jade asked, ready to take her mind off of her own dilemma.

  “Amazing,” Sydney said. “The cruise was spectacular. I thought going to Hawaii with my family was going to be a drag, but it turned out to be a total blast.”

  “Tell her about Kai,” Lauren said.

  A sultry grin spread across Sydney’s face at the mention of the name.

  “Who’s Kai?” Jade asked.

  “Oh, just a super sexy guy that she met in Hawaii,” Lauren said nonchalantly.

  “He lives there,” Sydney said, still smiling. “We spent nearly every free moment together. Dark hair, deep eyes, perfect body, gorgeous tan… He’s an amazing kisser, too.” She sighed. “It was hard to say good-bye. I’m not a fan of long-distance relationships. He’s all for trying, but I can’t be tied down like that. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.”

  “What about you, Lauren?” Jade asked.

  “Oh, she’s been busy getting close to Hot Doctor,” Sydney said with a wink at Lauren, who turned bright red.

  “Is this the guy you mentioned last time I saw you?” Jade asked.

  “Yes,” Lauren said, “and for your information, Sydney, his name is Jeffrey.”

  “That’s great, Lauren, I’m really happy for you.”

  “How about you, Jade?” Lauren asked.

  “Yeah, what about that guy, Cam, who asked you out?”

  “Well, I guess you can say we’ve been dating… sort of.” The girls waited with hopeful looks on their faces. “It’s mostly been pretty casual, but I think he wants it to get more serious. The thing is, I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I like being his friend. But then sometimes I get… confused… when I’m around him.” To Jade’s surprise and relief, the girls both nodded sympathetically.

  “Men are confusing,” Lauren said, “that’s all there is to it.”

  “Yeah,” Sydney said. “I hate it when they want us to commit too quickly and don’t realize that sometimes girls just want to have fun.” She grinned at the saying.

  Jade’s friends didn’t know how far off base they were, but she didn’t feel like setting them straight. The problem was that she did want to commit—just not to Cam.

  While she was thinking about her predicament, Lauren and Sydney put on a show. Jade settled in to watch one of her all-time favorites—Anne of Green Gables. It turned into a movie-marathon day when they followed that with a frozen pizza and the sequel.

  The girls laughed together when Anne made a fool of herself in front of Gilbert. They cried when Matthew died. And they sighed longingly together as poor Gilbert attempted to woo Anne, and she stubbornly resisted him.

  Jade could identify with Anne’s indecision between the two men in her life: one an amusing, lighthearted friend and the other a passionate and mysterious older man. She’d watched the shows many times before, but it all hit close to home today.

  “I can’t believe she actually considered marrying Morgan instead of giving Gilbert a chance!” Sydney said when the movie was over.

  “But she didn’t marry him. She went back to Avonlea,” Lauren said.

  “Yeah, but she didn’t really consider Gilbert until she found out he was dying.”

  “Maybe so,” Lauren said, “but she did have feelings for him. She was just in denial. I mean, how could you not love Gilbert? He’s so sexy.”

  Sydney nodded. “Gilbert is the obvious choice.”

  As her friends discussed the movie, Jade sank back into her own thoughts. She wondered if either of her friends would understand her own dilemma if they knew the whole story. And if they would agree with her decision. Was she wrong to be avoiding the obvious choice? Was she a complete fool to not be satisfied with what was right in front of her? What could you do when your heart didn’t cooperate?

  ~

  As delicately intricate music spiraled around him, Ethan sat in the crowded opera hall, nearly absorbed in the complex sounds that enveloped him. The music reached right into his soul, matching his own convoluted inner emotions in an audible expression that was deeply satisfying.

  One of the reasons he enjoyed classical music so much was its ability to portray the level of feeling he experienced at any given moment. The music could be mournful at one moment, enraged the next. A single piece could intertwine conflicting moods, from triumph to pleasure to agony.

  The music couldn’t hold him completely though, because while his ears were consumed fully by the sounds, his eyes were focused elsewhere. Instead of trained on the stage like every other pair in the room, his eyes, shrouded in the tinted glasses, scanned the sea of people that sat transfixed in the large, open auditorium. He was searching, although for whom he had not yet decided.

  He needed a diversion to hold him until he could get to his real prize. There were plenty of eligible young women here who would suffice for tonight. His eyes deciphered the female silhouettes around him, quickly passing up anyone accompanied by a date or with a group of people.

  His gaze lingered on a woman sitting farther down his row who seemed to be alone. On her left was an elderly couple who alternated between sharing a pair of miniature binoculars and adjusting their hearing aids. On her right, a middle-aged woman was whispering a commentary of the opera to her bored-looking date, likely a husband who would rather be at a sporting event. The young woman between the two couples was riveted by the music and unaware of her neighbors. Ethan couldn’t make out her face, where the glare from the bright stage lights illuminated it.

  Although Ethan had supernatural night vision, in daylight he was completely blind—always had been. His special sight made the woman’s dark profile clear to him—delicate lips and small, upturned nose. But if he looked toward the stage, the lights blinded him. She was thin with shoulder-length hair and dressed in formal attire—as was most of the audience. His initial impression of her was that she was pretty in a generic way, but not quite beautiful.

  As the music ended and the auditorium lights came up for the intermission, he remained in his seat, waiting for the people around to file out. Ironically, it was too bright for him to see. In his blindness he counted voices and footsteps scuttling past to determine which me
mbers of the audience had exited. The middle-aged couple next to him left, but he concluded that his prey still remained in her seat.

  Fumbling in his pockets, Ethan retrieved a cell phone. As if by sheer clumsiness, it flew out of his hands and skittered down the row toward the brunette.

  “Oh!” he exclaimed, climbing out of his seat and making a show of crawling on the floor, feeling around for the device. He heard the sounds of the woman, predictably, rising from her seat and rushing over to join him in the search.

  “Here, let me help you.” The soft, feminine voice exuded gentleness, which Ethan translated as vulnerability. His hand continued to feel around for the phone and, at the same moment she reached to grab it for him, his fingers found it. Their hands touched, and he felt her briefly tremble at the contact. It was subtle, something that no one else would have noticed, but his nerve endings were more finely tuned than the average person’s.

  Because of his lack of eyesight in the traditional sense, Ethan had never seen himself in the same way others did, but he knew the effects his looks had on women. The combination of his striking features with the pitiable state of his condition was something that had arrested many a young female’s heart.

  “Thank you so much.” His voice was rich and smooth. He grimaced slightly, feigning embarrassment at his clumsy mistake. Before she could pull her hand away, he took it in his own, clasping it and placing his other hand on top in a formal gesture of gratitude. He turned his face toward her voice and smiled charmingly. “I’m Daniel.”

  “I’m Gabrielle. Nice to meet you.” The slightest hint of a foreign accent tinged her voice. French?

  “Pleasure to meet you as well. Do you come to the opera much?”

  “No, this is my first time. My parents bought me the ticket for my birthday several weeks back.”

  “Really?” From the eager way she watched the performance, he’d assumed as much. “How do you like the show so far?”

  “Oh, it’s breathtaking. The orchestra is simply amazing.”