Touched (Sense Thieves)

by Corrine Jackson

  He appeared at my side, took my tray from me, and piled enough food for three on it. I raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word when he paid. He carried the tray to an empty table and held a chair out for me. When we were both sitting, I said nothing. Some stubborn part of me insisted that he should be the one to speak first.

  He watched me, his expression impossible to read, as I picked up a donut and took a huge bite. I sensed his steely control, and it frustrated me since he’d been the flustered one the last time we spoke. Usually, I’d been off kilter because he’d known what was happening, while I’d been in the dark.

  He studied my face while I ate, and I barely held my irritation in check. When I wiped my fingers on a napkin, he still hadn’t said a word.

  Pushing my chair back, I got to my feet. “Well, the conversation’s been interesting. If you’re finished . . .”

  His eyes narrowed. “Sit down, Remy.”

  I looked down my nose at him.

  “Please.”

  I sat, crossed my legs, and leaned back in an imitation of his relaxed pose, trying to appear as casual as possible while wearing a ridiculous sling. With a hint of boredom, I asked, “You wanted to talk?”

  Something warm flashed in his eyes, and the distance dissipated as if it’d never been. He laughed, and my stomach flipped at the deep rumble of his voice. “You are amazing, you know that?” He glanced at the sling. “How are you feeling? I called yesterday, and your dad said you were sleeping. I thought maybe you were hurting.”

  “Not hurt. Just tired. It was a long week. What’s with your sister?” I nodded over his shoulder to where Lottie glared at Asher’s back. Lottie flicked a confused glance at my sling.

  Asher didn’t turn. “She’s wondering why a Healer isn’t healing her injuries. And she’s angry at me for going and bonding myself to you.”

  My lungs seized, refusing to inflate. It was one thing to know the truth, and another to hear him say it.

  Satisfaction gleamed through his slow smile. “Breathe, Remy.”

  He leaned both elbows on the table as I sucked in air.

  Asher lowered his voice when the two girls at the next table shot curious glances in our direction. “After you dropped your bombshell Saturday, I did a lot of thinking. I couldn’t believe I’d missed all the signs. The connection I feel to you, what happened the first time we touched.”

  His eyes darkened with some emotion I didn’t understand. “I’m sorry about what happened before in my car. I wanted to warn you off. I thought you would be safer without me, but I can see now that there’s no escaping this. You’re my Healer.”

  My mouth dropped open. I hadn’t expected him to admit so much. Even though I’d been the one to claim him as my Protector, I couldn’t help the rebellion that shot through me at his words. His serious gaze left his intention to protect me unmistakable.

  Not a chance, I thought. I don’t belong to anyone. I take care of myself.

  The rough edge to Asher’s tone scraped along my nerve endings. “Like you took care of yourself with Dean? He almost killed you.”

  My protest died away when I realized I hadn’t spoken my thoughts aloud, but he’d responded to them as if I had. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible.

  I stared at Asher and waited. Are you reading my mind?

  He hesitated and then nodded.

  I sagged in my seat as I remembered the night at the pool and the times before that when my thoughts had focused on him. On my growing feelings for him. Horror had me cringing at the idea that he’d heard it all.

  How long? How long have you been listening?

  “Off and on since you healed me,” he admitted.

  Humiliation flooded through me, and my thoughts should have set him on fire.

  He held up a hand after a moment to halt the mental onslaught.

  “Remy.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. “I didn’t choose this. You know I didn’t. We’re changing the longer we’re near each other. I know you feel it.”

  I couldn’t disagree. My mental walls had grown tougher and more flexible after his continuous prodding and that other ability—the frightening ability to twist pain and energy back on another—had grown stronger, too. Undeniably, he’d changed me. Still, I sensed he meant something more.

  With effort, I made my mind a blank wasteland to shut him out.

  His eyes focused, and he smiled. “You don’t give an inch, do you?”

  “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “It’s only a matter of time before other Protectors find out about you. It’s a miracle you’ve lasted alone this long. I didn’t want to feel anything for you, but we’re past that now. I’m a Protector, Remy. You’re a Healer. You could be the one we’ve heard rumors about, the one who could make us mortal again. I give you fair warning that I intend to take my duty very seriously.”

  Whether I want you to or not. I could hear the promise implied in his tone.

  “I’m sorry, but yes.”

  “Get out of my head!” I said, in a fierce whisper.

  He shrugged in apology, but his voice had an edge of humor. “I’m not sure I can. Honestly, I’m not sure I would even if I knew how. This link could be the most powerful asset I have, since I suspect you won’t be talking to me for a while.”

  He betrayed me by invading my mind. Knowing it would irritate him, I thought, Enemy, and he scowled.

  At this further evidence of treachery, I sent my shield soaring upward higher and more fortified than I’d ever done before. He winced as if he sensed the rage behind the gesture.

  “I don’t hear you all the time, especially when your walls are up,” he said, when I stood. “I don’t really understand it yet, but I suspect I hear you best when we touch. Or when your emotions are particularly strong.”

  Somehow, that didn’t make me feel better. I felt too much when I was with him. He would know my secrets, the things I’d kept from everyone, including Anna. My nose almost touched his when I leaned forward and lowered my guard long enough to shout one thought.

  Back off!

  Asher didn’t stop me when I retreated back to my friends.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  After school, I headed to the Clover Café to study and sighed with relief when I didn’t see Asher. He’d been reading my mind for weeks since I’d healed his hand at the bonfire. Obviously, not everything since I’d had to tell him I knew he was a Protector, but definitely enough to be humiliating. I remembered the night he’d loosed his power on me in the car. What had he said? Damn you, Remy, for making me do this. I’d been confused and too upset to realize his comment made no sense. Unless he’d been trying his hardest to warn me of how dangerous he was to me and had just heard me thinking how he’d never hurt me in a million years. Not exactly the kind of thing an enemy would do.

  After ordering a drink, I headed to the restroom that sat in a corridor off the main café. Exiting, I discovered Gabe leaning against the wall in the dim hallway. Nervous, I tried to walk by him, but his voice stopped me short.

  “Let’s talk, Healer.”

  His tone didn’t allow for a protest. He guided me down the hall with a hand near my lower back, not quite touching me. I shifted away, uncomfortable with the possibility of his touch, and wasn’t surprised when he steered me toward a storage room. If he’d closed the door behind us, I would have screamed bloody murder, but he left it open as he retreated to one side of the closet.

  “I’m getting really tired of the Blackwells manhandling me.”

  He didn’t answer.

  The café owner, a woman in her forties, happened by and glanced in the room. “What are you kids doing in here? This room is off limits.”

  She sounded irritated and overworked. I started forward, relieved to escape Gabe, but he blocked my retreat. I watched as he used his handsome face to charm her into believing that he was in love with me. He simply needed five minutes alone to convince me to believe him and could he ple
ase stay in the room if he promised we wouldn’t touch anything. He flirted outrageously until she walked away with a blush and a swing to her hips.

  “That was truly impressive, you know. What are you, half her age?”

  He wasn’t disturbed by my disgust. “On the contrary, I’m decades older than she is.”

  We stood across from each other and squared off like the wary enemies we were.

  I shook my head, irritated at his arrogance. “What do you want?”

  He folded his arms and managed to look relaxed and menacing at once. He leveled a steady stare at me. “I want to know what the hell you’re doing to my brother, Healer.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?”

  The hair on the back of my neck rose when he didn’t blink, and I guessed Gabe could be dangerous. A shadow passed through his eyes when he reached out to touch my arm. My walls slammed up in response.

  “Asher’s right,” he observed, studying the green sparks coming from my skin as he dropped his hand. “That hurts like hell.”

  He suffered the same side effects Asher did when my defenses were down. Apparently, my energy was poison to all the Blackwells. The knowledge I’d hurt him gave me confidence. “Sucks to feel human again, doesn’t it?”

  Those dangerous eyes of his glittered, and I shivered. I didn’t know what Asher had shared about me and had to tread with care. “What exactly do you think I’ve done to your brother?”

  He seemed to consider me. “Are you that naïve, girl? Do you know what it means that he’s decided to bond with you?”

  That was the second time a Blackwell had called me naïve. My voice remained calm, despite my anger. “As far as I know, neither of us had a choice in the matter.”

  Gabe’s smile appeared grim. “Yet, here you are, fighting him every step of the way. Seems like it’s a one-sided bond to me.”

  I thought of Asher’s ability to read my mind and glowered, unwilling to share that revelation with Gabe if his brother hadn’t.

  Gabe stretched an arm across the shelf nearest him. The move made him look bigger, more formidable. It was a deliberate action and left me wondering how this manipulative man could be related to Asher. “You know he’s in agony every time he touches you, every time you drop your guard. You may have bonded unintentionally, but make no mistake that he’s choosing to put himself at risk to be with you. Now that I’ve felt a fraction of what he’s going through, I can see he’s a fool.”

  I hadn’t realized it was that bad. I remembered now how Asher had winced in pain when we touched. Maybe he felt more alive, but if the radiation theory held, he felt extraordinary pain, too. Living without all their senses must have driven the Protectors mad if they were willing to kill Hunters to feel that. What were Asher’s reasons?

  A cloud of unfamiliar energy drifted toward me, seeking a way around my walls. It didn’t have the control or finesse of Asher’s energy, and I understood it came from Gabe. He meant to intimidate me, and I fought to stave off my panic.

  He slanted a disparaging glance at my sling. “Your kind has brought us nothing but pain.” His voice sounded silky with threat. “My brother would die for you. Are you worth it, Healer?”

  I restrained my urge to kick him. Fleeing was the smarter course of action than an outright attack. He let me go when I sprinted for the door. And why wouldn’t he? I ran like a coward.

  When I sat next to Lucy, I pretended nothing had happened. Moments later, I saw Gabe return to his own table. He had no problem ignoring me as he turned his attention to one of his Sorori-toys, but I couldn’t concentrate.

  Asher and Gabe were both convinced that other Protectors would find me soon, and Gabe wouldn’t be sorry to see me at their mercy. Comparisons of the two brothers kept running through my head. Gabe’s icy energy could be cruel, unlike the comforting heat of Asher’s power. I wondered why Gabe hadn’t threatened me before, but guessed it had something to do with Asher. There was no doubt he would do me harm if Asher was hurt because of me.

  The next day, I got to English before Asher and waited outside the classroom for Lucy to bring me my book bag. Ben had dropped me off at school midday after a visit to the doctor’s to get the go-ahead to remove my sling. As I waited, Gabe’s question from the day before replayed in my mind over and over again. I could trust Asher, but was I worth the sacrifices he would make every time he was near me? If the other Protectors came for me, would I be worth dying for? My eyes shut and I wrapped an arm around my burning stomach.

  “Yes.”

  Somehow, I wasn’t surprised to hear his low voice. I opened my eyes, and Asher’s fierce, unblinking stare held me captive. I couldn’t think while trapped by the power of that intent look.

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, you’re worth dying for.”

  His certainty left no room for doubt, but he would learn I’d done nothing to be worthy of his sacrifice. Better he find out sooner, rather than when his life was in danger. I would do whatever it took to keep my family and this boy safe.

  Asher smiled as if at a private joke and held out his hand. He had his guard up, and I slid my palm into his to savor the comforting heat of his touch. For the first time, I noticed that classmates wading in the halls on the way to class surrounded us. A few tossed curious glances our way, but I ignored these and wondered where Lucy was.

  “She was here. I told her I’d give you your bag.” He lifted one shoulder, and I noticed he carried my bag and his.

  My displeasure at his easy answer to my thoughts must have shown on my face. He frowned as he pulled me into the river of students. “I’m sorry, Remy. I can’t help it. I swear I’m not doing it on purpose.”

  Still uneasy, I nodded. “I get that, but I can’t help feeling you’re trespassing.”

  He looked grim. “I guess it’s not very fair to you.”

  I sighed. “Neither is the pain you’re in when we’re together.”

  He looked around, and we both realized the hall had emptied. He stepped forward to hold open the door to our English class, and as I walked past him he whispered, “Can I drive you home? We can talk.”

  The butterflies took flight in my stomach at the idea of being alone with him, but I nodded. We made it into our seats as the bell rang. We didn’t have a chance to talk, as the teacher began her discussion on The Picture of Dorian Gray. I picked up my copy of the novel and studied the picture on the cover. The cruel, handsome face of the immortal Dorian Gray reminded me of Gabe’s face as he spoke to me in the storage room yesterday.

  Asher tensed in the desk next to me, and I looked around to find out what had upset him. Nothing seemed out of place as Mrs. Welles continued her lecture on the book. He scowled at me, and I stared back in bewilderment until I realized he eavesdropped again.

  I glared. I realize you can’t help it, but could you at least try?

  He picked up a piece of paper and wrote one word in an imperious slant. Gabe?

  With a shrug, I ignored him, trying to think of nothing.

  He tapped his pen on the desk to get my attention and pointed at Gabe’s name. One eyebrow rose, demanding an answer.

  Perhaps I would have told him about my discussion with Gabe later, but his arrogance brought out the worst in me. My eyelashes fluttered as I pictured Gabe’s handsome face creased in a flirtatious smile, as he told the café owner he loved me. I had no idea if Asher could see a mental picture but figured he could when he glowered, folded his arms, and turned to face the front of the class looking a lot like a petulant child. He shot me a dirty look from the corner of his eye, and I guessed he’d heard my last observation. He seemed jealous.

  Could there be an advantage to Asher reading my mind? I pretended to listen to Mrs. Welles, but instead concentrated on mentally telling a joke Brandon had told me once, adding visual cues to make it funnier. When I got to the punch line, Asher slanted a smirk at me, and I knew he’d been listening.

  He picked up his pen and wrote on the paper. Brandon?

&nbs
p; I nodded to answer his question.

  With a satisfied smile, he nodded. Tell me a story.

  About what?

  He scrawled another note. You choose.

  Storytelling had never been my thing. You had to talk to tell stories, and I’d made a habit of keeping to myself for too long. Instead of a story, I settled on a memory that had come to me the night before.

  I was eight and my mother had taken me to Rockaway Beach. Our ice cream cones melted faster than we could eat them—chocolate for me and plain vanilla for her. We sat on a long stretch of sand, squinting in the hot sun with the bite of salty air filling our lungs. We’d built a sandcastle using mixing bowls and pans borrowed from our kitchen and played tag with the waves. Then we’d collapsed in an exhausted heap of limbs on an old sheet instead of the towels we couldn’t afford. Anna turned her face to the sun and laughed at some silly thing I’d said. That nine-year-old memory was the best I had of her, and that seemed too tragic for words.

  A sudden, desperate desire for privacy had me raising my walls to try to block Asher out, and he gave me the distance I needed. We didn’t look at each other the rest of the class. When the bell rang, I glanced over and found him watching me with an expression I didn’t understand.

  His low voice sounded tender. “Thank you for letting me see that.”

  I tipped my head to acknowledge his gratitude.

  He took my bag again and we left the class. In the hall, I stopped Susan to ask her to let Lucy know that Asher would take me home. Her eyes looked huge behind her glasses as she promised to pass the message along, and I figured Lucy wouldn’t be the only one receiving the message. Asher’s car was the same one he’d driven me home from the pool in. Daylight revealed a sporty, expensive Audi. I froze and stared at it in awestruck appreciation. Asher touched my arm in concern, but I was too busy falling in love with his car to notice. Ben would know exactly how I felt. Asher’s gorgeous, sleek car looked like it would go very, very fast while hugging the road on every corner. My eyes glazed over. I really, really wanted to drive that car.