Awakened (9 page)

I stopped and turned to face him, my arms crossed over my chest. “So what do you want?” I asked. Disobeying Grampa made me very uneasy.

His emerald eyes darkened. “I’m here to say goodbye, Lil.”

6. BIG BROTHER

My heart dropped, my eyes flying to his gorgeous face. “Good…bye?” I whispered, cleared my throat and added with a firm voice, “Where are you going?”

“Home. I wanted to thank you.”

I couldn’t get past what he’d said about leaving. That was good, right? “Thank me for what?”

“Talking to your grandfather. He said you even told him the jadeite didn’t work on me.” He glanced at the amulet on my chest then looked over his shoulder at the group in the hot tub. “Let’s find a more private place to talk.”

I shook my head. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t ignore Grampa’s warnings.

Bran’s eyes shadowed with disappointment. “I’d never harm you, Lil.”

Why was he always in tune with my thoughts? Did he lie to me about not reading my mind? I studied him, trying to see behind his eyes. Instead, those emerald depths drew me in. I had to force myself to look away.

“I promise I won’t keep you too long from your friends,” he whispered, his tone begging.

I nodded at the chairs at the other end of the pool, far enough away to not be overheard, but still in clear view of my friends. “Over there.”

Questions whipped through my head as we walked, and I kept glancing at him from the corner of my eye. He’d changed into a jungle-green polo shirt and tan slacks, his hair looked washed and brushed. Instead of garbage and sweat, his fresh scent, a mixture of pine and sandalwood, tickled my nose. The urge to lean closer to him and sniff stole through me. I studied his chiseled face, the adorable dimples that appeared when least expected. And those sculptured lips, how would they feel…?

This was insane. I shook my head. Watching Kylie and Cade this evening had some weird effect on me. I shouldn’t be having these crazy thoughts, I didn’t know Bran. I searched my brain for something to talk about and stop fantasizing about him. “What happened to your bruises?”

“I heal fast.”

“How?”

He shrugged. “It’s just something I do.”

Before I could pull out a deck chair, he already held one out for me, his expression solemn. I sat then watched him as he took a seat and faced me. For a moment, we just stared at each other. I had so many questions and didn’t know where to begin.

He chose you because you’re of least threat to him.
Grampa words rang in my head. Should I ask Bran? If Grampa agreed to help him, why was as he going home? Emotions I didn’t understand wrapped around my chest, making it hard to breathe. Oh, what was the point of asking him questions? He was leaving, and he’d soon forget I existed. I looked at my hands. I still gripped my hoodie.

“Don’t shut me out, Lil.”

Why not? I didn’t trust him.

“Trust me, please.”

I glared at him. “Did you just read my mind?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know I don’t trust you?”

For a moment, he refused to meet my eyes. “I can, uh, tell by your expression and body language.”

I had a feeling he meant to give a different reason. “Really?”

“Really. Even now, you’re sitting on the edge of your chair, ready to bolt. I’d never hurt you, Lil.”

I saw the sincerity in his eyes. Or maybe I wanted to see it there. It didn’t matter. I knew I shouldn’t trust him, but I wanted to. “Are you a dem…a Hermonite, Bran?”

“Yes.” He didn’t flinch or apologize.

I swallowed and pressed my back against my chair. “Do you steal Guardian’s powers?”

His lips pressed. “No, Lil. I don’t roll like that. I’m here because I need help for my family, period.”

Our gazes locked. The moment stretched. I believed him. Call it intuition or my fascination with him. I just knew he wouldn’t lie to me. Still, I needed to confirm it. No matter what he said, I knew he could read my mind. It was only fair that I read his. “Show me how to link minds.”

“What?”

“Telepathy. Show me how to do it.”

He shook his head. “It’s not for me to teach—”

“Please.”

He hemmed, studied me for a long moment then sighed. “You don’t play fair.”

“Is that a yes?”

A rare smile curled his lips. “Yeah.”

I grinned, checked the other end of the pool to make sure my friends were still there. The older couple had joined them in the hot tub. The families were still in the pool, some of their children playing together. I focused my attention on Bran. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“If you ask questions, we won’t get anywhere.” He sounded annoyed. “Give me your hands.”

I took a deep breath then placed my hands in his. A thrilling heat shot up my arms and spread through my body. His eyes glowed with unusual intensity as though he felt the same zing. Or that was wishful thinking on my part. The emotion I felt from him was wariness.

I didn’t mean to say, “Don’t be afraid,” but I did it anyway, then blushed when he raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not sure what you’ll do once you know how to get inside my head. You have an insatiable curiosity.” He scowled. “It’s very, uh….”

“Good?”

“Maddening. I meant to come here and say my goodbyes then head back home, yet here I am. I’m stuck with a girl who
demands
answers instead of one who does what she’s told and leaves well enough alone.”

He looked so irresistible when he sulked. “Stuck is such an ugly word.”

“Stuck, ended up with…. You want to discuss semantics or learn telepathy?”

He sounded so disgruntled I laughed.

His adorable dimples flashed. “Close your eyes and relax.”

I did as he instructed, but all I felt was light on my eyelids.

“Take deep breaths,” he ordered.

I let my shoulders droop, leaned against the back of my chair, and deepened my breathing. The sounds of children splashing in the pool, conversation from the adults all receded to the background. The light on my eyelids dimmed in intensity. I sank deeper into the darkness.

Then I saw it, an iridescent orb. It moved closer, pulsing with energy, blinding me with its brilliance. I stiffened, remembering last night and the dry storm. “The light’s going to explode,”
I whispered.

“No, it won’t. That’s my psi energy,” Bran said, his hands tightening on mine. “Look around you.”

I did and gasped. There were more energy orbs, hundreds of them, maybe thousands, but unlike last night’s, they didn’t move or coalesce. They stayed stationary, unblinking. A few of them were brilliant, but most were dim, insignificant. Then I noticed something else. The brilliant ones were connected by narrow beams and formed a three-dimensional matrix. A beam shot from one of them and swept past the dimmer orbs.

“Are the brighter ones Guardians?” I asked.

“Yes, their communication beams are linked. Sometimes, they only send out beams when they want to communicate then break the connection once they’re done. And the dimmer ones are humans. Their psychic powers are non-existent. If you link to them, you can hear their thoughts.”

“How? I can’t see myself.”

“I can. You shine brighter than everybody, Lil.”

I couldn’t help asking, “Even you?”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t know. Now reach out like you would when you want to touch someone…will it with your mind. Translate the need into action. Start with the humans.”

I looked at the dull orbs and concentrated on one of them.

Nothing happened.

I tried again.

No sweeping beam, no connection. This wasn’t going well, darn it. I took a deep breath and let the need to link fill me. Then I projected that need at the orbs.

At first there was a gentle hum, which soon became whispery, jumbled thoughts. Just like in the voices that had haunted me the last two weeks. Next, a flood of words came from everywhere, some loud and harsh, others whiny and shy. They grew in volume. I pulled my hands from Bran’s and slapped them on my ears.

“You know that won’t block them. Focus on one,” he instructed, pulling my hands down and holding them.

The mumbled voices increased until my brain felt like it was going to explode. My breath came out in spurts, the noise so overwhelming. A sob escaped me, then I heard Bran’s voice, soft and soothing. I became aware of his hands caressing mine.

“You can do it, Lil. Focus…focus…you can do it….”

I tried harder. The other sounds grew faint then disappeared all together as a link became solid. Exhilaration washed over me as I locked on a student thinking about a report he needed to finish before Friday, then a girl daydreaming about a boy in her class. I focused on closer orbs, realized I was listening to the kids playing in the pool right beside me.

Swimming is fun…I’m gonna get her…I’m hungry…

I need a real vacation,
one of the mothers thought with a sigh.

How can she be so skinny after five kids?
Another one mulled.

I lost interest in the family and locked on my friends in the hot tub. I tuned them out, my eyes snapping open. That was wrong on so many levels. So Zack liked Amelia even though he was dating Nikki. As for Cade and Kylie…whoa, such intense feelings.

I turned to Bran, cheeks burning. “Remind me to never, ever lock on my friends.”

“Does that mean I’m off the hook?”

I rolled my eyes. “Like I could ever read you.”

He grimaced. “Actually, you can. As a Psi, your mental abilities are beyond those of the other Guardians. You can read anyone with or without their knowledge and shield them from your thoughts.”

No wonder Grampa could read me so easily. “Even you?”

“If you want to, yes.”

I grinned. Hmm, tempting. His expression grew uneasy. “It’s okay. Like I said, I won’t read my friends.”

“Does this mean we’re friends?” His voice was gentle, hopeful even, and his expression almost broke my heart.

Had he never had a friend before? Before I could answer, he reached out, pushed aside a lock of my hair that dangled on the side of my face. The touch was slight, but the effect on me was immediate. Pleasure zipped through me and I trembled. Whoa, what was wrong with me? I never reacted like this to any boy.

“I think so,” I said, grateful my voice didn’t quiver.

He cocked an eyebrow. “You think so?”

“Don’t make me regret not reading your mind.” I frowned at him, pretending to be angry.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay. Any more questions?”

Amazing how he switched from teasing to serious in the blink of an eye. I wish I had that much control. “Must I always close my eyes to find you or the others?”

“No. As you get better at tuning in, you won’t even need to. Think of yourself as a radio getting sounds from different frequencies. Tune in on one frequency after another. After a while, you know exactly where to go when searching for someone. For humans, you’ll recognize their voices. For Guardians, you’ll recognize their energies, like I recognize yours. Try to find me now.”

I closed my eyes, felt his presence right away. Then his orb reappeared, breathtaking and larger than life. I noticed something else that had escaped my attention before. Unlike the other Guardians, his had red flares on its edges that came and went. The closer his orb got to mine, the warmer I felt. A slight overlap of our powers, and I sucked my breath. A feeling I couldn’t explain shot through me, making my tummy tighten with feelings I couldn’t put into words.

“That wasn’t linking,” I whispered, my voice breathless.

“No.” His voice sounded different, too.

I opened an eye and studied him. He was watching me, a pink tinge on his cheeks. “What was that?”

“It’s nothing. Find me.” He spoke between gritted teeth.

He was blushing. How fascinating. He looked even more angelic and once again, I wondered what it would feel like to touch his face, those dimples, to kiss him.

“Lil,” he growled.

I pushed aside my curiosity for now. This time, I sent out a communication beam and searched for his energy. I knew when I made contact. He was thinking the same thing over and over—
you can do it, Sunshine.

Thank you.

Congratulations on your first lesson,
he telepathed.

I had a wonderful teacher.

“Hey, Lil,” Kylie called out, intruding on our telepathic conversation. They were out of the hot tub and had already collected their stuff. “See you tomorrow,” she said.

“Sure.” I waved back, uneasiness skidding down my spine as I watched them file out of the pool area. I pushed the discomfort aside. There was no need to be wary of being left alone with Bran. Despite what Grampa had said, I believed Bran would never hurt me. “I should be heading home soon, too,” I said but didn’t make a move to leave.

“I know. I saw your Grampa and the others an hour ago. They’ll talk to the Circle and seek permission to get my family out. They’ve never dealt with a case like mine before, which might be a problem, but at least they’re willing to try. Meanwhile, I’m to lie low and wait. That’s why I’m going home.”

“Where’s home?”

“L.A. with my older brother, Gavyn, for now. But before that, I lived on Coronis Isle…Xenith. We access it from the North Pole.” He frowned, and then smiled. “It’s funny. The Cardinals didn’t know where the island was until I told them. I guess they’ve been searching for it and Coronis for years.”

My eyes widened. I remembered the stuff the trainees said about demoness Coronis. “Is Coronis your queen?”

Bran stiffened. “She’s the leader of the Hermonite demons, but that doesn’t make her
my
queen.”

Okay, that was the wrong subject. “How many are in your family?”

“Four—me, Gavyn, my younger sister, Celeste, and my mom.” He leaned in toward me, his expression apologetic. “I didn’t mean to snap. Coronis is a sore subject with me.”

“That’s okay. I heard she’s very evil. Is she the reason you want to leave?”

“Yes and no. Coronis kidnapped my grandparents a long time ago, forced them to live on the island and made their only son, my father, marry my mother, who’s a
Lazarus
demon. But my grandparents made sure my father never forgot who he really was, and he, in turn, told us.”