Erin's Awakening (6 page)

Erin nodded.  "That's good.  It means he's a gifted teacher, that's special.”  Then she switched gears.  "Listen, do you think after we are done eating you could take me to the tanks?  I would like to see the sea lions in person."

He nodded eagerly.  "Sure, whatever you need."

They finished their lunch and headed off to the quarantine tanks on the back lot of the zoo.  The zoo, Steven told her, was also outfitted with a rescue clinic down near the beach where injured animals were taken that needed rehabilitation but could be released back into nature when better.  She asked him several questions about the clinic and then requested they go out there in the morning to see if any sea lions there had symptoms like the ones at the zoo.  Steven agreed to make the arrangements.

When t
hey arrived at the tanks, they were greeted by a young girl named Anna.  She informed them the sea lions were all still ill but had eaten a little at last feeding.  Erin nodded as Anna filled them in on their vitals while she approached the tank.  They knew whatever it was that was making the sea lions sick was not contagious to humans, which was good news.  She went directly over to one of the sickest sea lions that was laying still on the rock formation in the tank.  The sea lion looked so sad and she couldn't help but reach out and touch the back of his neck.

She was stunned as she began to see images fly through her head and she was swamped with emotions not her o
wn.  She quickly snatched her hand back.  Anna, thinking she was worried about being bitten, assured her the sea lion was too sick to move.  Anna also informed her that she and Steven were going to go over to another tank close by and she should call out if she needed anything.  She smiled her thanks and placed her hand back on the animal.

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths as she was once again bombarded with images and feelings.  She quickly realized they were from the sea lion. 
What the hell was that
? she wondered.  She tried to sort out the images she was seeing and caught snatches of a school of fish underwater as well as a boat being looked at from underwater.  She was shocked to figure out the sea lion was communicating with her.

Holy shit!  Ok
ay, think, Erin, how do you talk to him
?  Because she still had her hand on the sea lion and felt his amusement at her talking to herself, she decided to try something.

'Um, hello?  Can you understand me?
' she thought.

She 'felt' that he could.  It wasn't that he was talking to her in words but in images and feelings.

'Okay.  This is so cool.  I know you're sick.  Can you tell me how you feel?'
She sent the thoughts to the sea lion.

He sent her back that he felt sick to his stomach and felt like his head hurt all the time.

‘Poor, baby.  I am working with the doctor here to make you well,'
Erin thought.

The sea lion sent back that they were happy she was there and grateful for her help.

Just then, Anna came up to her and asked her if she would mind looking at one of the other sea lions on the far side.  She mentally thanked the sea lion for trusting her and talking to her then followed Anna over to the other animal.  Anna explained that this sea lion seemed to be getting worse.

Erin did the same as she had with the other one.  She placed her hand on the female's neck.  Immediately she was thrown
the emotion of the female being jealous that Erin had been touching her mate.  Erin began to laugh aloud and saw that Anna and Steven were looking at her like she had gone crazy.

"Sorry, I am tired and her whiskers tickled me.  She's so soft
," Erin explained while she stroked the female.

'I'm so sorry, but I was just trying to help him.  I didn't know I could communicate with you until I touched him
,'
Erin told the female.

The female sent back to her to be careful and know that the male was taken.  She also told Erin that she was expecting pups and the zoo workers didn't know yet.

'I am here to help figure out why you are all getting sick,’
Erin told her.

The female sent that she had seen bad men throwing liquid in the water in the wild before the female had been brought to the zoo.  She had a severely injured flipper from one of the boats the bad men had been in.

'Thank you for telling me.  Congratulations on the baby or babies.  I promise to do everything I can so I can see them born healthy,'
Erin told her.

The female sent her thanks and a reminder to not mess with her man.  Erin grinned and then turned to Anna and Steven.

"Anna, I think you should do a pregnancy test on this one.  That may be why her symptoms seem worse.”  She checked her watch and turned to Steven.  "I'm ready to go back now.  I want to talk to Dr. Thompson and see what he came up with before my help arrives.”  She had explained to Dr. Thompson and Steven that morning that she had two men coming to help with this issue and they would be staying with her in the bungalow.  Neither had batted an eye at the news and made all the arrangements for her.

She thanked Anna for her kindness and had Steven take her back to the lab.  When they got there, Dr. Thompson was just finishing the last of the tests.  Erin went over them with him and they talked more about the results that Erin had looked over.  They were both puzzled as the results weren't what they had hoped.  There was nothing to indicate what had caused the epidemic.  By the time they finished going over everything, Dr. Thompson voiced to her that her help had long since arrived and
were probably waiting for her in the bungalow.  Since it was so late, they said good night and Erin headed to the bungalow.  They had given her a golf cart as she had told them she hated Steven had to run all around for her when she was capable of doing it herself.

She went out and got in the cart, heading to the bungalow.  As she drove, she thought about what the animals had told her.  Something was bothering her
, but she just couldn't figure out what.  She was deep in thought when she pulled up to the little house.

Erin walked in the door to her quarters, and an arm snaked out and grabbed her around the waist.  Jerked out of her thoughts, she gasped and began to struggle until she heard the deep voice in her ear.

"You are already in a lot of trouble, do you want more?
”  Myles's deep voice sent shivers down her spine. 
Yep, he was pretty angry
.

She ceased all struggle and leaned back into his embrace.  "I missed that about you.  Did you miss me?
” she said it in a low voice, hoping the sexual inference would distract him.

Myles spun her around in his arms and then leaned down close.  "Going for a distraction, are we?  Well then."

He grabbed the back of her head with his hand and his mouth plundered hers.  He took what he wanted, making sure to leave no part of her mouth untouched, swiping his tongue all around.  He dueled with her and then sucked on it as well.  She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck.  She released his hair from being tied back, something she had wanted to do for some time now, and ran her fingers through it.  Now it was his turn to moan into her mouth.  Then he pulled back and spun her to come surprisingly face to face with his brother.

Aedan smiled at her and said, "Miss me?
”  She nodded as she was incapable of speech at that moment.  He seemed to understand.  "Then show me like you just did Myles."

He wrapped his arms around her and then began to kiss her lightly on her lips, nipping at them as he went.  Then he ran his tongue along the seam until she opened for him.  He swept his tongue inside as his hands roamed all over her body.  She jumped as she felt a second set of hands begin roaming as well.  One set came from behind to cup her breasts through the t-shirt she wore, pinching her nipples through the shirt and bra.  Another set of hands was sliding down her sides, cupping her bottom.  Aedan continued to kiss her senseless as Myles'
s lips traveled from her neck to her ear.  He ran his tongue around the shell and made her shiver.

They broke apart when her phone rang.  She looked at the men apologetically and went to answer it. 
As soon as she said "hello", Dr. Thompson started telling her that they had found a dolphin at the rescue clinic who was exhibiting the same symptoms as the sea lions.  She told him she would meet him at the main gates in thirty minutes.  She hung up and turned back to the two men standing in the living room.

"I'm sorry.  I guess you heard.  I have to go back out
," Erin said.

"We are going with you
," Myles told her.

As she went to say something to that, Aedan said, "Ah-ah, not one word.  We will go with you.  Now, fill us in on what's been going on."

They all sat in the living room, her in between the two men, while she told them all about the tests they had run and then the biggest news of all.  She told them about talking to the animals.  They were surprised and happy for her, but she noted they were not shocked like she had been.

"Why aren't you two surprised like I was when I found out?"
she asked.

"Well, each of the Blessed Five through history has been gifted with special abilities.  Your element is water, it stands to reason that anything to do with water is yours to compel
," Aedan said.

"Wow.  It is cool though, right?  Come on, Myles, you have to agree, it's neat.
”  She elbowed him and grinned.

Myles smiled at her and said, "Yes, it is very cool, kitten."

She frowned.  "Why do you call me that?"

"Because you seem so cute and shy.  If threatened, your claws come out and you hiss like the little ones do
," he told her.

She didn't like that much and said, "Well, you had better be careful because these claws hurt.
”  She curled her fingers and pretended to swipe at him.

"Shall we get a quick bite to eat before we go?  I saw the kitchen was stocked
," Aedan suggested.

They got up and went into the kitchen where they made sandwiches together.  As Aedan turned to look for chips to go with their sandwiches, he turned to them with a can of sardines in his hand.

"I never understood why someone would want to eat fouled fish.”  He made a face and they all laughed.

Suddenly Erin jumped up from the chair she was sitting in at the table and said, "That's it!
”  She ran over to the paperwork she had brought back with her to look over and began scanning some of the results.  The men exchanged looks of confusion but shrugged and went back to eating.

Erin put the papers down after several minutes and ran to Aedan, jumping into his lap.  She began to kiss him all over his face.  "You are my hero!  That's it!  I found out why they are sick."

Erin and her men, that's the way she was thinking of them at the moment, met Dr. Thompson at the main gate.  She quickly explained her hypothesis to Dr. Thompson as they drove over to the rescue clinic.  When they arrived, he was surprised and pleased that she had worked out the culprit.  He immediately asked the staff to show him to the food staging area where he told Erin he would get samples to take back to the lab.

Erin, Myles, and Aedan went to see the sick dolphin.  She was being kept in a small tank while the crew was assessing her.  Erin leaned over the tank and placed her hand on the back of the dolphin.

'Hello.  I'm Erin.  I'm here to help you.  Can you tell me how you feel?'
she mentally asked the dolphin.

The dolphin was happy to fill Erin in on her symptoms
, where she had been when she began feeling bad.  She had seen the rescue clinic boat and headed toward it for help.  She also told Erin about men coming in the night, every night, and pouring foul smelling liquid into the water.

Erin physically gagged as she felt what the dolphin was sending her.  Myles put an arm around her and asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head, unable to speak as she was overcome with the urge to retch.  She mentally thanked the dolphin for her help and told her she would do all she could to make her better.  Then she turned to Myles and asked if he could find her some cold water.  He nodded and went off to find some for her while Aedan took over caring for her.

"What happened?
” he pulled her aside and asked.

"The dolphin showed me the men again putting some foul liquid into the water.  I think they are illegally dumping.  We need to go out there and find them
," Erin told him.

Myles walked up and heard her last comments.  "First, you need to drink this and then we can make a plan."

Erin looked surprised but dutifully took a sip, then said, "You are going to help me?"

"You thought we wouldn't?" Myles said smiling.

"Well, no, I thought you would tell me I need to be in a bubble where I would be safe," Erin told him.

Aedan stepped up to her and placed his hands on either side of her face.  His broad back blocked them from sight.  "We never want to hinder what you do
, Erin, only help you.”  He leaned in and kissed her quickly and lightly on the lips.