by Kelly Hall
“Call to each other? Excuse me? I was just asleep minding my own business. Then I found him in his perverse universe.”
Ray laughed. “Retract your claws, Kitten.” He took a swig of beer as I cringed at my latest nickname. “So, you went to him? Interesting.” He grasped his stubbly chin, if only to hide his amusement. “This one’s on you, Sunshine.”
My jaw dropped. “What do you mean, it’s on me?”
“You went to him. You searched him out. You must have been thinking of him for it to work that way. If it had happened the other way around, Owen would have gone to your dream world.”
“I shudder to think.” Owen made a face. “I bet it’s all rainbows, glitter, and kittens,” he teased. “Face it—you can’t stop thinking about me.” He kicked his feet up, lounging casually in an oversized recliner.
I looked at them both, back and forth from one smug face to the other. “You two are impossible.” I got up and stormed outside and slammed the door on my way out. Ray followed. He walked up behind me where I had stopped to lean on the porch railing. I stepped away from him.
“Lily, I’ve told you. You two have a connection that you can’t break. Your natural instincts pull you to him. You need to hone this skill. It’s vital.”
“Yeah, Talon’s gonna love this.” Tears of frustration pooled in my eyes.
“I know you care about him, but you will soon realize how strong your love for Owen really is. It trumps all others, if you know it now or not.”
I shook my head. “Then why do I only want Talon?”
“Because you don’t know your power; you don’t understand it. Once you do, everything else will fall into place. Enjoy your time with Talon. It’ll be over soon. If it makes it any better, when it happens you won’t mind.” He left me to myself and about ten minutes later Owen came out to check on me.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “About the dream and all of this. Thanks for not telling him about Tia.”
“It’s not your fault you’re a perv,” I said, hoping that forcing a joke would force a smile. It only half-worked for us both. “You can’t help dreaming,” I shrugged. “We all have crazy dreams sometimes.” Or visions. I thought, remembering him and me together.
“I understand that you love Talon. It’s okay. I get it that you met him first and you already liked him when you met me. Then the whole cousin thing, I get it.”
“No! No you don’t, Owen.” He’d never understood. “Remember when we talked about limits and you asked me whether I’d ever thought about us?”
He stared down at his feet. “I know. It’s awkward.”
“You never got it, though.” I took in a deep breath to gather my courage. “It’s awkward because it didn’t seem so bad. I... I liked it. And at the time I shouldn’t have. I’ve always known that you love me.”
He got quiet for a moment and shuffled his foot to draw circles in the dirt. “I’d kiss you right now, if I thought you wouldn’t slap me silly,” he said peeking up at me.
“Oh, I’d slap you silly, all right. Even though I know you love me, I still can’t help but have feelings for Talon. I want to be able to take him back; it’s just so hard with me doubting him.” I looked into his eyes and saw the disappointment. Then I reached up and hugged him close. Part of me didn’t think I should choose either of them. Things would be much easier with all the other things going on in our lives. I wiped my eyes and sniffled. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess. We should get started.” I broke free and went inside leaving him alone for a minute.
Ray sat on his sofa turning through the worn leather ledger. “About time. At least I had time to go over a few of Birdie’s study notes with Alyssa. We’re going to try mind connection again. This time I want Owen to focus his energy and try to get it working faster. And for Pete’s sake, Lily, don’t break the connection.”
“I know. And no kissing,” I vowed. “All business.” I glanced at the door as Owen entered.
We sat on the floor again, hand in hand, forehead to forehead, focusing on each other and trying to join minds.
I remembered all the things that told me how much he cared. Saving me on the road after I’d passed out, the way he’d fought for me so many times and the way he’d run through the freezing rain to get to the Water to heal me. I wondered what he thought of me, and just as the thought came to mind, it happened. We joined. I could feel his presence in me. Owen? We did it! I sent the words to his mind, trying very hard not to lose focus.
You didn’t even have to kiss me, he sent. Damn it!
I giggled. This is so freaky. The air felt thicker all around, kind of like when I glowed.
It’s awesome, he sent.
Owen had just finished his thought when we both heard a distant voice calling us back. “Okay, you two, break it up.”
We opened our eyes and pulled away. Owen’s smile was as wide as my eyes. We stood up excited, and I bounced on my heels. “We did it,” I said.
Owen high-fived me. “That was awesome!”
“We can read each other’s minds.” I gave Owen a playful nudge.
Ray corrected me. “No, no you can’t. You can communicate telepathically, but that’s not the same as mind reading. Telepathy is sending only the messages you want someone to hear. You can’t access the deeper part of his mind and hear anything you want, like a mind reader can.”
I stopped bouncing and crossed my arms. “So, how did I get into his dream?”
“You linked with him when his mind was asleep and vulnerable.It’s a lot like the way you can share your visions with him in the Light.”
“I can?” I stared at Ray. How did he know that?
“Yes, that’s our next lesson. For now, I need you to sit your cute little butt down and get grounded. You can be really annoying when you’re hyper, Sunshine.”
“Do you have to call me Sunshine?” I said with a groan. Or notice my butt.
“Can you think of anything more fitting?” He shrugged as I sighed. I guess it’s better than “freak.”
***
Later that night, Talon and I sat on the floor in his room studying. We both had vocabulary.
“I’ll trade you,” he offered.
“No way! You did this last year so it’d be like cheating. Besides, I’m just a junior, surely your high and mighty senior words are too advanced for me.” I laughed.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I want to pass anyway.” He grinned at me over his spiral with his big brown eyes.
“You know your eyes have an amber tone. It’s very pretty,” I said, biting my pen cap.
“You should add a little green to those,” he teased, pointing his pen my way.
“I mean it. I get lost in those.” I held my pen in my teeth and ran my finger along his cheek bones. And once I had him good and distracted I went in for the kill. “So, where are you taking me Friday night?” I asked softly, trying to hypnotize him.
“I’m taking you to a really cool place called none of your business.” He gave a short laugh, nudging my shoulder. Secretly I wished I could join my mind with his, like I did Owen. I’d show up in his dreams and find out all of his secrets. He still hadn’t told me about the other girl. Then again, maybe I really didn’t want to know. Of course I didn’t, or I would’ve already asked him.
After a few minutes we went back to writing and making small talk. “So, did you learn anything new tonight?” he asked. “Can Owen shoot balloons out of his butt now?”
“Yes, and he can twist them into puppies and swords.” We both laughed. “Seriously, it’s crazy. I can’t even begin to explain. I mean, who would have thought things would be changing like this?” I took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in my throat. I pulled my lips into a tight line, biting off my next words. I didn’t want to confess too much. I felt like the more Talon heard about me and Owen and our sessions, the farther apart it would wedge us.
“Try. Really, I want to know,” he encouraged.
I didn’t know how to begin. “
It’s, I don’t know.” I bit my lip and looked to the floor.
“What are you hiding?” He dropped his pen and waited.
“Hiding?” I sounded so guilty. “Nothing.” I looked away.
Talon laughed. “I can tell that you’re lying. I know you too well.” Then as if something hit him, his mood changed. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I mean, it’s just, I don’t know how to explain it, where it doesn’t sound ...” I thought about the girl. He was mad at me for keeping secrets?
“Sound what?” His eyes narrowed.
“Sound bad?” I shrugged. “See, you haven’t let me explain and you’re already mad and suspicious.”
“You go off with my nemesis every day and hesitate to tell me what you’ve been doing with him. Yes, I’m getting a little upset.” Trust worked both ways, and in that moment I realized that neither of us trusted the other.
“It’s nothing. Don’t you trust me?” I asked. No one liked to hear those words; they screamed suspicion, but why did I hesitate when he’d been keeping secrets too? I mean, I couldn’t exactly tell him about the kiss or the shared dreams or how mine and Owen’s mind connected.
“Yes, I trust you to tell me the truth, right now.” He forced a smile but it didn’t touch his eyes.
“Well, okay. We’ve been, um, doing telepathy and ...”
“Telepathy? Mind reading?” He looked shocked and curious; fascinated, but not angry as I suspected.
“No, not mind reading, exactly. It’s a different part of the mind. This is not as intrusive. He can only hear what I tell him. But ...”
Talon seemed interested but his eyes still narrowed. “Okay, so how does it work?”
“Well, I can call to him, whenever, and tell him whatever I need to; like in an emergency.” He turned his head to the side as if thinking hard about it.
“So Hunter could do it, too?” he asked. “Could you do it with me or Holly? Or is this something just between you and Owen?” His lip curled as his jealousy finally reared its ugly head.
My eyes shifted, glancing anywhere but at him. “I don’t know. Ray says Owen’s the Guardian, so I assume it is just him.”
“Well, let’s find out.” Talon shot up from the floor and grabbed his phone off the bedside table.
“What are you doing?” I didn’t think I’d like hearing his plan.
“I’m calling a circle.” Then he spoke into the phone, making arrangements with Hunter for the group to meet up at the shack.
“I don’t know if this is a great idea. Owen and I are both already kind of tired from earlier and I just don’t know if it will work without Ray’s guidance.” Everything that had happened successfully had happened with Ray present. It amazed me how much he knew and how much he had shown me and Owen already.
“It won’t hurt to find out. You just do what you did earlier and if it works, it works. If not, then we’ll all have to plan a day with Ray. Naomi’s shelves will be done by Saturday, and Holly doesn’t have to work late. We could go then.”
I could imagine Talon’s angry eyes seeing Owen and me so close together trying to connect. And what if I kissed him again? That wouldn’t be healthy for anyone. “It’s really late, though,” I complained.
“Please, you and Owen have snuck out so many times way later than this.” He didn’t buy my excuses. “What is it, Lily? Why are you so afraid to go?”
I shrugged, not having an answer I could say aloud. Why was he so adamant to go try this? Did it have something to do with his suspicions of Ray?
***
An hour later we sat in our circle. Owen gave me questioning glances. Can you hear me, Owen? I asked, hoping our minds could join. He didn’t respond. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate, but it seemed to be too obvious. Even though no one else could hear me, they could see me. I didn’t want to look silly.
Talon relaxed in his cushioned chair. “I called us all here because Lily told me about her and Owen’s lesson at Ray’s house. He’s training them on telepathy.”
“Telepathy?” Hunter lifted a brow. “Does it work?”
“Yeah,” Owen said. “It’s pretty cool. Lily and I had a moment where we connected.” He sounded positive, but looked at me like I had betrayed a secret.
“Well, I wanted to see if they could show us how to do it. I think it seems logical that Hunter should be able to do it, but I want to know if Holly and I could do it, say, with one of you? Do you think it could work?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Maybe if you drank some of the Water?”
“It does have the same effect on us as it does on you.” Talon’s determination seemed hopeful, but also as if he had a point to prove. The Water didn’t discriminate when it came to healing, strength and speed.
“I don’t know if I want anyone reading my thoughts,” Holly said. “I mean, I love being part of the circle and in the know, but I just think I don’t have any powers for a reason. God knows best.” She looked at me with hopeful eyes. “I hope you aren’t offended, Lily. I just think He gave you the powers for a reason, but I’m not supposed to do this.”
“No, I totally understand. You’ve never liked the Water and I’ve always respected that, and if I had a choice, I’m not so sure I’d be a Light Keeper.” I couldn’t help but look at Owen when I said it. As soon as the words came out I regretted them, realizing how he must have taken it. There we were, the two of us, both powerful and special, and I’d trade it all in a heartbeat to be normal with Talon.
“I think it’s really neat, but I’m not sure, myself.” Hunter looked down to the floor.
Holly took his hand. “You do what you want, Hunter. I’ll always be here, right here beside you, no matter what you choose. You are a Chandler, so it’s in your blood. It’s part of who you are.”
“Are you sure?” he asked with doubt in his eyes.
She brushed her fingertips through his hair. “Yes, silly. I love you whatever you are.”
After some hesitation, he answered. “I’m in. Show me what to do and we’ll see if it even works.” Something about his expression said he didn’t know if he was doing the right thing or if he even wanted it to work.
I threw a glance at Owen who must have been thinking in harmony with me. Who would join minds with Hunter? Sit forehead to forehead? I pulled him to the side near the counter. “You are brothers, you do it,” I whispered. “You are already like-minded.”
“No way, you do it.” He nudged. “That’s just too creepy and weird.”
My eyes widened. “What if I—you know.”
“Please, you only did that because you got the hots for me.” He lifted a brow but I ignored his usual ego-moment.
I slouched in defeat. “If Holly gets upset, you get to explain it then.”
“Hello?” Holly called over to the counter where we’d stepped away to talk privately. “No secrets in the circle, please. And I heard my name, by the way.” She narrowed her eyes and shook a finger at us.
“Okay, Hunter. I’ll help you,” I said, walking to stand in front of him.
Hunter was a couple of inches taller than Owen, and about a head taller than me. This would be uncomfortable and I didn’t think sitting like before with Owen would help.
Owen did a poor job of containing his amusement. He tried to stifle his chuckles. “Hey, Lily, you need a ladder?” he teased.
“I wondered about that.” I looked up to Hunter who still didn’t know what to do.
“Okay, the first thing we need to do is sit down and join hands.” I sat and Hunter followed. He wiped the sweat off his palms onto his jeans and took my hands. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for tiny little Holly. His hands must swallow hers up. He must have been used to her slim fingers too, as he held mine very gently as if they’d break.
Holly giggled. “Aw, can I get a picture?” she teased. I cut her a long glare. Hunter chuckled.
“Okay, now, we have to sit forehead to forehead.” I got up on my knees to reach him an
d he couldn’t stop laughing long enough to do it.
He pulled away from me and turned his head. “I’m sorry, this is just too weird.” He blushed.
“He’s never been this close to another girl,” said Owen.
Hunter glared at his brother. “Some of us aren’t sluts,” he defended.
Holly crossed her arms. “That’s right, you tell him, baby.”
“Try it again. It’s just me, and I’m practically your little sister, okay?” And if I kiss you, I’m sorry. I thought, and as if he’d heard me Owen burst out laughing.
Hunter leaned in and we touched our foreheads. Trying to connect with someone other than Owen felt different. I didn’t know why, but it just felt—wrong.
We went through the whole routine, from start to finish, and aside from a lot of awkwardness, I felt nothing and sensed nothing. I sat back. “It’s not working.”
“You could try the other method,” Owen said. His lips were curled into a sly grin.
My face got warmer with blush. “You silly, there is no other method.” I played it off and glared at him, hoping he’d shut his yap. There was no need for telepathy when I gave him the eye. It had always worked between us. Unfortunately, Talon knew the eye too, and he narrowed his eyes at me.
“Well, at least you tried. It might take something else to spark it,” Holly said. “You should ask Ray. Why don’t you give it a try, Talon?”
“Couldn’t hurt. It might work better since we already have a strong connection.” He took my hands in his and put them on his chest just over his heart. Mine warmed as I smiled. God, I hope this works.
After several tries, including the kissing method, nothing worked. However, Talon, suspiciously, wanted to know why I thought kissing might help. I played it off as me just not being able to control myself around him. I could almost feel the room shake as Owen rolled his eyes. “We’ll practice more, later.” I promised, with a soft purr to his ear. It bought a smile, at least.
“So what else have you been doing with Ray?” Holly asked. “Anymore glowing?”
