by I. T. Lucas
Bhathian nodded. “It takes courage to approach a girl, and no one likes rejection. Just remember that you are not the only one feeling like that.”
“Did you?” Vlad asked. “I mean before you met Eva?”
Bhathian shook his head. “It was different for me than it is for you. I wasn’t expecting to find my mate, so I didn’t care about rejection.”
Vlad stifled a snort.
Looking like he did, Bhathian had probably never encountered that problem unless the lady was taken. And perhaps not even then.
Looking at him as if she could read his mind, Eva smiled reassuringly. “Don’t build up too many expectations and try to relax. Pretend that Wendy is just a girl who needs a friend, and don’t expect anything romantic. That will make the entire thing less stressful for you. Probably for Wendy as well, since she is also shy.”
“Just remember,” Bhathian said. “Wendy, Richard, and Jacki think that we are an organization of humans with paranormal talents, who try to stay under the government’s radar and watch each other’s backs. Don’t mention anything about immortals, the clan, or the village. They don’t even know where the keep is, so don’t say anything about Los Angeles or the college you attend. If you have to, make up some name she won’t recognize and say that it’s a private institution.”
“Got it. What talent am I supposed to have?”
“Yamanu told her that you are a shrouder like him.”
Vlad chuckled. “I’m nothing like him. I can shroud a room, not an entire city.”
Bhathian shrugged. “It’s still better than most of us can do. I can only shroud myself for several minutes. You have a unique talent, which is another point in your favor.”
Eva turned around. “You are a real catch, Vlad. Try to remember that.”
34
Wendy
As the last episode of her anime ended, Wendy glanced at the open door and switched to another one, hoping that the loud Japanese voices would keep visitors away.
That was why she preferred to watch anime in its native language and read the subtitles instead of watching those with English dubbing.
In the Japanese original, there was always one obnoxiously excitable character who screamed a lot.
It gave her a headache, but it was worth it. The screaming was her shield.
Since everyone left their doors open during the day, Wendy couldn’t close hers without getting looks and questions, but she didn’t want anyone coming in either.
They were all so freakishly nice.
Even Richard, who’d been somewhat of a jerk in the program, was acting all goodie two-shoes. He’d even volunteered to help Mey in the kitchen, which he would have never done back in the program.
Was he falling in love with that interior designer? Was love making him suddenly soft? Or was he trying to win over their hosts?
Probably the last one.
If he loved Ingrid, Wendy would have felt it. He liked the woman and lusted after her, but Richard was too self-absorbed to love anyone other than himself.
Oh well, it wasn’t as if she cared one way or another.
Flicking through the offerings, Wendy searched for something new to watch. She was all caught up on her favorite shows, but she needed to fill the time with something, and it wasn’t with the guy Yamanu had invited to meet her.
Why the hell were they playing matchmakers?
Wendy didn’t want to meet anyone, or date, or even to go through the torture of making small talk. Guys only did that to get into her pants, and she had no intention of allowing anyone in there.
She was perfectly fine with staying celibate for the rest of her life. If she believed in God, joining a convent would have been a perfect solution.
But she didn’t.
If there was a God, Wendy was majorly pissed at Him. So, it was better to believe that her life didn’t suck because God was punishing her for something and wanted her to suffer. Life was just unfair, and shit happened to good people for no good reason.
What could she possibly have done as a baby to deserve abandonment by her mother?
Had she pooped and cried too much?
Her father had claimed that it had been all her fault, and he’d used it as an excuse to torment her. Countless times he had called her a curse, a plague, a good-for-nothing worthless shit, blaming her for driving her mother into drug addiction and into leaving and never coming back.
Wendy suspected that he had abused her mother as well, and that was what had driven her away. But after hearing that same crap for most of her life, she sometimes wondered whether there was something to it.
Maybe she’d been a hellish baby, one of those who never slept and who had cried all the time?
Nah. That was no reason to leave a child behind. Her father was full of shit, a jerk, an abuser, and a liar.
The thing was, everyone thought that he was a charming guy, and people admired him for raising his daughter on his own. No one knew the monster he’d become when there was no one there to watch.
He’d always been careful not to hit her face or her arms, and he’d never beaten her up badly enough for her to miss school or need medical attention.
On the face of things, he’d looked like a great dad. She had nice clothes, a good laptop, two gaming systems, and a room kitted out for a princess.
It had been a great cover for the constant abuse.
Wendy had kept quiet because she’d been ashamed to admit that her life had been hell. She still was. Part of it was because she knew he would have convinced people that she was making it up, that she was a disturbed teenager, and that her bruises had been self-inflicted.
They would have believed him too, because how could a charming guy like that abuse his own daughter?
Besides, even if anyone had listened to her, she had nowhere to go. She would have been sent to a foster home, and that might have been even worse.
The lesson had been learned, though.
No men for Wendy.
No matter how nice and charming they appeared on the outside, some had monsters living inside of them that even her empathic ability couldn’t detect. A guy could seem and feel perfectly normal, until some trigger awakened the sleeping beast lurking below the surface, and he lashed out.
She wasn’t going to become anyone’s punching bag ever again.
“Wendy? Can I come in?” Mey poked her head into her room. “Everyone is here already.”
With a sigh, Wendy swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I’m coming. But don’t expect me to be nice to that guy. I told you that I didn’t want to meet anyone.”
Shaking her head, Mey walked up to her. “Don’t think of Vlad as a potential boyfriend. Think of him as a possible friend who happens to be a boy.”
That, she could do.
“Fine. I’ll try to act friendly.”
Mey smiled. “That’s all I’m asking.”
35
Vlad
As soon as Vlad walked in with Bhathian and Eva, Yamanu got up and wrapped his huge arm around his shoulders.
“Vlad, let me introduce you to Wendy.” He turned him around to face the couch, where a girl sat huddled between Mey and Ingrid, looking as if she was trying to hide.
“Wendy, this is Vlad.”
She lifted a pair of eyes that were sad and annoyed at the same time.
Great, her response was exactly like that of all the other girls he’d met in college. No one wanted to get to know the freak boy.
Vlad tried to take a step back, but Yamanu’s arm around his shoulders kept him from moving an inch.
Wendy’s eyes softened. “Hi,” she murmured. “Nice to meet you, Vlad.” She extended her hand.
For a moment, he just stared at it, but then Yamanu squeezed his shoulder, reminding him to move.
“Yes, nice to meet you too.” He took her hand gently, mindful of his strength.
On top of his weird appearance, he was also freakishly strong and had to remember to be careful when
interacting with humans.
Mey rose to her feet. “Come sit next to Wendy, Vlad. I’m going to check on the food in the kitchen.”
“I’ll help you.” Ingrid got up as well.
Damn, why wasn’t he a telepath? He could have projected a no way straight into Mey and Ingrid’s heads. But since he wasn’t, he had to sit next to the girl who was obviously not interested in him.
Richard and Yamanu pushed to their feet as well and followed the ladies out.
Now he was stuck alone with Wendy.
There was one good thing about being built like a twig, though, his butt didn’t take up much space, and if he squeezed all the way to the left, he could leave at least three feet between him and Wendy.
She smiled. “I don’t bite, you know.”
Yeah, but I do. Hell. Where did that thought come from? He’d never bitten anyone in his life. Not in a fight and definitely not sexually.
Frowning, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Did I offend you? I’m sorry if I did. I’m just not good at talking with people.”
Her admission helped him ease up a bit. “I’m not good at it either. Usually, I just don’t say anything.”
“Same here. The best way not to put a foot in your mouth is not to open it in the first place, right?”
He nodded. “That’s my philosophy as well.”
Well, at least they had that in common but nothing else.
Wendy was pretty, soft, and feminine, and there was nothing strange about her. He wondered why she felt awkward around people.
She glanced at him from under lowered lashes. “Yamanu told me that you are a shrouder like him.”
“Not like him, but yeah. I can shroud a small place for a short time.”
“That’s awesome. No one in the program had an ability like that. I didn’t even know that it existed.”
Wanting to change the subject, he asked, “What’s yours?”
“I’m an empath, like Arwel. Not as strong as he is, though. Not even close.”
Great, she was a freaking empath, and no one had bothered to tell him?
Most likely intentionally.
So, that’s why Wendy was suddenly being nice to him. She’d felt how hurt he’d been by the look she’d given him.
“What’s wrong?” She leaned to try to see his eyes under his bangs. “Why did you get upset?”
Remembering what Bhathian had told him about the importance of open communication, Vlad decided to go with the truth. “Girls usually don’t talk to me. And the only reason you are doing it is that you felt me getting upset when you gave me the look.”
She arched a brow. “What look?”
“Annoyance. Like you really didn’t want to be where you were, and you were mad at the others for inviting me and introducing us.”
As the guilty look in Wendy’s eyes confirmed his suspicion, Vlad started to get up, but she put her hand on his arm to stop him.
“It’s not what you think.”
Goosebumps popping all over his arms, he sat back down. “How so?”
“You are right about me being annoyed at Mey and Yamanu for doing this, but it had nothing to do with you personally. I just didn’t want to meet any guys. But they were right about you. You are really nice.”
He couldn’t help the blush that heated his skin. “You don’t know me well enough to know whether I’m nice or not.”
Smiling, she tapped her temple with two fingers. “Empath, remember? I can feel you, and you feel safe. I don’t often get that from people.”
It was an odd thing to say. “Everyone here is safe. I don’t know Richard, but I know Yamanu and Bhathian. Both are awesome men, and superb Guardians. With them around, you are as safe as a baby bird under its mother’s wing.”
She laughed. “That’s a cute analogy. I didn’t mean to say that they are not safe. And Richard, with all his faults, is not a bad guy either. But you are different.”
“You think? Different is my middle name.”
Shaking her head, Wendy put a hand over her heart. “I didn’t mean your Goth getup or your multicolored eyes, which I think are super cool.” She took in a deep breath. “I don’t know how to describe it, so I’ll use your mother bird analogy, but with a twist. You are like a hawk, with huge wings that you want to spread over others to protect them, but because you look different, they run away instead of getting under those wings and seeking shelter.” She chuckled. “Maybe you should become a Guardian like Yamanu and Bhathian. It’s in your blood.”
Embarrassed, Vlad laughed. She’d nailed it about him wanting to shield others, but he wasn’t Guardian material.
“You think anyone is going to accept my application for Guardian training with these sticks?” He waved his spindly arms.
“Hey, you might fill out. You are still young. How old are you? They told me that you are nineteen, but you look younger.”
“I’ve recently turned twenty.”
She shrugged. “It’s good to look younger than you really are. When you are in your thirties or even forties, you are going to look like you are in your twenties.”
“True.”
He was probably stuck with looking like a walking twig for eternity, but it wasn’t as if he could or wanted to tell her that. Maybe if she thought that one day he would look like a man, she would take a chance on him.
36
Wendy
Vlad was indeed a sweet guy, just as Yamanu had described him.
Even though he was reserved and anxious and generally uncomfortable in his own skin, his emotional makeup was beautiful, and it was as clear to her as if she was able to see his aura, which of course she couldn’t.
She wondered what Spencer would have said about Vlad.
There was a fierceness in him, but it was warm and kind and completely nonaggressive. She doubted he could swat a fly.
It was rare to meet someone who was an open book like that. Only to an empath like her, though. Regular people couldn’t even see his eyes, which he was hiding under long bangs. She wondered if he colored his hair, which was raven black, glossy and smooth.
And those teeth, they must have been filed to look that sharp. He was rocking the vampire look, and even had the name to match. Was it his real name, though?
And why would a nice guy like him put so much effort into looking menacing? Was it to protect himself from bullies?
Probably.
Kids were mean, especially to those who were different in some way. Maybe by putting on the vampire costume, Vlad was making himself look more dangerous so no one would mess with him.
“What are you studying?” she asked. “Yamanu said that you are going to college.”
“Graphic design.”
She smiled. “With that getup, I figured that you must be the creative type.”
He looked down at his black jeans and his black boots with the metal buckles, then back up at her. Except, it was only with one eye because the other was covered by his bangs. “I play bass guitar in a band. It’s part of the image.”
He wasn’t telling her the truth, and she could tell that he felt bad about it. That was probably the answer he gave everybody who asked about his fashion choices.
Poor guy. It wasn’t easy to be different.
Wendy had been different her entire life, in part because of her empathic ability, and in part because of her home situation. But at least she looked normal to strangers.
Vlad probably got stinky looks from everyone.
Not from her, though.
For some reason, Wendy wanted him to feel comfortable with her. She wanted to be his friend, for real, not just pretend it so the others would leave her alone.
It was a shame that their friendship had to be temporary, though. She wasn’t going to stay any longer than she absolutely had to. The first opportunity that presented itself, Wendy was going to run.
But maybe in the meantime, she could boost Vlad’s confidence a little.
One small good deed to compensate for th
e betrayal of these kind people who had taken her in and were trying to help her.
“You can tell me the truth, Vlad. It’s okay to like dressing in black. It simplifies life. When you get up in the morning, you don’t have to think about what pants go with what shirt because everything matches. And if impersonating a vampire makes you look tough, so other guys don’t mess with you, then go for it.”
“That’s not why I do it.”
“Oh yeah? Then why?”
He shrugged. “This is the only look that works for me. Can you imagine me in blue jeans and a white T-shirt? Talk about a dorky geek. Like this, I at least look cool.”
It was a legitimate answer, and this time Vlad wasn’t covering up the real reason. He believed it to be true, and perhaps he was right.
Looking weird but cool certainly beat looking weird and dorky.
Except, he was going too far with it.
Tilting her head, she tried to see under his bangs, then reached with her hand and pushed them back. “You have beautiful eyes. Don’t hide them.”
He pulled the bangs back down. “They freak people out.”
“Only the idiots. I think they are beautiful, and I’m sure that I’m not the only one.” She pushed his bangs back again. “You also have amazing lashes. They are so long that they look fake.”
Taking her seriously, he frowned. “They are not.”
“I know that. But anyway, don’t hide your eyes. At least not from me.”
He nodded, and the bangs fell back down, but this time he pushed them back himself, tucking the long strands behind his ears.
Wendy smiled. “You have a handsome face.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
As he looked down at his hands, she noticed how long and elegant his fingers were, like a pianist’s. Except, his nails were long and painted black. Another detail to add to the vampire look. Or maybe to the rocker image?
“I’ve never gotten so many compliments. It feels strange.”
“But you believe me, right? I’m not just saying it to make you feel good. You really have a handsome face and beautiful eyes and gorgeous eyelashes.”
