by Sarah Carter
“You’ve lost me. What does Damien have to do with grandfather?”
“No, Master Blakely. Drake Blakely,” she reiterates.
“What?” Ben stutters.
With a heavy exhale, Claire whispers, “I can’t tell you anything Ben. I wish I could, but it’s top-secret. No one can know anything.”
“I’m not understanding any of this. I thought you were at the rendezvous.”
“I was, and now I’m not. I’m on one of our ships.”
“Wait, what? What does grandpa have to do with this? Give me something to go off of here, Claire,” Ben demands.
“I can’t Ben. I really can’t. Direct orders from Drake himself, I can’t say anything to anyone.”
“Drake? You call him by his first name? Are you trying to get thrown in jail?”
She moans. “He’s insisting I call him by his first name.”
“Okay…why?”
Biting her lip, Claire says, “Because Damien and I are dating.”
“I told you. He's trying to get into your pants.” Ben exclaims.
“He’s not trying to get anywhere. We really care about each other. He’s stood by my side this whole time. If I didn’t have him, I don’t know what I would do.”
“What’s going on?” Ben yells.
“I can’t tell you,” Claire whines. “You’ll be the first one I tell when it can finally comes out, if it ever comes out.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m not hurt or anything. Grandpa’s here and he’s making sure I’m taken care of.”
“So that’s where he ran off to so fast?”
“Yeah.”
Ben exhales loudly. “I just don’t like not knowing what’s going on. You can’t tell me anything?”
“No. I’m sorry. It would be treason if I did.”
“Fine. What about you and Damien? Can you tell me about that?”
“Yeah, I can talk about him. It just sort of happened. He’s been a perfect gentleman. I’m the only girl he’s kissed in over a year. Honestly, he wants a serious relationship now, and we’re trying that, but I won’t be having sex anytime soon.”
“I want you to stay a virgin until you’re forty.”
“That won’t happen. Sorry.”
With a chuckle, Ben says, “An older brother can wish.”
“Keep wishing, then.” Claire giggles. “How are you doing?”
“Other than worrying about you, I’m fine. There’s absolutely nothing new here.”
“Did you hear that my dumbass ex got engaged?” Claire asks with a groan.
Exhaling loudly, Ben says, “Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“You know, I’m trying to not let it bother me,” Claire states proudly. “I have a far better boyfriend now. Damien is a hundred times more of a man than Phil could even dream of being.”
“That’s true. Anyway, Sunshine is a twit.”
“Don’t I know it,” Claire snorts.
Ben sighs. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Claire smiles. “I’m better now than I’ve ever been. That’s the honest truth.”
“Good.”
“I’ll call you later. I have to go have breakfast with Damien, Drake, and grandfather.”
“Okay. Say hi to grandpa for me.”
“I can do that. I’ll call you soon. I promise.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you later, and take care of yourself.”
“I will. Bye.”
“Bye.” Ben hangs up.
She quickly texts Alex: I’m fine. I’ll call you later if anything new arises. I’m glad you made it home alright.
Claire presses send and then grabs her bag.
When she makes it back to Damien’s room, she just walks in. “Damien?”
“Yeah?” he calls from the bedroom.
“Ben called me,” Claire declares as she walks into the bedroom. Her jaw hits the ground when she gets through the doorway.
Damien is standing there, wet, wrapped in only a towel. He grins. “I figured I needed to return the favor.”
“You’re awfully tempting.” Claire laughs. “But get dressed. I’ll wait for you in the living room.”
“Your loss,” Damien says as she leaves the room.
Claire sits down on the couch and waits.
“So, what happened with your brother?” he asks from the other room.
“He figured something was up. He knew Alex was home. Ben is pretty good at sensing things. I told him I couldn’t tell him anything. He wasn’t too happy about that.”
“What all did you say to him, exactly?”
Claire sighs. “That grandpa and your father were both here. I told him we were dating. I think it was like dropping a ton of bricks on him.”
“Did he make another comment about me seducing you?” Damien chuckles.
She giggles. “Yeah, of course. You just want to get into my pants.”
“Little do you know that that’s my main goal,” Damien says.
“I know, I know,” Claire sighs. “The truth will come out.”
Damien walks into the living room wearing jeans that hang low on his hips and no shirt. Claire raises her eyebrow.
“What?” Damien chirps.
“You’re just so hot,” Claire declares. “I could stare at you all day.”
He walks over to her and bends down to kiss her. “The feelings are mutual yet again.” Damien’s lips brush hers and she leans in for a kiss, soft and sweet. He smiles as he pulls away. “You should get dressed.”
“Okay,” Claire sighs. “That’s probably a good idea.”
“Do you need help?” Damien quips, with a mischievous smile.
“No. You just stay out here.”
“You sure?”
Playfully glaring at him, Claire says, “Positive.” She gets up and grabs her suitcase. “Stay out here.”
Damien salutes her. “Yes ma’am.”
“Dork,” Claire laughs, as she goes into the bedroom. Ten minutes later, she emerges dressed and ready. “You should probably get a shirt on.”
“What? You don’t want me like this?” Damien inquires, gesturing to his body.
“Go put something on,” Claire laughs.
With a smirk, Damien walks past her. He smacks her on the butt as he goes into the bedroom. “So, do you really think they’re going to have you work with Kayla?”
“I can only presume that’s why she’s here.”
“That's my thought too,” Damien says, as he walks out, pulling on a shirt. “We should probably get to breakfast. My dad doesn’t like to wait too much.”
“Neither does my grandfather,” Claire snorts. “I think it’s from years of being the head of the guard.”
“So, it’s because they have positions of authority. I don’t want to be like that.”
Claire laughs. “I don’t think you’ll be like that at all.”
“I sure hope not,” Damien sighs. “I won’t know until I get there.”
“You’ll rock as the leader of our people,” Claire states, walking up to him. She straightens his shirt. “Are you scared?”
“Of what?” Damien asks.
“Taking your father’s place.”
A light chuckle comes from Damien. “You’re the first person to ask me that. Yeah, I’m terrified. I’ve been groomed for it my entire life, but still. It’s a huge thing to expect from me.”
“I think you’ll be an awesome leader,” Claire states with a smile. “You’re so kind and caring. You need to have that to be in such a powerful position.”
“I also need my wife to not interfere with my decisions,” Damien says, giving Claire a look.
“Wife?” Claire quips back. “Really, now?”
“You never know,” Damien exhales, bringing his lips down to hers. Claire melts against him. They kiss each other for a minute, and then Damien pushes her away. “Okay, we need to go before we get lost in each other.”
Claire giggles. “Yeah, that’s probably a go
od idea.”
“Come on,” Damien says, sticking his hand out. Claire takes it and they walk out of the room.
Kayla and Jackson are waiting in their room.
“Finally!” Kayla exclaims. “I’m starving.”
“We didn’t even take that long,” Damien snorts.
“Whatever,” Kayla says back. “Let’s go.”
Damien rolls his eyes at Claire and she has to giggle. They finally make it to a room with a large rectangular table.
“No conference room this time?” Claire laughs.
Mr. Blakely smiles. “No. This is for enjoyment.”
“That’s nice,” she replies. Walking over, she kisses her grandfather on the cheek. “Good morning, pops.”
“Good morning, baby girl,” he chimes back.
They all take their seats. “So, they’re just going to bring us trays of food and you can choose what you want,” Mr. Blakely says.
“Thanks,” Jackson says. “That’s very nice of you.”
“I’m happy that you could join us,” Mr. Blakely replies.
“Can I ask a question?” Kayla inquires.
Nodding, Mr. Blakely answers, “Of course.”
“Why are we here?”
Claire’s grandfather laughs. “Teenagers. You can’t get anything past them.”
“We need your assistance on something, Kayla,” Mr. Blakely declares.
“Okay…is it this top-secret thing?” She replies.
Mr. Blakely looks at Damien, who raises his hands. “I didn’t say anything about what it was. Just that I couldn’t tell them.”
His father rolls his eyes. “First, we need you to sign a non-disclosure agreement, much like the one you had to sign after the incident with William.”
“Okay,” Kayla agrees.
“You need to leave while we talk about this,” Mr. Blakely says to Jackson.
Jackson gets an appalled look on his face. “I’m not letting her do something dangerous and I have no idea what it is.”
“No harm will come to her,” Mr. Blakely assures him.
“Still,” Jackson retorts sharply.
“Yeah, I don’t want to have to hide this from him,” Kayla states.
“I figured as much,” Mr. Blakely sighs. “Jackson, you’ll have to sign one, too.”
“Fine,” Jackson says. “I’ll do whatever I need to.”
Three girls walk in carrying trays. One girl sets drinks down and the other two set platters of food out.
“Thank you. Please close the door on your way out,” Mr. Blakely says as they leave. When the door is shut, he takes out a computer pad. “Please put your hand on here so it can be scanned. You’ve gone through this before.”
“I remember,” Kayla chirps. She takes the pad and sticks her hand on it. A light shines and then fades away. Kayla hands the pad to Jackson. He does the same thing.
“Very good.” Mr. Blakely looks at Claire. “You’re okay with this, correct?”
“Of course,” she replies.
“Please, have some food while I talk,” Mr. Blakely suggests.
No one reaches for anything. Damien laughs and grabs a platter, and everyone follows suit after that.
“Would you like to tell your story, or do you want me to do it?” Mr. Blakely asks Claire.
“I can do it.” She explains the story to Jackson and Kayla and ends with, “And now…we think I’m a succubus.”
There is dead silence in the room.
“You’re a what?”
“A succubus,” Claire replies. “An energy vampire. I suck the energy from Neturu. And apparently I’m crazy powerful. I’m stronger than any Neturu out there. I can also shut down my energy.”
“What do you mean?” Jackson asks.
Claire closes her eyes, harnesses her energy, and shuts it down.
Jackson jumps back. “What the hell? I can’t even sense you anymore!”
“You won’t be able to,” Claire declares with a grin.
Raising an eyebrow, Kayla says, “So, how does it work exactly?”
“I have to feel someone’s energy a little bit, then I can grab ahold of it and suck it out of them.”
“She can do it in small amounts or drain someone completely,” Mr. Blakely adds. “It doesn’t cause any physical harm. It just takes away the natural energy from a Neturu.”
“Whoa, and I thought I was different,” Kayla murmurs.
Claire snorts. “Yeah, well, I’m a whole bucket of messed-up.”
“Hey, we can start a freak club.” Kayla laughs. “Just for the special Neturu.”
“Sweet!” Claire exclaims, smiling broadly. “Do we get decoder rings?”
“Yes.” Kayla giggles. “We’ll have secret meetings, and everything.”
Laughing with her, Claire says, “Awesome, I can’t wait.”
“So, what do you need me for?” Kayla inquires.
“We need to see what Claire’s limits are, first, and then we want to see what happens when she has your energy,” Mr. Blakely replies.
“Oh,” Kayla mumbles, looking down.
Mr. Blakely leans forward. “If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. Claire is a very special case. She could be a wonderful asset, but we need to know what she’s capable of.”
“There are other morrae,” Jackson states. “Why does it have to be Kayla?”
“Because we trust her and we think she’s who Claire would be most comfortable with.”
Jackson looks at Kayla. “Honey, you don’t have to do it.”
Biting her lip, Kayla sighs. “Will it hurt?”
“Not at all,” Mr. Blakely responds. “From what Claire has said, you don’t even feel it much unless you’re thoroughly trained in your energy abilities.”
There is a pause, and then Kayla says, “I’m in.”
“Wonderful.” Mr. Blakely beams.
Damien starts to laugh. “I can’t wait to see this.”
“Why?” Kayla asks.
With a devilish grin, Damien chuckles, “You have to push your energy into Claire.”
Kayla’s eyes get wide. “Like…what I do with Jackson?” Damien nods with a broad smile. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that part.”
“It’s just an experiment,” Claire interjects. “You only need to do it a little bit and I’ll extract it as slowly as I can. Hey—at least we like each other. It could be a lot more awkward.”
“True,” Kayla agrees. She tilts her head and then looks at Claire. “Well, we’ll be friends fast, then.”
“No doubt.” Claire giggles.
“So,” Kayla says. “What else can you do?”
Claire looks at Mr. Blakely. He waves his hand. She grins. “I can join the guard as special ops.”
“That’s awesome!” Kayla squeals.
“It is. I’m so pumped!” Claire exclaims.
“So, you can guard Damien then, huh?” Kayla snickers, wiggling her eyebrows.
“She’ll probably guard me,” Mr. Blakely declares. “So, there isn’t crossing of any lines.”
“Well,” Damien says. “We kind of thought of something yesterday, after our little argument. What if you used Claire for special ops only, and then she did something else on the side, like teach new guard members?”
Claire’s grandfather says, “We actually talked about that. We still want her to go to college. She doesn’t really need that much guard training. We could get it in before the semester starts if we pushed it.”
“Score.” Claire sighs happily.
“We should probably eat before everything gets cold,” Mr. Blakely suggests.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Kayla says, taking a bite of pancake.
They talk more about what Claire has done already. Claire is happy that Jackson and Kayla are actually excited about it. The last thing she wanted was for them to see her differently.
Finally, everyone is done eating. “Well, let’s get started. We’ll need to go down to the gym first.
I want to see what Claire can turn into with normal energy,” Mr. Blakely says.
“Sounds good to me,” Claire replies.
They all stand and make their way down there. When they enter the gym, there are several guard members waiting for them.
“Your supply of energy,” Mr. Blakely states, waving his hand.
“Okay,” Claire replies. “What do you want me to do first?”
“We wait for the doctors,” Mr. Blakely says.
Almost on cue, Dr. Rollins, Dr. Galliger, and Mr. Paulson walk in. Dr. Rollins smiles at Claire. “Are you ready?”
Claire nods.
“All seven guard members have sensors on them. We want to see if you can sense how much energy you’re pulling from them.”
“Wow, high expectations,” Claire mumbles.
“Just try,” Mr. Blakely says.
She nods. “Who’s first?”
The guard members all look at each other. One of them raises their hand. “I’ll do it.”
Claire walks over to him. “Don’t push. I want to see if I can get it out of you myself.”
He raises an eyebrow.
Claire takes her hand and runs it up his chest, gently pushing her energy into him. When her hand gets to his face, Claire runs her thumb over his lips. She feels a flux in his energy. She quickly grabs hold of it and pulls. Trying really hard to concentrate, Claire doesn’t do it too fast.
“Stop,” Dr. Galliger instructs. “How much energy do you think you have?”
“Well, he’s still pretty with it,” Claire replies. “So, maybe 40 percent.”
“Close. It’s more like thirty,” Dr. Galliger states.
“Try to shift into something you haven’t,” Dr. Rollins suggests.
“Like what?” Claire asks.
Dr. Galliger laughs. “Let’s go big. Try an elephant.” Claire closes her eyes and thinks of an elephant.
Nothing happens. “Can’t do it.” Claire sighs, feeling a little defeated.
“Extract more energy,” Dr. Galliger says.
Claire puts her hand on the guard member. She pushes her energy into him a little bit, and there is the usual flicker of energy in response. She takes it and starts to draw it out of him.
Dr. Galliger finally exclaims, “Stop! You have about 60 percent. Try again.”
Taking in a deep breath, Claire thinks of being an elephant. Then she shifts. Everyone starts to clap.
“Excellent!” Dr. Rollins shouts. “Shift back.”
