by Jan Harman
“You were still following the Pact to discover the truth, right?”
“Yes,” he replied. “But—”
“Then what is there to be sorry for? If not for your courageous actions, I wouldn’t have been able to resist.” My face fell as I recalled the powerful feel of the hilt in my hand. Was I doomed to be taunted by my weaknesses forever?
“Remember what I told you,” he said intuitively.
“I haven’t felt strong in a long time.” That wasn’t entirely true. I squeezed his hand. He stiffened beneath my touch. I held my breath, expecting him to pull away.
To my surprise, he twisted his hand, catching up mine. “We’re a team. We’re each other’s strength.”
“I trust you, Shade. That gives me strength.” For my words, I was rewarded with a tender smile that broke my heart again. “Unfortunately, adhering to the Pact doesn’t seem to be high on the purist priority. Since there aren’t any other diamond vibers in the Protection Bureau, I guess you’re stuck on guard duty.”
“Given what I’ve just discovered, you’re going to be mighty sick of my presence,” he answered, once again staring past me towards the window, his jaw set in a hard, determined line.
Great we were both uncomfortable. Within his disconcerting eyes, choppy seas slapped against a growing ice field. I was missing something. “Don’t hide things from me. I deal better if I can prepare.”
“You read me too well. That’s going to be a problem,” he muttered to himself.
“I imagine a warden should be good at reading the mindset of the people, especially her private guard. So cut to the chase, what are you worried about?”
“Imprints, the burrowing in of instructions are not routinely taught for obvious reasons. At diamond level even I have to focus hard to be sure of accuracy for long term retention.”
“So someone’s been working on this for a while?” I asked, my trembling voice giving away my fear.
“I’d like to think that I would’ve picked up on that.”
“No one’s had that much contact with me.”
“I’m not too fond of the other possibility.” He paused and seemed to have an internal debate while he stared in the direction of my door. “More speed bumps,” he sighed tiredly. “Strength in numbers might apply here. It certainly fits given the company hanging about your yard. The council’s been dancing around the possibility that the purist have established a collective. As a Pepperdine you would naturally be sensitive.”
I gaped at him and shivered from head-to-toe. “I’ve a third option. Maybe I’m incapable of being the warden. What if something is wrong with me? Maybe the concussion from the accident or the coma or all the medications messed up my brain chemistry.”
“Nothing is wrong with you. You’re my warden.” The ferociousness in his voice raised the hair on the back of my neck.
“So you think this other collective has become strong enough to influence my mind? To test their control someone was sent to breach my mind to release this trigger.”
“Tonight they were opportunistic, taking advantage of your exhaustion and fears. Not only did they wrongly assume that we wouldn’t be ready for a physical attack, but they arrogantly believed we’d never considered the possibility of a mental assault. I believe you were targeted to gain control over you for their agenda or for a personal terror campaign or even to make it impossible for you to become Spring Valley’s warden by poisoning you against the valley’s collective. Thankfully, your talent touched the Whisperer’s emotions, giving us warning. Had that not been the case, I believe the oaths that bind us would have saved you from their contamination,” he said reassuringly.
“They wanted me to kill myself?”
“Or Shadow or me.”
“I thought as a Pepperdine or as a warden that I couldn’t be broached?” I asked, my voice taking on a shrill edge. “How do I keep this collective out?”
“According to theory, had you grown up in the valley and received the proper training your mind would’ve been preconditioned to accept only our collective. Now that we know, I can arrange for you to spend time with Sister Willow. Part of her gift that allows her to connect deeply is the ability to gather up and cleanse the mind of intrusions. It comes in handy when newbies are training. I don’t want you to worry. The imprint can be expunged. The purist won’t be setting any more implanted traps,” he said, squeezing my hand.
“But they could try to pull me into their collective again. I believe my aunt should reconsider holding off on my education until after college. I’m afraid to close my eyes. I’m afraid of what they will pour into my mind.”
“The converse of holding and channeling the emotions of an individual or a collective is the ability to resist being overwhelmed and remade. How do you think Roland and the Pepperdine Clan survived the immersion of several clans in Ireland?”
I pressed the tip of a finger against the diamond stone on his ring. “Roland had been connected to the clan for years at that point. I’m not him, and I’m certainly not stronger than the will of a collective.” I waved my hand towards the window. “I’m not ready for any of this.” He wouldn’t allow me to hide. My chin was gripped by a hot, lightly vibrating hand that forced me to return his uncompromising stare. Several pulses undulated across the mattress as though I slept on a water bed. Gently I was lifted and turned, so I sat next to him with his arm curled around my waist.
“We are each other’s strength. They will be defeated,” he said thickly as though the force of his will could not be denied. He pulled me tight to his chest. “The ability is inside of you. I don’t want to sound cold and unsympathetic, but you need to sprinkle your thoughts with happiness. What better shield to combat ugliness than joy?”
“I can’t manufacture what I don’t feel.”
“Stop denying your right to enjoy life. Let yourself out of that car. Take a risk, invest in your life. In the meantime, soothing sessions with Sister Willow will help.”
“So will spending time with my friends.” I smiled up at him mischievously. “The girls and I can schedule more shopping expeditions.”
He grimaced. “I’ll stay up here until you fall asleep.”
“And what about you? Are you alright?” I asked, lifting my head off his shoulder. “Does the Protection Bureau offer counseling?”
“Don’t need it. Shad will initiate a connection to alleviate my stress until I have time for a deeper, soothing connection with the collective. I’m only sorry that you’re denied the same relief.”
“The purist managed a connection so why isn’t it possible?”
“The Pepperdine Clan won’t allow it because it goes against your father’s wishes.” His jaw tightened and his tone became inflexible. “I won’t allow it. Your mind is a muscle that must be conditioned properly through successive joinings. The full onslaught of an entire valley of upset individuals would crush your inexperienced mind. You’ll take this one carefully nurtured step at a time. It’s late. Set your worries aside. I’ve got this watch.”
Sheets and blankets slipped off my shoulder but it didn’t matter. My personal furnace finally chased away the last of my chill. One at a time the fingers I’d twisted into his shirt loosened as my body yielded to sleep. I tried to ask my question. Shade took so long to answer that I wasn’t sure I’d actually said anything.
“My soul heard yours cry. I don’t know how else to describe the sudden pounding of my heart, the flash of heat racing through my veins, and the crystal clear image of you in my head. I just knew I had to be at your side and heaven help anyone who got in my way,” his fiercely whispered words pulsed against my cheek.
I fell finally into a true safe sleep with his answer as my protection against the terrors of the dark. Of all the strange and terrifying things that had happened to me since my family car had been run off the road, I finally had something that felt utterly right.
The end
I hope you enjoyed Brush of Shade. The characters are dear to my hea
rt. If you would be so kind as to post a review on Amazon, it would mean a great deal to me. Click on this link and it’ll take you to the reviews page: http://amzn.to/13Zzx5y
About the Author:
When I took a temporary break from my career in computer programming all those years ago to become a stay-at-home mom, it was always the plan to return to the business world. Life laughs at plans. Since a career as a stay-at-home mom has no retirement date, I decided to turn into a novel one of the short stories I’d written while waiting for kids at scouting and 4-H events. These days with the kids at college and the house so empty characters whisper dialogs that must be put on paper. I’ve been lucky to have a husband who supports whatever I choose to do with my life and three kids who cheer me on. A special thanks goes out to my two daughters who have read and re-read countless drafts. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to leave me a message at my email: [email protected]
ONE LAST THING
I know you’re busy, but if I could ask one last thing of you? Amazon has a feature that gives consumers the option to rate my book as well as share their views of my book with social media. The Before You Go feature will automatically come up when you click for the next page. Thank you for sharing in Olivia’s and Shade’s life. Their voices entreat me to finish their story. The journey continues. Keep an eye out for the next installment of the Whisperer’s Chronicles.
