Jamie felt his eyes go wide as he watched her with fascination.
She could feel him.
She shouldn’t have been able to sense what he was doing.
But she did.
Even though he knew he was pushing her mind so hard he was causing her discomfort, Jamie didn’t back down, he kept on probing, until he finally broke through. He looked at her expression. She appeared to be in a state of serious concentration. Jamie focused just as hard to try keep his hold on her thoughts.
Within her mind there were no words, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t make out any clear images. Everything was a jumble, almost as if her brain was purposely causing her thoughts to scatter to keep him from knowing what was in there.
Her lips moved and it looked as though she mumbled something under her breath. Jamie didn’t hear what she said; too preoccupied in his attempt at deciphering the words in her mind. But before he had a chance to get a clear image, he was pushed out.
The girl’s hands were still on her head, massaging the temples like she was trying to rid herself of a headache.
Probably my fault, Jamie thought. Once again he tried again to work his way back in. For only a second feeling as though he almost had it, but there was something stronger than him blocking his powers.
And then he lost all sense of her completely.
When his senses scanned the room, they found nothing.
No trace of any other living being.
If he hadn’t been looking at her right then, he would never have believed she was real. Yet there she was, sitting behind the library desk where she had picked up her book and continued reading where she’d left off before he had so rudely interrupted.
All living creatures have a will of their own, which made breaking into their thoughts an effort, but not impossible. No matter how strong a person’s will, it was never strong enough. There was always a way in if you wanted to find it.
But this girl . . .
She had the ability to not only keep him out of her thoughts, but to fight him off if he managed to break in. And not only that but she could keep herself shielded.
She had the ability to be invisible, which was something that he had never come across before.
She was an anomaly.
A beautiful anomaly, and it was because of this that Jamie found himself wanting to know her. Which was unusual because he had never, in his life, felt the urge to know a person.
But she evoked that feeling in him, along with a few others.
“Hey Sam.” Jamie snapped himself out of his reverie to look at the dark haired girl who had just entered and was now walking towards the librarian’s desk.
Sam? Jamie wracked his brain for a moment, searching through his memories, trying to place that name with her face.
But there were no thoughts that came to his mind, no memories of her at all. Which made the fact that he recognised her all the more irksome.
“Hey Elle,” Sam replied with a polite smile.
“I didn’t know you worked here,” Elle said. Jamie gave her a scrupulous look and scanned her thoughts to confirm his suspicions.
This girl’s mind was alarmingly simple to read, usually a human had at least one wall to break through. This girl, however, had none.
Jamie found what he was looking for within a matter of seconds, confirming what he had thought.
She was lying.
Elle had known Sam was working here and had come specifically to see her.
“I just started today,” Sam replied. “Like, about ten minutes ago actually.”
“Uh huh . . . So, how’ve you been? I feel like we haven’t talked in ages,” Elle said in an attempt to start a conversation with Sam. Though the way she had spoken made it appear, even to someone who was not currently inside her head, that she had an ulterior motive for wanting to know.
Within the girl—Elle’s mind, there was no clear image on what the ulterior motive might have been, but within her he could sense a very strong need to know about Sam. What she had been up to recently, what she was doing right now, what her plans for the next day may have been.
Jamie shook his head and with a roll of his eyes wondered why it was that some people found the need to be that nosey.
“That’s because we haven’t. And I’m fine,” Sam replied as if she knew the agenda behind the question, making the answer sound as convincing as possible.
“Are you sure?” Elle pushed in an attempt to gain some usable information.
“I’m sure. Is there something you need help with?” Sam asked, distracting the girl by making a quick change of subject.
“Oh, yeah. I have to do a history study on the Renaissance in Europe, so I figured I’d do it now so I won’t have to do it later. But I know nothing at all about it.”
Without a word Sam got up from her chair and walked out from behind the desk. “Okay, follow me.” She wandered into the labyrinth of bookshelves. Stopping at a shelf that was close enough for Jamie to still see her, though he was sure from the lack of attention she had paid him that from where he was she still could not see him. Sam searched the shelves for a moment, then pulled out a book and handed it to Elle.
Elle looked at the book incredulously, turning it from front to back. She gazed up at Sam. “Are you sure this is the right one?” she asked. “You didn’t even check it.”
Sam stared at her blankly for a moment. Then took the book out of Elle’s hands and held it on its side so that Elle could see what was written on the spine. “It’s called ‘The Renaissance in Europe’, I think we can safely assume it’s about the Renaissance . . . in Europe.”
Elle took the book out of Sam’s hands and ran her fingers over the words on the spine. “The Renaissance in Europe could be the name of a novel,” Elle stated, then looked at Sam and asked for a second time, “Are you sure it’s the right one?”
“Are you serious?” Sam asked, as if she really couldn’t believe what Elle was saying. Jamie tried not to laugh at Elle’s lack of intelligence. Unsure as to whether or not she was actually as idiotic as she feigned to be or if she was simply stalling for time to come up with another lie, or way to get the information she wanted from Sam.
Elle nodded, indicating that she was indeed serious. Sam pointed to a label on the shelf. “We’re in the history section,” she stated.
“Things get put in wrong places all the time.”
Sam stared at Elle for a moment, as if assessing her sincerity. Then she took the book out of her hands, opened it and read, “The Renaissance is a period in European history from about the 14th to 16th centuries regarded as marking the end of the Middle Ages and featuring major cultural and artistic change including the decline of Gothic architecture, the revival of classical culture, the beginnings of modern science, and geographical exploration—” Sam looked up from the book. “Are you convinced that it’s about the Renaissance yet, or do I need to read the whole thing?” she asked mockingly. “You know, just in case they put the wrong pages at the start.”
Jamie tried to suppress his laughter. Elle snatched the book out of Sam’s hands. “There’s no need to be so nasty,” she said, then turned and walked away from the shelves back to the librarian’s desk.
Sam sighed tiredly and followed her.
CHAPTER 6
The first time Sam noticed the guy standing behind the railing by the books was about five minutes after Elle left. She was surprised to find him watching her and making no effort to hide it. When her eyes caught his, his expression turned to one of surprise; he ran his hand through his hair as though he was flustered by the fact that he had just been noticed, but he didn’t look away.
With the lack of other people being present, Sam came to the conclusion that he must have been the one who had attempted to push into her mind earlier. Sam studied him—trying to do it inconspicuously—as she wondered who he was, and more importantly who he worked for.
He was about six foot tall,
give or take. With raven black hair which was an extreme contrast to the pallor of his skin, which practically glowed in his all black outfit. He was youngish, maybe slightly older than her. And she supposed he was moderately attractive.
Sam didn’t recognise him at all, which was the first thing to arouse her suspicions.
Abrams Place was a fairly small town. It was large enough for someone to get lost, but small enough for them to be found quite quickly.
It was also small enough for everybody to know everybody else. Usually, when Sam came across people she didn’t know, bad things happened.
The second thing that fuelled her suspicion was his wardrobe choice. All black was the colour palette of the Underworld Demons that hunted her.
Could he be one of them, or did he just have an affinity for the colour?
The first two reasons to find this guy suspicious wouldn’t mean much to Sam if it wasn’t for the fact that he was staring at her and making no effort to hide it. It was almost as though he wanted her to know that he was watching.
Sam thought to Jack, who was also watching the guy cautiously. Obviously, she wasn’t the only one who found him suspicious.
“I don’t know,” Jack whispered, despite the fact that the guy wouldn’t be able to hear him. Generally Sam was the only one who could see Jack, unless he felt like making himself visible to everyone. “But he’s staring at you like it’s nobody’s business.”
Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes, or give any indication that she was having a mental conversation with someone.
“Can’t you just break into his mind?”
Sam said.
Jack let a sigh and shook his head. “He started it . . . just do it.”
Sam didn’t think about the fact that she was intruding into someone’s private thoughts; instead she focused on the fact that she was only doing to him what he had done to her earlier.
She reclined in her chair and pretended to be reading her book, while concentrating really hard on hearing his thoughts. In her mind she focused on his energy, then pictured a vault door. She imagined turning all of the locks and opening the door to the vault. And pictured that inside the vault lay his thoughts and secrets.
Jamie.
That was his name.
He wasn’t from outside of town; he had lived here for quite a while. Sam got a picture of a house surrounded by trees. She didn’t recognise it, but then she’d never spent that much time wandering through the forests. He was at the library because he was looking for information on—
His thoughts stopped there. He had somehow managed to push her out of his head.
Jack looked to Sam expectantly. “Well? Is he one of them?” he asked.
she said mentally.
Jack gave the guy an uneasy look. “I’ll go wander around Limbo for a while and see what my sources have to say about him.”
“You got your dagger?” he asked.
Sam frowned as she looked to her bag which lay on the floor by her feet, safely tucked beneath her desk. Sam thought.
“I know you don’t need it Sam,” Jack said. “I just want you to have a back-up plan for if the Magic fails.”
My Magic never fails, Sam thought to herself as Jack disappeared.
*
Jamie stood at the railing after managing to rid himself of a sudden headache. He stared at Sam, unable to look away, or walk away, or even go talk to her.
He just stared. Overcome with a sense of anxiety and desire rolled into one.
Sam met his gaze and stared him in the eyes. Hers were a perfect shade of indigo-blue, which burned brightly as though there was a fire raging within them. She glared at him, the expression she wore on her face causing her to look far tougher than her soft features should allow.
Stop staring at her you fool! his head yelled at him when he didn’t look away. He wanted to look away. He felt like a fool just staring at her openly. After a moment, she turned her head away from him, appearing to be annoyed and slightly confused by his attention. She was probably thinking there was something wrong with him. Who stares at someone so blatantly and makes no effort to turn away when caught staring?
Those would be his thoughts if the situation were reversed.
Jamie closed his eyes for a moment as he gathered all the courage he could, took a deep breath to help keep himself calm, and began walking up to the desk where she sat.
She looked even more beautiful up close. And as he drew nearer he found himself overcome by the same feeling of desire and anxiety, only stronger than before; his fingers twitched nervously by his sides.
As he moved closer he could pick up the scent of her shampoo, mixed with the scent of her deodorant and perfume, and her own delicious fragrance. It was so appealing; everything about her was so appealing.
She looked so soft.
With hair like strands of golden silk, skin as perfectly smooth as the petals on a magnolia blossom and lips with curves his fingers longed to trace.
And above all else, the familiarity of every one of her features. He felt that if he were to close his eyes, he would still be able to trace her every outline.
It took all the restraint Jamie had not to reach out his hand to her. He may not have had the self control to keep his eyes off, but he had enough brains to keep his hands to himself. He didn’t want to scare her or have her call the police on him, which was how it would have ended if he had allowed his hand to reach out as it ached to.
Jamie shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jacket, just in case.
And then he was at the desk, less than half a foot away from her. “Excuse me,” he said, trying to keep his voice controlled. Sam put her book down and looked into his eyes. A sudden smile formed on her lips, as if with that one glance into his eyes she could see every one of his secrets.
CHAPTER 7
Sam smiled as Jamie stood on the other side of the desk eyeing her, anxiously waiting for her to speak. Vampire, she thought. It was so obvious now that she could see him up close. His aura was what gave him away. It was a mesh of many different energies, from many different blood donors.
“Need some help?” Sam asked, while wondering what a Vampire would be doing at the library. But then, if he could read why wouldn’t he go to the library?
Briefly she wondered if he’d been sent by Aleczander to check on her, but then she thought that if he had, he wouldn’t have been watching her as he had been. He simply would have walked up to her and stated his purpose.
Jamie flashed a shaky smile, exposing more teeth than he should have. Although Sam knew his canines weren’t at their full extent, they were still obviously longer than any human’s should be. “Yes, actually. There is something I need help with,” he said, a slight nervous hint to his voice.
Sam wondered what he was so nervous about. Was he planning to try to feed off her or something? Not likely, she thought. His Vampire strength would be no match for the kind of Magic she possessed. One move in the wrong direction and he was gone.
Sam was nobody’s victim.
She watched him unwaveringly, waiting for him to finish speaking.
He just stood there.
Staring.
“Uh, am I supposed to guess the rest of that sentence or are you going to tell me what it is you need help with?”
He smiled. “Sorry,” he mumbled and ran his hand through his hair again. “I’ve been through all of the shelves and I can’t find any of the books I’m looking for.”
Sam noticed that he spoke with an accent. English, slightly diluted, which would mean he had to be over a century old at least. “Okay, well what books are you looking for?” she asked, knowing that she could find any book quite easily.
Jamie took a moment to think about it, then sighed. “I’m not really sure.”
She felt her eyebrows pinch together as she looked at him in confusion. Was he serious, or was this a joke? “I’m no detective,” Sam said slowly. “But if you’re not sure wh
at you’re looking for, that’s probably why you can’t find it.” He laughed a little. “What’s the subject?” she asked, trying to narrow down the search.
“The subject of what?”
Sam rolled her eyes. Why is everyone so stupid today? “Of the books you’re looking for,” she said, her voice tinged with the irritation she felt. “What subject are they on? What are they about?”
Jamie placed his hands on the desk and lightly tapped his fingers on the edge. He stared at his hands as if they would hold the answer to her question. “I’m not sure if I should tell you or not, you might think I’m weird.”
Sam looked Jamie over sceptically, now thinking that his shiftiness had been for other reasons. “If you’re looking for porn, you’re in the wrong place.”
Jamie’s head shot up and he looked at her, his eyes wide with shock, his hands went still. “What?” He spoke slowly, as if taking a moment for his mind to process what she’d just said to him. “No,” he said and shook his head. “No, I’m not looking for . . . porn.” Jamie appeared a little embarrassed, his lips twitched as though he were trying not to laugh. “Why would you even think that?”
“You’re acting suspiciously,” Sam stated frankly.
“I am?” he asked, his expression surprised, as though he hadn’t realised how shifty his behaviour had been.
“Yes.”
“Oh.” Jamie rested his arms on the desk and leaned forward a bit, bending slightly so that he was closer to her eye level. The more Sam spoke to him, the braver he seemed to be getting.
One wrong move, Sam thought.
“I don’t mean to be suspicious,” he said and smiled slowly, appearing more amused than he should have been. “I’m sorry if I’ve frightened you.”
Sam knew exactly what he was trying to do with the way he was watching her and the tone he was using to speak. He was trying to be charming and mixing that with some slight Vampire influencing tricks. Not that she could be affected by the psychic Powers of a Vampire. The fact that he was trying was amusing though, and she wondered if he knew what or who she was, or if he believed her to be an easily malleable human.
Immortal Souls: The Immortal Souls, Magic & Chaos (Book 1) Page 3
