“Just doing your job. That’s the only reason you were here checking up on me?” Suddenly she wanted to get this over with. Get it all out in the open once and for all, so that she could tell Ronan that Luca’s only feelings for her were ones of irritation. She wanted to look away, but she defied the impulse and continued to glare at him instead.
He was silent for a long time, as if struggling with something. She tuned into his feelings. He was tired, scared, excited. Finally he broke down, and she felt him resign. “I was worried about you. You had a seizure after you passed out and I was concerned, so I stayed.” Luca ran his hands over his face and then back through his hair. He sighed. “There’s something about you. I’m drawn to you in a way that I don’t want to be. You make me feel in ways that I haven’t for a long time. I never thought these emotions would be awakened in me again, but now they have, whether I like it or not. I feel protective of you, possessive even. As though you were meant to be mine.” He took a step closer to her and then another. Her body responded to his close proximity. Her mouth grew dry, and she tried to swallow.
He lifted his hand slowly and pushed the hair back from her face. The intensity of his gaze burned into her. Something stirred within her. A fire in her belly that made her head swim and her thighs go weak. Luca’s pupils contracted and then narrowed to slits. He caressed her cheek and brought his lips within inches of her. He bent his face to her hair and smelled it, inhaling deeply, and then skimmed down her neck. The fire within her burned. Before she could think about what she was doing or what it all meant, she turned her head and pushed herself forward till her lips met his. He tangled his hand in her long mane in an instant. His other arm wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground and pushing her into the wall. She pressed into him harder, her body exploding at his touch. She gripped the back of his head with all of their strength. He pulled her tight to him. She couldn’t think straight. All of her pain, her fear, her frustration, and her passion poured from her core into him. His emotions swam in her head. All of his pent-up loneliness and sadness melted away. Giving in to his want, his need to be with her and to have her as his own. She took everything he gave. He turned and fell on top of her on the mattress.
She wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes off. The weight of his body hovered over her as he kissed her head, her nose, her neck, her cheeks, her lips. He moved his hands along the thin fabric of her shirt, making parts of her wake up and beg to be touched. The muscles of his back tensed as she raked his skin with her nails through his shirt. He let out a moan and grabbed her hip bones. He was everywhere, and she only wanted more of him.
The door to the room opened without warning. She tried to tell him, but he kissed her with such force that she couldn’t let him go. She stiffened beneath him. “We aren’t alone.” She broke into his thoughts. He stopped kissing her immediately, his head whipping up.
“We need to talk.”
Luca let out a low growl. Nate took a step back. She could feel Luca’s confusion. His senses were heightened beyond normal, his passion conflicting with his rage. She held his attention, willing him to breathe, to find a level to his emotional state. Ironic that it was now her, trying to calm him.
Finally she broke the silence. “It’s fine. We can speak now.” Her eyes never left Luca’s face.
“I’ll just give you guys another minute or two.” Nate turned to go, but the door, slid open once again, and Abbey walked in.
* * *
Luca rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed. He stared off at the far wall. He was clearly trying to regain control of his emotions and figure out what had just happened.
“Hiya.” Abbey spoke in a cheery voice. “I’m so glad that you’re OK, Evaine. We were worried we were going to lose you for a while there. We couldn’t have torn Luca out of this room if we had bribed him with…well, anyway. I brought you some things.”
As she passed Nate he put out his arm and grabbed her lightly. He spoke to her in low tones. “I thought we discussed this earlier.”
Abbey laughed a full hearty laugh. “Oh no, lover, you spoke, and I listened. There wasn’t any kind of discussion.”
She turned to Evaine. “He’s so afraid you’ll want to eat me again. I told him that it was all a mistake and somewhat my fault for tripping, but mostly his fault for causing me to fall and hit the floor. He gets so worried about me being here with everyone. He always thinks someone is going to go for me sooner or later.” Luca slid sideways in front of Evaine, shielding her from both Nate and Abbey. He scooted back so far that he pressed her into the headboard. She had to put her hands up to stop him from squashing her.
Nate stepped in front of Abbey and opened his mouth to speak. Abbey’s smile slipped, and she shot him an icy stare. He stepped away without a word.
“I wasn’t going for you.” Evaine’s voice was small.
“What was that?” Abbey turned from Nate to smile at her.
“I said that I wasn’t going for you the other day. I only wanted the bowl.”
All three stared at her, making her squirm.
Nate’s mouth hung open for a moment. “But you wouldn’t let her out.”
Evaine paused, thinking. “But that’s only because she had the bowl. I needed the bowl. My shoulder hurt so badly from Victor throwing me so many times, I just wanted the pain to stop. I wasn’t going for Abbey.”
It was Luca who finally spoke. “We only eat human in the worst of injuries. It isn’t for little things.”
“See! All a misunderstanding.” Abbey smiled again. “I found a few more sets of clothing and a couple pairs of shoes that I think will fit you. And like I mentioned before, when you’re ready, come get on the computer and order whatever else you need. We have accounts with just about everyone online. I also brought you a snack and some Isis. Personally, I think they tested you too fast, but I’m not the decision maker for the family; I’m just the CEO and face of the human business that keeps us going here.”
“The animal disposal company?” Evaine asked.
“That one, yes, and the biohazardous waste business. We do disposal for hospitals on the East Coast. That was the most spectacular display of telekinesis I have ever seen. Not that I have ever seen much of it before. I doubt there is anyone more powerful than you. After you learn to control it, it will be a great ability.”
She wasn’t quite sure what to say. Right now spectacular would not be her first word choice for what she had done.
“Abbey’s right. That’s a very powerful ability you have,” Nate said. “But using it the way you did almost killed you for permanent this time. The strain on your ability caused your brain to swell and you had a seizure. You tried to do too much too soon. Locking the door, holding it shut, throwing Aron, throwing and holding Victor the whole time and then the way you were able to resist me as well. Very impressive.”
“You have telepathic influence. That’s your ability.” Evaine remembered now how Nate had tried to make her sit down in the corner in timeout.
“Yes. But I don’t use it unless I absolutely have to. I don’t believe in taking away people’s free will.”
The thought comforted her somewhat.
“I better go,” Abbey said finally. “I have a business meeting in the city with one of our hospital administrators.” She started toward the door. “Tell me when you’re ready to order online and I’ll help you out. Take care of her, Luca.”
Nate watched Abbey go. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Evaine looked over the tray Abbey had set on her bed. There were a couple of T-shirts, one red, one aqua. A couple pairs of jeans, two pair of shoes and a bottle of Isis. She opened the Isis and downed it in a few gulps. Then under all of it she saw a plate with a vacuum-packed bag on it with some kind of meat inside. She lifted but couldn’t smell anything. She dropped the bag, the memory of what had happened the last time she had eaten human fresh in her mind.
“Don’t worry. It isn’t human.”
“How
do you know?”
“Well, first of all, because it isn’t in one of the red medical disposal bags. Second, because it doesn’t look human. And third, because we would never allow anyone to eat off diet with others around. You’d have to be restrained. Like I said before, we never eat off diet here unless we have to. Right before a raid to strengthen ourselves or when we are very injured—those are the only times. If you don’t want to eat on diet and don’t want to commit to this way of life, you’ll have to leave the house. Nate doesn’t allow any exceptions.” As if on cue Nate and Aron walked back in.
They all stared for a tense moment. Evaine finally spoke. “Sorry about throwing you against the wall. Is your head all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you. I need to check you out though.”
“No problem.” She tried to sound upbeat like Abbey. But in her voice it sounded hollow.
Aron came toward her, a nervous smile on his lips. He checked her pupils and then her ears. He felt her head and checked her reflexes and finally her achy shoulder. He pronounced her stable, nodded to Nate, and left without a word. Nate pulled out a chair by the table and sat down.
“Is what Abbey said true? About me being extra powerful?”
“Yes, I’m not sure what it means, but I’m not surprised. For a while now we have been seeing more and more powerful abilities. Victor, for instance—he’s only a few years old. Shandy, she has my ability as well, but she can use it on more than one person at a time. Quinten has the ability to project images into people’s heads, which makes them hallucinate to the point that they can get permanently locked inside their own minds.”
“Those sound way cooler than me,” she said, relieved.
Nate studied her for a moment, then shook his head. “You really don’t comprehend yet what you can do, do you? You don’t realize what this means.” He waited for her to answer. She looked at him blankly. “You did everything yesterday without any training. A power like that could be limitless. You could learn to harness that power and control it to do just about anything. Throw entire armies into the air, move buildings at will, rip people apart by using your mind.”
She sat silent for a long time inspecting her hands. Could she really do all that stuff? She didn’t think so, but what if she could? This wasn’t something she wanted. She was a danger, to herself, to others, to Luca. Should she even be here? What if she lost it and killed someone? Suddenly she was very afraid of herself.
“Maybe it would be better if I left.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but she didn’t regret it.
“No,” Nate and Luca said together. Luca moved closer to her and brushed her hair out of her face. She wanted to touch him, to reassure him, but she couldn’t. She had to clamp her hands down in her lap keep from reaching for him.
“What I mean is that you need training. Your abilities are too powerful for us to allow you to walk around in the world without proper barriers.”
“Besides,” Luca interjected, “you saw what happens if you overexert yourself. That seizure you had is no small matter. If you try to do too much, it could kill you permanently.”
“So I’m your prisoner here.”
“No,” Luca said forcefully.
“Not exactly.” Nate eyed Luca. “We would like for you to stay here and train with us to use your abilities properly. When you have mastered them you’ll be free to go where you please.”
“Were you really going to shoot me the other day?”
The question took Nate by surprise. He didn’t answer.
“I see.” She looked at her hands again. “Is that what you do? Is that the way it’s done? Those of us you cannot control, you just shoot them?”
“No.” Nate gazed at her calmly. “That isn’t what we do. And to answer your question, yes, I was going to shoot you. I wasn’t going to kill you, but without a doubt I was going to shoot you.”
The news seemed to jar Luca. He moved closer to Evaine, placing himself between her and Nate. When he spoke, she could tell he was trying very hard to control himself.
“But we won’t be going there again, will we, Nate?”
“I am hoping that won’t be necessary.” Nate spoke the words evenly. “The thing is, Evaine, in the two weeks that you have been here, you’ve attacked, me, Victor, Aron, Abbey, and Luca. Twice.”
“I wasn’t attacking Luca during the testing. I would never hurt Luca.” Evaine spoke defensively, though she knew in her heart that she had thought about it when she’d wanted the human food. She had thought very hard about hurting him.
Luca began to tense, anger rolling off of him in waves. She ran her hands down his back, then wrapped them around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. She didn’t like this, being a prisoner. Luca placed his arms over hers and laced his fingers into hers; it made her tingle all over.
“She’ll stay,” Luca said answering for her.
She would stay. But if she had another episode, she would leave. Leave or—she didn’t want to think about the other thing she would do.
“I need you up in the lab, Luca. We’re looking at a new lead.” Nate stood to leave. Their talk was over.
Luca gave her hand a squeeze, then he too stood. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He kissed her on the top of the head.
The door shut behind them, and she was alone, again. The loneliness was familiar, as if it were something she had become accustomed to in her old life.
* * *
Luca stared at the computer. The Web page he’d seen several days before glowed on the screen. He wasn’t surprised to see it pulled up. Luca knew it well. He’d spent hours poring over it. Staring at every picture of her, reading and rereading the information. For the first time since he and Nate had rebirthed, there was a newborn with someone looking for one of them. Looking for Evaine. The huge reward and the news clips had been a shock to him.
“This is what you were up to for the days before the testing. You found out about this site.” Nate’s tone was full of accusation.
“Yes.” There was no sense in denying it.
“You had to know that when you left for several nights and refused to tell anyone where you were going that I would be concerned. Ronan mentioned that you’d been in here for several hours, so I decided to see what you’d been doing, since you never have been much of a computer person.” Nate sighed and leaned against the wall. “Jeez, man, what were you thinking? Did you not think I’d find out eventually?”
“I knew you would. I’d hoped that it wouldn’t be this soon.”
“How did you know to look for something like this?”
“I saw him in her head. At first I thought that she was having a dream, but then I realized she was actually remembering. I saw her with a guy. He was proposing to her.”
Nate rubbed his hands over his face for a minute. “And she doesn’t remember him?”
“Not yet, but I am sure she will soon.”
“She has to be told.”
“I think it’s best that we wait to see what she remembers. Overloading her with something like this could be too much for her.”
“Best for who? You or her?”
Luca didn’t answer.
“You know what this means. She won’t be able to leave the house, not for a decade at least, possibly more. If she’s ever recognized—”
“I understand the risk. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to protect her.”
“We’re all willing to do what it takes. She’s part of the family now. We’ll all help her and protect her. I’m just worried about who will protect you when this goes badly.”
Luca stiffened. “It won’t go badly. I’ll be fine.”
Nate shook his head, and his voice lost its condemning quality. “I’m not going to argue with you, but this worries me. I’ll let you decide when you think it will be best for her to find out, because to be honest with you, I am happy that you’ve finally found someone. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you…well…even look at a woman.”
“It isn’t like anything I have ever felt before.” The whole situation was confusing and aggravating. But he was starting to realize that it was something that he could no longer fight.
“I know, bro—”
“No, I mean I really have never felt anything like this. When we touch, it’s electric.”
“It’s chemistry.”
“I’ve felt chemistry before, this is different. It really is electric. When she touches my skin it feels like fireworks. I can’t think straight when I’m near her. I just want to touch her, or attack her, or lock her away from the world. I feel so protective of her. Thinking of him with her drives me…ahhh!” Luca sat back in a chair with his hands over his eyes. She was driving him crazy. Between her rages and her want for human food, to the way her beautiful eyes seemed to stare right into him. The lust and need that seeped off her skin when he touched her made him want to devour her. This was more than he had bargained for. He didn’t want to be involved with someone like this, have these feelings of needing her so badly that he would be willing to do anything for her.
“I know you weren’t prepared for this, and heaven knows newborns are not the ideal relationship material, but you haven’t even talked about a woman since Mya. I hope, for both of your sakes, you can make this work. But this going into the city has to stop. It isn’t good for you. You, of all people, know what it can do to a person trying to live in the past. Besides, if she finds out what you have been up to…”
Everything that Nate was saying was true, but it didn’t change how he felt. “I’m only going one more time. I just have to see.”
“This needs to be the last time. Besides everything I have already said, we don’t have time for games anymore. We got some intel that another couple of people have been reported missing. It’s going to be at least a week or more till we have a place to go, but we need to prepare. We need to start working with Evaine daily. If we can get her even somewhat trained in her ability she could be a great benefit—”
Dead Awakenings Page 11
