Unknown Touch

by Gina Marie Long

  Of course, I didn't really think I'd get away without a few of my admirers having to check in on me.

  Dominic mentally asked, Only a second of your time, I promise. Are you fine right now?

  I'm on the boat dock. It's very peaceful. I'm fine. Thanks for checking, I replied.

  Before he drifted out of my mind, he said, I know you need to do some deep thinking. Remember to review what I talked to you about this morning. See ya' in a while. Bye.

  I appreciated his concern. I was also thankful that he didn't linger in my mind and had chosen to respect my privacy by giving me that time to myself. Time I had requested to be alone.

  I had sensed from the time I stepped onto the boat dock, Daniel was nearby. I attempted to keep my mind clear and to avoid contact with him, since the whole point of taking this walk was to not have any outside influences swaying my thoughts. I couldn't ignore that I knew he had followed me.

  I acknowledged him with a psychic message, Daniel, I know you're out there. I turned around on the boat dock to survey the trees.

  Heavy with guilt, he simply stated, I'm sorry. I'm staying hidden and quite a distance from you. I want to ensure that you are safe out here, Kara. I will not interfere with the time you need alone. Act like I'm not here.

  Okay, my own personal bodyguard. Acting like you're not here is easier said than done. Unless I'm in danger, please, Daniel, stay out of my thoughts and don't approach me. I'm not trying to be mean, but I need to do this on my own. I want to think about the big picture here. You and me. The future. I pleaded with him to give me the solitude I desperately needed.

  He understood, I won't intrude. Do your thing. And with that, we dissolved the mental link. I was aware he would not leave me alone out here, but at least if I didn't physically see him and he kept out of my thoughts, I could speculate about my future plans.

  It was time to review what was happening to my life. I knew, without a doubt, I loved Daniel. And, I did not romantically love Dominic. I saw Dom as my best friend. The kiss we shared confirmed that for me. I loved him as a friend, but not as a boyfriend. I didn't want to lose Daniel or Dominic. I wanted both to remain in my life. I wanted them to remain friends with each other.

  When the issue with Stephen was resolved, would I go back home to my parents in Illinois? And leave Daniel? Could I handle a long-distance relationship? No, No, and No. Which meant I was staying here. I had to discuss this with Daniel.

  What about The Liaison? What if they asked for my psychic help again with another whacked out werewolf, or some other being, for that matter? They did originally abduct me, for goodness sake. But, I understood their motivation for doing so. And how could I forget all the money they spent on me for my birthday! I couldn't just blow them off. Helping people, helping this race's survival, did truly make me feel like I was doing something very worthwhile, very important with my life. Again, I needed to talk to Daniel about that. And then my team.

  Lastly, would I tell Daniel to turn me into a werewolf? Would I go through the conversion? In some ways, I completely wanted it. In other ways, I was terrified. At least I had not fallen in love with a vampire. I could see even greater problems in dealing with that. Having to drink blood and sunlight burning my skin were pretty good examples. The werewolves looked like normal humans, even if they were unbelievably physically fit. They ate regular food and walked around in the daylight. They were virtually immortal, had superhuman speed, strength, heightened senses and healing properties. That didn't sound so bad. Yeah, they did have huge rage issues to deal with, and probably had to spend a lot of money on clothes since they kept ripping them to shreds. Also, I had to consider the reality of living a very long life. Daniel was 342 years old. He in no way had taken on any characteristics of aging beyond that of a 26 year old man; that was his age when the witches' curse had been placed on him, turning him into a werewolf. Did I want to be in a position where I would eventually see all of my human family and friends die and I would continue to live on and on? And, of course, the knowledge of werewolf existence had to remain hidden...or be hunted down by fanatics, the government or the local people.

  I did not have to make a firm decision right now on whether I wanted to be a werewolf or not. I was the one who had shocked Daniel when I had started asking him questions about becoming a werewolf in the first place. Daniel was not pressuring me in the least bit. He never once brought up anything about turning me into a werewolf. It was my idea. My curiosity. And my wanting confirmation from him that if I did choose to be turned, that he would carry through with it and not fight me on it. So, it was totally my decision. Daniel remained neutral and would go along with whatever my choice was. And I didn't know right now. I would make up my mind later. There was no need or reason to rush into that type of life changing decision immediately. I needed to talk to Daniel about that, too.

  I took several more minutes to breathe deeply. In and out. In and out. I stretched my arms up and then bent myself over, letting my arms dangle to get a good stretch in on my back. I felt much more relaxed since I had this chance to self reflect, to be alone, and to not have others influencing my thoughts. It was time to find Daniel. Since I knew he was out in the woods watching over me, this would not be much of a challenge.

  Daniel, would you come to me now? I want to talk with you in person, I mentally reached out to him. Hopefully, my statement didn't sound negative. I felt that I had basically positive things to tell him.

  In a mere five seconds, he was standing in front of me in all his glory. He was so gorgeous. I hugged him and said, "Let's go for a ride in my fancy new car! I have things to tell you."

  "What? You just spent the last hour tossing around ideas about major life decisions and now you want to go joy riding? Can't you tell me now what you've been thinking about? You can't imagine how difficult it was for me to stay away from your mind and respect your private time. I about went crazy. Not only that, but to keep myself hidden far enough back in the trees so you couldn't see me. My God, I felt like I was stalking you!" Daniel was highly emotional with anxiety. He did not have a clue what I wanted to tell him.

  I reached out and put my hands on his chest. Calmly, quietly, I soothed him. "Daniel, relax. Breathe with me. I have nothing bad to tell you. Close your eyes." I went into his mind, not to read it, since it was quite obvious what he was thinking, but to flood him with warmth, love, comfort. I implanted beautiful images of a great forest filled with ancient trees and a rock-filled, bubbling stream. The stream led to a breathtaking two hundred foot waterfall that cascaded down into a small, clear lake.

  Daniel was very content. I had been able to manipulate his behavior successfully. I grabbed his arm, and said, "Okay, now that you're not flipping out on me, let's go for that car ride."

  He shook his head, but knew I had won. I started running up the trail, with Daniel in hot pursuit. I wanted to get back to the garage as soon as possible and hop in my new car. More importantly, I had several things to talk to Daniel about and I was about to burst wanting to get on with that conversation. The joy ride in the car was just an added benefit for fun. We made it back to the garage in record time and took off in my shiny car.

  I started out driving around Hamlin, getting comfortable with the feel of the car. It was nice and handled so well. It looked so awesome, too. Daniel knew since this was the first time I had driven it, it was probably best not to distract me by forcing me to talk. He guided me around town and pointed to different places of interest since I was not familiar with the area. I had no idea where I was going. Poor Daniel was getting anxious again, and wanted to know what I had to tell him. After a total of fifteen minutes of driving around, I pulled over, tossed the keys to Daniel, and told him to drive. I was satisfied with my time behind the wheel. I loved the car to pieces and would have to thank Eli again.

  I didn't want to divide my focus between driving and having a deep conversation with Daniel. Maybe we should have just stayed at the resort and sat down to talk. It wasn't fair
of me to put Daniel in a position of responsibility over my car. But since I was going to be doing most of the talking, and he had many years of driving under his belt, I figured he could handle it.

  I had to tease him a little first. "So, what was it we needed to talk about?"

  He lifted an eyebrow at me, and said, "Your life."

  Well, that did sum it up. I began, "Daniel, be prepared, because I'm going to ramble on. First, and foremost, I love you."

  He stopped me. "Kara, I can't drive around like this and have you tell me things like you're starting to do. Hang on, just around the corner I can park the car in a spot that gives us a view of the lake. People park there all the time."

  I realized how shaken he was if he couldn't even drive the car. He maneuvered it into a parking space, turned it off, and looked at me. "Begin," he stated.

  I did as he requested and dove in, "Okay, as I said, I love you with all my heart and soul," he grabbed my hand, kissed the back of it, and didn't let go. I could barely go on and I had only just started. He brought tears to my eyes with his display of affection.

  I said, "You are aware that Dominic has a thing for me. I have explained to him that he is like my best friend in the whole world and that is all. And that I love you. He isn't thrilled with our relationship. He's very concerned about the choices I might make. But I'm begging you to accept him as my best friend. And not hurt him or force him away from me. You have already been friends with Dom and I want that to continue."

  Daniel responded, "My turn...I love you, more than you can comprehend. And I can deal with Dominic in a respectful, non-threatening way. Of course, I will not stand idly by and have him chastise me about our relationship or attempt to threaten me. I will have my say with him if he pushes my buttons too far."

  "I understand," I told him. "Now, onto a decision I've made, if you'll agree to it. After this situation with Stephen gets resolved, I do not want to go back to Illinois and live with my parents. I want to stay here with you. I am very sure of my feelings on this subject. I don't know what I would tell my parents. At the moment, they believe I'm rambling around in California, by myself, seeking out my true destiny. All I know is that I do not want to leave you. Your turn."

  Daniel smiled and jubilantly said, "Of course, you can stay here. I want you to stay with me. I'm feeling a bit selfish, but I don't know that I could even let you go. We might ask Eli's opinion on what to tell your parents. We'll figure it out. You are an adult and your parents cannot force you to come home."

  I covered one issue at a time and kept going. "Next...speaking of Eli...I have thought about my little team, The Liaison. They brought me on board rather abruptly and violently, but I have come to love them all and what they stand for. You understand their purpose and goal. We are presently working on that goal. To save Stephen from the dark side. To prevent him from committing any more violent crimes. To save the werewolves from exposure to society. Daniel, before I became a part of this group, before I met you, my life was boring. It had no meaning. I was aggravated and depressed. I felt my life was going nowhere and that I was completely useless. At that time, I had no boyfriend, my friends and I were drifting apart, I had a low-paying job I hated, and still lived at home with my parents. Now, everything has changed for me. You, especially, are in my life now. But, I have this wonderful psychic ability that has made me feel very useful. I feel like I can and should do something good with it. To help people, or different species. If Eli would call and ask for my psychic assistance in the future, what would I tell him? Would you allow me to go?"

  "Kara," Daniel said, "Allow is a rather strong word. That makes me sound like a tyrant and that you wouldn't have any choices with me. That is not true. I would never rule you. If Eli or anyone with The Liaison calls and asks for your help, and you willingly want to go, I will assist you on your trip. You know, I could be quite useful to them. And I do need to get out more often. Abigail can easily handle running the resort without my constant presence. I always fear for your safety during the times you make contact with other beings, obviously more physically than mentally. I have enormous strength that could greatly help provide protection to you and the others. So, I can deal with that, too. What else?"

  I was coming to a close in our discussion. "The last thing I made a decision on was whether I wanted you to turn me into a werewolf." He had that "deer in the headlights" look on his face.

  "I've made the decision to not decide for right now," I smiled at Daniel. What a relief to have this all out of my system. He reached over and hugged me, which was difficult since we were still sitting in the car.

  He responded, "I think that is a good idea. I am not pushing you either direction, as I want this to be completely your decision. We have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves, to be ourselves, and not to worry if we will alter the type of being you are."

  I whispered in his ear, "Just to let you know, I am leaning more towards you turning me into a werewolf."

  Just at that pivotal moment, I sensed that someone was trying to mentally connect with me. And it wasn't the ever familiar sensations of Daniel or Dominic. I held up one finger to Daniel to be still while I opened my mind more freely, letting it be a blank slate so I could focus on the mental contact. I heard my name with the image behind it – Zac! I sought out his mind to initiate the telepathic link.

  Zac, it's Kara. You did it! You reached out to me and I heard you. What's wrong? I felt panic racing through my body.

  Zac explained, Stephen has gotten David pretty wound up. David is willing to follow Stephen's lead. He's still stirring up the rest of his pack, too. We're heading back to the resort now. I think we've been spotted by Stephen so we need to leave now. See you in a little bit.

  I looked at Daniel and said, "Time to go."

  Chapter 20

  Reveal

  Daniel looked back at me, bewildered, and asked, "What now? Who were you speaking with?"

  I explained to Daniel what Zac had told me, which was extremely brief, but to the point. We needed to make a move on Stephen soon. Daniel had already started up the car. Within minutes, we were back at the resort. We arrived before Zac and Tessa, so Daniel and I decided to round up the remaining troops for another meeting.

  While Daniel looked for Abigail, I went to the cabin to fetch Dom and Eli. Eli was elbow deep in research papers, as Dom sat in a chair reading a book. The three of us quickly walked back to the main area of the resort. Dom poked at my arm with his finger, and quietly asked, "Did you make any major decisions I need to know about?"

  "Yes," I answered, knowing full well that he wanted details. "Look, we don't have a lot of time to talk right now. Let me give you a summary: I love Daniel and I'm staying here with him after this ordeal with Stephen is over. If the team needs my psychic help in the future, I'm all for it. Give me a call. I have decided to not make a decision at this time about converting into a werewolf. That covers the main points."

  Dom was tremendously relieved that I had chosen to put on hold any ideas of being transformed into a werewolf. I'm sure he figured that could give him more time to try and convince me to never make the conversion. And when I mentioned how I wanted to keep helping The Liaison in the future, he smiled and rubbed my arm. Of course, I failed to mention that Daniel would be coming along with me on those missions. But, Dominic was content for now. He knew there would always be more situations that would develop, dealing with the hidden species of the world. I would be called into play, and Dom would get to spend time with me. Together, we would use our psychic powers to fight evil and bring about peace and tranquility. Hmm...I think I had plucked that last sentence word for word from Dom's thoughts.

  Everyone had reassembled in the lounge, including Zac and Tessa. Abigail suggested that since she had prepared supper already, that perhaps we could move to the dining room and dive into the discussion while we ate. She seemed fidgety and hurried us along, as if the food might get cold.

  Zac and Tessa took turns describing the result
s of their surveillance and what they had witnessed throughout the day. Most of their time was spent staking out Simon's place. They had used a type of sound amplifier, a listening device, in an attempt to hear conversations. With the use of some high-powered binoculars, and a few other James Bond gadgets I couldn't remember the names of, it had been a fairly successful day. If any of the werewolves decided to roam around and discover them, Zac was ready to camouflage their gear, and play the role of a husband trying to show his wife how to hunt.

  Excellent cover story, I had thought.

  Stephen had managed to sway David's opinions and thoughts some. David was the youngest, as far as how many years he had been a werewolf. He still had very much of a wild, uncontrolled side. He transformed frequently into the werewolf form and enjoyed chasing wildlife. But, he was not as aggressive and did not hold such rage as Stephen did. Stephen persuaded David to join him in a little revenge against Daniel. He wanted to sabotage either Daniel's truck or set on fire the boat dock. According to Zac, no decision had been made by Stephen. He was having too much fun playing around with different ideas. From what they could hear, David and Stephen were laughing together over the matter, like partners in crime.

  Tessa had commented that the other werewolves, Simon, Lydia and David's wife, Rachel, were not in agreement with Stephen and David. They remained calm so as not to anger or provoke Stephen. But they appeared to be firm in letting Stephen know that they would not be involved in any acts of revenge. Stephen acted like he didn't need their permission or assistance to do as he pleased. He patted David on the back, like he had just found his best buddy in the world. Tessa said she saw Rachel look at David in anger and then she shook her head and walked away, like she didn't know what to do about him.