Empath (Book 1 of The Empath Trilogy)
Ch. 10
The door opened and I felt my jaw drop. There were two beings standing there at the door when it opened. One of them, I had met before.
“Henry?” I squeaked. I had never fainted before, but thought I might now. Lights danced at the edges of my vision.
He didn’t show any outward signs that he was surprised to see me. “Hello Claire,” He turned back to Troy standing by the open door then.
Completely normal, no Nosferatu claws or long fangs, not even the haunted black eyes. He was not what I was expecting for my first vampire.
“Troy, I apologize for the short notice, but this issue is serious. “ He glanced over at the man beside him. “My associate, James, has come by some information that I felt could not wait for a later meeting.”
Troy must have answered but my eyes were locked on Henry’s pale associate, James as they stepped in and Troy shut the door behind them. He was about 5’10” with a lean muscular build and in his early twenties. His wavy, light brown hair was pushed back from his face, brushing his collar as he turned his head, taking in all in attendance. But what caught and held me completely captivated were his steady, smoky blue eyes. Was that just the hint of freckles splashed across the tops of his cheeks? I had never heard of freckles on a vampire. Granted, maybe Ann Rice missed that part.
“By all means, Henry,” Troy looked over, “James, good to see you again. I hadn’t realized you were back in the country. Please, come in.” Stepping back to allow them to enter, Troy looked nonplussed to be welcoming the two vampires into the house. Henry must be a good vampire. Was there such a thing? It seemed that the two groups got along well enough to visit each other’s homes. It struck me that my world was a much different place this evening than it had been just a few hours ago. And to think, I had been worried that tonight would be complicated by Stephen’s romantic interest in me. Huh, if only.
Henry strode inside to stand in front of the large window at the front of the room. James stood a few feet to his left, nearest the door. The Andrews resumed their previous positions on the loveseats. Not certain what to do, I hovered next to Stephen’s end of the loveseat, putting as much distance as politely possible between myself and the vampires. It didn’t matter that Henry was just a librarian. He didn’t look like one right now, I didn’t know if he would ever look like just anything again.
Henry looked at each member of the family, nodding slightly at them individually. Lastly, he looked briefly at me and nodded deliberately, almost a bow. Not knowing what to do, I bobbed my head back, still holding his chocolate eyes with mine.
Troy spoke first. “Claire has come tonight to visit with our family. I am sure she is finding her visit enormously educational. Isn’t that right, Claire? You can speak freely in front of her.” He looked at me then, “Yes?”
Again, my assent was silent, eyes drifting between Henry and Troy, relieved when no one mentioned my “gift.”
“As you know, James has certain,” he paused, “connections in the area. This evening, one of these connections has come to him with some news. The rumors of another coven moving into our territory are true. They are believed to be former military and of a most violent disposition.” Henry paused and looked at Stephen. “We are uncertain of their intentions; we merely know they are coming to this area and have been rather flamboyant with their hunting in the past.”
Hunting; was that what they called it when they killed people? I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. It was hard to picture Henry or this handsome James sucking the life out of some poor human. Someone like me, I thought. I felt sick and my eyes went to the floor.
“Claire, why don’t you sit down?” Henry was looking at me.
Stephen twisted his neck back to where I was standing. “Claire you look a little green.” He was worried.
It took a couple of swallows and I licked my lips to speak. It didn’t work. I just shook my head and stumbled over to sit next to Stephen on the arm of the couch.
Henry continued, “We prefer not to have any issues in this area that might bring unwanted attention to our own local population. I have come to ask your clan to help us in our efforts to dissuade them from entering our area and continue moving beyond our boundaries. Stephen, would you be willing to assist us?”
Though I didn’t know what talents the other members of his family might have, I could see how Stephen’s lie detector trick or ability to insert thoughts into people’s heads could help to influence the unwanted visitors to stay away. So, the vampires here in this area were quiet about their, er, hunting. That was good. I wasn’t sure how good, but I did consider it a good thing that they wanted to avoid a bloodbath. Or whatever it was the other group did that was considered “flamboyant.” My imagination was working overtime on that one and my hands had begun to tremble.
While I was thinking, I realized my eyes kept wandering back to James. His face, his body; was it really the conversation that was making it so hard to breathe and focus? Dressed in black trousers and a white dress shirt with the neck open and sleeves rolled up to show nicely muscled forearms, and black dress shoes with a high polish, he looked irresistible from head to toe. Only it wasn’t something so obvious that was pulling at me; it was something else, something I’d never felt before but it was making it hard to function. Not that it mattered, the drooling, staring, shaking mess I’d turned into was undoubtedly impressing all of them.
It was during my hormonal internal monologue that I vaguely heard Henry and Troy discussing the minutia of how to go about handling the crisis at their door. I realized with not a minor amount of embarrassment what had drawn my attention back to the conversation. Troy had said James’ name.
Henry was answering, “Yes Troy, I agree that it might not be necessary, however, we need to know that if it becomes necessary, we will be able to rely upon your clan as we have before.” He looked at James. “Please James, if you could advise Troy of what you shared with me in the car?”
They rang doorbells and drove cars? How terribly mundane that seemed for such notoriously scary, otherworldly beings. Maybe there were some other things I had wrong. Maybe the books and movies had painted a gorier picture of these creatures than was deserved.
Again, in my own head, I was shocked back to the conversation when I heard a deep, silky voice come from Henry’s guest. More than his physical presence, his voice tugged at my being and I heard myself gasp. Clearing my throat, I tried to mask my reaction.
“My informant has alerted me that the coven is moving up from Chicago and will be here in about a week. Their story is that they are searching for a missing member of their coven and that they will be looking in Milwaukee. He guesses it will take some time before they turn toward us. We may have a few weeks if they have any trouble. That population is more scattered than our own, but they will be upon us roughly before the end of November, regardless.”
I wondered if he could see me staring at him; I was utterly captivated. It was as if his entire being changed as he spoke and his voice went straight through to the center of my being. In the same way I could hear my mother’s specific tone in a crowd, I knew that I would be able to find his as well without question.
With a jolt, I realized that I heard Troy saying my name. “We were speaking to Claire tonight, initiating her into the clan, so to speak, in preparation of training her.”
Then I became very aware of each person then looking curiously at me. At first, I had to stare very hard at the stitching on my brown trainers, until I realized that they were all waiting for something. I looked up, for the first time, meeting James’ eyes head on as they looked directly at me. Something in me shifted, that tugging from within and that connection I had felt clicked and I was completely and utterly entranced. His eyes, as he beheld the human in the room, reminded me exactly of the ocean when I had seen it in California during a winter storm. It had been grey and
foreboding. James’ eyes now appeared equally severe, but I felt them drawing me, regardless. I was afraid I would not be able to speak with him here; it was hard enough to breathe somewhat regularly. Fortunately, Stephen seemed to notice. He cleared his throat and, that failing to get my attention, decided to speak for me.
“Henry, James, please excuse Claire. She’s had a lot thrown at her tonight. She had no idea any of us existed a few hours ago.” His tone grew severe, “James, could you tone down the Glamour a bit? You don’t need it here and it’s unfair to use on her. She’s human and as you can see, she can’t even function.”
James broke eye contact with me and smiled in embarrassment, which only served to make him all the more enticing. He slid his hands in his pockets and flicked his eyes up at Stephen. “I am sorry for any disruption I’ve caused, however, I am not using Glamour.” He looked back up at me. He was trying to hide a smile, but I thought I had seen something else flash behind his eyes.
Stephen glanced from me to James. He was seeing something in our faces that disturbed him. I heard a new, harsher undercurrent in his voice when he demanded my attention, “Claire, look at me.”
I did as he asked and reluctantly broke away again from James to look at Stephen. When I did, the connection I’d felt faded and my cheeks heated up as I realized I’d been staring and everyone had noticed. Even the object of my fascination had noticed my blatantly pitiful ogling. Great, I was blushing and staring. What was I some silly little schoolgirl with a crush? Actually, yes, yes I was. How mortifying.
Stephen considered me for a moment longer and shook his head, tossing aside an unwanted thought. It made his hair go all moppish again and I thought even though I now knew he was a mountain lion, I still loved that he looked like a little brother. I smiled. He smiled back sarcastically, “Glad you are still with us.” Jerk. “Claire, if it is all right with you, I would like to share with these two what exactly your gift is and how it might be of use to us in a situation such as this one.”
Again, I had to look at my shoes, my self-doubt rising exponentially while I compared myself to these supernatural heavyweights. “Um, I’m not sure it would be helpful at all. Like I told you, I wouldn’t consider it much use. It’s never helped me.”
“Let us decide, hmm?” He said not unkindly.
“I guess. Stephen, could I get a drink of water or something?” I needed to get out of the room while they talked about me, and my stupid gift.
“Sure, glasses are to the right of the sink. Help yourself to anything in there.”
Jumping up, I wobbled on my feet for a stride before steadying myself. ‘Way to look like an idiot,’ I thought to myself. As I walked to the kitchen to get a drink, I heard Stephen begin, “Henry, you know what I can do.”
Henry sounded like he was not surprised by this information, he must be aware of all of the clan’s abilities. “Yes Stephen. It has been very helpful in our assessing of situations in the past and I hope that you will help us with it again very soon.”
There was a pause, presumably some nodding then Stephen continued. “I’m sure you’re aware of Claire’s paranormal sensitivity.”
“Yes, I felt it when I met her.”
He’d known? Of course he had. I felt like the last one to get the answer to a problem.
“Claire is an empath as well. She also has a talent I haven’t seen in a long time and one I think would be greatly beneficial when added to our current arsenal.”
He paused and I was frozen in place listening, wondering what he knew about my abilities that I didn’t. Not for a long time? He’d known others with this capability? Maybe he could help me shield all of it, or even shut it down. I dared to hope for normalcy in my life while I stood in the kitchen of my werecat friend who was talking to vampires. Normalcy. Right. Perspective.
Stephen continued, “She can channel.”
No one said anything. I was dying to see how that little tidbit was being received. Did he think that was good?
“How well does she channel? Have you tested the distance to which she can reach?”
Wandering back in, sipping my water from a glass, I refused to look up at them. I just walked right in and sat on the arm of the loveseat again. It was so quiet. I imagined them all looking at me like a puzzle, deciding if they wanted to take the time to figure it out to see if it was worth it. Even if they could use my abilities, I couldn’t let go of the idea that they were amusing themselves with me. Holding my breath, I waited to hear which way my future would go.
“Claire, could you help me to explain or even show our friends what you can do?” Stephen prodded gently, knowing I was in a fragile place.
Without looking up, I mumbled, “Everything I know about it is accidental. I feel what others around me feel, the closer they are, the clearer I feel them. If I touch them, I can channel them. That’s it. It really isn’t a gift or anything. More like a curse.” Speaking it aloud, admitting all of it burned but I had to be honest and put my own opinion on things out there whether they cared to consider them or not; this was all beginning to feel like I wasn’t going to have a say in it soon anyway.
That alluring voice spoke again, going directly to the same spot where he’d gotten into my head from the start and I let my eyes be drawn to where he stood frowning at me. “I hear what you’re saying Stephen, but she is raw. Do we have time to develop her ability before we would need it? Stephen, can your clan work with her? It seems you two are, ah, close.” He had obviously mistaken Stephen’s protective attitude as jealousy. Great. Like it mattered; it wasn’t going to happen between an average looking human and a gorgeous vampire. That I knew.
Hearing Stephen laugh out loud, I looked up at him, slighted. “Yes, I can help her with her sensing, but you know I have never worked with channeling. That is kind of your forte. And you know better than that.” He wiggled a finger between us, smirking, “Claire and I are just friends.”
Even though we had just discussed it and just that very night I had dreaded it, hearing Stephen laugh at the thought that we were dating stung. I was tired of being talked about like I wasn’t in the room. “You don’t have to jump all over that one Stephen; I’m not that bad.” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
He looked at me, kindness in his eyes as he prepared to soften the blow. I heard Tara belly laugh. I shot her a look but she had her eyes closed, laughing. Hard.
“It’s not that funny. Just because I am some dumb human doesn’t mean I’m inferior or not worth the time or effort unless it can benefit your cause.” I stood up to leave. I didn’t have to take this. Human out.
Troy silenced Tara with a quick word. “Stephen, I think you owe Claire an explanation.”
I looked at Stephen who now appeared a bit sheepish. “What? Is that it, are your kind not into humans?”
Stephen smiled gently. “My kind likes humans just fine, and I specifically like human males quite a bit.”
Now our conversations made sense. Of course he just wanted to be friends, I was a girl, totally not his type. “You’re gay?” Was my smile as big as it felt? How perfect! It wasn’t because I was just some dumb human. Awesome! “Stephen, that’s great!”
His eyes hardened in offense, “I’m glad you think so.”
Backpedaling quickly, I moved to put my hand by his shoulder, my version of a pat or hug. “I’m sorry Stephen. I have no problem with you being gay, it has nothing to do with that. I’m just glad you don’t think it’s laughable for someone to want to go out with me.”
Stephen, my new best friend, grabbed me into an impulsive and unexpected hug and I couldn’t shield from his touch fast enough. In an instant I was filled with his warmth. It surprised me with its intensity and I gasped, eyes and mouth flying open with the shock of it, but feeling his affection taking hold of me, I wrapped my own arms tightly around his body, hugging him to me. Stephen imm
ediately leaned back, pushing me away, and dropped his arms. He slammed up his own blockade system and I took a step back wrapping my arms around my middle, wishing I could disappear.
“I’m sorry, Claire. I should have known to block that. I forgot about that for a sec.” He was actually blushing. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to know how much he liked me. I didn’t care. I was happy to have felt the depth of his affection, only that joy was tempered by the shame of the display I’d just put on for them. I was indeed a weak human just like they all thought.
James spoke my name this time yanking me back to the present, “Claire.”
My own name had never made me want to shudder before. “Yes.” It wasn’t a question. Whatever he wanted, I knew I would try to do it. I wondered how it was that I was having such an intense reaction to him. It wasn’t just an attraction, something I didn’t understand was happening. I was too embarrassed to ask Stephen though. I’d have to sort it out myself. Maybe it was a vampire thing. Stephen had called it Glamour.
His deep voice tickled my skin. “Claire, if that display was any indication of your ability and lack of control, I think that we should work with you to develop both. Even if you cannot help us, we can’t leave you so vulnerable to others. It is only a matter of time before someone figures that out and uses you for their own means. I have experience with channeling; I would like to work with you. Would that be acceptable?”
I tried not to swallow my tongue. “Yes, that would be fine. When should we start?”
“If Henry could help us with the scheduling, I have time to meet every evening for now. We can use my home. If we can get you ready before the unwelcome company we’re expecting, your gift could help us to determine threat level. And if you show any proficiency at distance, it could help us tremendously in determining our risks. I can only guess until I have more experience with your talent.”
“Your house?” My voice sounded flat and dull. What was wrong with me? “That would be fine.”
James dipped his head, and he and Henry turned to leave. Henry looked to Troy, who rose to walk them out. “I will call you to arrange our next meeting. This gives me hope that we can avoid damage to our own position and those close to us. Thank you for that.” He turned to me, “Don’t worry about your shift tomorrow. We’ll move your schedule around to accommodate your work with James.” He turned to James, concern lining his brow. “Would you be ready to start as soon as tomorrow?”
He was clearly more concerned about this situation than I thought if he was putting any amount of faith in me to help.
James answered in the affirmative and that seemed to be all everyone needed. The vampires said their good-bye’s and took their leave. James turned to me as he was walking out. “Henry will give you my address. Can you make it tomorrow at six?”
My heart sank. “I don’t have a car.”
“Hmm. If you prefer, I can pick you up at a quarter till in front of the library.”
“Yes, that would work.”
“You might want to eat before I pick you up.” He flashed me a smile and my stomach tightened, “I will make sure that I do. This sort of work can be exhausting and use up your reserves quickly.”
My smile faded as they walked out and, thankfully, my senses returned as soon as the door was closed. Was I an idiot? Hot or not, I had just agreed to spend a lot of time with a vampire. I couldn’t control myself around a group of “friends.” Now I was going to meet with him all by myself. Did I want to die? Oh, but what a way to go! Feeling myself blush again, I had to change tracks quickly before I completely humiliated myself in front of Stephen’s family tonight.
After the door closed, I sank back down on the loveseat behind me where Stephen had just been sitting and I welcomed the residual warmth from his body into mine. My head sank back on the cushions and I yawned, exhausted mentally and physically. What time was it?
Stephen noticed. “We’d better get you back before you pass out. You’ve had a big night,” he teased.
Nodding, I agreed and struggled to my feet. Troy stopped me with his hand out as I walked to the door. “Claire, I am pleased to have met you and look forward to working with you. You are a friend to us. We will protect you as a member of our clan, I swear it.” His words were formal and heavy with meaning. I found them reassuring, even if I didn’t fully understand what was behind them.
“Thanks Troy. I just hope I can help.” They already felt like more of a family than mine at home. Immediately I felt guilty, but it was true. It was just that I could be myself and be open with these people. That was something I couldn’t see doing with my parents. And my grandparents? No way. Grandma would probably try to send in an exorcist.
Stephen walked out beside me; his shields were back up so all I felt was his body heat. We walked shoulder to shoulder out the door and he opened the car door for me at the curb. I turned to wave from the passenger seat after buckling up and I saw Troy hold up a hand in salute from the window. The girls had gone back to the interior. I wasn’t sure their level of excitement about my involvement, but they certainly hadn’t been as openly hostile by the end of the evening. That had to be worth something.
“So what was that I saw between you and James?” Stephen was on me as soon as he turned the key in the ignition.
I groaned, “It was that obvious, was it? I’m such a dork. I’ve never had that happen to me before.” I put my face in my hands, humiliated.
He laughed, “Can’t say as I blame you, he is hot. You got his attention though, too. I’ve never seen him offer up his help so easily.” His face grew serious. “You should be careful with him Claire. Getting mixed up with them can be, ah, life altering. I wouldn’t have done this if I thought I could have taken you on myself.”
Suddenly uncomfortable, I abruptly changed the subject. I was sure the only reason James was showing interest in me was due to my talent and obvious lack of control of it. They were hoping I would be able to help them, or at least not be used against them if I read things right. There was something Stephen had said earlier that had peaked my interest, “Stephen, what is Glamour? You said James was using it on me.”
“Glamour is a vampire thing. They can make you go gaga over them if they want. It makes it easier for them to hunt, like deer in the headlights.” He was looking ahead at the road, face eerily green in the glow of the dashboard lights. It seemed fitting for the creepy conversation.
“Speaking of which, am I nuts to go to his house alone?” I was genuinely concerned now that I had my wits back.
“Why? Are you afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off him?” Stephen laughed.
Waving him off, I answered slightly annoyed that he was having so much fun with my obvious infatuation, “No, I’m worried he won’t be able to keep his hands off me.”
His eyebrows went up as he looked over at me. “Pretty sure of yourself, huh?”
“Ahh.” I groaned in frustration, rolling my head against the seat back. “Are you thick? He is a vampire. I am a human. Is he going to drink my blood or something?”
Stephen got it then. “Actually, Henry and James both refrain from hunting humans directly and they encourage it among the rest of the Minneapolis coven. It helps them blend more effectively in society. They have a connection with the local blood bank and get what they need that way.”
“Really? They drink donor blood? Isn’t that supposed to be used to save lives of people who need it? It would piss me off if I knew some vampire was sucking on my donation.” Of all the things to seem wrong tonight, somehow that seemed like a betrayal to the populace.
“Doesn’t it save lives, Claire?” He spared me a sideways glance.
“Oh. I suppose you’ve got a point there.” I hadn’t thought of it that way.
We rode the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, each lost in our own thoughts until we got back to my dorm.
“Hey, how did you know which dorm I lived in? I’ve never told you where I lived.”
He ducked his head shamefaced. “I followed your smell before so I knew you lived in this one.” He saw the distraught look on my face. “I don’t know what floor or anything. It isn’t like I’ve been spying.”
“My smell?” This new life was going to take some adjusting. My best friend could follow my smell and my soon to be tutor could drink my blood. College was proving to be a very different experience than I had expected. Not frightening though, strangely enough, just different. There was definitely something wrong with me if I wasn’t scared yet. Worse yet, if this wasn’t enough, then what was it going to take to scare me smart?