Rebirth - Book 1 Rogues Shifter Series by Gayle Parness
Chapter Seventeen
Garrett put his shoes by the door, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and guided me back to the circular burgundy rug under the window. We sat, legs crossed and facing each other. “It’s important to remain hydrated.” He handed me the bottle.
“Do you see yourself as a warrior?” I snuck a glance at his strong hands. Did he fight with a weapon, or was a vampire all about the fangs?
“Perhaps a warrior, but I’m no one’s champion. I try to help out where I can, that’s all.” I wondered if he counted me as one of his causes. I managed to give him a shy smile, despite my jittery nerves.
I started to ask something else, but he interrupted. “Let’s begin. I want you to breathe in and out in a steady rhythm. Find a song that speaks to you and hear it in your head. A child’s nursery rhyme works too. Then breathe to that beat, four beats in, four beats out. Once you’ve found the right song, it will become your mantra for stilling your mind and your body and readying yourself to access the energy.
After running through various playlists in my head, I remembered someone singing a song to me long ago. I was very small and her voice had been lovely and comforting. I didn’t know if it had been my birth mother, but I’d always imagined that it was. I chose that song and started to breathe in and out to the cadence of the tune.
Garrett released my hand and I instantly bent forward from pain as another hot jolt punched me in the stomach. “Why is it so much worse now?” I groaned. I reached out, but he snatched his hands away.
“Breathe, Jackie. Holding your breath will make it worse. The energy in the ley lines moves in currents producing waves of power, always getting stronger as the full moon approaches. This particular crossroads produces more than most others across the country. That’s why the town was built here.”
“Great.” I grimaced, trying to breathe steadily. “Why didn’t I have this problem before I transitioned? Or when I was on the island?”
“Your first shift brought on these abilities. The island is relatively far from a line. A powerful user could still access magic without a problem, but not a newborn shifter.” He twisted his mouth looking slightly annoyed with me. “Please stop asking questions and breathe.”
I shut up and concentrated, finally succeeding in gasping in rhythm. Four beats in and four beats out. Four breaths in and four breaths out.
“No, not short breaths, smooth. Try in through your nose and out through your mouth.” He demonstrated.
I smoothed out my breathing and felt a slight lessening of the pain, although not enough to stop the single tear from running down my face. Why couldn’t he teach me all of this while he was touching me? This sucked.
“Better, Jackie, but don’t stop. Now I want you to close your eyes and visualize yourself standing somewhere out in the open. On a field or a beach is fine. Then imagine a strong solid wall, a shield of some kind. Whatever comes to you first will work best. There can’t be any cracks or openings. I want you to visualize it brick by brick or stone by stone being built up around your body. Outside energy can’t penetrate it no matter how strong the power. You control the magic to build your wall. It doesn’t control you.”
I lost count for a moment, wincing from the pain. “You must truly trust in your strength for the shield to work. It can be made of any material you choose as long as you believe it’s impenetrable. And whatever you do, keep breathing in the same rhythm.”
I hesitated, my muscles tensing up. Did I mention that I’d always been a tiny bit claustrophobic; enough to keep me out of small simulator rides or very crowded elevators? Building a wall around myself, even in my mind, was causing sweat to break out on my forehead. Another wave of pain hit me and I quickly went back to concentrating on my breathing.
“Don’t wait. Do it now.” His voice was urgent, even frustrated, irritating me. Jeez, he wasn’t the one in pain.
Two more tears joined the other one. Maybe if I could see through the wall I wouldn’t panic. What was see-thru and strong? I chose my material and started to build, pulling energy from the vibrations around me. Gemstone by gemstone, I created a wall made of smooth, clear diamond. It was beautiful as it rose up in front of me, glittering in the moonlight, and I was quite pleased with my choice.
As I was building, I was also visualizing myself very far away from Garrett. I placed myself on a grassy coastal cliff overlooking an ocean of rippling magic where anything was possible. Starbursts of colors glimmered on the swelling surface beckoning me to climb down and take a dip. I resisted the urge and quickly completed my wall, drawing a satisfied sigh from my trainer.
I was amazed that it was the strength of my mind that held the wall in place. I’d been able to use magic as a tool to shield myself, bending the power to my will. I grinned because the pain was gone and I wasn’t afraid of it anymore.
“Perfect. Now open your eyes, only don’t let go of your wall.” His voice was as soft as velvet, caressing my fragile ego and giving me confidence. The vibrations and heat from the lines had stopped affecting me, and I was surprised when I looked down at my hands to see that Garrett still wasn’t touching me. Inside of my mind I stood proudly on the cliff, looking out at the magical ocean of ley line power.
“Please look at me.” His sapphire eyes were gleaming with pride. “Why the cliff?” he asked, smiling warmly.
“I like the ocean.” He waited. “And I was angry and wanted to get away from you,” I whispered, embarrassed that he might think I wasn’t grateful for his help.
“Why create an ocean of ley line energy?” He seemed amused by my choices.
“I want to see what I’ll be working with.” I shrugged. “How can you see what’s in my mind?”
“I tapped the lines and followed you mentally, until you finished your wall, then I was locked out.”
“Any vampire can see inside my head?” I blinked several times, my eyesight blurring. My eyes widened. Garrett was starting to glow, looking even more like an angel. And boy, did he smell great. I took a really deep breath, sucking in his now familiar and very yummy scent.
“Only the older vampires can read thoughts. I think our blood bond makes it easier for me. But not when you have your mental shield up, like you do now. Clever of you to create a wall of diamond.” He ran his hand distractedly through his auburn hair and I wondered dreamily what it would feel like to touch it. I was surprised to see that my hand had moved up toward his head, even though I couldn’t remember moving it.
He grabbed it, laughing. “Okay, Jackie. I think you’ve had enough for one night.” His voice was like a splash of warm soapy water, making my body tingle all over. “You’re a little power drunk. Although you may not realize it, you used a lot of the line’s energy to build your shield. It always affects cheetahs like this the first time. We’ll be able to work for longer tomorrow. C’mon, I’m putting you to bed.”
“You are?” I grinned stupidly.
“To sleep, Jackie.” He handed me the bottle of water and I drank half of it down gratefully, not realizing how thirsty I’d become. I stood and swayed so he picked me up and carried me into the bedroom, lowering me down on the bed without effort. His grin was brilliant.
“Kyle told me that I was screwed and that you’re gonna own me ’cause I drank your blood.” I giggled, thinking that my words sounded a little slurry. I held out my hands and waved them around dramatically. “Master—I’m your slave.”
He chuckled as he removed my shoes and tucked me under the covers. “I gave you my blood to heal you. It formed an unexpected bond between us. Now I can sense if you’re nearby, or if you’re hurt. We might be able to communicate mind-to-mind one day. But I don’t own you, Jackie, and I won’t feed from you. By using your wall you can block me from your mind anytime you want.”
“You can feed from me. Go ahead.” I giggled again only half joking. I was picturing his lips on my neck and it was making me feel warm all over, in a really good way.
He leaned slowly down until
I sighed, a tiny bit disappointed, then rolled on my side and slept.
A pattern developed over the next two weeks. Ethan and I would get up between noon and one after a long night of training with Garrett, Sinc, and Kyle up at the campsite. We’d eat some of Carly’s delicious leftovers and go for a run, or spar, or decide to take it easy because we were really sore from last night’s training. On those days we’d watch a movie or indulge in another backgammon tournament.
Carly’s arrival at four with more wonderful food was one of the high points of the day. She’d stay for an hour, always bringing Samson who seemed to crave my attention. Carly would leave and then Garrett would arrive around six. He’d work with me for a while out in the woods away from Ethan and then he’d take us up to the campsite for another training session with Sinc and Kyle.
Several things were becoming more and more apparent as the days passed. Sinc, Kyle, Ethan, and I were beginning to act and think like a team. We were also starting to bond, becoming more relaxed in each other’s company. I was getting better and better at building my defensive mental wall so I was much more comfortable around the buzz of the lines. I didn’t need to wear the necklace at all anymore. It now hung from the mirror over the dresser, reminding me of the vampire who’d given it to me.
Shifting to cheetah and back felt as natural as breathing, and some of my favorite times were when the four of us hunted together in our animal forms. If a hiker had happened upon us, he probably would have shaken his head in disbelief and then run like a bitch.
What I tried to ignore but couldn’t, was how I felt toward Garrett, and it wasn’t because of anything he’d done. His behavior was always professional and, while I was focused on the training sessions, mine was too. But then he would laugh and touch my shoulder and I’d have to bite my lip to keep from touching him back. He would smile at me because he was proud of what I’d accomplished, and I’d find myself staring at his lips and wondering if they’d be soft to kiss. He was doing nothing to encourage me, yet I was drawn to him totally, reading in his azure eyes what I wanted to find there.
And yeah, you could say this was a physical reaction to his spectacular looks, but you’d be only half right. He spoke to me with kindness and intelligence. He laughed at my jokes and teased me right back. He helped me see myself as a powerful, useful member of a community that needed my skills. I started to like and respect myself. I began to feel whole.
Once in a while I’d imagine that he was looking at me with longing, but then it would be gone and he’d be his usual steady self. I’d had a couple of schoolgirl crushes in my life, usually ending with my getting hurt, but this was so much more. The logical part of my brain told me that he would never feel the same way about me. Still, I was grateful for every moment we spent together, and when I crawled into bed at dawn, it was easy to close my eyes and dream about him.