Chapter 37

Get out of my brain! Allie hissed.

Back atcha, red!

“What’s with you two lately?” Chloe asked.

“Sorry, Chlo,” Allie said. It was proving very difficult to keep this latest development from their friends, but the connection they shared was such an intimate thing, neither felt comfortable discussing it.

“We have to tell them,” Aidan said. He was driving home from the girl’s first volleyball game of the season, which they lost.

Stay out of my head next time and we might actually win.

“It’s not my fault you can’t listen to instructions.”

I know how to play the game! “And we’re not telling anyone.”

“I was just trying to help.”

Think quieter next time.

“Quieter? Really?”

“Do you two have something you’d like to share?” Quinn gave them a puzzled look.

“What?” Allie snapped, completely oblivious of the strange, half-conversation they were having.

We did it again. “Allie, we have to tell them.”

“It’s about time,” Graham said. “You two have been at each other’s throats for weeks.”

“Allie seems to be sharing an emerging gift with me,” Aidan announced.

Like I did it on purpose? “It’s not a gift; it’s a curse straight from the fiery pits of Hell,” she fumed. “Apparently, I’m telepathic, but only with this idiot.”

Retract the claws, will ya? “It started a few weeks ago, and we’re having issues,” Aidan said with a patient sigh.

“Because someone has trouble telling the difference between my thoughts and when I’ve actually spoken aloud!”

“It sounds the same, you evil little harpy!”

“So, you guys are in each other’s heads all the time?” Chloe giggled.

“Not always.” Aidan lied. They don’t need to know how strong this is already.

“Dude, you have my deepest sympathy,” Graham said solemnly.

“Has she tried to dismember you yet?” Quinn asked with a straight face.

“Har, har. You guys are so freaking funny,” Allie muttered.

* * *

Do you ever stop thinking? Allie sighed.

Do you always ask stupid questions? Aidan replied.

Sorry, this is just so…

Exhausting?

Cheers to that, she agreed as Naeemah and Sasha chattered about their vacation plans for spring break.

“Allie, you’ll be going to Paris with us,” Gregg said casually. “If need be, we’ll have Daniel talk your parents into coming along.”

“What? No, we already have plans.”

“We can’t leave you unprotected. You know better than that,” Naeemah said.

“Seriously? You’re complaining about going to Paris?”

“Seriously, Gregg? I’ve seen Paris a dozen times. I’m going boating with Vince and my parents. We’ve planned this for weeks.”

“Even if we weren’t concerned with your safety, you can’t take two weeks off training. I’m sorry, but you have to come with us,” Naeemah said kindly but firmly.

“What am I going to tell Dad? He’s so excited about this trip.”

“Well, now, let’s talk about this, Nae. What if we sent the guys with her?”

“Babysitters?” Allie sulked.

“Aye, like Liam? And maybe Darius too?”

“Really? Would they come?”

“For you? My boys would do just about anything. I’ve never seen anything like it. One visit and you’ve got them all wrapped around your little finger.” He winked. “We’ll even lend you our sailboat so everyone has a cabin, and the guys will go along to keep you out of trouble. It’s a win-win.”

“All right, but I’ll handle my parents.” She hated the thought of Daniel messing with their minds.

* * *

“Little one!” Liam grinned when she rushed into the common room, not hesitating for a second when she flung herself into his outstretched arms.

“Warn a guy before you do that.” Darius flinched.

After careful experimentation, it was apparent that Allie was immune to Liam. An anomaly he enjoyed, but one that made others nervous.

“Hey, Darius.”

“Oh, am I special too?”

“Of course.”

“Good to see you too, killer.”

“We’ve got two days of hard training before we leave, and I mean to make the most of it,” Liam said. “Ems wants us to work on your gymnast training while she’s gone, so let’s get to it!”

They coached her on the vault, balance beam, and rings, working on her control and upper body strength until her arms ached and her legs felt like mush.

“I wouldn’t mind spending more time on this and less on the sai,” she said as she did a graceful handstand on the rings.

“Allie, you have to get over your aversion to weapons,” Liam said.

“And how do you know I’m averse to them?” she asked tersely.

“You don’t exactly hide it,” Darius said.

“I’m perfectly willing to fight if I have to, but I don’t have to like it,” she said by rote, dismounting with a perfectly stuck landing worthy of Team U.S.A.

“No one’s asking you to enjoy it,” Liam growled. “We’re just afraid you’re going to learn a very hard lesson one of these days.”

“Duly noted.” She gave him her best scowl.

“Stubborn little minx.” He swept her up in a massive hug. “I can’t tell you how much it means to relax with another person for the first time in my life.”

“We so need to work on your definition of relaxing.” She giggled.

“Get her out of here.” Liam lobbed a towel at Darius.

“So, what are we doing today?” she asked as they headed for Naeemah’s underground terrarium.

“We’re going to try using your solar gift as a weapon,” Darius said.

“You’ve met me, right? Short redhead, doesn’t like weapons?”

“Your sarcasm is a weapon.” He rolled his eyes. “Today, we’re going to experiment. I want you to study the process of reaching for your power without grasping it. It will be difficult, but you might discover some slight irregularities that may allow you to use your gift in different ways.”

“Sounds hard.” She flopped onto the grass.

“It actually helps if you relax.” He stretched out beside her.

Allie settled back and reached for that coil of warmth in her core, letting the layers of heat flood her body, but she refrained from embracing the hottest layer—her solar gift. It took all her concentration to keep her power at bay, and she trembled with the effort.

She felt a sudden odd spike of excitement that didn’t fit the situation.

“That’s it! Now, study it. Look for anything you might be able to grasp,” Darius said.

Aidan? She caught his distant emotions. He was desperately trying to block her, but she saw flashes of naked arms and legs entwined, and she felt things she should not be feeling.

I do not want to see this!

Back off, Lex.

“Focus, Allie.” Darius pulled her back.

She tried to block what she was seeing, but she needed all her strength to deal with the task at hand. She frantically shoved Aidan and his date from her mind, but ignoring them proved almost impossible.

Allie covered her eyes, her face flushing scarlet. His block just wasn’t strong enough. She muttered under her breath as she tried to grasp hold of that elusive thread, but it never gave purchase.

“Naomi?” Darius frowned. “What about Naomi?”

“What?” Allie snapped.

“You’re muttering rather violently about her and—Oh!” He grinned. “I do believe it’s date time in good ole’ Parie. Little brother’s busy, huh?” He waggled his brows devilishly.

“I’m never going to get that out of my head!” She threw herself into the exercise, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, but it did nothing to dispel the vivid images from her mind.

“Give the kid a break; Naomi has a soft spot for the McBrien boys.”

“You really want to piss me off too?”

“Definitely not. Bad Aidan!”

She couldn’t help cracking a smile at his attempt to distract her.

“How about you turn that anger on lover boy and think about using your gift to fry his ass when he gets home?”

Allie tried, but she couldn’t ignore Aidan and the older Naomi, lying naked wrapped in each other’s arms, talking softly and sharing the kind of intimacy he typically only shared with her.

I’m sorry.

“Screw your apology!” She reached for her gift. Beads of sweat rolled down her back as she teetered on the edge, keeping her power at bay. Every time she thought she had it, it vanished. “It’s like trying to catch smoke!”

“That’s enough for today, you’re losing control.” Darius pulled her up to sit with him.

Allie…

“Again,” she insisted.

Alexis Ann, answer me!

“So not talking to you, McBrien.”

“I’ll assume you don’t actually mean this McBrien, so it’s definitely time to stop,” Darius said.

“One more time.” She sat facing him.

“All right, but focus on me. Hold my hands and look into my eyes. Deep breaths, Allie.”

She did as he said and immediately felt her anger diminish. Darius’ midnight blue eyes held her gaze as she took three long, calming breaths.

“Let’s hope you never get that mad at me.” His eyes twinkled. “Ready to try again, killer?”

She nodded, grasping his hands tightly. It was different this time. She felt stronger. Allie pushed herself, but she just couldn’t manage it.

A drop of scarlet landed on her sleeve, and she reached to wipe the blood from her nose.

“Enough. You’re pushing yourself way too hard. We’ll give it another shot tomorrow.”

Lex, please don’t be mad.

Aidan, how could you?

* * *

“You seem distracted,” Vince said as they drifted farther from the bonfire party.

“Just enjoying the silence,” Allie said dryly.

Yeah, silence would be great right about now! Aidan growled. You’d think with an ocean between us we’d get a break from this thing. He punched his pillow irritably.

Is that what you were counting on? Distance?

Allie, I wasn’t thinking. Period.

“It is nice having you all to myself for once.” Vince snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her in closer as they walked along the jetty. “Watch your step, it’s slippery out here.”

She shivered when a spray of cool water showered them.

“Let’s sit.” He pulled her down in front of him. She settled back against his chest, eager for some alone time but wondered if they’d ever actually get it.

“Better?”

“Much.” But she wasn’t. She wasn’t really mad at Aidan for sleeping with Naomi—he was a big boy and could do what he wanted—but she was furious that he’d done it knowing she’d be nothing more than a voyeur. And she was outraged on Kayla’s behalf.

We have an understanding—

I don’t want to hear it.

“You all right? You seem kinda tense.” Vince traced a kiss along her temple. His arms wrapped around her, and she snuggled into his warmth.

“I’m fine, just cold.”

“I love you, Allie,” he murmured softly.

She couldn’t help her grin. It was the first time he’d said it. “I love you too.” She turned to face him. She really did. It wasn’t “I’ll-die-if-I-spend-one-minute-away-from-you” love, but it was still love, and it meant the world to her. With Vince, they had just the right amount of heat to make it interesting but not so much that it eclipsed everything else. She had her life, friends, and commitments, and so did he. The time they had together was the most stress-free time she had these days.

“The past six months have been crazy for me, Vin. So much has changed, and you’ve made it all so easy.”

Do I really have to listen to this?

You did not just say that.

“I’ll always be here for you, Allie.” He smiled as his lips found hers in a slow, sweet kiss that made her heart pound.

This is payback, I suppose? I’m just lying here looking at the ceiling with nothing to distract me from what you’re feeling and thinking. You know, one day, you’ll be ready for something a little more spicy and—

Back off, Aidan!

You know, I find it totally awesome to realize your boy Vince is a great kisser. Can’t get enough of that. Always wondered what kissing a dude might be like.

Out! She pushed him as far from her thoughts as she could manage and tried to focus on Vince.

“Allie, you know you’ve been a lifesaver for me too?” Vince said. “I was in a bad place for a really long time, even before Vanessa died. You’ve brought so much normal back to my life.”

“Back atcha,” she said, trying not to laugh. The irony was ridiculous. “Excited for our trip?”

“I can’t wait to get out on the water.”

Enough already, Aidan sighed miserably. The trip’s great, the boyfriend’s great, and I’m a jerk. Can I go to sleep now?

Jeez, Aidan, no one’s stopping you, she teased. She knew she had to let him off the hook.

You’re mean. You know that, right?

* * *

“I’m not really accustomed to teaching,” Darius said as they headed for Naeemah’s office. “Training, yes, since my own is still a huge part of my life. I’m only twenty-five, which in our world, kinda still makes me your age.”

“That’s really confusing,” Allie said. “You look like an adult, but I can sense you’re really not.”

“It’s a tough age. Sometimes, I think about going back to high school or college because it feels more natural.”

“So, when will you be an official adult?”

“Not until after my Proving, which could still be a few decades.”

“That kinda blows. You know you’re not making the next hundred years sound very promising.”

“It’s not all bad, but you should know what to expect. I’m guessing no one’s taken the time to really explain it to you?”

“Nope.” She dropped onto the couch beside him. “Although, I’ve had a vague idea that it would probably suck for a while yet.”

“Well, when it matters, I’m treated like an adult. I’m just not legally allowed to live on my own yet. The Senate mandates that all Unproven Immortals live with a guardian at least part time. Scott and I are roommates, but officially, he’s in charge. George is my mentor, and we’ve trained almost every day since I was six.”

“So, why don’t you guys come around more often? You’re just across the bay, but we never see you.”

“We like to keep travel to the island to a minimum. It could draw the wrong attention if too many of us come and go.”

“It’s nice when you’re around,” she said. “I know Aidan and Sasha miss you too.”

“You miss me, killer?”

“Well, yeah. You never sugarcoat it.” There was something about the way he was with her. He wasn’t a teacher, and he wasn’t one of her school friends—and he definitely didn’t feel like a brother. Darius was fun, never too serious, and she knew she could trust him to be straight with her.

“Tell you what. Whenever you feel the need for some Darius time, just call me and we’ll do coffee.” He winked.

“Cheers to that.” She added his number to her contacts.

You do realize my brother is shamelessly flirting with you? Aidan asked sleepily.

Darius is a flirt, a trait that runs rampant in your family. He’s harmless.

“We’ve gotten way off track, which I hear you are very good at doing.”

“Who, me?”

“Yes, you. Now, let’s talk about this telepath situation.”

“Our dreams mingle, and we can sometimes read each other’s moods.” She shrugged. “The time difference is kind of a bummer.”

“Liar, liar, pants on fire.” He rolled his eyes. “You two can communicate.”

“Don’t tell anyone. Please?”

He won’t. I already talked to him.

“So, you know?”

“That the two most powerful kids I’ve ever met are sharing a brain? Yeah, I know.”

“We need to figure this out on our own.”

“I get it, but you’re going to have to come clean eventually.”

“I know, just not yet. It’s complicated.”

“I’ll lay off the questions, but this connection is going to be a very valuable tool when it really begins to unfold.”

If it unfolds anymore, I’ll be wearing dresses, Aidan grumbled.

It’s okay, you have the legs for it.

I really do.