Painfully Ordinary Special Edition (15 page)

“This impish
streak of yours comes out quite often around your extended family, does it not?
I think I kind of like it. You have a fire in
your spirit
that is very appealing
. “Talon said with sparking blue eyes.

“Appealing
in what way?” I teased, while running my hand down his back coming to rest just
above his hip. I knew I was playing with fire, and I was thoroughly enjoying it.

He sucked in
his breath and his eyes met mine. I wondered if they would burst into blue
flame. I trembled, and the air around us shimmered and danced.

Caiti?
Leah’s mental voice.

You know your timing really sucks.
What?

Are you still here?”
she asked.

What?
What do you mean?”

What are you doing? I can’t see either one
of you anymore. It’s
like
you disappeared.
Her
voice trembled.

What do you mean, we “disappeared”?

Exactly that.
I can’t see you anymore – just your outline
in the hammock.

Considering what I’m thinking, being
invisible is not a bad idea, but I’m not sure how I’m doing it. Let me know
when you can see us again.

I focused
back on Talon.

Finally!
I could have some time with him without the
constant interruptions.

Music floated
across the yard from the porch. My uncles had brought out their instruments and
were playing to finish up their night. It was a family tradition, and I knew
that at any moment they were going to call us back to sit around the fire pit
and listen to music.

“Caiti-baby!
Come here and spend some time with us before
these old farts have to get home for the night,” called Beau.

I let out a
deep sigh and shot Talon a frustrated look. “I swear, we’re going to have some
alone time if I have to create another damn portal to do it. Of course, I’ll
have to figure out how I did it the first time.” I giggled. “Come on, let’s
make them happy and then we’re going to have some time to ourselves.” I pulled
him by the hand.

I reached
over and rocked the hammock next to us.

“Leah! Come
on–that means you too.”

“Ugh. You
picked
now
to show up?” she groaned.

I rolled my
eyes at her. “Whatever. You do it to me all the time.”

Jace groaned
too and rose out of the hammock. He pulled Leah onto his back and carried her piggyback
all the way to the circle that had formed around the fire pit near the base of
the porch.

“Wow. That
looks like fun. I sure wish someone would give
me
a piggy-back ride.” I cut my eyes at Talon to see if he would
catch my hint. His eyes slowly reverted to their normal color.

“I think we
can arrange that for you,
ves’tacha
.”
He knelt down so I could climb onto his back, and then lifted me if I were
weightless. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself against his
back, nuzzling his neck. I inhaled deeply; he always smelled so good.

He took a
deep breath.
“Careful, love.
Do not start something we
cannot finish.” My heart skipped a beat in a combination of fear and anticipation.

We sat
together within the glow of the fire and listened to the music of the
Elders
. Eventually things wound down,
and soon we were walking them out to their cars. I made sure to hug each and
every one of them before they left. I wasn’t sure how long it would be before
I’d be able to come back again, and I would miss them all horribly once I was
home.

“Good bye,
Caiti girl.”

“Behave yourselves
until we can get back here tomorrow.”

“See you
ladies in the morning. We’ll bring you some breakfast.”

“Love you,
baby girl.”

Beau was the
last to go. “Jace, Talon, I expect you to watch over them as if your lives
depend on it… because, quite frankly, they do.”

They folded
us into their arms. “Upon my honor, so will it be done,” said Talon seriously. Jace
kneeled in front of Beau, presenting him with the top of his head.

Beau nodded
and briefly put his hand on top of Jace’s head. “I will hold you to that
promise.”

“Love
you, Pops,” I said wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, deeply inhaling
the smell of soap and tobacco. “I love you too, Caiti-baby.” He walked to his
car and slowly drove away.

I walked back
into the house and put my arms around Sonny and Gail.

“Don’t worry
about cleaning up. There are still four of us here, and I think we can handle
it. You’ve certainly done enough for me already. You can go watch TV or
whatever. We have this covered.”

Sonny leaned
over and kissed me on top of my head. “You always were my favorite, kiddo. I
think I’ll take your Aunt Gail to bed.” He waggled his eyebrows like a cartoon
villain. She blushed and slapped him lightly on the arm. “Sonny, behave.” I
noticed she didn’t argue with him. She leaned over and gave me a squeeze. “Are
you girls going to sleep in the usual place, or are you going to use those
hammocks Sonny got for you?”

I stared at
Sonny in shock. “They look brand new. It’s like you knew we were coming.”

He chuckled
and squeezed Gail, who was the picture of innocence.

I would have
sworn she knew we were coming.

She quickly
redirected our attention. “So what is it: hammocks or the usual spot?”

“Hammocks!”
we shrieked in unison.

Jace’s voice
dripped with disbelief. “You girls—sleep outside?
Really?
I wouldn’t have pegged you as the outdoorsy types.”

Leah elbowed
him in the side. “We used to sleep on the love seats on the back porch when we
would come to visit. There is always a breeze in the back yard, so it never
really gets too hot. Now that Uncle Sonny has hooked us up with the hammocks… well,
there is no competition.”

I hung back
slightly as we walked out the door. I wanted to ask them something, but was
afraid of what their answer might be. “You two boys don’t have to go, do you? Can
you stay here? We can put you both up on the couch or something.

Jace
chuckled, “Really Caiti. Do you think we would let the two of you sleep outside
alone after all that has happened? Are you crazy? We have spent
many
years sleeping outdoors. I think we
can manage.”

Talon’s eyes
changed color again as he said, “I will not be far from you. You should have no
worries.” He reached over and grabbed a backpack off the porch. He opened it
and pulled out a Zune and speakers. He plugged it in and set it to a song I had
known for years, from previous visits to Emory.

I shot him a
wry smile. “Don’t you go anywhere without your music?”

“No, it’s
the one thing which has always provided me with some semblance of comfort,” He
said.

Once
again
I felt sorry for Talon and the loneliness he must’ve
felt before we met.

As the wind carried
the deep voice of Travis Tritt through the trees, he held his hand out and I
went willingly into his arms. Jace pulled Leah gently into his arms as well,
and we all swayed to the music. I buried my face in his chest as he stroked my
hair, resting his cheek on top of my head.

Soon, I
heard Leah’s mental voice whispering softly in my head.
Caiti?

What’s up, Leah-poo?

There is a storm coming. I can feel it and it’s
starting to make me jumpy
.

I faced her
with wide eyes.
A
storm?
Are you sure that is
all it is? You don’t think something bad is going to happen, do you?

Nah, it just feels like we are going to get
some rain.

Leah pulled
back and addressed our company. “It’s only fair for me to warn you we are about
to be in for some rain.”

Jace stared at
her skeptically. “How do you know that?”

She shrugged
her shoulders.

I tried to explain,
“She’s always had an extra sense when it comes to the weather. I’ve learned not
to argue with her about it. She’s never wrong.”

Talon appeared
concerned. “Isn’t that going to throw a wrench in your plans for sleeping
outside?”

“Nope.”
I continued. “No way will I let anything get in the
way of that. I have looked forward to those hammocks for way too long. Leah, is
it going to rain all night?”

She shook
her head. “Nah, I think we are just in for a short shower. We should be okay later
tonight.”

I heard
thunder far off in the distance and raised my eyebrows at Jace. “See? I told
you so.” The first fat raindrop hit me directly on top of my head. I raised my
face toward the sky and let the
rain fall
on my face.
The drops were soothing – washing away all my stress.

Talon tried
to shield me from the rain. “Come
on,
let’s get you
inside out of this rain.”

I pulled
away from him and danced around the backyard. Leah flitted her way out to where
I was whirling. We danced in a circle around the fire pit, swaying our hips and
raising our arms over our heads. Something primal had taken over, and instinct
was driving our actions. The faster we danced, the harder it rained. Soon, our
hair was soaking wet and clinging to our backs, and our clothes
were plastered
to us.

Talon and
Jace stood frozen in place in the pouring rain, watching us in fascination. I
noticed that Talon was far from unaffected by our dancing. His eyes were
blazing blue in the night air.

Jace was
staring at Leah with a large, almost primal grin. They slowly walked toward the
pit as if they were under a spell.

I held one
hand out, motioning for them to stop, and they both complied immediately. Leah
and I slowly moved toward them, swaying our hips and moving around them in a
counterclockwise fashion.

Jace obviously
lost the grip on his control before Talon. He grabbed Leah by the upper arms,
crushing her to him.

I stood
directly in front of Talon with my back to him and rolled my hips toward him in
time with the music. I snapped out of my trance when I heard him groan. He spun
me around to face him. I saw his eyes and a shudder of anticipation rocked my
entire body. I stood on tiptoe snaking my arms around his neck. He placed his
hand in the curve of my lower back pulling me tightly against him. I raised my
face to his and kissed him gently. The kiss grew more passionate as the rain fell
harder. I pressed by body fully against him as a growl tore from his throat. I
threw my head back and whispered his name.

“Talon.”
What had taken over me? I knew I was playing a
dangerous game and just didn’t care.

He ran his
mouth across my jaw and down my neck to my collarbone. My entire body shook and
the air around us shimmered. We stood like that for quite some time, completely
oblivious to the pouring rain.

Chapter 11

Limitations

“Caitlin,” Talon
murmured, “we need to slow down. We simply cannot do this.” He pulled back
slightly and the rain stopped.

“What? I
don’t understand.” I blinked rapidly to clear my vision. “Are you saying you
don’t want me? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you
have done nothing wrong,” he assured me. “It’s another drawback of what I am.”
He caressed my cheek. “I have to be very careful when I am with you. We can
never
have any sort of blood exchange,
even in the heat of the moment. To do so would bind you to me and the life of a
Varyo
forever. I cannot allow that to
happen.” He shook his head sadly.

Blood
exchange?
That sounded so incredibly vampiric. The
conversation brought me out of my reverie, and I noticed Leah and Jace had
disappeared. I wasn’t sure if they had simply walked away or if she was able to
hide them as I had done earlier. Either way, I was going to give them some much
deserved alone time and I needed to focus on the conversation at hand.

I was so
confused. What exactly did he mean “the life of a
Varyo
”? Right now, I was having a hard time seeing the downside of
being with him forever. It looked
pretty good
from
where I was standing.

I pulled
away and sunk to the wicker loveseat on the porch, motioning for him to join me.

“Okay, what
exactly did you mean by that? You cannot allow me to be bound to you forever?”
I bit my lower lip and picked at the flaking paint on the armrest. “Do you mean
you don’t want to be tied down, or are you anxious to get back to the life you
had before we complicated things? I’m confused.”

He shook his
head. “I was afraid of that–you misunderstood me.” He rubbed his face and stared
at me with red-rimmed eyes. “Caitlin, what do you know of the
Varyo
?”

I shrugged
my shoulders. “Not much really. Just what you have told me.”

He sighed. “This
complicates things slightly. I was really hoping you knew something of my
people. I’m afraid you won’t look at me the same after you know more about us.”

I cocked my
head to one side. Could Talon possibly have a flaw? Now, I was extremely
confused and deeply curious.

“Honestly,
do you really think I’m so narrow-minded? Give me a little credit. I think I’ve
shown a great aptitude for taking things in stride over the last couple of
weeks.” I tilted my head to the side. “I’ve been exposed to the unbelievable,
and I still haven’t run from the area screaming. Have I? I like you for who you
are, not
what
you are. Although, I
have to admit, the flashing blue eyes do help.” I winked.

He grimaced.
“Ha, ha, very funny.”
He took my hands in his. “Seriously,
there are many dark things in the nature of my people. We have been the
guardians of the
Ethereals
for many
millennia
.“

“
Ethereals
?
Johr
said something about them as well. Who are they?” I quizzed.

Talon explained
patiently. “The
Ethereals
consist of all
the various races:
Varyo
;
Lykaios
;
Osanen
; and most
of the
Draíocht
. We were the first
and only line of defense for the various races against the
Accendersi
and the dark
Draíocht
.
The warriors of my people ultimately strive to become part of the
Turvata
, as they are the elite
protectors of the royal families.
The
Turvata
pledge to put duty over everything, including their own physical
safety and personal happiness.
We would gladly give our lives for those
we’ve pledged to protect. We burden ourselves with nothing and no one, only
duty. After many years, our world becomes very black and white… right or wrong.
Actually, it becomes grey…literally. We lose all sense of color, emotion, and self-preservation
– duty is all that matters. We eat only to survive, and our diet is extremely
limited.”

“Limited?
How?”
I asked cautiously. Now we were getting somewhere, and
regardless of what
had been said
earlier, I had a
feeling I wasn’t going to like his answer. I took a deep breath and waited.

His face contorted. “I was
afraid you weren’t going to let that one go. Promise me you will keep a firm
grip on that ‘open mind’ of yours.”

I nodded quickly. “I
promise.” The apprehension was making me slightly sick to my stomach.

He lingered before
continuing. “Our diet consists mostly of blood. We can eat some meats on
occasion, but they have to be extremely rare, or our bodies will reject it, and
that rejection is extremely painful.” He watched for my reaction.

It sounded like bulimia in
its most vicious form. I took a deep breath. “Okay. I guess that leaves only one
real question. Talon, where does the blood come from?” I paused briefly. “Are
these willing donors? Are you like vampires?” I couldn’t believe I said that aloud.
I rubbed my temples. “Wait. Perhaps that is a rude question.” I waved my hands
dismissively. “I’m sorry–forget I said anything.” Regardless of what I had
promised, my brain wasn’t processing this news very well.

“No. I want to know what
you are thinking. I could not bear for you to be afraid of me or hate me
because of a misunderstanding about what I am. If you have questions, I want
you to have the answers.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “The blood is
usually ‘donated’ as you put it.
There are many humans who
are more than willing to supply us, when there isn’t an
Ethereal
nearby. However,
Ethereal
blood is preferred since it’s much more potent and we require fewer feedings–not
to mention the fact they aren’t in danger of the conversion.” He waved his
hands dismissively. “Luckily, humans are naturally drawn to us. However, we
don’t dare take from the same human source more than once during the same
month.” He shook his head sadly. “To do so could begin the conversion and this
is an extremely painful process–not to mention irreversible. More importantly,
not all humans make the conversion successfully. The result of an unsuccessful
conversion is quite simply…death.”

I continued to bite at my
bottom lip fighting to stay in control of my chaotic emotions. “Is this why you
didn’t want to get too close to me–for fear I might go through this conversion,
and it could go badly?” I shrugged my shoulders. “What about these donors? How
is this transfer normally done?” I glanced at him, embarrassed. There was one
question nagging me. I needed to ask, but wasn’t sure I wanted to know the
answer. “Is it like the vampire stories? They always seemed to be in a state of…well…um…arousal.”

He gave me a crooked smile.
“Is that what you are worried about? You aren’t disgusted by my controversial
diet, but you are worried I might desire someone else?”

I’m glad he thought it was
amusing. I really wasn’t finding the humor in it at all – it was
really distressing
me.

He chuckled softly. “Actually,
it does help if we are ‘aroused’, as you put it. It makes it a very enjoyable
experience for the donor. If they struggle, it can become quite painful, and
once we begin feeding, we cannot break contact until the transfer is complete. It’s
all very simple really.”

Simple?
That is
not
the word I would have used.

I cocked my head to one
side. “Um, wow. Huh. I’m not sure how to respond to that.” The thought of Talon
with his mouth on someone else made my stomach churn.

Talon’s mouth slowly turned
down at the corners, forming a frown. “This is exactly what I feared. You
promised to keep an open mind.”

This went way beyond
having an open mind.

I held my hand up to
silence him. “Don’t misunderstand me. I do have an open mind. However, that
doesn’t mean that I will blindly accept everything I hear…especially when the
things I hear disturb me to the very core. You tell me you have to feed on
blood to live. Fine, I can live with that. You say you will not take blood from
me. Okay, I can even deal with that.” I threw my hands in the air. “Then you
tell me you get this blood from ‘willing sources’ and there is this small side
effect where you both become aroused during the process.
That
, I cannot handle.” I shook my head fiercely.

He reached his hand out to
touch me. “Caitlin, there is nothing emotional about it. It’s simply a matter
of feeding. The ‘side effect’ as you call it, simply ensures we cause no pain
to those who are willing to allow us to feed.” He raised his palms skyward. “What
would be the draw for them if it was not a pleasant experience? Our food source
would quickly run dry if that was the case–no pun intended. We would have to resort
to forcibly taking the blood, which would make us no better than the vampires
of your nightmares.”

I took a deep breath.
“Just a minute.
Try to understand this from my point of
view.” I looked him squarely in the eyes. “What would your reaction be if I
told you I required feeding off another to survive, and I became highly aroused
when I did so? Imagine me also telling you I would never be willing to share
this with you.” My voice grew husky. “Would you be able to sleep at night while
thinking of me holding another in my arms–my mouth pressed to their throat—green
eyes smoldering with the arousal brought on by the feeding? Could you bear the
sound of my ‘willing donor’ moaning from the pleasure of the feeding? You can
honestly say it wouldn’t bother you, because I told you it was ‘simply a matter
of eating’?”

Talon’s eyes flashed blue,
then
he hung his head and put his face in his hands. “No,”
was his muffled reply.

I shrugged my shoulders
and a single tear slid down my cheek. “Then we are at an impasse.”

Talon’s look was tortured.
“What would you have me do?”

I pulled my knees up and
rested my chin on them. “I really don’t know.” I turned my gaze to the concrete
slab of the porch and watched Scott’s kitten pounce on the June bugs that
had been driven
out by the rain.

We sat there in silence. After
some time, Leah and Jace walked back toward the porch with their arms wrapped
around each other. It was almost more than I could bear to watch. Leah took one
look at both of us and clearly knew there was something wrong. I knew it was
only a matter of time before her voice would begin probing the edges of my
mind.

Cay?
Are you okay?

Yep, there it was, right
on time.

No, not really.

What happened? You look awful.

Nice.
Thanks.

Caiti-poo, you know what I mean. I’m worried about you. What the
hell happened while we were gone?

I shrugged my shoulders.
I guess you could say we hit an impasse.

Jace glanced at Talon and then
back to me.
“Hey there.
What’s up? What did we miss?

Talon snapped, “Nothing.”

I recoiled at his
reaction. If anyone should be upset, it should be me.

Jace stared at me with
wide eyes. Leah put her hand on his arm and shook her head.

Talon abruptly stood up. “You
two better get some sleep. The
Elders
will be here in the morning. Jace and I are going to do a thorough perimeter
sweep and check things over. We’ll head your direction as soon as we are
finished.” He dismissed us with a wave of his hand.

White-hot anger raged
through my body until I thought I might blackout.

How could he set me aside so
easily?
So much for him wanting to know how I was feeling.
The first time I tell him what I think and it’s not all sunshine and roses…or
butterflies…he gets up in arms. Who the hell did he think he was?

Lightning flashed violently
in the night sky.

Jace raised his eyebrows
and threw a sidelong glance at Leah.

Leah wrapped her arm
around my shoulders. “Come on Caiti-poo, let’s go
inside
and grab some pillows and blankets. I’m so ready to jump into those hammocks
and just swing in the breeze.”

I followed her into the
house silently. I didn’t trust myself to speak at this point, afraid if I
opened my mouth, even for a second, I would burst into tears. There was no way
I was going to let anyone else see me cry from this point forward. Over the
last several days, I had shed enough tears for a lifetime.

Leah continued to watch me
out of the corner of her eye as we walked down the hallway to the linen cabinet
where Aunt Gail kept the extra bedding. She grabbed a couple of blankets and
tossed the pillows in my direction. She patted me on the back as she passed me
on her way to the back door. That one gesture was almost enough to bring me to the
brink.
This was one of the many reasons why I adored Leah.
She understood when I didn’t want to talk…or simply couldn’t. I reluctantly
followed her out the back door.

Unfortunately, the
hammocks didn’t hold the same appeal they had just a few hours ago. All I could
think of when I stared at them
was the brief time I had spent
there with Talon. I should’ve listened to my instincts from the start and not
gotten close to him. I had suspected that it was going to tear me apart if it
didn’t work out…and I was right.