The First Touch (37 page)

He
asked in confusion
, “Twitching?”

Autumn moved evasively, “Yes you were twitching before, wait...” Her v
oice faded away and her eyes grew
wide, “Who are you?”

Galen’s copy matched her step
,
feeling the alarm in it, and he became desperate
, “
Wait Autumn I am sorry love; I just needed to see you.”

Her eyes nearly popped from her head
,
and she stuttered
,
backing away from him, “I...I can’t believe you tricked me.” She pushed past him angry now
, “
Why would you do that to me
? What else did you lie about?”
Her chest began to hurt, and she pressed her hand to her chest again, bending over gripping it in pain.

He rushed to her side and put his hand on her back and she dropped to her knees. The pain increased where he touched her, like a knife being
shoved through her chest. S
he felt her skin turn cold and then the darkness slipped out, “Don’t touch me!” She hit him square in his chest sending him flying though the air and through her bedroom wall. Then she dove though the nearest window shattering the glass. He did not follow her thankfully, and she whispered as she landed, “You shouldn’t have lied to me Ivan.” She was nearly sobbing now, “You shouldn’t have lied. I already knew about Helen, you’re just mak
ing it harder for me, you ass
!
”

Ivan listened helplessly, unable to move or speak; his entire chest caved in
,
along with the back of his skull. Had he not been morphed he would have been standing instantly, but his body was fighting to reconstruct foreign cells. It took three times longer than it normally would to become functional. Minutes later
,
he was finally able to stand and he stumbled to the window
let
ting
out a
strangled cry
as his face returned back to its original form.

He knew it was too late
,
but he was desperate
. H
e hoped that he could follow her scent
, perhaps to where she was staying
. He scaled down the side of the building and followed her
still having trouble moving,
ch
astising
himself then,
I should have eaten
.
Now he was going to be too slow to catch her. He cursed under his breath and called Henry on a cell that he pulled from his pocket, “She was here, she is headed west.”

Henry bellowed on the other end
, “How did she get away?”

Ivan snapped back still sounding winded, “She is strong, and I wasn’t expecting it.”

Henry asked slowly, “What did she do?”

Ivan replied just as slowly, “She nearly put her hand through my chest.”

Flora took the phone from Henry, “Why did she do that?”

“She thinks that I lied to her.”

Flora added, “About what?”

“She believes
that Helen and I are together.”
He replied, as it began sprinkling
.

Flora asked again sounding confused, “Why does she think that?”

Ivan replied a li
ttle ashamed, “I was in
Galen
’s form
, when I told her that it was not true.”

Flora sucked in sharply almost hissing
, “
You should not have done that.”

Ivan cursed to himself,
as the rain increased quickly turning into a down pour,
“I know and now I will not be able to catch her.”

Flora returned sounding anxious
, “
I do not think you should corner her again. She might kill you.”

Ivan retorted desperately,
“She has a pain in her chest Flora.”

Ivan could almost hear the smile in her voice whe
n she said, “Good
.”

Then Ivan added a little harder, “When I touched her though, she seemed to be in serious pain, she told me not to touch her, and then she hit me.”

Flora remarked sounding even more relieved, “That is good news. She must be fighting hard against it.”

Ivan seemed relieved by her words
,
as he asked
, “What now?”

“
Keep following her until I can get Serena there maybe she can explain things to her.”

Ivan snapped
, “
If that does not work?”

Flora retorted confidently, “Then we will send Grayton
,”
and then she said finishing his thought
, “
and if that does not work then we will send Helen.”

Ivan snorted
, “
I do not think that having Helen speak to her would be wise. If she does not kill her then I will.”

Flora asked then, “Why do you say that?”

Ivan replied with a huff, “
Autumn
thinks that Helen and I are together, because she saw her undressed in my room.”

Flora asked serious, “When did she see that?”

Ivan answered, “I do not know. I have not seen Helen since the island.”

Flora replied then, “I will ask her, perhaps she can tell us which of your homes that she has been to recently. That might help
us in tracking some of her
movements.”

Catch

Grayton sat at the cafe and enjoyed watching the local artists paint on the balconies ab
ove, each one
attempting to catch thei
r own idyllic views of the city.
It was
one of
the only saving gr
aces to this horrid place. A
city filled with happy couples and romance on every corner. As he thought it, a couple on vacation no doubt, sat at a table on the opposite side of the street at another café holding hands and smiling at each other.

Autumn was right; this place was driving him crazy. Then he felt it, before he saw it, a slender pale hand slid onto his shoulder and said in a familiar sweet voice, “I told you that you were going to make yourself even more miserable
here
. Why on earth would you choose France, the romance capital of the world?”

Grayton smiled sadly
,
replying
truthfully
, “
I was waiting for you.”

Autumn sat across from him smiling warmly, but then frowned when she saw his eyes, “What is wrong?”

Grayton smiled tightly
, “
You look different.”

Autumn frowned
, “
Do I loo
k bad? I ate just before I came,
it may not have kicked in yet.”

He looked at her wide-
eyed and said breathless
ly
, “You look beautiful.” She smiled brightly and he slid his hand to his mouth his eyes still wide.

She pouted, “What is wrong then?”

“
Your eyes are clear. How are you able to do that, you changed what four months ago?”

“Yes.
After the first time I fed
,
it took me a couple of days to get them back to norm
al and stay that way. But it’s easier now
.
Why? How soon can most change their eyes back?”

“It takes most decades to master that skill, though truthfully some never do.”

Autumn replied un
phased, “What about Ivan? He seems to do it just fine.”

“
His skill is shape shifting, he has been able to do that since his change like you. That is why he was tested
and became a member of the council
.”

“Ivan told us you visited him.”

Autumn snapped defensively
, “
Visited him? Is that what he told you? Because it was more like he ambushed me in my old apartment, disguised as Galen.” Grayton nodded solemnly and then
Autumn
continued, “Did he tell you that he lied and then hurt me?”

“He did not mean to
Autumn
”

She snapped back sounding truly hurt by his words, “Which one lying or hurting me?”

Grayton said seeming to be enjoying the conversation
, “
He did not mean to hurt you and he did not lie.”

Autumn felt a smile creeping on
to her lips, “He didn’t lie?”

Grayton smiled wider, “Yes he did not lie.”

She asked determine to iron out all of the details, “Why did she tell me that they were sleeping together and that the kiss meant nothing then?”

Grayton replied unemotionally, “She wants Ivan for herself. She has wanted him for some time.”

She frowned, “Some time?”

Grayton replied, “A
few hundred years.”

Autumn winced and then continued sarcast
ically, “A
few hundred years, and does he know that?” Grayton nodded, and she asked scowling, “Have they ever been together?”

Grayton replied, “No, Ivan has never been interested.”

She narrowed her eyes, “How come? She’s gorgeous.”

Grayton sighed, “She is not his type.”

Autumn shot back at him then, “What do you mean he didn’t mean to hurt me?”

Grayton continued watching her closely. “Ivan has bonded with you.”

She asked, “What does that mean?”

Grayton continued slowly, “Flora thinks that Ivan is your mate, and since you are fighting th
e bond, you will feel
pain.”

A look o
f confusion came over her then, “Fighting the bond?”

Grayton replied plainly, “You are not allowing your mate to be with you.”

She looked curious now, “How did we bond?”

Grayton replied slightly mopey, “Once you heard his call and he bedded you the bond was formed then.”

Autumn seemed confused, “His call? Bedded you? What on earth are you talking about?”

Grayton replied concerned, “You did not feel the call then?”

She said then, “What is the call like?”

Grayton replied, “You should see a ghostly shadow coming from him. Then once you consummate your union, you are bonded.”

“
There is no way that that could be so then. Cause I have not seen any ghosts coming from him and unless he bonded with me while I slept.”

Grayton smiled widely then, “There is another option.”

Autumn looked worried then, “Let’s have it.”

“
You could have called him to you, in which case you bonded him to you when you kissed.”

She looked very confused now, “Called him to me? So he saw my spirit?”

“
No, No one will ever see your spirit.”

She replied quickly
, “
Then how did I call him?”

“The last called her mate in a dream.”

She placed her hand over her mouth
, “
Ivan said
he dreamed of meeting me
before we finally met.”

Grayton turned very grey as he said, “Ivan never mentioned a dream.”

Autumn smiled, “Yes we talked about it on our first meeting.”

Grayton stared at her then, “You should consider being tested.”

Autumn frowned then, “I am not getting tested but I will take Ivan.”
Then she curse
d, “Unless he doesn’t want me.”
Then she hissed putting her hand over her mouth, “Oh god I hit him so hard!” Grayton’s face was still pale then, and
Autumn
stopped catching that there was more, “Who was the last one?”

“Her name was
Isisa
.”

Autumn snapped then, “I am tired of hearing about the eye. I am not the eye. Even if I were, I would turn it down, I am not leadership material.”

Grayton replied still serious, “If you are
,
then you will not have a choice.”

She replied sharply
, “
Like hell I can’t, if I am the eye no one can stop me right?”

Grayton nodded looking slightly disappointed, “Be rational.”

She snapped
back, “Do not judge me Grayton
.” Grayton winced at her words then she continued, “It may be a great gift, no doubt, but it is my choice what I decide to do with it.”

Grayton sighed, “I wish it were that simple.”

Autumn placed her hand on her hip as he continued, “Once the eye is discovered there will be quiet
a few who will challenge you.
Then there will also be problems with clan challenges.”