Seduced by Pain (12 page)

We drove down
a long, winding driveway with tall snow-topped trees reaching over the path to
meet each other in the center, giving it the feeling of entering a magical
world.

"What if
they can't help me, and I can never free your brother and we can never be
together physically?" I'd voiced my worst fears, that hope would linger
just out of reach forever, taunting me with what might be, if only I were
different.

"That's
not going to happen, love. Have faith."

The mansion
sat in the center of a field surrounded by woods. Its white columns and wide
porch reminded me of something from
Gone With the Wind
. I expected
Scarlett O'Hara to run out at any moment calling for Rhett, but instead, kids
of all ages came and went, laughing and chatting or reading in a corner on the
porch swing.

One boy lit a
fire in the fire pit using only his hands while the girl with him turned the
flames into human shapes and made them dance.

I watched in
awe, jaw dropped, as the kids from the news that everyone had thought was a
hoax used powers that were quite real as if they were nothing special.

To the side of
the house, a weeping willow caught my attention, its branches swaying in the
wind. I felt, more than heard, a song come from the tree, light and sweet, like
a peach on a summer day.

"Derek,
do you hear that?"

"Hear
what?" He pulled in front of the house and parked.

"That
tree. I think it's singing."

He looked
outside to where I pointed. "Wow, yeah, I hear something. It reminds me of
the roses, which I'll show you when we go home. But this is different.
Definitely magical. This whole place is probably filled with magic."

Ocean pulled
in behind us and bounded out of the car with typical energy.

Derek squeezed
my hand. "Ready?"

I closed my
eyes and nodded. "As I'll ever be."

An older man
with snow-white hair shuffled out the front door and waved at us.

We got out of
the car and walked with Ocean up to him.

Derek stuck
out his hand. "I'm Derek O'Conner, David's son. This is my fiancé, Rose,
and her best friend, Ocean."

My heart leapt
at the word fiancé. It was the first time he'd had a chance to introduce me as
such, and I wanted to giggle like a school girl with her first crush. Instead,
I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt.

The man shook
Derek's hand and studied us with wizened eyes. "I'm Father Patrick, a
friend of your father's from long ago. Welcome to our little school. It's good
to meet you. Come in, and I'll give you a tour and introduce you to everyone,
then we can chat."

We walked us
through halls and rooms, all packed with kids.

"How long
has this school been here?" I asked.

"This school
was founded very recently for children with paranormal abilities. We wanted to
provide them a safe place where they can learn to control their powers, as well
as get a good education and develop critical life skills. These kids have been
through a lot. Most of them escaped an organization that rented them out to the
rich to exploit their gifts. The kids called it Rent-A-Kid. They had nowhere
else to go once freed. Since then, we've opened our doors to any paranormals,
like a prep school for exceptional children."

I nodded. "I
saw the news coverage about their escape. Kids claiming they had powers and
were genetically experimented on? Wasn't it debunked as a hoax?"

"It was,"
said Father Patrick. "The world just isn't ready to accept this kind of
power. One brave writer put their story into a book, but it was billed as
fiction."

Two boys ran
down the hall, laughing and throwing ice and wind balls at each other. Father
Patrick put a hand on each of them. "Boys, you know the rules."

"Sorry.
We'll take it outside," the taller one said.

"What
will they do when they leave here?" I asked.

Father Patrick
clutched his crucifix around his neck in what appeared to be an unconscious
gesture. "Whatever they want. I imagine some will form communities with
others like them, so they can be themselves without hiding. Others will
integrate back into society and live normal lives. A few have chosen to stay
and teach here, and a few have been chosen to work for a special international
organization that handles anything paranormal."

I tried to
imagine these kids living a normal life. "I had no idea there were so many
paranormals in the world."

The priest
patted my shoulder. "There's much more out there than you can imagine."

We passed a
few classes in session, and walked through the common area. "The kids
unwind here. They can play games, do homework, watch television, or just hang
out. It connects to a second kitchen so the older students can make their own
food when they're hungry. We have a separate kitchen for official mealtimes."

Everyone
looked happy, but I couldn't imagine living with so many people all the time. I
thought living in the coven was crowded. Here, people bumped into me as they
passed, brushing up against my skin. It made me nervous.

It was
unlikely I would just explode my power on anyone, but I didn't want to take any
chances. Derek must have sensed my fear, because he put his arm around me and
pulled me closer to him as we walked.

An Italian
Greyhound streaked through the hall chasing a white cat, nearly tripping us all
and pulling me out of my emotional slump. "What was that?" I said
through laughter as Derek helped me straighten up.

The priest
smiled. "That was Eddie. He and Angel, the cat, like to take turns playing
tag."

I loved the
idea of children playing and laughing and animals frolicking through the halls
while someone taught Algebra or History in the next room.

We followed
Father Patrick into a break room with comfortable couches and chairs and a
table. "This is for the adults, when we need a little peace and quiet. We
have a few former students who work here in various capacities as well, one of
whom will be helping me with you, Rose. He should be here shortly."

We took seats
around a coffee table while Father Patrick brought tea for everyone. As he sat
down, a couple with a small child walked in.

The man, a
tall blond with a lean build and striking blue eyes, carried a baby who didn't
look more than a few months old. Beside him a beautiful girl with brown hair
and matching blue eyes smiled at us. "Hi, I'm Sam. This is my husband
Drake, and our daughter Ana."

They looked too
young to be married with a child already. But then I thought about how young
Derek and I looked and stopped judging. Love knew no age limits.

I stood and
shook hands, after slipping my leather gloves back on. Once everyone was
introduced, Drake and Sam sat on the loveseat with Ana between them, her
dimpled grin and gurgling sounds stealing attention from every adult in the
room. I wanted to hold her, to smell that baby skin and feel those little
fingers grip mine. Yet another thing I hoped to do once I had control of my
powers.

Father Patrick
took the lead. "Rose, Derek's father told me about your unusual gift and
what happened with Dean."

I hid my face
as those memories rushed through me, filling me with shame.

Sam reached
out her hand to me. "It's okay. No one blames you for anything."

I looked up in
surprise.

"Sam can
read minds," the priest explained. "Drake has his own unique
abilities of empathy and Seeing. Ana, well, she's still a mystery to us, but we
know she's going to outshine even us all."

"Wow, that's
a lot to take in." I eyed them both. "It probably makes people
uncomfortable when they find out you can read their thoughts and emotions so
well."

They both
shrugged.

"I know
what it's like to have that effect on people. You have nothing to fear from me.
I'm an open book," I assured them.

Ocean sipped
her tea and smiled. "Oh, me too. Just don't be too shocked if you hang out
in my thoughts long. I don't self-edit."

That brought a
chuckle from everyone and some blushing from Sam.

Derek squeezed
my hand. "Whatever can help Rose, I'm fine with. Just… I'm not proud of
everything I've done in the past, but I'm working at being a man I can be proud
of."

"No one's
here to judge you," Sam said. "Honest. You don't even want to know
the kinds of things I've heard in people's minds. You three are nothing in
comparison." She winked at Ocean. "Even you. Though you are extremely
imaginative. I might need to get some tips from you later."

My heart
swelled at the people sitting in this room. The power, the love, the friendship…
I'd never felt anything like it. For the first time in my life I felt like I
could get a handle on my dark gift and stop living in fear of myself. "So,
where do we begin?"

It is not night
when I do see your face,

Therefore I think
I am not in the night;

—William
Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

THE SUN CLUNG
to the sky as it fought to stay awake,
casting purple and gold beams of light into the clouds. Derek and I took
advantage of the evening by exploring the gardens hand in hand.

We'd spent the
day meeting so many people whose names I'd never remember and settling into our
rooms. I'd been surprised when the priest gave Derek and I a private guest room,
separate from the house. Guess the ring on my finger had its advantages.

The silence
between us hung lightly, like a bird perched on a branch. Neither of us felt
the need to break it for idle small talk. Instead, we enjoyed each other's
presence and processed the intense day.

This was the
day of changes for me, if I had to give it a name. Looking back on who I'd been
when I woke up that morning, and who I was now, standing with my fiancé at a
school for paranormals, it was hard to believe less than twenty-four hours had
passed.

The longer we'd
been gone, the more my actions with Blake last night bugged me. Not that he
wasn't attractive, but how did I lose control so completely and so fast? None
of that pull remained, and I wondered if magic had been involved.

It didn't
matter anymore. I was with Derek and would never consider anyone else ever
again.

I tugged my
glove off and looked at my ring for the millionth time, smiling.

We sat on a
bench with the weeping willow hanging over us. Its song had quieted as evening
approached, sounding more like a whisper. Nature had never spoken to me like
this before, and I felt a certain presence in the tree I couldn't describe.

Derek caressed
my cheek and traced my cheekbones with his finger. "It's incredible to me
that we're here right now, together. I never thought I'd love anyone this much."

I reached my
hand to his face, the diamond on my finger sparkling in the setting sunlight. "I
feel the same way. It's a miracle."

The kiss
started softly, like butterfly wings dancing in the dark. Heat built in waves,
like a tsunami in my core as our mouths explored each other. He pulled me
closer to him, bodies pressed together, my fingers gripping his head, pushing
through his thick hair to deepen our kiss.

His hand slid
up my shirt, flesh on flesh that burned with desire as he stroked the small of
my back.

Our heartbeats
thrummed between us, pounding out a rhythm that built in intensity until my
whole body flashed with an ache of need that had never been satiated.

With his free
hand, he explored my breasts over my blouse, teasing my hard nipples with his
thumb.

I wanted to
push his hand down my jeans, to feel his fingers slide into my body, stroking
the part of me that ached so badly, but the sexual tension uncoiled the
darkness in me, and I felt my power leaking out.