Soul Mates: Scent (The Soul Mates Series) (12 page)

Anna let herself into the cabin and called out to her father. “Le père, où vous êtes?”

I followed Anna into the spacious room just as her father came down the stairs. He was wearing a paint-covered smock and carrying a blank canvas.

“Bonjour, my sweet. Did you need me?”

“Le père, he did it! He could talk to me while I was in Ireland and he was here! And then he followed me just by thinking of me!” Anna rushed at her father and hugged him.

David’s eyes got huge as he stared at me over his daughter’s shoulder. A huge grin broke out across his face. “Très magnifique! I should have known that there was something special about you!”

I sank down into the cushions of their sofa and frowned. “What is so special about my being able to talk to Anna or following her by thinking of her?”

David let his daughter go and sat in the chair opposite me. He leaned back considering his words before he spoke. “Your mother, she told you of our history? About Diana? Oui?”

I nodded, not sure what he was going to reveal or whether or not I wanted to hear it. Anna sat down next to me, taking my hand in a reassuring way.

“It has been a très long period since one of our kind has been able to do what you can do, Max. The Elders cannot even travel as you do. They can not travel to a person, they can only travel to a place, and even then, they sometimes miss their mark by a mile or more,” David said, looking thoughtful. “Anna, did you too try this?”

“I did not think to,” Anna said with a frown. “I should try. Max, go hide yourself in the house somewhere. I shall see if I can flash to you.”

“Okay, if you think we should, maybe you should go out to the porch, so you don’t hear me.”

Anna smiled. “Good idea, now do not think of where you are, I want to try to flash to you, not the room you are in.”

I waited until Anna was outside before climbing the stairs. I thought about football, the positions everyone on the team played and all of the plays we went over that afternoon. I slipped into a room without thinking about what room it was. I just opened the door, stepped inside, opened another door and stepped in to it. My eyes were shut and the room was dark. I had no idea where I was in the house.
Okay
babe,
come
find
me.

Within seconds Anna was wrapped around me and pulling the light on
.
I
did
it!
Le
père!
Come
find
us!

David opened the door a few moments later, a smile on his face. “I could not flash to you. I ended up in the bathroom across the hall because I knew you were upstairs.”

“Le père, Diana visited me while I was in Colorado. I think perhaps she has blessed us with additional gifts. Do you think it is possible?”

“Oui, I do mon Cheri. The goddess Diana has a plan for you, something only the two of you can do for her, I am thinking.” David sat in thought for a moment more and then said, “There is one other possibility.” He stared at me, studying me as I held his daughter close to me in the small confines of her bedroom closet.

“What is it mon père?” Anna asked curiously.

“Max, your last name is Fergus… Irish, non?”

“Yes, my father’s family is Irish. His parents came over here when he was just a boy, the seventies I think. He lost his accent pretty early, but my granddad and grand mum still have theirs. Why?”

“Max, has your father ever spoken of the Fae?”

“No, not that I can recall. My grand mum has occasionally joked that my granddad is a Fae Prince, but he always smiles and tells her to hush.”

“I will have to do some research, I do not wish to voice my thoughts right now. Perhaps after I have spoken to some friends. We shall see. In the mean time, Anna, you both have work, non?”

“Oui, mon père.”

“Then I will leave you two for now. I shall have more to discuss with you tomorrow, after I visit with my friends. If I leave now, I will catch them before work.” David nodded and flashed out of the room, leaving me alone in the closet with Anna.

“Well…” I grinned down at her, my arms wrapped loosely around her waist tightened; pulling her closer, so close that there wasn’t even a breath of space between us. I breathed in the scent of her skin as I buried my face in her neck. She smelled like heaven, the scent of the forest lingered on her. I licked the pulse that was rapidly increasing in the hallow of her neck. I could hear her breath quicken as I brushed feather light kisses along her jaw. I nibbled my way up to her lips and I heard her purr in contentment as I captured her lips.

Anna pressed herself closer to me as her hands stroked my back. Her tongue sought out mine, caressing and tasting until neither one of us could breath properly. She had wrapped her legs around my waist again and I moved with her out of the closet and into the room. I thought about the bed all the way across the room and somehow flashed us there, startling us both.

“Max, how did you do that? How did you move the both of us here?”

I stared down at her, stroked her hair back from her face and smiled. “Not sure, babe. I just thought the bed would be more comfortable and it was way across the room and next thing I know, here we are.”

“Here we are.” Anna grinned as she reached up and pulled my lips down to hers. I could feel her fingers in my hair, stroking me as we kissed. I slid my hand down the length of her and felt my heart swell.
Mine.
You
are
mine.
I
will
not
share
you
with
anyone.
Frederick
can
’
t
have
you.
You
are
mine.

I felt Anna’s lips curve into a smile beneath mine.
Frederick
will
never
have
me,
mon
amour.
She slowly pulled back from our kiss, her vivid blue eyes going serious. “We still have much to do, Max. You still have much to learn.”

I sighed and flipped over on my back. “Now?”

“Oui, now, Max,” Anna said with a lilting laugh as she moved over on top of me, her raven hair draping our faces like curtains.

I pushed her hair back behind her ear and smiled up at her. “Okay, what are we going to work on?”

Anna slid off of me and I groaned. She tugged on my hand as she stood up. “Come, Max. We must train you to fight.”

“And how are we to do that?” I asked curiously.

“We are going to do a little traveling,” Anna grinned.

“You do realize that it is…” I looked down at my watch. “Eight thirty and we still have class tomorrow?”

“Oui, yes, but this is important, Max. Frederick is powerful, dangerous. You have to be ready for him.”

“All right. So how? Where are we going?”

“We are going to see a friend; he is good at training warriors.”

“Warriors?” I asked, frowning. “What kind of warriors?”

“All kinds of warriors,” Anna said with a grin. “Gideon has been training warriors since before my great, great, great grandparents were born and they are over two hundred years old.”

“So he’s like what, ancient? How is he going to train me?”

Anna laughed. “Oh, do not call Gideon ancient to his face! He will have you flat on your back in seconds if you do!” Anna pulled me down the stairs to the living room. “I just have to find his address.”

I watched as she flipped through a thick address book. She was beautiful, standing there, concentrating on finding the address. I wondered what she was thinking and so I concentrated on listening to her mind, but couldn‘t really pick up what she was thinking. I thought about pushing harder but when I opened my eyes she was watching me and frowning.

“Max, do not try to get past my walls. When I want you in my head, I will let you in. Be patient. When you push for it, it can cause problems psychically, and it can be painful. I have walls in place for a reason Max.”

I went to her and wrapped my arms around her, tilting her chin up so I could look in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Anna. I would never hurt you. I just wanted to know what you are thinking. You somehow always know what I am thinking,” I said it gently, hoping she would understand.

“Max, when I said it would be painful, I meant for you. My walls are meant to protect me and they have a defense mechanism that would psychically shock you. There are some of our kind that can psychically attack. Do not look so worried Max, Frederick is not one of them.” Anna smiled. “I promise we will work on building your psychic walls soon, Max. Learn to fight first, then we can work on this part of it. I promise.” I smiled at her and she kissed my lips softly and smiled back. “I have the address. Now, concentrate on it, and we will be there with in seconds.”

I glanced down at the paper and read the address. Gideon Rainer 404 Skylark Rd. Glasgow, Montana. I held the address in my mind and thought I want to be there at Gideon Rainer’s. I blinked my eyes and within that second I was standing in front of a brick, ranch style home that I could only assume belonged to Gideon. Anna stood next to me, a smile lighting her face.

“Anna, sweetheart, what are you doing all the way out here? And who’s your friend?” A man came out of the front door and pulled Anna into a big bear hug. I felt my protectiveness heighten and a low growl rumbled deep in my chest. The man let Anna go and took a step away from us, his eyes narrowing, his face guarded as he studied me.

“Gideon, meet Max, my mate.”

Gideon stepped forward again, his hand extended. “It’s about time you found him! Max, good to meet you!”

I shook Gideon’s hand, studying him as I did so. He looked young, as if he were in his thirties. How that was possible considering how old he must be, I had no idea. Even great Grammy looked older than him and he was supposedly much older than she. “Nice to meet you too. Anna tells me that you train warriors.”

Gideon grinned. “I did. Still do when I find someone worthy of training.” He began walking back toward the house. “Come on in, set a spell.”

“Gideon, I need you to train Max,” Anna said seriously as she stepped into the front hall of Gideon’s house.

I followed closely behind her, shutting the door as they moved into the living room. It was filled with antiques, well worn but in excellent condition. Anna took a seat upon the sofa and I went to stand protectively behind her, my hand resting on her shoulder. If Gideon turned out to not be friendly, we were so out of there.

Gideon took a seat in a chair across the coffee table from her, quietly studying us. My fingers tightened on Anna’s shoulder, I was not comfortable here. I was getting a strange vibe from Gideon, one that was not as friendly as he made himself appear. I was ready and waiting to flash us out of there if he chose to attack. I could see the contemplation in his eyes and for a moment I could read his thoughts. He was assessing me, sensing my strengths and weaknesses. Judging whether or not I would be quick enough. I felt the air move as he made his attempt but before he could lay a hand on us I flashed us out of the house and back outside.

“What are you doing, mon amour? We need Gideon to train you,” Anna frowned at me.

Gideon came out of the house with a grin. “Okay, I’ll train you. You got some good reflexes boy, and your senses are good too. What gave me away?”

I didn’t return the smile. “I felt you gauging me; I felt the air move around you. I knew you were going to try some kind of attack. I didn’t wait around to find out what kind.”

“Smart move; how did you get Anna to come with you? I couldn’t sense you talking to her.”

“I wasn’t,” I said still guarded and protective of Anna.

“Well ain’t this a fine howdy do? You got some additional skills that most shifters don’t have, boy. Will make training more fun,” Gideon said with a delighted grin. “I haven’t had anyone with your kind of skills to train in over a hundred years.”

I relaxed my muscles a little bit as Gideon led us back into the house, but I was still wary of him, wondering if he was going to pull anything else. “So, you aren’t a shifter, like us, what are you?”

Gideon grinned again. “Figured that out did ya? What gave me away?”

I thought about it for a minute before I answered. “A few things; your name for one.”

“What else boy?” Gideon urged me to tell him what else I noticed.

I looked at Anna and she nodded, agreeing that I should tell him everything I noticed.
Why?
Do
I
really
want
to
give
that
information
away?
How
do
you
know
he
isn
’
t
working
with
Freddy?

Tell him, mon coeur. He has been a friend to my family and your great grandmother for as long as I can remember. He knows Frederick, oui, but he refused to train him when Frederick approached him about it. You saw how Gideon evaluated you? He did the same to Frederick. Frederick was not fast enough and ended up with a broken arm. Gideon found him unworthy. Frederick was furious. You can trust him, my love.

I looked up at Gideon and sighed. “Anna thinks I should trust you. I used to be a very trusting person, but here lately… the only one I trust is Anna. Which means I will trust you. For now. You asked what else I noticed, what gave you away. Your name, your scent, the way the air moves around you, the way you think… your appearance too. If you were a shifter, you would not still appear to be in your thirties. Anna mentioned that you were well over two hundred years old. Your scent is not that of the forest or of the Earth. It is not human either. I don’t know what it is, but I recognize it. My granddad smells similar to you.”

Speculation was brewing in Gideon’s eyes again. “Is that right?”