I simply had to get better control over my blushing. And it was hard to talk about because my talent seemed to tie into sex with some degree of enthusiasm. Cara listened attentively as I stammered my way through it. By the time I had done so, we’d walked across the back field and down the path past the gate to reach the little clearing.
We settled amid the usual flurry of fascinated critters. When I was done, she was silent for a moment. Then she asked, “When you seduced the Dragon in the tunnel, how much effort did it take to do so?”
Effort? I tried to remember. I was so desperate to get Jacques out of there... “I’d managed to get around behind him, and threatened to cut off his ear with the sword.” Her brows rose. “But then I started to—well, I had my heel in the right place. And he seemed to go along with me once I started. He didn’t realize what was going on until I messed with his heart—but it was taking too long, so I aimed for his brain instead.” I interlocked my fingers and stared down at them. “I tried to use it on Xumi. Just the power—she was so fighting mad. But I couldn’t hold on long enough to make it work.”
Her eyes widened.
I grimaced. “Yeah. It didn’t go too well.” I rubbed the scars on my arm. Her talons had sunk deeply, but I’d healed pretty well—only surface scabs remained.
“Knowing the limits of your talent is an important part of your training,” she said. “You require your target to be stationary for a few crucial moments, not easy to do in the middle of a battle. It is better suited to a slower-paced scenario.” She glanced at our animal audience, and her brows drew down.
I followed her gaze to see a pair of large herbivores stepping from the bush. Their horns were spectacular, two standing straight out from their heads, and two curled alongside.
“Wow,” I said. “Look at those horns! Do they all have them?”
“No,” she replied. “Those are dominant males.” She looked down at the small group of furry critters the size of rabbits. She rose, casting her gaze to the branches overhead, which were lined with small, perched bodies. Then she closed her eyes, small wrinkles forming on her brow. I sensed her reaching out with her energy, touching the animals that weren’t brave enough to show themselves, but preferred to hide in the surrounding foliage.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No, not wrong,” she finally replied. “I’m just surprised I didn’t notice this before.”
“Notice what?”
She met my gaze, her blue eyes shining. “What can you tell me about the animals that have followed you here?”
I reached out, sensing them everywhere—every bush, every branch, had little bundles of life energy focused on one thing.
Me.
“There’s a lot of them,” I noted, surprised.
“Yes. They all have one thing in common,” she said.
In common? I poked and prodded at the life energy and finally saw what she was getting at. Trix was the sole exception to those that gathered around us. And it wasn’t because she was a dog.
She tapped her lips with a finger. “Jacques might have been onto something.” With that mysterious comment, she rose and pulled me to my feet.
“Where are we going?” I asked, confused, as Cara bustled back down the path with my entourage and me in tow.
She didn’t even glance back as her answer drifted over her shoulder. “To see an old friend.”
* * *
Cara rooted through her closet. “I have just the thing.”
“The thing for what?” I sat on her bed. Trix lay beside me, watching Cara with a calmness I certainly didn’t feel. I wanted this—didn’t I? The mysteries surrounding my life tormented me. Whoever had raised me had taught me to fight. Why? It wasn’t something most people thought necessary, and it hinted at a certain darkness in my past. So now that I might have some answers—I was suddenly unsure I wanted them.
It triggered attention from my accented other half.What’s up, Angel?
Cara is taking me somewhere.
I sensed his sudden focus.Where?
No idea. She’s being a bit cagey.
Maybe I should come.
Don’t think you’re invited.
