Into The Shadows (The Shadows Trilogy Book 1) Page 5

  My dad's parents Donovan and Linda died when he was eight during a capture raid the government had set out, my grandparents and his parents were best of friends and took dad in, dad and mom fell in love when they got older. Back then it was rare for paranormals to have kids with a lot of the witches foreshadowing a doom to come not wanting to put future children in danger so that sense I'm lucky grandma and grandpa had my mom otherwise I wouldn't be here.

  Walking into the library grandma had set a circle of lit candles with Aaliyah and mom helping, my hands start to sweat and fidget, and I begin chewing my lip taking deep breaths.

  "This is what is going to happen," mom says before adding, “you’ll walk into the center circle sit down crossing your legs and close your eyes, grandma, Aaliyah and I will all say a spell to unbind you. A light will blanket you in warmth and peace while your powers are returning to you, when the light is gone you'll have them back, some powers you've inherited will be obvious while others may not but will show when you need them".

  Taking all that in I nod. "Do you want everyone here?" Dad asks concern in his voice and hugs me tighter than earlier. Everyone stops to hear my answer. I look around the room at every face, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Addison, August, Aaliyah, Una and off course Axel. But strangely there's one more person I want here, Kyran, yes I want everyone in this room with me on the biggest day of my life thus far.

  I nod "Yeah, let's do this," I say letting out a breath I'd been holding and step into the candlelit circle sitting down crossing my legs and closing my eyes, taking more deep breaths. Mom, Aaliyah, and grandma sit in a circle surrounding me joining hands and begin chanting.

  I call my blood to blood to unbind thee

  so the powers can be set free

  finding the owner of the blood

  of who I bound to me

  now set free the powers

  who belong to thee so

  she can be who's she destined to be

  Chapter Five:

  Falling In Love

  * * *

  My heart rate speeds up, but I feel warm and safe, a tingling sensation is in my chest a floating feeling, I’ve never felt so alive, so free, but all too soon it’s gone. I open my eyes and immediately other people's voices in my head.

  "Did it work, of course it did." I'm sure my dad muses.

  "I think she's confused." Mom responds I'm certain.

  "Finally, I can talk to my owner." Someone who sounds like Axel makes a comment.

  I'm starting to understand what's going on, looking for my mom who's still sitting in the circle with me, I ask with a frown on my face.

  "What were you thinking? Her eyes widen, yeah I think she senses where I'm going with this

  "I figured you looked confused, why honey?"

  "Erm cause I heard you inside my head" I answer back, and she nods, she came to the same conclusion I did by my question.

  My family gasps so I ask why the huge reaction so dad explains. "You either have telepathy or mind reading, which is exceedingly rare, but I'm getting the notion everything about you is" he chuckles shaking his head in wonderment.

  "What's the difference between the two?" I ask, scrunching my eyebrows, Grandma Abby chimes in.

  "Well dear, a mind reader is someone who can read minds only, whereas a telepath can send and receive, to find out which one you are try closing your eyes and concentrate then send a thought to someone here."

  I clear my mind take a breath and hesitantly send out "Hello?" After a while of no responses I'm frustrated and scream inside my head, everyone flinches in pain rubbing their temples.

  "What did I do?" I ask defensively. Addison stands up from the couch "You screamed in my head and bloody well hurt, now I need soda after it" he grumbles walking out the room.

  "Sorry," I mutter back guiltily.

  Mom asks Dad "All paranormal blood relatives can do mind speaking so does that mean she's a mind reader, she doesn't have telepathy?' Dad tilts his head to the side thinking it over but before he can answer Una adds.

  "Her scream entered my head too, and I'm not a blood connection."

  "Really?" I ask in happiness clapping my hands in glee, grandma and grandpa are happy, the rest excited but baffled at my new lease of enthusiasm, I sigh explaining, "Well cause if I'm in as much danger as you say, well, being telepathic can only be a sure thing for when I need or we as a family need private discussions, no bugged listening devices that are planted around here if the government gets suspicious of us. They can't overhear any meaningful paranormal conversations or if I'm out in public with Una or you lot," I answer turning to face my family.

  "Good thinking" dad says, they all nod in various agreements.

  "You'll have to learn how to tune in and out other people's thoughts. Tune in who and what you want to listen to and what you're sending to others, so you don't accidentally send anything personal, especially to the wrong person" Grandpa says, rubbing his chin while also wondering how to help me understand.

  "Think of it as a door, you open and close it to invite in or shut them out" he adds.

  "Look at me, watch me" Keeps repeating in my head and mutter this aloud not thinking about it. Axel barks as he’s watching me, and it's him, I laugh, gosh I love this dog I'd be lost without him.

  "And I you" is said back in response to my thought and I jump in shock.

  "He spoke to me," I blurt out to no one in particular, pointing the finger at Ax, everyone is laughing at my astonishment.

  "I better go, got work in the morning," Una tells our family before saying goodnight to all, dusting off her sweats as we head back downstairs to the living room.

  "Yeah I should go to bed too. I'm tired, been too much of a long day," I reply hugging Una goodbye and walking her out to the elevator.

  "See you tomorrow," I tell Una, strolling back inside and shouting out goodnight to the family while I'm heading up to bed, as soon as I lay down I was out.

  On my lunch break, the next afternoon I'm reading the newspaper when a shadow falls over the table. Looking up into Kyran's smiling green eyes a strange contentment washes over me and I sigh inwardly in pleasure.

  "I must say, Ava, I thought you'd call yesterday cause I waited and waited by my ED pining for you. But to no avail my love was rejected by you," he speaks in a husky tone with a cheeky smile dimples on full display, and I'm swooning with a spark of arousal igniting in my lower belly. Kyran pulls out the chair sitting down grinning wide while I say, "Well, 'my love,' I was a little busy getting the truth from my parents and…" I pause unsure exactly what I should tell him, we've only met, yes I do like him a lot, but doesn't mean I can trust him either.

  Kyran is handsome in his fitted black t-shirt, blue jeans, his sneakers and, oh my, his hair is down today. He gets a serious expression on his face before adding, "Ava, I understand we have just crossed paths, but I have a pull towards you. Like you’re meant for me. Wow that sounds so cheesy, I'm not good with words, and not sure how else to explain what I feel for you and my wolf is going nuts for you. We've never agreed on a girl before like he wants me to claim you, well he’s demanding it" he laughs dryly.

  "I'm not asking you to mate me but to date me, at least for now" he winks.

  "I wanna train you in self-defense and move up from there to skilled fighting, but first, how was yesterday are you ok? I mull this over while doing so a waitress asks, "More coffee?” with the refill pot in her hand, both Kyran and I nod thanking her.

  "Am I ok? Well honestly yeah I am but at first, I was pissed, but I'm whole again the place that was empty is filled, God now who's sounding cheesy". We laugh drinking our coffee, and he reaches out touching my hand and squeezing it.

  "I'm here for you babe, if you let me be. I want to be that guy, go on a date with me tonight." I pretend to think it over.

  "Uhm, ok pick me up at seven," I say drinking the rest of my coffee and standing, my break is almost over. My right side gets itchy I go to rub it automatically pulling up my work s
hirt a little, Kyran's eyes follow my movement and is surprised, "You have a familiar?" I follow his line of direction and see Axel as a small German Shepard dog tattoo moving around on my skin.

  "Apparently so" I mutter and rush out the door back to work.

  At seven, the HES alerts us Kyran is down at the reception area, and if he’s ok to be allowed up. I give the ok of course. I'm nervous and pacing back and forth in the living room while my family watches in amusement at me. They haven't seen me like this over a guy before, and ‘cute’ is what they called it earlier as I was getting ready. I decided on blue skinny jeans, white crop top, and knee length black boots over my jeans, a black cardigan with my hair in a fish braid and light makeup. I didn't want to do too much since I wasn't aware of where we were going so went for dressing casual.

  Our door opens, and Kyran walks in looking sexy, oh my, I just melted into a pile of goo, and a shot of arousal hits me, black suit, black shoes with his shoulder length hair down giving off a messy look it’s so attractive, exciting me further. I bring myself back to the present, introduce my family to him, and afterward, we leave but not before I see them all smiling at Kyran and me holding up their thumbs in approval.

  Kyran opens his car door a beautiful silver Range Rover and takes my hand helping me inside, closing the door and going around to the driver's side. I buckle my seatbelt while he fastens his, as the car starts up he asks, "Have you eaten at Hudson River Restaurant? I got us a table there.”

  “I love that place” I tell him before adding, "The food is delicious." I inhale catching his scent, his car smells of him, sandalwood and peppermint arousing me, so I'm doing math in my head, so he doesn't get a whiff of my aroused state. Ten minutes later we pull up to the parking lot, enter the restaurant holding hands and are seated at a table. We placed our orders of a pasta dish for me and a steak for him. He reaches over and takes my hands in his.

  "You're beautiful, absolutely stunning babe, wanted to tell you back in the car but had to concentrate on not crashing" he smirks.

  "And you are very handsome you clean up well," I say teasingly.

  "So tell me what happened yesterday," Kyran replies, and there is a concern in his voice, and so I do. I start with explaining what I am, what my family is, about Axel, and my powers were unbound with one of them being telepathy. Kyran is happy my first power is activated but insists on training me in combat, only trusting himself to have me trained correctly, and he’s particularly interested I have the werewolf gene.

  When I ask why, he answers "Because I think my wolf knew something that I'm only starting to understand, a wolf's mate can be any species but was supposed to be recognized when we find her or him by scent. But with you, there was a barrier around you I couldn't get your scent until today, you being bounded must have blocked it cause it is screaming at me loud and clear now, and I wonder if your werewolf protected you until you were ready for me." I frown puzzled.

  Kyran sees this on my face, and he continues "Well did any part of you think of me as yours, the word ‘mine’ spinning around in your head?" I lean back in my seat surprised he knew what has been happening to me, taking the guilty expression on my face as an admission he carries on.

  "But was there a part of you that tried to ignore it or isn't ready? If there was, I think whatever wolf is in you blocked your scent to me cause once a wolf scents his or her mate, it is all fast work for us. The need to claim, to be one with our mate is so intense it's hard to fight and step back if our other half isn't ready for us."

  While we've been talking, we've also been eating, and I'm chewing a bite while I let everything sink in.

  "Yeah you’re right I wasn't ready then and still not ready now. I don't wanna rush into any mating ritual or whatever it is you do, but I want to be with you." Smiling, Kyran relaxes, I guess he was scared I would run once he admitted I'm his mate but now knowing it to be true in my heart there is now a growly presence in my head that is getting a little clearer the longer I'm with Kyran.

  Back in the car, I ask him about the new sensation, and he taps his fingers on the driving wheel thinking it over.

  "I think once you accepted I was your mate and me yours, your wolf woke up in a way and being around wolves is probably making it happen a little faster. Don't forget this was all inside you but blocked by the binding spell. I'm surprised it didn't knock you out with twenty years’ worth of power build up."

  "Where are we going now?" I ask seeing where he was going, and he gives me a little sheepish display.

  "I was deep in the conversation that I was instinctively driving home. I'll turn around now."

  "No don't, I want to see your home, after all, you saw mine" I wink. He adjusts himself in the chair growling. I jump which inspires my next question.

  "You don't act very animal-like, do you?"

  Kyran chuckles as he responds "Well when you spend so much time acting human in public around others you learn to control automatic responses" I frown.

  "But it ain't a secret you’re not human so why pretend to act like it?" I ask a little confused, he reaches out for my hand on my left knee and squeezes it

  "Just because people witness our existence doesn't mean we want to advertise it, so we keep that part hidden, only around family and trusted people do we show our animal side."

  I can understand the reasoning, and Kyran adds "You’re doing well with your telepathy, I would have thought hearing people's voices everywhere would drive me insane."

  I laugh. "Well my grandpa helped to say to think of it as a door, you open and close it to invite in or shut them out, so that's what I did. Straight away I put up a door in my head, but I want to learn how to receive messages, and I can't do that if my mind is closed".

  Turning into Skyline condos on Littleton Avenue to the underground parking Kyran parks, opening his door, coming round for mine and let him help me down holding my hand. I stumble, and he catches me putting his arm around my waist bringing our bodies pressed together our lips a breath away and his scent stirring up my arousal he lengthens in his pants pushing harder against the apex between my legs. I moan, and he growls, pulling my head to his chest and whispering in my ear

  "Baby stop it unless you want me inside you then definitely carry on, but I must warn you. As soon I put myself inside you, you’re mine and I'll kill anyone who so dares go after what's mine".

  I pull back and stare into his sexual clouded eyes "I don't think I'm ready for this yet, but soon I promise." A little disappointment is in his eyes, but he doesn't push, he accepts nodding and takes my hand in his entangling our fingers together and walks us to the elevator using his thumbprint to allow us entry putting me down as a guest when prompt for the second print. Stopping on the 15th floor we open up to the entry hallway followed by a door at the end he puts in his thumbprint again, and we walk into the living and kitchen area open space, the same layout as mine except for five bedrooms, not six.

  A woman who I believe to be Kyran's mother lifts her head up from reading case files. I know them anywhere due to my dad being a judge. She smiles and stands up walking over to us. She's beautiful with a blonde pixie haircut, green eyes, oval shaped face with high cheekbones she's tall at 5'9 looking beautiful in a gray suit.

  "Hi honey and this must be Ava," she questions, hugging Kyran before stopping to check me out no doubt making sure I'm worthy of her son. She has a friendly smile, and there's kindness in her eyes that puts me at ease instantly only then realizing I had a death grip on Kyran's hand.

  I loosen it, but he grips back "Don't let go" I hear him say into my mind, and I jerk back in surprise making his family watch me in what seems to be a concern. Checking the door in my head, I realize it's open, the distraction from meeting his family broke my concentration on keeping it closed letting Kyran's thought break through. I quickly close it not wanting to listen to anyone else's. I’m not skilled enough to block them out yet.

  "Are you alright?" He muses aloud as he’s facing me, nodding I inform th
em what happened, and I catch the display of surprise on his family's faces the same one my family had letting me know just how rare telepathy is.

  "Ava this is my mom, Mollie, she's a social worker," Kyran explains as he introduces me to the woman now known as Mollie. Now the suit and case files make sense. Then turning to face an older version of himself he adds.

  "And this is my father Gabriel he's the Alpha of New York" and wow if Kyran becomes any hotter like this when he’s older I'm gonna be a euphoric lady. Gabriel is exceptionally tall with an over six-foot muscled frame short trimmed blonde hair, green eyes and diamond shaped face with a sharp jaw. He's dressed in casual black pants and a gray t-shirt, there is hardness in his eyes, but kindness and friendliness are there also. I guess when you're the alpha it couldn't come without hard decisions.

  Smiling as I nervously say hi to them making them laugh probably sensing my nerves they both move away and sit down on the couch where his sister is and another guy who is Kyran's double. Kyran walking us over, adds, "You've met Avery before, so this is my twin, Riley." I wave at him and say hi, I sit down following Kyran's lead, and you wouldn't be able to tell him and his twin apart. Except that Riley doesn't have the shoulder length hair but a big mop on top of his head, and I'm not attracted to him my body knows the difference.

  "So Ava by now you must know we're good friends of your family? Your parents and I go way back, and we advised them about a week ago to tell you as soon as possible about what you were even though we don't know what you are ourselves". Mollie is standing up to make coffee for everyone in the kitchen, and wow we’re going straight in I take it.

  "Yeah I know everything now," I say.