Read Online Change of Heart 05 - Forging the Future by Mary Calmes - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mary Calmes
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are,” Crane teased, apparently able to read my mind, whispering in my ear before he elbowed me gently in the ribs.
Turning to him, I snorted out a laugh as he winked at me.
“I await your decision,” Yusuke intoned imperiously, appearing absolutely bored out of her mind.
Holy crap, she was scary! I wouldn’t have wanted to mess with her. For Logan Church to have these people around him spoke great things about him.
“You have my leave,” the semel relented, shooting me a murderous glance.
“Excellent,” Crane said quickly, turning to me. “Come on, let’s go.” He grabbed his wife’s hand, yanking the terrifying woman after him, much to her obvious delight. Her adoration of the man was plain to see and completely leveled her murderous vibe from moments earlier. “Let’s go see the Quarter, people. Where ya wanna go, Jin?”
He treated me like I was nothing but his friend, and I really liked it. He was so easy to be around, and when I darted after him and Yusuke, Artem and Andrian on my left, I had a sense of peace that had been completely missing for as long as I could remember. It felt like the end of not knowing was finally upon me, and the relief was staggering.
When I took hold of Crane’s arm, slipping my hand around his bicep, he didn’t even slow down, just kept walking and talking, asking me what I’d been doing and what I could remember.
I learned as we strode to the streetcar stop and caught one back to the Quarter that he and I had traveled together for many years. We’d been waiters and bartenders and a whole array of other things. It was so good to talk to him, and when I wanted something to drink, he passed me a wallet that had my license and my credit cards in it. It was ridiculous, but being able to buy for them felt really good. I sat there and went through the contents of my wallet, my identification showing a scowl I’d never seen on my own face.
“Yeah, you’re not so much for taking pictures,” Crane quipped.
There were the four credit cards, all platinum ones I was used to taking from guests at the bar when they paid me, a folded note from Ilia that said he loved me with a sweet, misshapen heart drawn in the corner, and various other punch cards: one for the library and several others. It was just a wallet. It could have been anyone’s, but it was special because it was mine, and it tied me to my life and my family and my mate. I couldn’t get my hands to stop shaking.
I was hungry, so we stopped at Mr. B’s Bistro on Royal Street and had lunch. Even though I didn’t know them, Crane and the others, I felt safe. Their laughter wasn’t forced, they didn’t care that I was a reah. They cared about me , about Jin, because for better or worse, we were family.
“It’s so odd,” Artem sighed, gazing at me.
“What is?”
“You don’t smell like you,” he answered softly.
I regarded Crane. “What do I normally smell like?”
He squinted. “You smell like burning wood and the forest at night and rain… and a little like vanilla.”
“All that?” I laughed softly.
“All that,” he confirmed. “And when you’re using your power, the smells change.”
“My power?”
“Your nekhene power,” he explained.
Yusuke took hold of my hand, and I winced.
“Oh!” She let go quickly. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I—” I leaned back. “I’m sorry. I want to be close, and it’s a bit better when I touch you instead of you touching me, but there’s no getting around the fact that it hurts.”
“What hurts?”
“The touching.”
“Touching hurts?” Crane asked, concerned. “When you hugged us, it hurt?”
I nodded.
He smiled wide, and I was simply dumbfounded. He was the oddest, most interesting man.
“Why in the world is that a good thing?”
His half laugh, half cough was funny. “It hurts Logan too.”
I jolted involuntarily. “It hurts him to touch people?”
“Yep. He says it feels like thousands of needles.”
“Exactly,” I
Turning to him, I snorted out a laugh as he winked at me.
“I await your decision,” Yusuke intoned imperiously, appearing absolutely bored out of her mind.
Holy crap, she was scary! I wouldn’t have wanted to mess with her. For Logan Church to have these people around him spoke great things about him.
“You have my leave,” the semel relented, shooting me a murderous glance.
“Excellent,” Crane said quickly, turning to me. “Come on, let’s go.” He grabbed his wife’s hand, yanking the terrifying woman after him, much to her obvious delight. Her adoration of the man was plain to see and completely leveled her murderous vibe from moments earlier. “Let’s go see the Quarter, people. Where ya wanna go, Jin?”
He treated me like I was nothing but his friend, and I really liked it. He was so easy to be around, and when I darted after him and Yusuke, Artem and Andrian on my left, I had a sense of peace that had been completely missing for as long as I could remember. It felt like the end of not knowing was finally upon me, and the relief was staggering.
When I took hold of Crane’s arm, slipping my hand around his bicep, he didn’t even slow down, just kept walking and talking, asking me what I’d been doing and what I could remember.
I learned as we strode to the streetcar stop and caught one back to the Quarter that he and I had traveled together for many years. We’d been waiters and bartenders and a whole array of other things. It was so good to talk to him, and when I wanted something to drink, he passed me a wallet that had my license and my credit cards in it. It was ridiculous, but being able to buy for them felt really good. I sat there and went through the contents of my wallet, my identification showing a scowl I’d never seen on my own face.
“Yeah, you’re not so much for taking pictures,” Crane quipped.
There were the four credit cards, all platinum ones I was used to taking from guests at the bar when they paid me, a folded note from Ilia that said he loved me with a sweet, misshapen heart drawn in the corner, and various other punch cards: one for the library and several others. It was just a wallet. It could have been anyone’s, but it was special because it was mine, and it tied me to my life and my family and my mate. I couldn’t get my hands to stop shaking.
I was hungry, so we stopped at Mr. B’s Bistro on Royal Street and had lunch. Even though I didn’t know them, Crane and the others, I felt safe. Their laughter wasn’t forced, they didn’t care that I was a reah. They cared about me , about Jin, because for better or worse, we were family.
“It’s so odd,” Artem sighed, gazing at me.
“What is?”
“You don’t smell like you,” he answered softly.
I regarded Crane. “What do I normally smell like?”
He squinted. “You smell like burning wood and the forest at night and rain… and a little like vanilla.”
“All that?” I laughed softly.
“All that,” he confirmed. “And when you’re using your power, the smells change.”
“My power?”
“Your nekhene power,” he explained.
Yusuke took hold of my hand, and I winced.
“Oh!” She let go quickly. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I—” I leaned back. “I’m sorry. I want to be close, and it’s a bit better when I touch you instead of you touching me, but there’s no getting around the fact that it hurts.”
“What hurts?”
“The touching.”
“Touching hurts?” Crane asked, concerned. “When you hugged us, it hurt?”
I nodded.
He smiled wide, and I was simply dumbfounded. He was the oddest, most interesting man.
“Why in the world is that a good thing?”
His half laugh, half cough was funny. “It hurts Logan too.”
I jolted involuntarily. “It hurts him to touch people?”
“Yep. He says it feels like thousands of needles.”
“Exactly,” I
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